BUMP – Issue #2
Fangoria Comics
Written and Drawn by Mark Kidwell
Hey, I’m quoted on the back cover of this sucker, so go and buy it, you Horror Yearbook diehards! Anyhoo, things start off right away with a “bump” in this issue as two uglies meet under the covers for a little game of “poke your eye out”, but that’s so the little kids know to stay out of this horror comic! Little Jackie is led by a puppetman out of his safety zone, and into a place where the late Edgar Dill awaits his return. And boy does he ever! Fans of “The Driller Killer” will love how too. Mark Kidwell continues to pour on the horror and gore with his crazy wooden cheerleader squad and dead meat characters. This is a fun book, and after this issue, I’m really excited to see this when it becomes a movie. Fangoria Comics definitely has a winner on their hands with Bump. All in all, this issue continues the suspense and intrigue with a new killer coming back from the grave to take care of the naughty teens and their filthy sex drives. And don’t forget Momma. She loves them high school boys without shirts!
GRADE: A- CONTINUE READING? Jump on now before you become the one hiding in a cave. Or is it a rock these days?
‘68 – One Shot
Written by Mark Kidwell Art by Nat Jones
Cryptic Magazine
Image Comics
It’s Mark Kidwell again. Yep, I asked him at this year’s San Diego Comic Book Convention if he ever sleeps. “It’s tough, I tell you.” I bet. With Bump and another upcoming Fangoria Comics series, Recluse, along with last month’s Image Comics one-shot, Creature From the Depths, and an upcoming crossover for Bump with Tim Seely’s Hack/Slash (that’s going to be the bomb-diggity!), Mark Kidwell is one of the hardest working men in comics today. So Brian Bendis, you may not cry on Mark’s shoulder… unless he lets you. As for the aptly titled comic, ’68, Mark does just the writing chores this time out and leaves the art to Nat Jones. It’s a cool book about zombies in the Vietnam War, and it made me think of my other favorite zombie book over at Marvel Max, the “straight up now tell me”-titled Zombie series. Kidwell does some top-notch writing as usual in this one, getting down the Marine-speak pretty good and the characters well-rounded for that one shot of freedom. Or in this case, a great zombie story, especially with Nat Jones on the dark and shady pencils. I could easily see this as a lost Tales From the Crypt episode The last line will definitely have zombie fans screaming too.
GRADE: A-
RAISE THE DEAD – Issue #4
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Leah Moore & John Reppion Art by Hugo Petros
I’m in Nirvana with these covers for Raise the Dead. Literally. A zombie baby floating in a pool just brings back “Come as You Are” to the brain like a cool breeze with a familiar smell in the air, like the neighbor burning leaves or something. If there was a contest of what comic book had the best covers of 2007, it would be this one, hands down. And yet, Wizard Magazine keeps denying Raise the Dead this privilege. Guess they must be using Aquafina in their water cooler. Anyway, this issue picks up the pace faster than hot salsa to the tongue! It’s a very fast moving train with our surviving members running from zombies in all directions. And for some reason, they don’t want to eat the ugly dried-up prune of a Professor. Gee, maybe because he looks like a prune filled with piss! Who eats prunes anyway when there’s a big bus driver of a woman with some meat on her bones right next to him? I’ll go with B if I were a zombie. This was a great issue to the series, and made some nods to some popular horror franchises along the way. I especially liked Matt’s flashback in this issue, and it really captured his untold origin throughout the series. Leah Moore and John Reppion do a great job building the climax in this issue, and the art has always been fantastic by Hugo Petros. I’m having fun with this book and I hope it keeps going.
GRADE: A- CONTINUE READING? You know what… I actually don’t know if this was the final book of the series or not? It has an ending, in the vein of one of the best horror movies around, Demons, but I think there could be more. We’ll have to wait and see, but if not, the series gets a B+
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER – Issue #5
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Joss Whedon Art by Paul Lee
And right off the bat, we have another comic that deserves more attention in the cover department. It’s Buffy alright, about to tear her face off, and it begs for a hug. Issue #5 of Season 8 has the stand-alone story about one of the three Buffy impersonators around the world. And quickly, no this is not the one from Season 5 of Angel. That one was with The Immortal and above ground. This is the one that was underground. Ask Joss for the rest cuz that’s all I know. The story is decent, but too tricky in its format, jumping around like grasshopper on speed. Joss should know by now that what you can get away with on television can’t be done entirely in a graphic novel format. But there’s some poetry here to the writing, and I really enjoyed the ending of this one. I just didn’t like the long bus ride across the country to get there, especially with new characters making it even more confusing and a Giles being more of a background cameo than a standout. It’s been an up and down start for Season 8 in comic book form, but I think that’s to be expected in this sort of transition. Besides, we have two great things to look forward to in the next issue: Brian K. Vaughn and the return of Faith! The watermelons are gonna fly and I got my trash bags and rain coat ready!
GRADE: B- CONTINUE READING? Heck yeah, you better. Or Faith will come to your house and kick your ass. Wait… I want that. Just keep reading.
BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE RAGE #2
Fangoria Comics
Written by John Bisson and Robert Kurtzman
Art by Stephen Thompson
Saved the best for last. I said this was a “Grindhouse” comic book last month, didn’t I? Well, slap me silly and call me QT because I was totally right! It’s super cool, and basically grabbed me by the throat and said, “Hey, you thought the first issue tasted good, well then eat this!” I’m really amazed at how this book brought it up a notch and more from the first issue. Death by piranhas? Check. Death by gigantic python? Check. Death by half-dead panther? Big check! To top it off, the jungle adventures of Doctor V, Misfit, and Dirty Sanchez (nope, I’m not making that up!) get even better as a tribe of zombies controlled by the ultra-cool second in command, Carlos, rains on their parade and brings them to the front door to the Eternal Queen. The story by Bisson and Kurtzman is breathtaking as it flavors alongside Big Trouble in Little China and Planet Terror making it an addictive page-turner. The art is awesome, and Stephen Thompson really understands the content and turns it into a film on paper. I have to give props to the colorist too, as Jason Jenson really adds the final spark to this kickass book. And did I mention one of the characters is named Dirty Sanchez? If you’re not reading Beneath the Valley of the Rage, then you’re regretting life.
GRADE: A CONTINUE READING? Oh man, this book has a gigantic hook, and I’m getting reeled in. Keep reading folks!
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