HACK/SLASH – Issue #4
Written by Tim Seely Art by Emily Stone
Devil’s Due Publishing
PullBox Online
Ladies and Gentlemen… Vlad has had The Sex!! Okay, so I ruined a moment in the book. I had to mention it. The freak got laid, and it’s a monumental moment for fugly sidekicks everywhere. I promise, it won’t happen again. Well, me not ruining a plot twist. As for Vlad, who knows. He’ll probably bump uglies again with our favorite groupie, Gertrude, again down the line. As for issue #4, all hell breaks loose as the monster that Elvis works for comes to collect on our virgins, Cassie and Georgia Peaches. Can Vlad save them in time? He’s gotta get through that slick hairspray band gone bad, Acid Washed, and they’re looking pretty evil when it comes to fightin time! This series has been a blast, and I’m glad Tim finally decided to go monthly with this sucker. It’s a craving unlike food and sex, but something that definitely makes the mind do circles around the comic book shelf. You want it all the time, and you want more. I want more. And of course, food and sex along with it. But hey, back to the review. Emily Stone is a kickass artist, and I’ll say it every month. Seeley is by far one of the top writers in comics right now, so I suggest you pick up this book if you haven’t already and then thank me later for your “Hack/Crack Addiction.”
GRADE: A CONTINUE READING? You betta, you betta, you bet!
BUMP – Issue #4
Fangoria Comics
Written and Drawn by Mark Kidwell
Bump, bump-bump. Anybody else love Spank Rock? Imagine having that song stuck in your head every time you see the cover! So the final issue comes to save the day, fixing memories of the slow-paced, regurgitated issue three and resolving some of the scattershot subplots introduced in the first two issues. However, the ending, and though I was kind of expecting it really, was anti-climatic, maybe leading into the live-action movie Fangoria will release at the end of the year? Regardless, the beginning of the issue kicks off with something rarely used: sympathy for the sex-crazed couple! As most horror fans know, those with just sex on the brain get whacked in the first half hour of the film. Well, Bump follows that long-lived law, but then turns the rule on its head by having one of the last survivors talk about how they did something good before they were decapitated. Tina tells readers that her big brother wasn’t all that bad, and even gave into bringing his little sister along for the ride, even though all he wanted was drugs and sex from the girlfriend. After I read that, I was like, “What the @#$% man? He didn’t deserve to die!” Or maybe because I’m a big bro myself. This was a great series, and Mark Kidwell did a great job, not only for introducing cool new horror icons in Edgar Dill and the Naughty Girl Squad, but also helping Fangoria Comics launch with a bang.
Here’s looking at you, Kidwell. Bump, bump-bump. Bump-bump.
GRADE: B+ SERIES? B+ MORE? Stay tuned for the ultimate match-up as Bump does a crossover with HYB favorite, Hack/Slash! Bring it on, beetches!
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER – Issue #6
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Brian K.Vaughn Art by Georges Jeanty
Look who decided to join the Scooby Gang. Mr. Brian aKa “Lost Newbie” Vaughn. And I gotta tell you, it’s about time. Joss is one of my favorite writers, and I love his television work, but the comics, especially his baby-doll Buffy, are just not cutting it lately. The first five issues were a mixed bag with some great moments, and some hurtful head scratches. So who do you call? Well, yeah, Ghostbusters, of course, but also BKV! And right away, Vaughn kicks it off with one of the most difficult characters to write, the rogue badass Faith. She’s on special assignment to take down another slayer that appears to find hunting rather fun with weaker slayers as prey. The only problem is, she’s royalty and hard to get to in that “007” inside job fashion, and Faith couldn’t be more rough around the corners than any other slayer out there. But Giles thinks it’s best for Faith to take out Lady Genevieve, and why he thinks that crazy idea appears to be a huge subplot, major twist in the making! I hate to say this because I don’t want to shoot that silver arrow through Whedon’s heart, but Vaughn’s Faith story is the best so far for Season 8. I just wish the artist would take a little more time and create faces that are recognizable to us, as my beloved Faith looked like a strung-out, crack addict half the time. And that’s been a major problem with this book from the start. These characters have actual faces, created from the television show, and there has to be an artist that can capture that look to please fans. I know Ryan Sook can do it, and now Tom Feister as well. So either get George to work a little harder at capturing the likeness of each character better, or rotate out the artist with a new one. Then I won’t yearn as much for this to be a television show again.
GRADE: A- CONTINUE READING? Something’s gonna happen in the next issue. Something big. I can feel it. Can you?
STEVE NILES STRANGE CASES #1
D2 Comics
Image Comics
Written by Dan Wickline Art by David Hartman
I was almost fooled when I was filling out the writing chores for this book. It appears our buddy Steve Niles created the idea for this book, but the actual writing chores go to Dan Wickline. It feels just like a Niles book though, as it opens up with a character not unlike Cal MacDonald from Criminal Macabre and Blud from City of Others. He’s Phillip Neville: Scrubby, with a cigarette drooping from his mouth and the long, flasher jacket wrapped around his alcoholic presence. From there, Wickline appears to take over with the supporting cast filled with familiar character archetypes, and familiar faces if you ask me. (Greg Watson = young Bruce Campbell?) They join up to create a supernatural gang, a la Scooby Gang, that will search for the supernatural and take out the bad guys with tentacles for feet! It’s a quick read as 16 pages fly by, but Wickline keeps them enjoyable for what appears to be a teaser for an ongoing series. The art is good from David Hartman, but a little small with no splash pages or panels that really grab the reader. But then, I noticed there’s an advertisement at the end of the story that this will be available on the Sony PSP, so it makes me wonder if the art was supposed to be small? The plot thickens! If it is, I might have to play some more poker at the casino and try and win enough money to buy a PSP because that would be pretty cool to see! A new format for comics is definitely a plus in my book.
GRADE: B CONTINUE READING? I’m definitely interested. Let’s see some more Steve and the gang!
NEW LINE CINEMA’S TALES OF TERROR
WildStorm Entertainment
“THE TEXAS CHAINSAW SALESMAN”
Written by Peter Milligan Drawn by Tom Feister
“COPYCAT”
Written by Christos Gage Drawn by Stefano Raffaele
WildStorm continues to pump out more stories from the top three bad boys of horror, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, and Freddy. This issue here is a great idea, having two short stories featuring two of the three mentioned, tearing it up with their favorite tool of choice. But it’s a mixed bag where one aspect of the short works and the other holds it back from being great. For starters, the first story, “The Texas Chainsaw Salesman” features one of the coolest artists on the brink of stardom, Tom Feister. His art reminds me of Ryan Sook (X-Factor) mixed with the animation shorts from Creepshow 2. Very lively and intriguing frames that propel him to the top of my list if I ever want one of my stories drawn. Unfortunately, the writing by Peter Milligan is a little too much of the “eye wink”, giving the reader the old “look what ALMOST happened to you, buddy” syndrome that works better as a campfire story than a Leatherface one. But that art sure is pretty. As for “Copycat”, Freddy meets up with some sickos that wanna be just like him. It’s a fresh idea for the Fredster, and the writing by Christos Gage is pretty good. He’s got the Freddy-speech down pat, and the reader kinda wishes after reading it that it appeared on the “I wish I could forget” Freddy’s Nightmares TV show. Now, opposite to the first story, the art is not that original. In fact, I challenge those that read it to tell me how many frames match scenes from the movie exactly. (I counted seven carbon copies.) It’s a decent book, and one of the better specials from WildStorm’s romp through New Line Cinemas treasure chest of monsters, though it makes me want to write one if I get Tom Feister to draw it!
GRADE: B WANT MORE? Actually, I do, WildStorm! Let’s see some more short stories with Jason, Freddy, and Leatherface!
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