THURSDAY THIRST – COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP – January 17
EVIL DEAD – Issue #1
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Mark Verheiden Art by John Bolton
Well this book certainly came out of nowhere. I guess the “Ash Craze” is in full effect, transferring the zombie craze back to the cemetery. Which is cool because I like Ash. Always have. Always will. Evil Dead goes back to the beginning where Ash tells the tale of how he got to the cabin with dear, old pal Scotty, girlfriend Linda, and the rest of the girly gang. Writer Mark Verheiden (My Name is Bruce) does a great recap of the film while offering something new to the audience. If we talk in DVD movie-speak, he gives us deleted and extended scenes. Dark Horse doesn’t hide the fact that this book is an expansion of the film, recapturing the favorite and unforgettable scenes like the tree-raping, but also gives us a glimpse as to what happened to the Professor while recording his incantations. For fans of the original Evil Dead, this is a must-have to complete your twenty versions of the DVD. Especially the art by John Bolton, where some scenes appear to come straight from the film. At least, I recognize that car shot on the bridge as being exact. I’m not sure if it’s photo manipulation or fresh art with a lot of reference, but I can report that Ash does indeed look exactly like Bruce Campbell. Which is good. If this book is to be done at all, then the likeness of Bruce is essential. The best part is that Verheiden balances Ash’s witty dark humor along with the Boy Scout demeanor; a little something other writers of King Ash have missed the boat on. (I just started screaming thinking about Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash!) In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Verheiden has probably seen Evil Dead more times than I’ve seen Office Space… and that’s a bold statement! He really knows the film and how to tell the story to keep it fresh without using the fanboy homage. So for lovers of the Evil Dead films looking for something to satisfy their deadite desires, then this book will definitely give you some sugar.
GRADE: A- CONTINUE READING? Feels like Evil Dead: Director’s Cut, so yeah, I’m interested to see what else pops up out of the cellar!
FRIDAY THE 13TH: BAD LAND – Issue #1 of 2
Written by Ron Marz Art by Mike Huddleston
WildStorm Entertainment
I seriously hope writer Ron Marz isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here, much less change the history of Jason Voorhees… cuz I’m not buying it. Friday the 13th: Bad Land dives into the past and present timelines, mirroring a place in the woods where evil is born and where evil resides. Sounds good so far, but the payoff intends to tell the reader that Jason might be born from the wrong-doings of white trappers to American Indians. Three trappers just waltz into an Indian hut where a mother and child sit frozen, eat their food, rape the mother, and shoot her dead while reaching for the baby rattle. Yeah…You just made that “Ttttsh!” sound, didn’t you? That’s what I did when I turned to the last page, where one of the only two appearances Jason makes in the book exists. While I like writers bringing something new to the Voorhees table, this one goes way past the cool stage and into big, big trouble. I was even a bit thrown off that WildStorm would show a full two pages of a couple having sex! That’s kind of cool, but it does nothing to the story, especially for a two issue series. Marz has been around awhile in the comic book biz, so it’s quite surprising to see something like this come from underneath his pen. I’m really disappointed with this structure and plotting, and the parallel subplot doesn’t work at all. So far, Friday the 13th has been WildStorm’s strongest book out of the horror franchises they secured a little while back, but now Jason falls victim here to the poor storytelling plaguing the other titles like A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Issue two has a lot of weight on its shoulders, and Marz needs to be smart about not messing up the legacy of Jason Voorhees. Otherwise, he’s gonna have a lot of pissed off comic book fans… AND horror movie fans. That’s suicidal if you ask me.
GRADE: C- CONTINUE READING? It’s a two-parter so I guess I can peek in and see what the hell this story is getting to.
JENNA JAMESON’S SHADOW HUNTER – Preview Issue 0
Virgin Comics
Story by Jenna Jameson Written by Christina Z Art by Mukesh Singh
Ever wanted to see Jenna Jameson in comic book form? Wait. Better question. Ever wanted the comic book to be good too? Well little porno watcher, your prayers have been answered. Jenna in comic book form is here, and she’s hot, and the idea behind it all is pretty darn cool, even though it shades a little from writer Christina Z’s Witchblade run. But hey, that’s a great template to use if you ask me, and if there’s a chance to crossover to The Darkness, then I’ll shell out $3.99 for it and leave a tip. Shadow Hunter is about a girl named Jezzerie Jaden (Jenna Jameson) that can see angels and monsters, (Jezz says “demons” and monsters, but they looked like angels to me) and her purpose leads to something bigger with that ability. I can’t tell you that purpose yet because this was just a preview issue and it doesn’t tell you. As if watching Jenna perform on film and wishing you were Peter North giving it to her wasn’t a tease enough, right? But unlike that revealing comment, Shadow Hunter appears to have great taste. More intriguing is the art. Wow. Mukesh Singh had me mesmerized in his style, mixing paints with pencils like they were having the most amazing sex of their own. In fact, he brings a certain excitement to the book; one I haven’t felt since Image Comics formed back in the 90’s. Hell, I don’t even need words to enjoy this book really with his exceptional art, but Christina Z does put a little meaning behind it with her words. I think she does need to sharpen up the pacing a little bit and maybe watch the verb tenses, but other than that, Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter appears bright and ready to make a full-on statement: Jenna Jameson can definitely give you pleasure in other formats. Comic book geeks beware.
GRADE: B+ CONTINUE READING? Issue 1 is at the top of my list… because Jenna’s kiss is on my list…and it’s the best thing in life.
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