Horror Comic Roundup Image drawn by Travis Wayne Pursell, colors by Decapitated Dan
Welcome to the
Horror Comic Roundup! Join Decapitated Dan, Billy
Dunleavy and friends each week as they review new and old Horror Comics
that you will either be dying to read or terrified to check out!
'68 Jungle Jim #3 (Image)
Decapitated Dan: Ahh,
issue #3, the turning point in the mini series, when it all comes back
around to lead into the ending, and MAN was this issue good. The first
thing that really stood out to me was the way the story was told here.
Typically I don't like things on the page jumping around like this, but
once it all came together, I was loving how it was done! Best part of
the issue to me was Zombies using Zombies as weapons. As if I need to
say it again, Zornow's artwork is GORE-Geous! Mix in the colors by
Fotos, and this book will just take your black heart away. I love this
book, and incase you couldn't tell already, I am going to tell you that
you need to be reading it. Zombies done so right, it's wrong not to
check it out. -
Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0
Bedlam #7 (Image)
Decapitated Dan:
Well the first arc is over and now we start on #2, and with new artist
Ryan Browne. While I will miss Rossmo on this book, I think that Browne
is a great fit. He was able to really deliver on that same gritty look
that I have come to expect in Bedlam. The story in this one though was
really dragging on, and then of course, I get to the end and now I need
more right away. I thought that the build was necessary to how this book
finished, but at the time of reading it, I was close to a nap. I did
love the intro scene though, had me cracking up and the Head Puppets.
Overall still a great read, although I think I am beginning to move it
from Horror to Crime. -
Dying Breath 4.0 out of 5.0
Chillers Book 2 (Transfuzion)
Decapitated
Dan: Take everything I said about Chillers Book 1 and now multiply it
by 2, because Book 2 was that much better! I want to start with the
story by Gary Reed and Kevin Thomas "A Mother's Beauty". This story
needs to be an ongoing title, I can not express how great it was on both
story and artwork. I loved the concept so much, I now i seriously need
more! The rest of the book is filled with above the bar tales by some of
the best horror talent in comics today. So my list of top five stories
in the book are "A Mother's Beauty", "Exotic Tales", "Homecoming", "The
Hellfire Worm", and "Distracted Walking". Of course all 14 stories are
Agh-Mazing, and I have to say I have fallen in love with the artwork of
Ger Curti. I would be able to say so much more but it would just be me
saying "buy it, read it, love it, share it", over and over again. READ
THIS BOOK! -
Dying Breath 5.0 out of 5.0
Crossed Badlands #30 (Avatar Press)
Decapitated Dan:
Man this series just keep getting better and better. With part 2 of
Gage's story arc in full swing, things just keep getting worse for this
betrayed group of survivors. I think that Gage is just delivering one
hell of a story. I love this concept of someone studying the Crossed,
and trying to manipulate them, while being stuck in one horrible
situation. It's survival of the smartest at its best. The artwork by
Zanier is still GORE-Geous, and let me tell you this, when a Crossed kid
goes head first into helicopter blades, it could possibly be the
coolest thing ever drawn in one of these issues. I love the fact that I
am happy to be reading Crossed again. This arc is fantastic, and I can
not wait to see what will happen next.
- Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0
Dark Shadows #17 (Dynamite)
Billy Dunleavy: For
anyone out there that's looking for a new read, definitely give Dark
Shadows a chance. There has been a bit of everything in this book since
Mike Raicht (The Stuff of Legend, Exiles, Infestation) took the reigns.
Time travel, witchcraft, werewolves, and of course, vampires! He's
weaved a story that has been intriguing, and suspenseful. Right now,
Nicholas Blair, along with the help of Barnabas Collins soul (he's been
trapped in Limbo) are attempting to rid two of his friends from demonic
possession. Also, the demon that now inhabits Barnabas' body has tracked
down the vicious vampire, Lockwood, and means to make a pact to destroy
Barnabas and his family forever! The artist is fantastic, as is the
writing by Raicht. And the cover by Francesco Francavilla is the icing
on the cake!
Rating 5/5
Demons: The Unseen #1 (Zenescope)
Billy Dunleavy:
A few of these "Unleashed" books have actually been decent and showed
some promise (Vampires, Werewolves, etc.). The underlying villain behind
the entire crossover is pretty good, but something else needs to tie
them all together. In this story, we meet Masumi. A warrior that was in
the Shadowlands but escaped to modern-day Earth. She must use her
extraordinary abilities, along with swords that are mystical in nature
(and possessed), to fight against the Unseen, demons that possess people
and wreak havoc on Earth. Overall, this book was decent, but the angle
of her being tied down to a boyfriend kind of cheapened the action. The
whole "I have someone at home to worry about" angle kind of lost its
appeal years ago with many different superhero books. Nice interior
artwork and cover!
Rating 3.5/5
Fatale #14 (Image)
Billy Dunleavy:
For anyone that's been missing their fix of Ed Brubaker from his Marvel
work, look no further. On a hunch, one day I visited Comixology and
downloaded the first issue of this series for free. Immediately after I
ordered the first Tpb (trade paperback) as it was a while after the book
had hit shelves. It was nothing short of awesome. In this issue, we're
back in the WWII era (as the series shows different moments in time) and
we see that a map has been found by a regiment of soldiers, but soon
after one of the soldiers reads it, he goes completely mad, and begins
to shoot the other. He eventually put down by Walt Booker. We then see
Josephine, locked up and recounting how she ended up in that
predicament. By the end of the issue, we see Nazi's, monsters, and good
old fashioned war action!
Rating 4/5
Godzilla: Half-Century War TPB (IDW)
Denise Dutton:
I know, this isn’t a newbie. But I'm only just getting my grubby
little paws on a copy, and it’s absolutely amazing. You like Kaiju?
Who doesn’t. Well, you’ll find our favorite green radioactive beastie
here, along with literally tons of his most popular adversaries, tied
together by the story of Ota, a man who has witnessed (and fought)
Godzilla for 50 years. The art here is a great mix of Western and
Manga, thanks to the talented pencils of James Stokoe (who is also the
creator of this fabulous story, btw). I love everything about this
comic; the characters (my favorite: the AMF Mothra team -- go hippies!),
the alt-history spin, the shout-outs to Kaiju movie fans, the
everything. Mark my words; Godzilla: Half-Century War will be on comic
fans shelves right next to Watchmen and The Killing Joke. Seriously, if
you don’t already have this in your library run -- do not walk -- to
your local comic book store & grab it off the shelf. -
(5 out of 5)
Haunted Horror #5 (IDW)
Billy Dunleavy:
In typical fashion, we get several stories in this issue, all with an
underlying theme. They all are connected by sports or something closely
related to them (for the most part). Admittedly a slower issue than the
previous ones, the sports themed stories were slightly tedious, but in
the case of the bowling story, that wasn't true. That issue definitely
vaulted the issue back into awesome status! I man who loves bowling but
has a nagging wife that opposes his hobby. Lets just say that by stories
end, she winds up being a part of the hobby! A prehistoric egg that
ends up in a museum, bears a nightmare for a local towns inhabitants,
the bride of a ghoul, and vampires Friday the thirteenth round out the
last three stories! Overall, another strong issue. These old stories are
such a great read and are certainly bone chilling, especially when you
think about the years they were published!
Rating 4/5
Locke & Key Omega #5 (IDW)
Decapitated Dan: Now
I have said this over and over and over, ever since I finished reading
the very first chapter of Locke & Key, THIS IS THE BEST COMIC BOOK
BEING PRINTED TODAY! For 5 years this book has been so amazing, that the
3rd to last issue was guaranteed to deliver something special. I can
really sum this entire issue up, by just telling you about page 3... it
was F*/!ING EPIC! I could not believe how much this issue delivered for
only $4. It put the pedal on the floor from the start to finish, and
just never let up! Why do Hill and Rodriguez always want to make me cry?
The honest answer is because this is so perfect, that you love every
single cast member. And when Tyler was talking to his dad... oh man,
tearing up again. While the end of this masterpiece is in sight, and the
makes me sad too, all I can take away from this comic is that it proves
why it is the best comic on the shelves. I will say just go ahead and
say it now, THIS IS THE GREATEST COMIC BOOK STORY! -
Dying Breath 5.0 out of 5.0
Rachel Rising #17 (Abstract Studios)
Decapitated Dan:
Did you know that issues of Rachel Rising will always deliver 3 things
to the reader? (1) GORE-Geous artwork, (2) A story that will make you
fall in love with everything and everyone in it, and (3) an ending that
will leave you wanting more and make you mad you have to wait another
month for that to happen! This issue was FANG-Tastic (yeah it's a wolf
pun). As always the artwork leaves me speechless. The scene with the
hunters was so good, and it leads into the cliff hanger ending that
makes me scream "NOOOOOO! I WANT MORE NOW!" Rachel Rising has been
nothing but great since it started, and it just keeps getting better and
better. Go get the trades and catch up, because you are really missing
out by not reading this one. -
Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0
Screwed #1 (Zenescope)
Billy Dunleavy: Well,
lets start at the beginning. A story with Frankenstein-ish plot points,
a young girl that can't remember anything, and a hospital full of
people that appear to be normal, but to her, look like monsters. Lots of
questions, and not many answers. The preview had me interested in this
book, but after reading the full issue, I'm not so optimistic. It just
seems very unoriginal so far. That being said, the writer could
certainly go in a direction from here that would be interesting and
cool. The artwork was definitely a strong point, and hopefully will
continue to be throughout the series.
Rating 3/5
Decapitated Dan:
The only thing I liked about Screwed, was putting it down. While the
artwork was nice, I just could not get into the story at all. So let's
just start with the artwork, there was a great sequence of panels where
she was escaping from the hospital. Some nice bloody horror stuff to
enjoy there. The story though, I felt was too late 90's/early '00's. I
did not care much for the dialogue, and why on earth would he rip off
that guys ear? It made no sense, when it looked like he was going to
just squish his head. It's not a horrible book by any means, it's just
not for me. -
Dying Breath 2.5 out of 5.0
Swamp Thing #21 (DC)
Billy Dunleavy:
It's been a long time since an issue of Swamp Thing was in front of me,
but I can honestly say that this issue was pretty solid. First, a
strange woman pops up in the Swamp, and she knows about Swampy and his
heritage. She invokes some sort of protection from him but he doesn't
understand. He then asks the Parliament (no, not George Clinton) to help
him understand, and they let him communicate with the avatar that did
make this promise of protection hundreds of years ago. After learning
what he needs, the old avatar is attacked by something that seemingly
destroys him, and then sets its sights on Alec. He manages to get a way,
and figures out that it's Seeder (new villain?) that is after him. New
creative team, new villain, and all around solid book. Good jumping on
point!
Rating 4/5
Ten Grand #2 (Image)
Decapitated Dan:
First off, if you miss the REAL Hellblazer, read Ten Grand. JMS and
Templesmith are creating something here, that is just beautiful. I'd
like to be able to use another word to describe issue #2, but I can't
it's just perfect all around. The story gets rolling and only picks up
the pace after page 1. I love the concept, and way that JMS is
presenting this tale. That demon was GORE-Geous and when he went BOOM I
was only thinking that Ben was the perfect artist for that page. With
only 2 issues so far, I am hooked, and all I can really think right now
is how I want more, and want it now. I wish this book was weekly. -
Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0
Twisted Tales of Madness and Murder #1 (Twisted Publications)
Decapitated Dan:
I was loving this issue... and then it ended and it left me wondering
why? The story in this issue is great. You have a man done wrong by his
woman and best friend, who then acts out a year long plan to get revenge
only to have this even bigger twist thrown in right in the middle of
the second act. I say act because this issue really seemed to have 3
acts to it. I won't give away the twist either, because it was that damn
good. However the issue just ends, and it's not at a point that I
thought worked. Maybe 1 more page was needed to lead into the next
issue. The artwork is great, and very consistent. Galusha did a
fantastic job with the torture scenes, and drove him that decapitation.
Overall a really great start to something I really want to read more of.
That ending though just left me a little mad because it was on such a
great pace up until that point. Serial killer fans, check this one out. -
Dying Breath 3.5 out of 5.0
Über #2 (Avatar Press)
Decapitated Dan:
I still don't want to 100% classify this book as horror, but I do want
to classify it as 100% AMAZING! Set towards the end of WWII the Germans
have released their final weapons out against the Allies, and holy crap
is it a BLOODY GOOD MESS! Gillen is crafting a tale that just has me
hooked. I love this concept, I love that it makes you feel nervous and
wrong for reading it (read Gillen's notes at the end of the book, he
really sums it up nicely.) The artwork by White is to DIE for. The one
scene, out of many, that blew my mind was when an Über Soldier literally
blew his mind. You get the bloody goodness you expect from Avatar books
with this comic, but you also get a great story that just has me
hooked. LOVE this so far! -
Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0
