If you didn't pick up Choker #1 last month, you did yourself a great wrong, to be blunt. Ben McCool and Ben Templesmith really knocked it out of the park with the premiere issue; It's bloody, it's gritty, it's all about the dingy landscape its characters inhabit, equal parts sci-fi and horror. And now you've got issue two on the stands. This is when you wrap up all the exposition and start getting your hands even dirtier, right? Well, before you ship off to Shotgun City again, here's some thinking points.
Dracula has been my favorite novel since I was 12, when I read my first copy while consulting an aging dictionary I'd borrowed from my grandmother. I've probably given it a dozen re-readings, feeling the itch to return to it every other winter or so since that time. It could easily be my "desert island" book.
When I saw on the shelf the first issue of The Complete Dracula from Dynamite Comics, I winced. The natural fanboy reflex to despise adaptations is strong in me. Then I saw "1 of 5" and was simply flabbergasted. How could anyone, child of Alan Moore or no, do justice to hundreds of pages of dense, personal narrative in five issues of a comic book?
I picked it up anyway and have been greedily reading and rereading each issue ever since. With the air turning cold and Halloween just days away, read on for my review of Leah Moore's, John Reppion's and Colton Worley's The Complete Dracula!
According to Collider.com, the film adaptation of Hack/Slash is still in the works and has a new director. The producers - Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter - say they'll have casting announcements soon and plan to be filming next year. Of course, my reflex reaction is to take it with a grain of salt: they've passed more than one announced date for filming or release already, and changes in director can sometimes signal that something is stuck in development hell.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about the comic Hack/Slash. On the one hand, it's a pretty clever premise. The main character is a survivor of a classic horror film killing spree - the kid left alive at the end, more or less - who has dedicated her life to hunting and killing "slashers," supernatural creatures who go around killing in the same methodical, often vengeful manner as a Jason or a Freddy. On the other hand, I sometimes find myself not quite sure how to feel about it.
Let me be frank; The Zombie Hunters by Jenny Romanchuk is Bad Ass. Note the capitals here: Bad Ass.
It's a post-apocalyptic story about zombies, but more specifically the people who hunt them. Regular folk infected with the same virus that turns people into the living dead: these are the only people immune enough to try and help take back the civilization lost to the mysterious pandemic.
It's intense, it's riveting, and it's quirky. More importantly, it's got a pretty hefty archive for you to make your way through (and as we know, with webcomics that's a good thing). Even if zombies aren't your thing, and I've never met a person who could claim that with a straight face, the story and amazing art are reason enough for you to check it out.
I can tell you exactly when my obsession with horror began. First came the zombies in "Thriller," shambling their way into my overactive imagination. Despite a nightlight, I couldn't help but keep the covers pulled tightly over my head...I couldn't wait to see the video again. After that, my brother would always make me watch Captain USA with him at noon every Saturday. Thanks to him and the Captain, I grew up on a healthy dose of black and white classics, Hammer films, and other assorted creature features.
As I grew older, I discovered Poe, Lovecraft, and Barker. But as far as comics were concerned, I never touched a horror title. The drugstore spinner rack (which I miss) was a superheroes-only affair, so no scares for me...
Only now, after reading volume one of Creepy Archives do I realize how excited I would have been as kid if this magazine had been on the shelves at the time.
Specific retailers (you can check out the list of participating comic shops here) will be opening their doors at midnight tonight to celebrate the release of Marvel's The Dark Tower: The Long Way Home #1. Personally, I would go in my chaps and all as Roland, but I'd like to save people from the horrors. Is anyone else going to be participating?
Joseph Michael Linsner is one of those artists whose books I read solely because of how pretty they look. I've never been particularly wowed by any of the Dawn comics' writing, but I keep on buying the damn things because Linsner's paintings make for such lovely images.
Over at Comic Book Resources, Eva Hopkins sat down and explained how she and Joseph worked out the cover art for their upcoming Dark Ivory, due to be published by Image Comics. It's a quick little read, but one I'd recommend for anyone who does comic-style artwork.
Joe Hill, the author of the very good (and very scary)Heart-Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts is teaming up with IDW comics to put forth a new horror/fantasy comic book titled Locke & Key.
The comic will tell the story about a group of children who find themselves in a New England mansion which possesses a number of fantastical powers and gateways which can change the fundamental essence of a person. Of course, there's also an evil monster lurking in the shadows trying to mess things up for our intrepid heroes as the story goes along.
I've read Heart-Shaped Box, and found Hill's very visual literary style to be refreshing and great at delivering the scares all at once. That, combined with the art of Gabriel Rodriguez (who did all the art for The Great and Secret Show), should make for an interesting comic experience.
You gotta love it when stuff like this happens: in order to celebrate the 50th issue of the sheer amazingness that is The Walking Dead, Erik Larsen drew this image as a limited-edition variant cover. Originally, the plan was for one out of every 100 comics to sport this picture, but Image just announced they're going to make it a one-in-25 deal.
Seriously effed up. That's really all there is to say about Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. A creation of Jhonen Vasquez of Invader Zim fame, JTHM centers on the titular Johnny C. who is a serial killer and mass murder, but all around good guy. Through Johnny, Vasquez explores various elements of our urban-blighted, post-consumerist hell (I think he has just lived in LA too long) that we call the US. Major themes are evil, urban life, Heaven and Hell, tenuousness of personal relationships.
Strange Cases, one of those quirky comics which I missed when it first came out, is a total gem. The art style is both polished and cartoony, and the book's overall feel is one of tongue-in-cheek humor. Oh, and the protagonist totally looks like Ash Williams without the chainsaw-for-a-hand thing.
Comic Vine has a preview of Issue #3 online, so if you're interested in checking the book out before you buy it, I'd recommend taking a gander and falling in love. Hit the jump for the issue's press release.
Review: Wonder Woman #1 - #5
OK, so a couple of unkind reviews from me of late. Does that mean I hate the whole New 52? No, not at all. Does it mean that I only enjoy the new characters? Definitely not. Case in point: Wonder Woman is one of my favorite books of the relaunch. I think it's very good, with strong writing, an excellent ambience and fantastic art. Read on for why this reboot is the first time I've ever subscribed to Wonder Woman!...
Let me be frank; 
