Sleeping Beauties #1
Based on the novel by Stephen King and Owen King
 
Adapted by Rio Youers
Art by Alison Sampson
Colors by Triona Tree Farrell
Design and Letters by Christa Miesner
Edited by Elizabeth Brei
 
Like the beginning of many of Stephen King’s literary works, this one starts off kind of slow.  Okay, more than kind of slow.  And not only does it start slow, but you have different characters that just randomly show up with no real explanations.  There’s no clear direction of the story line or plot.  It just seems to kind float in one spot and it’s an undefined presence.
 
The lettering is small and the text background in addition to the small font makes it very difficult to read at times.  At some points it made my eyes feel like they were getting cross-wired and even gave me a small headache.
 
The artwork isn’t bad but the colors appear dull and lifeless.  This gives the whole issue a very dim and flat look.
 
I have to be honest and admit this first issue left me feeling confused and frustrated.  I had really high hopes for this because it is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, but so far, it’s long winded palavering has left me with a bunch of questions with no answers, feeling disappointment and as if I wasted time in my life, I’ll never be able to get back.  The worst part is I actually began to question my love for Stephen King’s work, which is almost like blasphemy to me.  Truly depressing to me.
 
This was the first issue of a comic book that I have read that with every turn of a page I was hoping it was the last page in the book.  I am always willing to give a new series three to five issues to see if it’s going to really go somewhere.  So, I’m not counting this series out completely just yet.  But they are going to have to start pulling some thing together and making some sense of all of this.  Let’s hope it get better.
 
RATINGS
Overall 2/5
Artwork 3/5
Story 1/5

This was a fantastic collection, even though the credits are a mile long, they all deserve to be acknowledged for the work they did on this collection of stories.  And it is affectionately presented as Sam’s 10th Anniversary Collection, and everybody loves Sam.  How can you not???
 
The first half of this graphic anthology is based on the film Trick ‘r Treat, which I loved.  You can read my review of it HERE.  So, the stories in the first half of this collection are the stories in the movie but in comic book form.  A fantastic way to relive the joys of watching Sam and his love for Halloween.  (Not to mention this is the perfect time for this to be released.)
 
All of the key points from the film are included, even the sarcasm and dark humor that comes with the macabre stories and situations we all love so much from the movie.  The character of Sam is portrayed exactly the same in this comic book as he is in the film, adorably cute, funny and witty, and incredibly dangerous and evil.  Of course, that raises the enjoyment factor to the top of the scales.
 
The second half is titled Days of the Dead and includes four new stories.  Each of these stories has their own flavor of horror and their own style of art as well.  My favorite was Corn Maiden as far as the story went.  But for artwork and story, for the whole complete package, I have to say that Monster Mash was a home run that went over the fences and out of the ballpark.  The artwork alone in Monster Mash is just astounding.  My husband is a classically trained artist and he went to the Disney Art Institute and he was also blown away by the artwork in Monster Mash.  I love when the art is so good that it can carry the story even without the text.
 
The collection is presented in a high-quality hardcover book, printed on heavy paper with a slightly glossy finish making this an excellent collector’s item for the Trick ‘r Treat or Horror Movie enthusiasts out there.
 
This whole collection was a huge success in my opinion.  Any Trick ‘r Treat fan is going to want this to add to their collection.  Plus, any horror comic fan is going to be foaming at the mouth to have this in their graphic novel collection.  This is a must have for all horror comic lovers and all Sam and Trick ‘r Treat fans.  An absolute must have!
 
RATINGS
Overall 4.5/5
Artwork 5/5
Story 4/5

That Texas Blood #1
The Casserole Dish
By Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips
 
Variant Cover by Sean Phillips
 
This is the first issue in this new series, which is the first series developed by Condon and Phillips together on their own.
 
Our story is set in Texas (a state where I have never once in all my years had a good experience, and I’ve been there over twenty times so it’s not like they didn’t have ample opportunity to be nice to me, I’m wondering if they just don’t like either Midwesterners or Yankees, as we are sometimes STILL called even though the Civil War ended almost 200 years ago).  Our main character is an aging Sheriff who is working on his 70-something birthday.  Not something he’s overly thrilled about if you know what I mean.  He’s hit an age where he’s beginning to take stock of his life, going over things he’s done or hasn’t done, weighing the good against the bad, counting regrets.  And he’s found that something seems to be amiss.  Perhaps even lacking in his life.  He doesn’t know what it is yet, but he’s sure there’s a way to find it and conquer it.
 
Now, don’t let that dark and dreary tone fool you.  This issue is packed with bloody and gory scenes that are truly top shelf creations.  It is obvious that these two creators have a love not only for story telling but also for the medium in which they have chosen to express that story and let it shine through.  The artwork is truly unique and while it may not appeal to every single person among the masses it surely deserves the credit it is due.  The effort that has been put into this first issue jumps off of each and every page.  And Condon and Phillips should be proud of what they have created because it’s a major hit in my eyes.
 
The issue leaves the reader feeling completely satisfied, even breathing a small sigh of relief that they made it through the first one unscathed.  On top of that there is an overwhelming anxiousness for the second issue to be in your hands as soon as possible.
 
I highly recommend horror comic lovers snagging this up and adding it to your pull list at your local or online comic book store.  This is going to be a series you will not want to miss.
 
RATINGS
Overall 5/5
Artwork 5/5
Story 5/5

Batman created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger
 
Writer: Geoff Johns
Illustrator: Jason Fabok
Color Artist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
 
Cover Illustrated and Colored by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson
 
In this new 3-issue mini-series Batman is faced with a puzzling trio of crimes that leave the city of Gotham spinning out of control.
 
Three separate crimes, each baring the Joker’s unique M.O., are committed one night in Gotham.  While this would normally be an easy solve for Batman, these three crimes all happened at the exact same time within city limits of Gotham.  
 
How can there be three separate crime scenes all with Joker’s signature all committed at the same time?  Isn’t there only ONE Joker?
 
The poor souls that have fallen prey to these dastardly deeds are members of the Moxon crime family, “the Fatman”, and three homeless men.  
 
Various things like fingerprints being chemically removed from the victims’ hands and the fact that these same chemicals damage DNA.  They also cause extensive nerve damage to facial muscles causing the jaws of the victims to break and distort into the creepy permanent signature smile of the Joker himself.  Unfortunately, the deformation also makes dental record identification impossible.  All of this put together means that there is very little chance of identifying any of the three homeless victims.
 
Are these three crimes clues or are they distractions?  The Joker has always been a clever adversary, usually trying to stay three steps ahead of the Bat.  But, as usual, mistakes are made.  As Batgirl shows up to help Batman investigate, they are intrigued by the location of one of the crimes, Ace Chemicals, the birthplace of The Joker.
 
Without having any clue as to what chemicals anyone has been exposed to at the site, assumptions are made that toxicity may be high.
 
It’s a race against time and who knows how many Jokers as Batman and Batgirl try to uncover the truth and save Gotham City once again from the tyrannic treachery of the frivolous funnyman and his cohorts.
 
THE END

Written by
Benjamin Percy

Artist/Cover Artist:
Brent Schoonover

Colorist/Cover Colorist:
Nick Filardi

Lettering by
Sal Cipriano
 


This is the first of five issues in this mini-series.  As introductory issues go, this one wasn’t bad at all.  Using a more realistic point of view, the writer allows us (the readers) to experience events and find evidence and clues simultaneously with our main character.
 
The main character is Sharon.  Sharon has not had what an average person would deem an easy life, not by any means.
 
Currently, she is on the warpath, looking for any clue, any shred of evidence to help her figure out who murdered her father.  She has obtained the police files on the crime, in a very simple and almost comical way. 
 
Now, Sharon is an aggressive gal.  She’s a no-nonsense, take no shit kind of woman.  She also happens to dislike any and all obstacles that come about on her search for vengeance.  She is incredibly strong and has some moves that hint at some sort of special training.  It’s not like she picked up these fighting moves while watching Jem or My Little Pony.  She’s got the kind of mad skills that allow her to take down an outrageously overweight scumbag without even breaking a sweat.
 
But Sharon is deeply angry.  She’s vengeful.  Full of hate and hostility, she can’t help but let it seep from every pore, infecting everything about her life.  Until she finds what she is looking for.  Answers.
 
To make matters worse, while Sharon is looking for people who know about her father’s death, some seemingly very bad people are looking for her.  She has no idea who they are or what they want.  She just knows it’s not a good thing she’s being hunted.  
 
It’s a race against time for poor Sharon.  Will she find the truth she seeks before those who seek her find her?
 
There is one clue that she finds that gives her hope.  That hope is bolstered when similar clues start showing up in other cases.  But, a clue out of context isn’t much help.  
 
There is a lot going on in this first issue.  A lot to absorb and process.  As much as the reader has to process the information as it comes in so does the character.  It makes for a very suspenseful and mysterious type of whodunnit kind of start to the series.
 
RATINGS
Overall 5/5
Artwork 5/5
Story 5/5

Credits
 
Story: Dan O’Bannon
Adaptation Script: Cristiano Seixas
Art: Guilherme Balbi
Colors: Candice Han
Letters: Michael Heisler
Standard Cover: Guilherme Balbi with Candice Han
Digital Art Technicians: Adam Pruett, Ann Gray, Josie Christensen
 
Who remembers the beloved original Alien film from 1979?  Not Aliens.  That’s the sequel.  No, no, no.  I’m talking about the first one.  Alien.  Singular.  Not as good as Aliens but still, had some killer scenes, yeah?  Well…
 
The writer of that movie has turned over the story to Dark Horse comics for an adaptation of the original screenplay.  Now, no, it’s not EXACTLY the same, so don’t go thinking that it’s going to be the exact same characters and names and everything.  But it IS a similar story thus far, being that it’s only the first issue.
 
In this issue, the crew wakes up from their sleeping pods on their return trip to Earth earlier than planned.  They find that their course has been re-routed by the ship’s computer system due to specific programming if certain conditions arise.  
 
In this case, the particular circumstance is a signal intercepted by the communication system.  The transmission is of unknown origin.  It is a voice transmission yet; it cannot be translated.  Even though their computer on this ship has 638 different dialects spoken by the human tongue stored in its programming code.
 
The computer system points out two main causes of concern and interest.  First, the transmission is highly systematized, proving that the source of generation is intelligent based.  Second, certain sounds in the transmission are definitely inconsistent with the human palate.
 
This news excites some of the team members as they start to think this could be evidence of the first contact by intelligent life outside of Earth.
 
Unfortunately, they have no REAL idea where they are.  They decide to follow the signal so they can investigate.  When they are finally directly over the transmission signal itself, they choose to land on some unknown planet to go searching for the source of this special untranslatable signal.  On this planet they find the gravity is similar to Earth so they can walk around without issue but the air is not breathable.  It’s not toxic, but still not breathable.
 
Once on the planet and moving about, that is when they start to observe some very strange and interesting things.
 
So, so far, this is going well.  I think this is going to be as good, if not better, than the movie itself.  The story is by the same guy.  The script adaptation is by someone else but the story is the same which doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for change.  The character names are different but that doesn’t make a difference to me.
 
I actually like the artwork.  I am excited to see what they do with the aliens when we really get to the nitty gritty details of that part of the story.  I think these artists are really going to shine in that department.  The artwork as far as the people goes, I’m not thrilled, but it’s not horrible by any means.
 
At any rate, the story is moving quickly and there was already some action by the end of this first issue.  Can’t complain on that one.  The next issue comes out the first week of September.  I’ll keep y’all updated!  Stay tuned!
 
RATINGS
Overall 4/5
Artwork 3.5/5
Story 4.5/5

 



​Piper is becoming more and more feisty as time goes on.  She’s the epitome of the wild and brash, smart mouthed hot chick that people love to taunt but never really have the balls to fully push her buttons and make her explode on them.  Yeah, that’s Piper.
 

​
​The guys have also started a radio show.  You can download LIVE365 for free and listen in to Hellfire Radio every Friday and Saturday night at 6pm (CST) to hear the guys on their own show:
 “Still Toking With”.
 

In this three-part series we have what has been determined over time to be the basic formula for good horror.
 
Teenagers + Sex + Bad Decisions + Drugs and Alcohol+ Road Trip = TRUE HORROR
 
I mean, we really do have the majority of the key elements to what makes a successful horror story. 
 
In THIS story, a group of six friends embark on a road trip to the mysteriously famed Bridgewater Triangle. According to Massachusetts locals, Bridgewater Triangle is the site of a number of unexplained paranormal activities.  Rumored to be overwhelmed with giant snakes, UFO sightings, ghosts and hauntings and just pure evil and vengeful creatures, the six college freshmen set out to seek the experiences they have only heard about.
 
One of the six is participating in the excursion because he is fascinated by the myths and legends surrounding the Bridgewater Triangle.  The others are basically along for the ride and to get high, get drunk and get laid. Tent sex, for all but maybe two people, is top priority.
 
Once they get there, things start to get weirder and weirder.  Naturally, the group starts to branch off into couples to have a little privacy.  But tent sex isn’t the only thing going on at these camping grounds.  Now, it’s all about myths, truths and survival.  Who gets laid and who gets DEAD?
 
You’ll have to read to find out.
 
I really enjoyed this three-part mini-series.  I think if I had to choose a favorite issue out of the three it would be the third.  I like the writing in that one the best, and the artwork is excellent in all three.  Yet it is probably the best in issue #2.
 
I do get a kick out of the use of the basic horror formula and the basic horror rules.  That makes it feels like classic horror, especially with the urban legend aspect.  All put together, it does have an extra special creep factor that is sure to satisfy you horror fanatics.
 
RATINGS #1                             RATINGS #2                             RATINGS #3
Overall 5/5                              Overall 5/5                              Overall 5/5
Artwork 5/5                            Artwork 5/5                            Artwork 5/5
Story 5/5                                 Story 5/5                                 Story 5/5
 
 
 
 

Hack/Slash 15th Anniversary Special
Cover A by Tyler Walpole
Cover B by Tim Seely and Carlos Badilla
 
This issue was a multi-story issue, having three different stories, and funny joke comic section and some very cool extras.
 
Story #1
 “Your Darlings Kill You”
Written by Tom Seely
Drawn by Dan Leister
Colors by Carlos Alberto Moreno Diaz (p.1-10), Andrew Dahlhouse (11-20)
Letters by Crank!
 
This story starts out at a Comicon and goes from there.  It has murder, blood, gore, action, violence and fantastic sarcasm.  The story itself is good as well.  But it definitely read very well.  It involves Cassie and a villain that wants to replace her.
 
Story #2
 “Abyss”
Written and Lettered by Brian Crowley
Art by Jules Shapiro
 
This story was short.  A quick read and almost sad.  Cassie is chilling with Vlad.  She’s asking her friend to kill her when she is ready to die.  I was like, “WTF?”.  How depressing are we trying to get here.  Geez.
 
Story #3
 “System Ready”
Written by Sam Eggleston
Art by Jay A. Defoy
Colors by Addison Duke
Letters by Crank!
 
This was my favorite story out of the three.  It had the best comedic value.  There was plenty of fabulous bloody gore and action.  A quick read with perfect set ups for dirty jokes and dark humor.  Cassie and Vlad are a dynamic pair in this story.
 
“Random Facts”
Compiled by Jeff Bohn and Gregory Ellner
Deign by Crank!
 
This is a collection of random facts about the Hack/Slash series.  There’s always interesting stuff in those kinds of things.
 
“Timeline”
Compiled by Gregory Ellner
Design by Crank!
 
This is a timeline from the first Hack/Slash publication through the years up to current, showing special editions and collections, etc.
 
“Shit My Vlad Says”
Compiled by Jeff Bohn
Design by Crank!
 
This was a funny section.  It’s a section of illustrated Vlad-isms.  It’s really short and it’s great for a laugh.
 
 
Overall, this was a great special issue.  There were good stories and even better sarcastic and dark humor.  The artwork varies but overall, it’s good.  The artwork for the first and third story is the best.  The second story, I’m sorry, it just kind of makes you want to jump off a cliff, especially in the current global and national situation.  That’s why I preferred the humor.  Story two got all serious and dark.  It was like an illustrated Emo journal entry in the middle of a comic book.
 
This one, I have to say, you really are only probably going to like it if you already read Hack/Slash.  It was a slightly more expensive issue than a regular monthly release issue.  Still, if you’re a fan, you should check this out.
 
RATINGS
Overall 4/5
Artwork 3.5/5
Story 4.5/5

Daphne Byrne #1
Chapter 1 “Chosen” 
 
Written by Laura Marks
Art by Kelley Jones
Colors by Michelle Madsen
Lettering by Rob Leigh
 
Cover by Piotr Jabłoński
Variant Cover by Yasmine Putri
 
Daphne Byrne created by Laura Marks and Kelley Jones
 
This was an interesting first issue.  Daphne is a strange and unique young girl.  She is teased relentlessly at school.  It definitely makes the days long and lonely for her.  It’s just Daphne and her mother.  Her father is dead.  And this poor little girl…her mother is just totally obsessed with going to some medium who claims she can speak to people in other worlds.  
 
This mother just feeds this medium money and believes everything the psychic tells her.  One day she takes Daphne with her.  This is where we find out just how different and unique Daphne really is.  We also find out how smart this child is.
 
Daphne challenges the medium to test her validity.  A very smart and slick move on her part.
 
Daphne also figures out that she is the one that can actually speak to and see people from another world.
 
While this was the first issue, so an introductory issue, it was a good issue.  I have a feeling this is going to be a very creepy and eerie series.  Daphne is like an Emo version of Wednesday Addams.  There is a definite chill factor in the way the art and the story are presented.
 
I do think this is going to be a series worth checking out.  Especially if you like paranormal/supernatural type stuff.  All of the stuff that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up…I think this series is going to be chocked full of that and so much more.
 
RATINGS
Overall 4/5
Artwork 4/5
Story 4/5