X-Necrosha
It’s not often that I’d recommend a mainstream superhero title to our horror audience, but in this case with Marvel Comics’ X-Necrosha, I’ll make an exception. Released at about the same time as DC Comics’ massive crossover, the Blackest Night, you can’t help but see the similarities in both events with dead heroes coming back to plague the living. While the timing raised some criticism, this story had been built up in the pages of the monthly X-Force comic book for almost two years.
Let me be upfront here: I’m really tired of big comic events as they’ve been terribly overused and have run their course. But, similarly to my interest in Blackest Night, anytime you bring zombies into comic books, I’m there. Fortunately, what’s nice about the X-Necrosha hardcover is that it’s relatively self-contained, well-bound, and a great value for over 300 color pages for around $27.
The lavish art sets a grim, dark mood and atmosphere and there’s feeling of impending doom that builds through the book. What’s also fun are the variant covers which are homages to horror movie posters like The Lost Boys, Vampires, Underworld, and Interview with a Vampire…
Chew Volume #1 – Taster’s Choice
I have to be honest. I picked up the first issue of this series genuinely thinking that this was a zombie comic. (Imagine that!) And with a title like Chew and a cover depicting a slew of bodies, who’d have thought differently. However, while my expectations were misplaced, Chew proved itself a worthy read.
So what’s it about? It’s about a Philadelphia police detective named Tony Chu who just happens to be cibopathic, which means he gets a psychic sensation from whatever he eats. So the first issue starts off with Chu and his partner doing their day-to-day jobs as narcotics detectives and when they’re pushed off the case by the FDA, they grab a bite to eat. And of course that bite for Chu really starts the ball rolling as the soup he tastes tells him one of the chefs is a serial killer. And that’s for starters, you can just imagine what Chu will have to sink his teeth into to help solve some gruesome murders…
The dialog and story are sharp and flow well. At first the only detriment I saw was the cartoonish art which seemed to take away from the gritty crime feel the book was trying for. But as the series progressed, the art grew on me and didn’t have that same distracting affect.
The first trade paperback volume covers the first story arc in this new series from Image Comics. Kudos to Image Comics for taking a chance on this series. It’s original, fun, and one hell of a ride.
Marvel Comics’ classic monsters return in a black and white one shot!
From Marvel Comics’ advanced solicitations for October 2010:
TOMB OF TERROR #1
Written by JOE R. LANSDALE, ROB WILLIAMS, JOE PRUETT & PAUL HORNSCHEMEIER
Penciled by MARK TEXIERA, JORDAN RASKIN, PABLO PEPPINO & MORE
Marvel’s most terrifying monsters star in four tales of harrowing horror! Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night stalks a killer werewolf in the mountains while searching for a cure that will end his curse. The mal-formed Man-Thing, temporarily in possession of his mind, attempts to save a man from certain death at the hands of racist hunters. And Son of Satan battles a possessed child killer along with the murderous voices in his head. All this and much more in this all-new, all-black-and-white one-shot in the spirit of the Mighty Marvel Magazines of yore, but ALL-NOW in style!
San Diego Comic Con 2010
Avatar Comics announced an ongoing series for its horror hit, Crossed (and winner of our very own Annual Black Glove Horrorhead Award for Best Comic\Graphic Novel). Crossed: Badlands’ first story arc will be done by its creators, writer Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows. Jamie Delano (famed writer of DC’s Hellblazer) will take on the second story arc.
More Comic Con news:
- AMC’s TV adaptation of The Walking Dead is set to go in October.
- The sequel to Steve Niles’ 30 Days of Night, 30 Days of Night – Dark Days is going straight to DVD in October. Check out the awesome trailer on youtube.com.
- Niles’ Criminal Macabre will cross-over with Eric Powell’s The Goon early next year.
And on the subject of conventions…
Fan Expo Canada’s Festival of Fear 2010
On the last weekend of August (Aug. 27-29/2010), the Metro Toronto Convention Center will host the annual Fan Expo. So if you can make your way to Toronto, Canada for that weekend, don’t hesitate. The Fan Expo is the country’s largest combined event including The Canadian National Comic Book Expo, CNAnime, SFX Science Fiction Expo, Festival of Fear Horror Expo, and its newest addition GX Canadian National Gaming Expo.
The Festival of Fear Horror Expo, sponsored by Rue Morgue Magazine, will be showcasing the following celebrity guests:
DAVID CRONENBERG – Legendary Director of The Fly, The Dead Zone, Videodrome, Scanners
LANCE HENRIKSEN – Actor in Aliens, Near Dark, Pumpkinhead and Millennium TV Series
KEN RUSSELL – Acclaimed Director of The Lair of the White Worm, Gothic, Altered States
GLENN DANZIG – Punk Rock Legend and founder of The Misfits
BILL MOSELEY – Actor in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Repo! The Genetic Opera
WILLIAM FORSYTHE – Actor in Rob Zombie’s Halloween, The Devil’s Rejects
HEATHER LANGENKAMP – Actress in A Nightmare of Elm Street, Wes Craven's New Nightmare
EL HIJO DEL SANTO – Wrestling Legend and actor of Santo Infraterrestre, Santo Vs the Clones
SHERRILYN KENYON – Best-selling Author of the Dark-Hunter book series
MELANTHA BLACKTHORNE – Scream Queen Actress of Sinners & Saints
GREGORY LAMBERSON – Best-selling Author of Slime City & Johnny Gruesome
THE UNSETTLERS – Artful musicians, and creators of Funeral Dirges for the Living
CHARLES BAND – Creator of the Puppetmaster film series and CEO of Full Moon Entertainment
CAMILLE KEATON – Jennifer Hills in I Spit on Your Grave
LLOYD KAUFMAN – Legendary Producer of Troma films
FRED VOGEL – Director & Producer of Toe Tag Inc.
CORPUSSE - Legendary Shock Art Rocker
KELLEY ARMSTRONG – Best-Selling Author of Otherworld and Darkest Powers Series
NANCY KILPATRICK – Award Winning Author of Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead
MAX TURNER – Best-Selling Author of Night Runner and upcoming End of Days
ALYXANDRA HARVEY – Acclaimed Author of Drake Chronicles Series
KAREN DALES – Author of Angel of Death: Book One of the Chosen
WAYNE MALLOWS – Author of Whitechapel Road: A Vampyre Tale
For more information on the convention, check out fanexpocanada.com.
--Jason Shayer
