30 DAYS OF NIGHT
DARK DAYS (the sequel to 30 Days Of Night)
30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RETURN TO BARROW
BLADE - Marvel MAX comic book series
Criminal Macabre - A Cal Mcdonald mystery
Zombies The Night Of The Living Dead Prelude is an interesting little oddity, written by Tom Skulan and with fully painted artwork by Carlos Kastro. It pretty much reads exactly as the title indicates. It's a prequel & we get to see how all the characters end up toward the house. There's one character who trips & breaks his neck only to be revived into a ghoul who resembles the first ghoul we see in the original movie. If so, then this discredit's the 30th anniversary 'special edition'. (then again, most of us discredit that version of the movie as it is!) It's a good book with impressive art. -rg.
The Walking Dead For those of you whom are BIG fans of the zombie genre... and not those darned video game zombies, but George Romero type zombies, then THIS book... is a MUST-READ! The Walking Dead is an on-going series mapped out well in advance by writer Robert Kirkman. Judging from the first 2 story-arcs, Mister Kirkman has got quite a story to tell and he's in it for the long haul. The story starts with officer Rick Grimes, who is gunned down in the line of duty and awakens in an empty hospital in the middle of a zombie outbreak. (yea, i know it sounds like a certain brit movie, but this is better and i'll tell you why) This is the story of Rick Grimes, his search for his family, the people he meets along the way, and how they ALL cope with life after the living dead. It's got the same human and emotional heart that's evident in all of Romero's Dead pictures. Only this one isn't going to end anytime soon. At the moment, the series is mid-way thru the second story-arc, so there's plenty of time to catch up, with the first graphic novel 'Days Gone Bye'. What Kirkman says in his intro to that collected novel is that he wants us to follow a charcter for a long time in his epic story, and see how much they change thru-out; ...to the point where 10-20 issues down the line, he won't be recgonizable to the Rick we saw in issue 1. And where most zomibe films end abruptly, The Walking Dead plans to keep going and show you what happens next. It's well paced with great artwork and even better suspensful storytelling. First 6 issues were drawn by Tony Moore, and the book is currently being penciled by Charlie Adlard. Check it out as soon as possible! -rg.
Puppet Master - Subspecies comic books - FULL MOON titles For a short while, FULL MOON entertainment had teamed with Eternity comics to put out some books based on their most popular properties. 'The Puppet Master' comic is a great read for any fan of that series. It offers a different look at some of the storylines shown in the movies, but still maintains an original plotline titled 'The Elsa Pact'. The first issue is mostly an elaboration to Andre Toulon's backstory from the first film. And it ends exactly as the first movie begins; with his suicide to avoid capture. It was written by David de Vries & drawn by Glenn Lumsden with an introduction by Stuart Gordon! Much like the Puppet Master series, 'Subspecies' offers an original storyarc, based on the original film's backstory. As quoted in the intro, to fill in the gaps of story untouched in the movies. Scripted by Lowell Cunningham with art by M.C. Wyman & Terry Pallot, the 'Subspecies' book explores the origins between Stefan & Radu's rivalry. It's got decent art, but fans of the series would probably love to read these books. -rg.
more Vampires!!! NOW comics always put out interesting books. Weather it was the first comic book version of James Cameron's 'The Terminator', or even comics based on Fox's 'Married With Children'; they were always doing things outside the norm. Hence, it's no surprise that they put out a Fright Night series, based on the movies of the same name. The first 2 issues actually just adapt the sequel 'Fright Night 2' with the promise to continue an original storyline starting with issue 3. (sadly, i dont have anything past 2.) For an adaption, it's not bad and the artwork is pretty good, as it is with most NOW comic releases. The story was written by Joe Gentile with art by Lenin Delsol & Jeff Dee. 'Splatter' is an interesting book put out by Northstar; the same company who brought us the 'Leatherface' comics. It features several short stories, all revolving around horror themes. The first story involves a female vampire countess, who's werewolf lover is slain. 2nd story is about 2 teenage comic creator's suffering from writer's block, who then go on a murdering rampage for ideas. There are other stories in here involving the grim reaper & a serial killer feeding (literally) off pizza delivery boys. Very odd stuff. Various artists & writers took part in this book (too many to list), but overall, it's a demented little read for your boring saturday night. It's in black & white, which for some reason is very appealing in the horror comic book medium. Interview With A Vampire is a 12 issue series put out by INNOVATION comics, based on the original novel by Anne Rice. It's beautifully painted (as are most INNOVATION books) & is a worthwhile investment for anyone who is a fan of Anne Rice or vampire tales in general. This book was adapted by Cynthy J. Wood & painted by Joseph Phillips. -rg.
Freaks Of The Heartland
The Twilight Zone NOW comics again produces a quality book with their version of 'The Twilight Zone'. This issue features 2 stories. The first written by Harlan Ellison (who had worked on some episodes of The Twilight Zone for television) & with art by Neal Adams; titled 'Crazy As Soup Sandwich'. The second story titled 'Wishing Book' was written by Don Glut with art by John Stangeland. In 'Crazy As Soup Sandwich', Arky Lachner makes a deal with a demon in order to pay back a load from the wealthy Mr. Lancaster. When the demon betrays Arky, he pleads with Mr. Lancaster to help him. (It just so happens that Mt. Landcaster has dealt with demons before!) In 'Wishing Book', young Aaron gets picked on by all the other kids, and only find friendship from his loving grandpa. When his grandpa passes away, he leaves Aaron a wishing book, & offers the advice that no matter what... believe, imagine, and wish. Will Aaron use his new found gift for revenge against the kids who tormented him? is this book called the Twilight Zone??? i think it is. Overall, the art is good & both stories were entertaining. The good thing about readin a Twilight Zone story in comic book format is that there are no limitations to the writer's imagination. Have you ever seen mean, hell-like demons on any of the episodes??? Another fine book from those folks at NOW comics. -rg.