Sorry to leave you hanging last week guys, I was on vacation! So, now we are doubling up this time around. A lot of sophomore efforts end up avoiding the slump but not all issues are so fortunate. Image delivers another amazing title and we stock up on smug paranormal detectives who begrudgingly accept their mystic burdens.
Horror Comics Weekly 7-18
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The Empty Man #2
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by R. Del Rey
Published by Boom! Studios
I was worried that The Empty Man had blown their stack too early and wouldn’t be able to hold the tension they had created by the end of issue one but Bunn and Del Rey manage to not only hold it but ramp it up. The Empty Man is such a strange concept that you can’t help but want to know the cause of the erratic virus slash monster. We get a little more reveal this time around, learning that amidst this bizarre enigma, psi energies also exist in the world. Also more character development is seen on Langford and Jensen and both have significant reveals as well. It’s a creepy concept and as long as we keep getting further insight on the characters and The Empty Man itself, it’s a killer combo.
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Thomas Alsop #1
Written by Chris Miskiewicz
Art by Palle Schmidt
Published by Boom! Studios
I love mystic detective comics as much as the next guy but with Constantine, Doctor Spektrum, and even the aforementioned lead in The Devilers, you can only have so many smug jackass paranormal gumshoes. And Alsop may be the least likeable of the bunch. The more interesting parts of the comic come in the flashbacks, and his armory is actually really cool, but it’s hard to care about the main character. Even the other cast members don’t like him. The water color art style actually works really well for the comics, Schmidt kills it, and his coloring is a standout point of the comic. Issue three is definitely going to be a make or break deal.
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Sir Edward Grey #2
"The Mysteries of the Unland"
Written by Kim Newman and Maura McHugh
Art by Tyler Crook
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Unland is awesome because it’s so old school, it plays into the old romantic horror movies that don’t really exist anymore, but more Hammer than Universal. Grey is an interesting lead, a begrudging hero, and the world he lives in is a steampunk playground laced with satanic eel cults and shadows lurking in the corners. Newman and McHugh are obviously big fans of classic horror and it shows and Crook is the perfect companion for this trip. We get all sorts of allusions of things to come and all of them seem to be of the odd and eerie variety and because of the eccentric cast and spooky setting, Witchfinder will keep you coming back.
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The Blood Queen #2
Written by Troy Brownfield
Art by Fritz Casas
Published by Dynamite Comics
Blood Queen is understandably a hard read sometimes, as often happens with historical fiction. It’s easy to tell a deeper story is in the making but three quarters of the comic are slow exposition and softcore exploits. Brownfield is obviously well versed when it comes to medieval storytelling but the story is trudging along at this point. It’s nothing too exciting. The last five pages bring about some excitement, but not much, and the issue ends up being a bit of a yawn. Hopefully next time will result in some heavier action progression.
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The Devilers #1
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Matt Triano
Published by Dynamite Comics
Joshua Fialkov is a veteran horror writer. He took what should have been a joke of a comic in I, Vampire from the New 52 launch and turned it into a critical darling. He may be doing the same thing here. A lot is crammed into the first issue, sometimes bordering on “too much,” but fortunately it never becomes an information overload. While it’s a bit heavy on the setup I would rather have it knocked out now instead of dragged through three or four issues. Our main character is a disillusioned priest who is a bit of a douchebag, pulling inspiration from John Constantine, but with a twist. We’re introduced to a group of “heroes” who are all exorcists of different religions and if Fialkov pulls this off it could be a really interesting and crazy read. Triano leaves a bit to be desired sometimes, his characters are a bit muddy, but his demons are fantastic. It was a good debut with a solid lead in and a lot of potential.
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The Squidder #1
Written by Ben Templesmith
Art by Ben Templesmith
Published by IDW
Sometimes you just don’t need to say much to get the point across about a comic. Squidder is a mysterious ass kicking soldier on an alien planet. He feels lost. Forgotten. And he beats down a lot of other people with a heavy Cthulu presence. The story is nothing to praise, it’s simple, a device to bring the reader through the comic. But this art. Templesmith is absolutely amazing and may be the king of horror art in the modern day world. If anything, this comic is worth it for his beautiful artwork.
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Spread #1
Written by Justin Jordan
Art by Kyle Strahm
Published by Image Comics
Image put out some early copies of Spread to get the hype train going but you know what? It really didn’t need it because this issue is a bat out of hell. It’s the story of a wandering badass named “No” who is immune to the gory substance slash virus slash monster that has turned the world to garbage. He fights some raiders and comes across something that could change the world. The narrative is great, telling the story from the pov of a character in the future, and it allows us to grasp the entire world a little more. Honestly, this comic is just gory, well-written fun. It’s Mad Max meets The Thing but twenty times as bloody. Jordan nails it. Again. (If you haven’t read Luther Strode or Dead Body Road, get on it.) Strahm is incredible too, adding a real grit with a bright horror movie edge to every page, and his panel placement is on point. It’s a bit of a futile existence but with Jordan and Strahm behind the wheel, it’s not so bad.
