Review: Plan 9 From Outer Space Strikes Again!

What a trip! I'm a fan of Ed Wood and his films, so I was a pleasantly surprised to see this title. If you are also a fan of the Plan 9 movie, you'll probably find this issue a treat. Don't expect a dead-on (no pun intended, really.) rehash of the film. As the title clearly states, it is essentially a Bluewater Comics "sequel," for lack of a better term.

Being a Bluewater publication, you are getting top notch production values. Full color, slick paper, et. all. I've said this all before in other reviews, but I may as well restate it for the uninitiated.

Giovanni Timpano does very well on the interior art. I appreciate his craft more each time I see it. He's much better than some of the stuff being put in print these days. I suppose he did the cover also, but I didn't see any cover credits anywhere. Alex Sollazzo is the colorist, and he brings out the proper mood for this story with his work.

Darren Davis & Chad Helder are credited as writers. They basically run with the concept of "what if it happened again" and have fun with it. This time though, it would appear a murky branch of the government is trying to lure the aliens of Eros back to Earth in order to capture technology. Mayhem ensues. We are treated to cameos of all the old familiar Plan 9 characters in one form or another amidst the fast paced chaos. Yes, there's much going on, and you may find the plot slightly askew, in the best of Ed Wood tradition. Personally, I found page four to be worthy of a chuckle and grin, and if you buy this book I'm sure you will, too.

The book ends on such an unusual Woodish-note, that I have no idea if this is intended as a series or a one shot. Either way, it was a fast and fun read.

http://www.bluewaterprod.com/

Review: DUSK Vol. One

Dusk is the brainchild of writer David Doub and promises a different take on the world of vampires. Volume One is a four chapter black & white graphic novel, although I couldn't find a page count and I'm far too lazy to attempt one, hehe. Anyway, production value is pretty standard with the highlight being nice cover stock featuring a superbly moody work by Brett Middleton.

The interior art varies from chapter to chapter. Credits go to Maki Naro, Jerry Gonzales, and Franc Czuba. Obviously each has their own style, but all seem influenced to various degrees by manga and underground comix. Workmanlike efforts, unfortunately there were a couple scattered panels that were hard to follow.

The heart and soul of this work is the writing of Doub. Both plot and dialogue are above par, and one becomes immediately intrigued by his creations. The chapters mostly revolve around the female character of Eve, who is something of a mortal "enforcer" for the vampire Ash. They are somehow involved in what could be construed as a vampire "justice" group, although the specifics are never made clear in this volume. To loosely paraphrase Henry Hill, they seem to be "a police department for vampires." Strangely enough, I was reading the chapter in whence a vampire is "arrested" for collaborating with the National Socialists, just as Cleveland resident John Demyanyuk (sp?) was being extradited from the US to Germany for accussations of war crimes. Weird.

A plea to ALL aspiring comic writers: use NARRATIVE PANELS! They go a long way in giving the lowdown to the reader. Also, if you are working with underdeveloped artistic talent, I would shy away from panel after panel of action w/out text.

Oh, here is a much deserved bit of praise to whoever (the letterer?) laid out the dialogue balloons in this book. Great job! I see WAY too often in indy comics word balloons with horrible placement, in which you end up reading out of sequence. Not the case here. Kudos!

Regardless, it certainly is a different look at the world of vampirism, and with the interesting characters laid out within, this reader can hardly wait to get the scoop on unanswered questions (and there are MANY items not adequately addressed) when Volume Two comes around.

www.comicspace.com/David_Doub

On with the show...

Hey, Creeps!! Been a little while since my last entry. I intentionally did not post in the remainder of February as a "homage" to the late Lux Interior. March and April? Well, I got sidetracked with home renovations, etc.

So, I want to thank anyone who submitted material for review and have been waiting patiently to see your work detailed here. Reviews are again on the way! See you all soon...

RIP: Lux Interior

"Life is short, and its filled with stuff,
So let me know baby, when you had enough." - Lux Interior

Some of you know that I deal with death every night as a part of my job, so when a "celeb" dies I'm not normally very phased. That wasn't the case when I heard last night of the February 4th passing of Cramps frontman Lux Interior. I was shocked. I even teared up. The Cramps were a formative part of my teenage years during the 1980's, so it felt like a little piece of my past had suddenly been ripped from me.

If you were any sort of "punk" rocker worth your salt in the 80's, you listened to the Cramps & you listened hard. You probably slapped down a 12" vinyl slab of "Gravest Hits" on your turntable after school so you could slither around to "Human Fly" in the seclusion of your bedroom. Maybe you strutted down the halls of your high school draped in your faded yellow "Bad Music for Bad People" shirt. Who knows exactly what you did back then, but if you were a punk, the Cramps had some role somewhere in there.

Those days are gone, and sadly so is Lux. The memories will linger, kinda like the ringing in your ears after listening to some Cramps tunes.

"There's nothin' on the radio when you're dead
There's nothin' at the movie show when you're dead
There's nowhere left for you to go when you're dead..."

Vincent Price Presents # 2

Anyone who has read this blog should be aware of my praise for the quality of Blue Water Comics production values, so let's get right to the point and give this issue a look, shall we?

Chad Helder continues to be the writer for this book, and this issue features "Orok the Neanderthal." The dialogue in the framing sequences feels a bit flowery, but somehow I can hear VP actually uttering the words in my mind. As for the interior story, there is minimal dialogue and several panels without any text whatsoever. This wouldn't be a problem, except there are times when the flow gets a little murky, leaving the reader to work out what exactly is happening. A few strategically placed narrative boxes would have been appropriate. The end of the tale has a "twist" ending that actually worked pretty well until a couple lines of dialogue make the reader second guess what has just transpired. Sadly, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what happened, and that is too bad because overall the plot was pretty good.

As for the art, you'll find it professional as always. Joel Robinson continues to use a cool technique on the covers and framing sequences which captures the look of VP perfectly. Giovanni Timpano handles the story, and it looks good. No complaints whatsoever in this area. Special mention should go to Jesse Heagy, who does an amazing job on color duties.

Overall: good book. I'm a fan of this title and it is a must for horror anthology buffs and Vincent Price fans alike.

http://www.bluewatercomics.com/

In Flesh and Spirit

I've never heard of the Goth-Metal band called Vasaria or its frontman, Baron Misuraca. In fact, I haven't really listened to any "horror rock" since I hung my Misfits fanboy hat up many, many years ago. That said, I can enjoy this comic strictly from the point of view of a horror comic addict, sans outside influences.

The aforementioned Baron Misuraca is responsible for the concept and writing of In Flesh & Spirit, a tale of a 14th century musician -turned- vampire, who finds himself on a quest for redemption in modern New York. I honestly was expecting a cliche filled comic, but I was quite taken by both the Barons prose and plot. Elegant writing! Should Misuraca desire to quit music, I'm certain he'd have no problem getting a new gig as a full-time comic writer.

The cover art is by Alex Horley, and is a beautiful piece of work. See the scan! The interior is B&W on slick paper and rendered by David G. Williams. Really nice work, Williams art takes me back to the heyday of Bronze horror comics. The lines and detail in some of these panels are simply jaw dropping. Sweet!

Anyway, at $3.50 cover price you shouldn't let this pass you by. This book has GREAT promise so far, and I can't wait to see where this title goes!

http://www.overtonecomics.com/

Bartholomew of the Scissors

First review of 2009!!! Allow me to be blunt & let you know that Bluewater Comics have top rate production values. You will never feel cheated of your cash in the physical materials department with this company if they continue with their high standards of full color & slick paper. All for just $3.99?? A deal!!

Anyway, I'm jumping new into this series with issue #2, never having read the opener. Chad Helder, who has been writing the VINCENT PRICE books, is at the scripting helm for this title as well. This plot appears to have more layers than an onion, and the subject matter should appeal to fans of paranormal phenomena. Frankly speaking, I would suggest picking up the first issue instead of trying to start elsewhere the series like myself, or you may just find yourself very confused at times about what exactly is unfolding. Fortunately, there is an entire page of text, "From the Journals of Gordon Watt," at the back of the book which helps the reader a great deal as to understanding the characters, concepts, and events. This is a meaty, detailed plot. Not your standard light horror fare.

Daniel Crosier is the artist. He has a unique style which periodically reminds me of wood etchings. The coloring is done in almost monotone yellowish hues throughout the book, which is neat but at times makes it very hard to discern what is going on in the panel. I grew used to it by the end, but did find it frustrating a couple times.

Overall, I can't wait to see what happens with this title. Try it out! Go Bluewater!!!

http://www.bluewatercomics.com/