Ryuu's Reviews: Three comics you've GOT to see!
Yeah yeah, so Halloween is over. I get that. But you know what? I still frakkin' love horror movies, and more importantly: horror comics. So I'm going to be sharing my work-mandatory product review with you adorable geeks and freaks because that's just the sort of guy I am. :P
Normally, I post a single review every month. But since I was working hard to read all the New 52 by DC, I wound up not finishing - since they short printed a bunch of the issues. Instead, I'm doing three shorter reviews on three of my top picks. Enjoy!
"Hellraiser", by Clive Barker and Christopher Monfetter. Art by Leonardo Manco. Published by BOOM! Studios.
Rating: 4.5 of 5.0
The Good:
*Super loyal to Clive Barker's original works.
*Gruesome and gory without being distasteful.
*Very easy to follow storytelling.
*Intense emotional drama.
The Bad:
*The art is gritty, though it lends credence to the 'mysterious' elements.
*Certain elements only make sense to die-hard Hellraiser fans.
*NOT FOR KIDS. EVER. THEY WILL HAVE NIGHTMARES. SRSLY. :U
*Why would you even consider letting a child pick this up?
*No, really, why???
Overall this series is freakin' awesome. I'd give it a 5 out of 5, but the art is a little weird. I cut 'em some slack cos it helps lend well to the type of story that they're telling, but not enough to make up for what comes off often as sloppy. As of writing this, there are currently only six issues of this eight issue miniseries, and I can't wait to see how it ends. Without spoiling too much, I will say that Pinhead fans should be rejoicing at this story - it is awesome. For you non-cenobitties, well... it's a horror story. Gruesome, gory, and suspenseful. Non-fans of the Hellraiser series are going to miss out on a lot of what this comic has to offer, but it is still good for a scare.
The basic premise is this: Pinhead is tired of hell. He wants out. But to get out, he'll have to find a suitable replacement as the Prince of Pain. And he's pulling out all the stops to get just what he wants.
"Severed" by Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft. Art by Attila Tutaki. Published by Image.
Rating: 5.0 of 5.0
The Good:
*Incredibly suspenseful.
*Beautiful art.
*Characters you fall in love with.
*A plot so thick and juicy it'll make your mouth water.
The Bad:
*... I got nothing. Um...
*....Nope, still nothing.
*Wouldn't recommend it as 'light' reading.
*Oh! And it was severely under printed, so it's really hard to get your hands on individual issues.
Severed is only three issues in, and so far i haven't had any complaints about it whatsoever. I must have spent an hour pouring over this to find a fault with it, but I've got nothing. The issues can be read individually. The art contributes amazingly well to the spine tingling suspense, with painted pages that make the characters come to life. The 'monster' of this story... is believable. I'm actually quite terrified of this bloke. No foolin'.
The story is centred around Jack Garron: a retired, married grandfather, with a terrible 'war' injury. A disturbing letter rouses ancient secrets he has kept since he was a boy of twelve. Roll back the clock to 1916, and we see Jack running away from home in search of his natural father, a person of immense musical talent - much like Jack. Our villain, Mr. Porter, sports razor sharp fangs with which he cannibalises innocents. Then he wears their skin to conceal his identity so he can get nice and close to his prospective victims. What we know is that something terrible happened to Jack, and we suspect that Mr. Porter had something to do with it!
"Ghostbusters" by Erik Burhnam. Art by and Dan Schoening and Luis Delgado.
Rating: 5.0 of 5.0
The Good:
*Incredibly fun and hilarious
*Super-Loyal to the Ghostbusters franchise
*Uses the actors from the movie as their characters in the comic
*The ghosts... are, actually, kinda scary! o.O Who knew?
*Did I mention the art was awesome? Oh yeah. It's awesome.
The Bad:
*This isn't really bad so much as it is weird: since the characters in the comic are portrayed by their film actor counterparts, the comic characters often make references to movies that their representing actors have starred in. It's hilarious, don't get me wrong. But it throws me for a loop sometimes.
*They haven't reminded me who I should call enough.
Ghostbusters is awesome. Only two issues, but I've managed to reread them both at least a dozen times because of how funny and amazing these issues are. I honestly expect great things from this series, and I can't wait to see what Schoening and Burnham have in store for us next! Also, dude: Glow in the Dark variant covers? Seriously? That's the coolest crazy thing I've seen since full holographic cover art back in the mid ninety's. xD I honestly think what I love most about this comic is the fact that the characters are so much like how they behaved in the movies that it's just the right level of camp plus action/adventure. It's still a young series, so go show your support to the creators by following the links below! They regularly post fantastic art of what's forthcomming, and so far it looks awwwwesome.
http://traditionaldanimatio.deviantart.com/
http://luisdelgado.deviantart.com/
If you don't know what Ghostbusters is about already, go watch the movie. The comic is about that. Only it takes place after both movies.
Normally, I post a single review every month. But since I was working hard to read all the New 52 by DC, I wound up not finishing - since they short printed a bunch of the issues. Instead, I'm doing three shorter reviews on three of my top picks. Enjoy!
"Hellraiser", by Clive Barker and Christopher Monfetter. Art by Leonardo Manco. Published by BOOM! Studios.
Rating: 4.5 of 5.0
The Good:
*Super loyal to Clive Barker's original works.
*Gruesome and gory without being distasteful.
*Very easy to follow storytelling.
*Intense emotional drama.
The Bad:
*The art is gritty, though it lends credence to the 'mysterious' elements.
*Certain elements only make sense to die-hard Hellraiser fans.
*NOT FOR KIDS. EVER. THEY WILL HAVE NIGHTMARES. SRSLY. :U
*Why would you even consider letting a child pick this up?
*No, really, why???
Overall this series is freakin' awesome. I'd give it a 5 out of 5, but the art is a little weird. I cut 'em some slack cos it helps lend well to the type of story that they're telling, but not enough to make up for what comes off often as sloppy. As of writing this, there are currently only six issues of this eight issue miniseries, and I can't wait to see how it ends. Without spoiling too much, I will say that Pinhead fans should be rejoicing at this story - it is awesome. For you non-cenobitties, well... it's a horror story. Gruesome, gory, and suspenseful. Non-fans of the Hellraiser series are going to miss out on a lot of what this comic has to offer, but it is still good for a scare.
The basic premise is this: Pinhead is tired of hell. He wants out. But to get out, he'll have to find a suitable replacement as the Prince of Pain. And he's pulling out all the stops to get just what he wants.
"Severed" by Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft. Art by Attila Tutaki. Published by Image.
Rating: 5.0 of 5.0
The Good:
*Incredibly suspenseful.
*Beautiful art.
*Characters you fall in love with.
*A plot so thick and juicy it'll make your mouth water.
The Bad:
*... I got nothing. Um...
*....Nope, still nothing.
*Wouldn't recommend it as 'light' reading.
*Oh! And it was severely under printed, so it's really hard to get your hands on individual issues.
Severed is only three issues in, and so far i haven't had any complaints about it whatsoever. I must have spent an hour pouring over this to find a fault with it, but I've got nothing. The issues can be read individually. The art contributes amazingly well to the spine tingling suspense, with painted pages that make the characters come to life. The 'monster' of this story... is believable. I'm actually quite terrified of this bloke. No foolin'.
The story is centred around Jack Garron: a retired, married grandfather, with a terrible 'war' injury. A disturbing letter rouses ancient secrets he has kept since he was a boy of twelve. Roll back the clock to 1916, and we see Jack running away from home in search of his natural father, a person of immense musical talent - much like Jack. Our villain, Mr. Porter, sports razor sharp fangs with which he cannibalises innocents. Then he wears their skin to conceal his identity so he can get nice and close to his prospective victims. What we know is that something terrible happened to Jack, and we suspect that Mr. Porter had something to do with it!
"Ghostbusters" by Erik Burhnam. Art by and Dan Schoening and Luis Delgado.
Rating: 5.0 of 5.0
The Good:
*Incredibly fun and hilarious
*Super-Loyal to the Ghostbusters franchise
*Uses the actors from the movie as their characters in the comic
*The ghosts... are, actually, kinda scary! o.O Who knew?
*Did I mention the art was awesome? Oh yeah. It's awesome.
The Bad:
*This isn't really bad so much as it is weird: since the characters in the comic are portrayed by their film actor counterparts, the comic characters often make references to movies that their representing actors have starred in. It's hilarious, don't get me wrong. But it throws me for a loop sometimes.
*They haven't reminded me who I should call enough.
Ghostbusters is awesome. Only two issues, but I've managed to reread them both at least a dozen times because of how funny and amazing these issues are. I honestly expect great things from this series, and I can't wait to see what Schoening and Burnham have in store for us next! Also, dude: Glow in the Dark variant covers? Seriously? That's the coolest crazy thing I've seen since full holographic cover art back in the mid ninety's. xD I honestly think what I love most about this comic is the fact that the characters are so much like how they behaved in the movies that it's just the right level of camp plus action/adventure. It's still a young series, so go show your support to the creators by following the links below! They regularly post fantastic art of what's forthcomming, and so far it looks awwwwesome.
http://traditionaldanimatio.deviantart.com/
http://luisdelgado.deviantart.com/
If you don't know what Ghostbusters is about already, go watch the movie. The comic is about that. Only it takes place after both movies.