Comic Books

Horror Comics Breakdown: 11/16/12

Sean M. Thompson

November 16, 2012

Let’s get down to brass tacks. In your eyes. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Exsanguine #2 (Dark Horse)

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This one has quite a lot of kinky sex in it. It seems like Joshua Scott Emmons, and Tim Seeley, the writers and artists, must have been having a particularly horny week. Though, the last issue also did the same hyper-sexual thing with the art, where our ginger-haired killer, Ashley, had her assets shown off a lot.

This issue wasn’t very scary, but it had some fun moments. Two of my favorites, were when a fish tank gets shot, and our vampire, The Hollow Man (not Kevin Bacon) gets pissed, as he has a strange affinity for fish. He didn’t care about getting shot at along with Ashley, but God help you if you kill a fish around this dude.

Also, when it’s established that Ashley wants to see The Hollow Man’s true form when they get bis-ay.

Hey I just met you. And this is crazy. But you’re a vampire. So bang me maybe.

It’s intriguing, trying to figure out Ashley’s motivations to kill, and watching her write symbols in blood, so I’ll keep reading for that. Also, to see how over the top they get with the sexualization. And I enjoy the art, and how bright it is for a vampire comic. Color wise, dat is.

Billy The Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness #2 (Dark Horse)

Kyle Hotz draws, Eric Powell Tracy Marsh write, still, on the second installment of awesome that is the Orm of Loch Ness. Still irky as ever. Hotz is good with shadows too.

And let’s not forget this awesomeness:

Locke and Key Omega #1 (IDW)

So behind on Locke and Key, so played like a tomato and tried to ketchup (I can hear the face palms from here). Much like Hellblazer and Walking Dead, there is a lot of background stuff to go through to get up to speed, so I’d suggest only reading this if you have a lot of free time, and expendable income.

But, to give you a brief summation, doors that lead to other times, and a creepy house.

Written by Stephen King’s son Mr. Joe Hill (he’s a labor activist and songwriter, not an author) with art by Gabriel Rodriguez. I tend to enjoy angular, sharp, skinny looking people rather than very round ones, so I’m not the hugest fan of Rodriguez, but I appreciate that he must love horror, as he has worked with Hill and Barker on comics.

As much as I’m admittedly not the hugest Hill fan, Locke and Key is a great series. Joe takes a lot of nods from his dad, especially with the door thing (cough Dark Tower cough) but either way, give me some of that sweet, sweet door-to-another-world action.

Ferals #12 (Avatar)

David Lapham left his mark on me after I read the TPB of Crossed: Psychopath. I’m sure I’d read him before, but when I read this particular book, his name stuck. So when I found out he had a werewolf series, you can bet I tracked it down.

Since I just decided to start this weekly Breakdown, I suspect for a few months, my job will be to get up to date on certain series, and to start new ones. Well, chalk this up as starting one of the new ones, with art by Gabriel Andrade which is just teeming with teeth, and claws, and lady parts.

Although they often get covered in blood. It’s an interesting take on werewolves, and the pack structure, and their mythology. We follow dale, a cop in the small town of Cypress, Minnesota, who wants to get to the bottom of wurwolves.

Volume 1 TPB should be out in December. The series is up to 12 which you can purchase through the Avatar Press website, but hell if I know which issue they are up to you can find in an actual store. Possibly 10, possibly 11. I had a hard time figuring it out.

Chasing The Dead #1 (IDW)

Babblin’ Brooke gave me a heads up on is one he-are. Based on a novel by Joe Schrieber, adapted into a comic by Mathew Scott and Tim Westland on words, and Dietrich Smith on art. It tells the story of…okay, before I go on, Smith has this unnerving quality of drawing faces which look like dolls. Observe.

Right, now that that’s out of the way, Chasing the Dead tells the story of, hmm, it takes place in MA, in Boston, and Concord. Eerie, I’m around those parts a lot. I hope a Dead don’t chase me! I’m digging this one. Look, just check out the synopsis online. Here’s some spooky shit.