Two weeks ago we did an interview and spotlight article for the company: Lunchmeat Magazine! This week we are taking a moment to look over a few issues and what fantastic content they have to offer! If you are a collector of VHS tapes--new or old--you are going to want to pick up at least one issue of this magazine. |
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During the 1950s anthology style horror comics were in vogue. These macabre and controversal stories paved the way for many tropes and idioms in the horror genre as we know it--including in movies, literature, and games. Nowadays horror comics usually are one long story. Such is the case with Locke and Key or The Walking Dead. But a few companies are creating comics that pay tribute to the EC and other horror comics from the 1950s. Arguably the best new horror anthology style comic is Zenoscope's Grimm Tales of Terror. Zenoscope has taken the classic formula and created a series of one shot stories for each issue of the series. The style is reminiscent of art and stories from the 1990s and early 2000s while still remaining true to the classic 1950s formula. Each issue is hosted by death, a buxom and beautiful woman, who is there to ferry the souls of the dead and punished to hell. She adorns many of the covers in classic pinup fashion. Issue #2 of the series (the first issue I was able to find at my local comic book shop) is a classic relic hunting story gone horribly wrong. (Something akin to The Mummy). Two brothers, relic hunters, are dead set on finding their deceased father's legacy. Their father was hunting a ancient relic--a statue of a spider queen or goddess. One of their father's friends offers to help them in their search. However, things go horribly wrong when greed overpowers the group. But ultimately the spider queen is real and wants the three men to feed to her spider children. This issue's story is enjoyable and straightforward. I came into the story expecting almost exactly what I got. Three greedy and power hungry men get devoured by their passions in the worst way possible. The art, as always with Zenoscope, is brilliant. The storytelling and panel layout is easy to follow and fluid. The only real downside is that maybe the story was a little too straight forward. There wasn't a twist or surprise ending--a frequent staple of pulp horror comics from the 1950s. Summing it UpThis is an enjoyable entry in the Grimm Tales of Terror series, but it isn't the best. While the story is rewarding and stays true to its classical roots it comes off a little flat with no twist ending or interesting character development. You can't go wrong with this issue, it is still good, but prepare for even better and more exciting horror tales in future issues!
Language: 1 Gore Factor: 3 Sex Factor: 1 Scare Factor: 2 Fun Factor: 5 Overall Rating: 3 Dynamite Comics has recently started a new series titled Altered States. In this series they take some of their most iconic and well-loved characters and put them into an alternate universe and an alternate persona. I recently reviewed the Vampirella edition of Altered States and loved it. You can see the video review of that comic here. This week we are doing a written review of Altered States: Red Sonja. Red Sonja, for those who may not know, is the female barbarian counterpart to Robert E. Howard's Conan. Known as the SheDevil With a Sword, Red Sonja is a strong female character who knows how to take care of herself (despite her somewhat sexualized, less than protective chain-mail bikini armor, a staple of her character design and favorite of fans everywhere). In this One Shot (stand alone) issue Red Sonja is actually just plain Sonja, a modern day museum curator with a love for medieval wares. When Sonja receives a new ancient mummy to the museum she accidentally awakens him with she reads some sacred occult inscriptions out loud. It turns out the mummy is a dark wizard and he is bent on transforming Sonja's world into a barbaristic realm of darkness. Sonja quickly transforms, her mind melding with her past life, realizing she had once been the SheDevil With a Sword. Her past consciousness guides her to help fight the wizard and return her world back to normal. Between Vampirella and Red Sonja it is always a competition as to who is my favorite comic book heroine. Often times I see Red Sonja winning out due to her sheer brutish energy. This edition of Red Sonja helps to show a softer, more normal side of Sonja's character. But, just because she is a modern day lady doesn't mean she doesn't know how to still handle herself. The characterization of her altered states is what really sells this comic. We get a taste of modern Sonja side-by-side with barbarian Red Sonja. This development really pays off when Sonja transforms. As is usual with Dynamite's comics the art is phenomenal and sets the mood. It makes it all the more interesting when modern New York city slowly transforms into a more medival and barbaric state. The one major downside to this story is that it felt too short. Obviously, writers can only do so much with a single issue comic book. But, I could have easily seen this particular character piece being written into a three to five issue run. While I enjoyed Altered States Vampirella more as the stand alone piece it was I enjoyed the development and ideas of Altered States Red Sonja more and wished for more story therein. for instance, how would Sonja deal with having to live in the altered world for longer than a single day? How would she train to survive the barbarian culture? Summing it UpI've really enjoyed all of Dynamite's Altered States comics so far. And while I enjoyed the Vampirella issue more, I think the concepts for the Red Sonja issue had more depth and potential to become something more epic and grand. The modern day Sonja is what really makes this issue pay off. So if you're a fan of Red Sonja or just a fan of Sword and Sorcery I'd encourage you to go pick up a copy of this issue.
Language: 1 Gore Factor: 2 Sex Factor: 2 Scare Factor: 0 Fun Factor: 5 Overall Rating: 4 In this week's Terror Video we take a look at the new Altered States Vampirella from Dynamite Entertainment. |
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