Exploring horror in comic book form
A few years ago Archie Comics launched their horror line, now known as Archie's Madhouse, with their debut title Afterlife with Archie, a quirky zombie tale that delighted in showing the gruesome deaths of more than half of The Riverdale Gang at the hands of some all-too familiar zombies. Afterlife exceeded everyone's expectations in a …
“Vengeance be mine!” sayeth The Swamp Thing. Ok, he never actually said that. Old Swampy is a great many things (pardon the pun), but loquacious isn’t one of them. But seriously, if there's a dude you DON'T want mad at you in the realm of comics, it's the SWAMP THING. Case in point: The Death …
Indisputable fact: 2017 has been a landmark year for horror comics. Do I sense a modicum of doubt among you, faithful readers? Well then, here are some examples to back up my claim: - Marvel has released (or re-released) more horror comic reprints this year than any in recent memory. Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf By …
Continue reading Shocktober Reads: 10 Comics to tide you over till Halloween
There's no doubt that Dracula is, in our cultural subconscious, a classic and modern literary phenomenon and one of the most enduring characters in all of fiction and film. The count easily matches the cultural clout of such heavy-hitters as Sherlock Holmes, Superman, Tarzan, Mickey Mouse, and Harry Potter without breaking a sweat. When author …
We all know that horror has its roots in literature, and horror literature is filled with great story titles. This is especially true when it comes to short-fiction. The naming of a story is what draws the reader in, more so than the actual first line. Here are a few of my favorites (some are …
Jack Kirby's demonic creation Etrigan has struggled to find a foothold in almost all his many iterations since he first debuted in August 1972, in DC Comics' The Demon #1. Even though he had all the abilities and attributes of popular characters at the time (super-human strength, a healing factor, force blasts, hellfire breath, precognition …
In the annals of horror comics, characters don't usually stick around. They either get maimed in some suitably grotesque way, killed off outright by the requisite monster in the tale, or driven insane. Most are confined to just one particular story. The trend for this was set during the reign of EC Çomics during the …
Imagine a kid running down the street to the nearest corner store, pockets stuffed with undeserved allowance, face a shiny shade of red, hair an unruly mess, eyes bright and bursting with barely suppressed glee. Imagine this same kid reaching the aforementioned store, squeezing past and even jostling customers standing at the checkout counter, heading …
