Category: Paper Cuts

Paper Cuts: 9/1/16

Afterlife with Archie #10 (Archie)

These Archie Horror books come out slower than a horde of lurching zombies, but they are always 100% worth the wait.

This issue featured a re-imagining of Josie & the Pussycats in this new horror-filled world of Archie comics. I do not want to spoil it, but I love that the world is expanding outside of Riverdale. This issue opened up a lot of great possibilities.

The art and colors are stunning. Francesco Francavilla needs to be mentioned in the same breath as Frank Quitely – who also put out a book this week – and I truthfully cannot tell which one is better looking.

This series has stunning storytelling. If you fell off because of the long delays, get back into it.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Zombie Tramp #26 (Action Labs / Danger Zone)

To be honest, I was not expecting much with this series, given the title. Perhaps I went in with such low expectations that I was surprised when it was not the worst book I read this week.

This book will have its audience. Its first quarter is basically torture porn. Then it turns into a total cheesecakes fest for the next half of the book. It ends with a story that at least has a small hook for new readers to wonder what happened.

Ratings 1.5 out of 5

Vampblade #7 (Action Labs / Danger Zone)

If you are like me and never have read an issue of Vampblade it does not take too long to figure out what this book is all about. It is right there in the title. Vamperella + Blade = Vampblade. “Sexy vampire fights other vampires.” As a matter of fact, that was the only thing that happened in this entire issue. Vampblade fights Mario Brothers-inspired demons of some sort in a sewer. How do I know they are Mario Brothers inspired? Because Vampblade tells us, then procedes to go on for several pages of video game references.

I typically like having some books that are fun (even the occasional cheesecake is alright), but this was simply #notgood.

Ratings: 1 out of 5

Broken Moon: Legends of the Deep (American Gothic Press)

This was my first title from American Gothic Press and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The art is very scratchy and unpolished, but reminds me of Sean Murphy. The art was fine, but it felt very storyboarded at time.

The lettering was tough to get through. It looked so unprofessional that it really took away from the art and story. However, going back over the book and just looking at the book without the word balloons, it redeemed itself.

The story itself was pretty good. I really enjoyed the setup of a fishing town during the apocalypse, with kaiju roaming the seas. I wished we explored that more, but the story took a couple of Mad-Max-with-werewolves turns after that and left me wanting more of that first story.

Ratings: 2.5 out of 5

Tags Afterlife with Archie, Archie, Broken Moon, comics, Legends of the Deep, Paper Cuts, Vampblade, Zombie Tramp

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Paper Cuts: 8/18/16

Demonic # 1 by (Skybound/Image)

There has been a real influx of demon-driven books, even from unsuspecting creative teams. Last week we saw Kill or Be Killed with the crime noir team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips put a demon twist on a traditional crime story. Citizen Jack by Sam Humphries also gives us a political satire with a demon playing a role. It seems to be infiltrating books like the recent zombie craze after the success of The Walking Dead.

Perhaps it is because this book references demonic activity in the title, I did not worry about the overuse. Even though The Walking Dead had a lot of zombie books follow in its wake, it didn’t mean TWD did not have great stories to tell. So it is with Demonic.

Demonic #1 was a great horror-filled troupe with solid writing that left you caring about all the characters even after a single issue. The art was predictable and had a very simple layout, but the transformation at the end of our main character – from a man to what he becomes – was a great design, which is crucial to any slasher in the horror genre.

Ratings: 3 out of 5

The Hunt #2 (Dark Horse)

Issue #1 was beautiful to look at, and that is what ultimately led to picking up this second issue. I was certainly glad I did.

The team of Colin Lorimer and Joanna LaFuente really turned the eeriness and creepiness up in this issue and it was simply captivating.

The story may have started with something familiar in issue #1, but now I have no idea where it is going and happy to be taken for a ride. This is downright weird, and I love it. If you enjoyed Snyder and Jock’s Wytches, then this book is for you.

Ratings: 4 out of 5

Tales from the Darkside #3 (IDW)

I read this book and literally had no idea what was going on. It truly felt like I missed an issue, but as you all know, I reviewed the last issue right here on Papercuts. The story completely lost me, as the reader was given no indication of what was real and what was not. Was that the point? I trust this team and it was entertaining, but perhaps the format of the television episode that it was meant to be is not best suited for the comics medium.

Ratings: 2.5 out of 5

Haunted Horror #23 (IDW)

Horror anthology? Check. Remind you of reading comic strips as a kid? Check. Remind you of Vincent Price movies? Check.

I love these monthly books that IDW is putting out. These are wonderful small collections that I really enjoy reading: they are unlike anything on the shelves because they are from a different era. I am shocked to see them still printing monthly issues as well as large curated hardcovers.

Next month may find me reviewing each of the many stories you get with a single issue.

Ratings 3 out of 5

Tags comics, Demonic, Haunted Horror, Hunt, Paper Cuts, Tales From the Dark Side

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Paper Cuts: 8/10/16

With my week off from the column last week, I was able to pick up Nailbiter Volume One: There Will Be Blood by Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson.

I jumped into the series with issue #23 and it was by far one of the best single issues of a comic I had read all year, inside and outside of the horror genre.

Last week also saw the release of issue #24. Before a thought crossed my mind, I went ahead and devoured the issue. That’s how excited I was.

It is not odd to enjoy an issue of the comic, but if you saw a horror movie and the first thing you saw was the big reveal of the killer, would the movie still be as good as it would have been if you had come from the beginning? The big twist is one of the staples of the horror genre and can make or break a horror film, but what about a horror comic?

I knew where the story was going, but did it take away from my enjoyment of issue #24? Absolutely not. It was a superb issue.

The art was stunning. Adam Guzowski on colors did a wonderful job taking the reader from flashback to present day with his color palates. It is also an incredibly hard job to make a room full of blood not look oversaturated, but there is two-page spread that is stunning.

Mike Henderson continues to walk the perfect line of cartooning and realism. Issue 24 contained a high amount of gore which would have looked out of place if the style had been too realistic. However, the look and feel of the characters still help keep the reader grounded and the stakes seem real.

Joshua Williamson should also be commended, not just for great dialogue and excellent storytelling. You can tell he really trusts his art team because there is plenty of dialogue, but also lets the art do an equal amount of heavy lifting in terms of the story. There were plenty of comics on the shelves the past two weeks that covered over half the art panels, and I am happy to say that this book was one of the furthest things from that.

If you picked up issue 23 or 24 on my recommendation, go back and start reading the beginning as well. You will not be disappointed. It was a fantastic and quick world build while introducing us to the story’s characters.

Ratings:

Nailbiter #24: Ratings: 4 out of 5

Nailbiter Vol. 1: There Will Be Blood: Ratings 5 out of 5

When not writing about horror comics, Ryan enjoys long walks on shark infested beaches or at least watching them on the screen. If you like what you read, tweet out the link to the column and use the #comicpapercuts. If you want to read more, follow Ryan and look his other comic columns and interviews over at Two Headed Nerd.

Tags comics, Image, Nailbiter, Paper Cuts

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Paper Cuts: 7/28/16

One of these things is not like the other; or, Two Endings and a Funeral?

Quick Ratings:

Crossed: Badlands #100 (Avatar) Ratings: 0.5 out of 5 (the final pinup made me laugh.)

Crossed: + 100 #17 (Avatar) Ratings: 0 out 5

Disney Kingdoms: The Haunted Mansion #5 (Marvel) Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

I do not have a productive critique for either of the Crossed series books I read this week. There are certainly talented writers on those books, but they have their audience and I am not it.

Instead of going on further about the particular books, we did see two comic endings this week. In honor of that, I wanted to take a look at comic book endings. When I talk about great comic endings, I think of Brian K. Vaughn’s end to Y: The Last Man, or even Brian Michael Bendis’ House of M. Memorable endings are possible, although most the time we are left with endings that make us say, “It’s Fine.”

This week, both Crossed: Badlands and Haunted Mansion concluded. While both endings were clichéd, one worked well and one did not.

SPOILER ALERT

Crossed: Badlands ends with the main character coming out of the grave and picking up his axe. This ending is used in nearly every horror franchise, mainly in movies. While this typically works in movies or even to end story arcs, it fell flat as the conclusion to the entire series.

Our main character is left for dead and returns to his axe and starts to walk without a word. The fact that we often root for the slasher is a bit strange in the horror genre, but it ends up happening. It is usually built up over a series of entertaining movies and happens as a result of the audience wanting more. We root for them because, to use a wrestling term, they are “the face.”

With this series – and I admit to jumping into this issue – what was there to like about him? Was it him sitting drunk and miserable on a porch? Or the moment he decided to snap his friend’s neck? Or perhaps finding out the name of his son? There is nothing to root for. And with nothing to root for, do you really want this character coming back?

On the other hand, Haunted Mansion gave us the ending one would expect from a Disney property. It was with the good guys winning, a family reunion and all neatly wrapped up with a wink and a nod to its source material.

However, with this limited series, none of the readers would feel betrayed if the series returned with more issues. It has beautiful art and colors and storybook writing. Even if you’re jumping into the last issue, you may find it intriguing enough to seek out the collected edition, or save this issue for a younger reader.
This was a satisfying end to the entire arc, and even to the single issue.

What did you think about this week’s comics endings? What do you think about comic ending in general? If you are a fan of any of the Crossed series, I want to know why. Make sure to comment on this post or let me know on Twitter and use #papercuts.

Tags comics, Crossed, Disney, Haunted Mansion, Paper Cuts

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Paper Cuts: 7/22/16

Always Tip Your Bartender! I think that sentiment should apply to your Local Comic Book Shop owner as well. This week, I took to Twitter to look for some more books on this horror-light week. After not a lot of response, my local go-to in Cincinnati – Maverick’s Comics – introduced me to two titles put out by Image Comics this week Wolf and The Hunt.

Instead of my normal reviews for the week, I wanted to talk about something that stood out in these books.

However, if you want my quick ratings:

Tales From the Darkside #2 (IDW) Ratings: 4 out 5

Wolf #9 (Image) Ratings: 5 out 5

The Hunt #1 (Image) Ratings: 4 out of 5

It’s was a good week for horror comic fans.

Reading all these books next to one another, one thing was clear: the art was a very high quality, which is not always a given in the horror comics genre. I expect higher quality with Image and IDW, and they did not disappoint. he most interesting part of these books was not the line work or the colors, but the actual panel work.

Tales From the Darkside was a fun story, but told in a more traditional panel style that did not stand out. However, knowing that this project was a failed relaunch of the TV show, it would make sense that most of these panels had been worked out in a traditional sense to go with the scripts that Joe Hill produced. In that way it made for the least interesting book win regards to panel work.

The Hunt took another step forward when it came to panel structure. While a lot of the book stayed with grid selection, it would add small touches. When our main character is wandering into her parents’ room to a strange glow, it moves from two neat square panels to a slight tilt of the small panel which truly increased my intrigueto the same level of intrigue the character felt coming into the room. It is a subtle touch of storytelling and was extremely effective to set the mood, all without a single phrase of dialogue. While I do not want to give too much away, there were also some large full-to-double-page spreads that really only occurred when one group of characters appeared, which gave those scenes some real depth, weight, and magnitude.

Wolf was simply beautiful and the most intriguing book I read in my entire stack of comics. While at times the panels seemed traditional, there were other pages that simply floored me. There were several pages which were essentially two page spreads, but over ¼ of them would be all white with only a small sentence of dialogue. It added some drama and forced the reader to really pay attention. Even though I went into this book without any knowledge of the story, it felt incredibly heavy. This type of art and willingness to take big risks is exactly why I love the medium, and it left me clamoring for more immediately. If you pick this issue up cold, you won’t understand it, but you will understand exactly who is important, the weight they carry and the ramifications in play. You will understand all of this, due in no small part to the bold panel construction with the stark contrast of white.

If you like what you read or have your own thoughts about comics panels, tweet out the link to the column and use the #comicpapercuts. If you want to read more, follow Ryan and look his other comic columns and interviews over at Two Headed Nerd.

Tags comics, Hunt, IDW, Image, Joe Hill, Paper Cuts, Tales From the Dark Side, Wolf