Jan.27/11: FVZA

*** NON SPOILER REVIEW***

This week I take a look at Radical publishings' 

Federal Vampire & Zombie Agency (FVZA) by David Hine , art: Roy Martinez  , Wayne Nichols  ( tpb released  Jun 2010) cover $14.99

FVZA tpb  also the cover art for #3

 the opening page immediately grabs you by the nuts but not in a hurtful spiteful way , in a 'shit I think she's giving me a hand job' way. 

Plot/Premise:  (courtesy of FVZA wiki page)

A U.S. agency , originally created in 1868 to deal with the infected victims of mutated rabies viruses that caused the mind to slip and make said victims hunger for human flesh and fluids; in effect, vampires and zombies. The agency was disbanded with the supposed eradication of the virus in the United States in 1975. However, many of the disbanded members await the time when they may return to the call of duty, due to the sudden popularity of vampires in the U.S., providing the perfect cover for changed people.

   The graphic novel follows the path of the Pecos family , Hugo and his two adult grand childern and their connection to the FVZA. Hugo worked for the FVZA when he was younger then the VZ threat was thought to be under control so they shut down the FVZA.  Decades later VZs  were back and the government re-activated the FVZA with the help of the Pecos family. As the Pecos family train a new generation of FVZA agents and hunt down VZs they soon discover there's something bigger and more sinister happening and they need to get to work.... 

This shit gets real.

Gord Says:

    If you are looking for  a gripping , chilling , "realistic" zombie/vampire tale to fondle your brain then look no further. I was hooked and sinkered from the opening page , and it steadily reeled me in page by page.. ok no more fishing analogies. 

     Usually one shots don't put much emphasis into adding depth to character building but I think the lead characters Hugos and Landra were intriguing in their own rights. Writer David Hines gives everybody purpose , every character you'll come across serves a part in the story one way or another. Its very resourceful story telling.


    The painters/colorists Kinsun Loh & Jerry Choo are the unsung heroes for this title.  As good as Martinez's pencil work is , it's the lighting and mood that bring the panels to life with its dark spooky tones. The smudgy glare some of the people have could define a scene without any dialogue. There is a career in coloring books after all. 


     This is definitely more  vampire story than zombies though zombies are in the landscape. This is not your modern pretty boy vampires taking off their shirts and fighting over vampire girls story. You can expect throw back vampires via Nosferatu style that bite for survival and kill for pleasure , a war of survival between humans , vampires and zombies , all book ended by the humanistic side . 

Landra and Vidal Pecos , siblings in training.

Good News: Aside from everything previously mentioned , the book itself includes some real nice concept art and sketch work.  

 sample of concept art included in tpb, this one is by Alex Broeckel

Bad News: Its a one shot graphic novel , meaning there's no sequels or continuation though there's definitely room for more. It was originally released as a 3 issue (48 pg each) mini series .. since it is a single shot GN , I felt it could've been a tad longer to add even more depth. 

Zombie virus symptoms: bleeding of eyes , nose and mouth.

Verdict: I read this first in the summer then I revisited it again for this review and it made me its bitch again! Dig it or Ditch it? easily.. Dig it . Of its $15 cover , I rate it $12.5/$15. Its 168 pages total , 144 pages for the actual comic , 16 pages for bonus art , ..etc . For an indie company its decent value , better value than other publishers coughMarvelcough.

"I didn't think it would be so  hard ...I cant die , Tess...even with my heart ripped to pieces ...how can I still be alive...?" - Jules

nom nom nom

Thanks for checking me out , please feel free to agree , disagree , comment

1/19/11 Indie Floppy Review: Gore #1 (gg studios)

     I love finding a new release title with no press or publicity. That's what happened this week.  Its an indie title from Italy's GG Studios. 

***No Spoilers Review***

GORE #1/12 (gg studios) by Alex Crippa , art: Emilio Laiso

The cover tells you where this shit is going.. girl on girl hand on ass is always a good sign.

Plot/premise: 
    Its 1880 AD Venice Italy , the annual Carnival celebration is coming and there's strange deaths of random citizens that the local authorities dismiss of any wrong doing. Bring in self proclaimed "monster hunter" Gabrielle , whom claims he knows whats really going down. It involves a demonic parallel world of Fables that are seeping into our world through a secret portal and Gabrielle has to unravel the mystery and kill these demonic Fables off. This shit gets real. 


this is GG Studios write up for Gore:

  Remember the time of innocence , when you needed a night tale to sleep , waiting for a handsome prince on his white horse. Remember the time when courage and friendship would overcome every evil. Now Forget it , there's no holy sword to save you , no glass slippers to find your true love or stupid potion to live your happily ever after.

This time Cinderella is back and she'll wipe the floor with our head.   

Isn't Venice beautiful?

Gord Says: knock knock     
who's there?
AH  
Ah who? 
AHHHHHH-SUMMMMMMMMM.

    This premiere issue does have its "bumps" but the potential is off the charts crazy. We're talking about demonic Fables like Cinderella , Littlest Mermaid , Red Riding Hood , ...etc its endless where this could go. The protagonist reminds me of Brendan Frasier from The Mummy , and he's gotta hunt all those evil sonsofbitches and kill them by any means necessary ? SOLD. I'm in. 

Our monster hunter , who doesnt actually introduce himself but according to write ups his name is Gabrielle. A little Brendan Fraser +a little Van Helsing +a little Jay Leno

Good news: Like I mentioned , the potential here for something brilliant is oozing out the wazoo ,and  I've said before having stuff ooze out the wazoo is a good thing . The writing is very good , its aware of its target audience with its blunt , explicit pacing. The dialogue is straight to the point and with purpose guiding you along the way as it should for a new story with new characters.  I never heard of Crippa or Laiso before but this looks and feels like a project Alex Crippa has been working on for some time and close to his heart hence the epic 12 issue set which only means goodness for us.

   Laiso's art initially may come off a tad "toonish"  but it doesn't condescend  the story nor detract from its gore roots at all. You get the full out blood shed and face rippings , and it works perfect.

Bad News: My biggest concern being that it is indie is that it can get canceled at any time. With it also being foreign its release schedule will also be badly inconsistent and sporadic. 

 

that aint no shark fin bitches!

OH SHIT! Its ARIEL The Littlest Mermaid eating some face!

Verdict: I don't like a giving final verdict  based on a single debut issue but definitely check it out if you like horror/action comics. If not just for the sake of supporting indie titles , this is too good not to see to the end.

Because it is an indie title there's a good chance your LCS may not have it in stock but you can always ask to special order it. If you do see this title.. pick it up like Courtney Love picks up STDs.

 

Brendan Fraser likes Gore #1 

   update note: This  indeed is an Italian translated comic. GG Studios is an Italian company and Crippa is an Italian writer as is Laiso an Italian artist.  

Thanks for checking me out , please feel free to comment

Jan.20/11: Amerikan Freak tpb (zenescope) by John Leekley

      I love to shop in the bargain bins for graphic novels and that's  where I found Amerikan Freak. I paid $1.99 for this title , the cover is 10 bucks.

Amerikan Freak (zenescope 2007) by John Leekley , art: Clay Sparks

see! not a typo!  Amerikan Freaks tpb

Jason the outcasted goth kid walking through the halls of his high school which apparently goes up to grade 26

plot/premise:
      Jason and Jesse went to a high school where the rich preppies and the blue-collar factory kids circled each other, like wolves from rival packs. They called Jason the Freak, he never belonged to a cool crowd. His big brother Jesse was always the protector. When they murdered Jesse, it was the biggest mistake this town would ever make. Out of Jason's rage came the darkness he had always feared, his dead brother Jesse bursting from his ripping flesh, the brothers merging to form one savage monster. Now there's hell to pay. 

turns out Jason is quite the artist and Jesse I initially thought was a pedophile caz he was dating one of Jason's clasmates but turns out they're closer to age than appeared

Gord Says: bleh...
    The story and plot was so generic and bland , I recommend taking some illegal narcotics before reading. It was so stale and uninteresting from the get go and for a super natural story , it felt so unnatural.

     The characters were cookie cut from the book of cliche. Take the bad guys for example... a group of  jocks in their letterman jackets and the lead jock's dad is the town sheriff  *yawn* I was waiting for Judd Nelson and Kevin Bacon to pop out of the bushes and start dancing. Talk about sleep walking through a project , John Leekley just dotted down some ideas on a bar napkin and violah! a graphic novel!

The art:    It bewilders me when artist don't know how to draw teenagers.  To be fair to Clay Sparks he isnt the only one , my idol John Byrne couldn't draw kids faces properly either. The kids in this story look like aged adults , Sparks would've been perfect for the Beverly Hills 90210 comic. Other than that I would say the art was ok , there was some good hazy eerie imagery. The mood was spooky  , lots of dark panels but that hardly makes up for such a bed pan story.

.

 For a loner goth kid he's clean of tats , piercings , he even looks tanned along with the fact he clearly frequents the gym.. shame on me for  my ignorance in stereotyping.


Good News:  The lady in the lake was intriguing whom turns out to be very important to the boys.  Spooky broad that made a sinister deal for Jason's soul  when he was younger and she came to collect. They should've ditched the boys story and did her story.



Bad News: page 1 to 100. 

Verdict:    Remember when you were a kid  buying a chocolate bar , and you feel a little frisky to try something new. So you pick out a bar that catches your eye , it looks good on the label... then when you bite into it , it taste like the monkey bars but your sugar addiction kicks in and you end up finishing it despite its raunchy lingering taste.


      That's what Amerikan Freak felt like. I tried a new title i never heard of.. looked good but when its all said and done , this isn't even worth to occupy my mind while I pinch a loaf. My expections were low and it still fell short.


Dig it or Ditch it

DITCH IT If I offer this book to you for free , take it as an insult and toss your coffee into my face.

Jan 14/11: The Green Woman

Horror Happy Hour ep.2 1/14/11 "The Green Woman" from Gord Locke on Vimeo.

Thanks for watching!

At the time of making this video there was no photos online from the Green Woman so I took pictures directly from the book using a camera. I was too lazy to hook up my scanner.

Apologies to Michal Easton and Peter Straub , I cut out the part where i mention their backgrounds in writing. Both are establised writers in particular Straub. This was Straub's first graphic novel I believe. Easton whom appears on One Life to Live has already written a graphic novel "Soul Stealer".

Finally apologies to Christopher Lee , I sounded like a muppet version of him.

feel free to comment!

Jan.7/11:Late Arrivals and a new title coming in March

A couple titles I ordered last month arrived today via mail. So lets make like me on a third date and get done with this quickly.

Abbatoir #2/6 (radical comics) $3.50 by Rob Levin , Troy Peteri art: Bing Cansino

   This new 6 issue mini series from Radical is quietly building themselves something very special. The art in Abbatoir is phenomenal to say the least. Its done in a realistic style with immense mood and tone to create a lively atmosphere that will leave the reader's mind blown to pieces. The pages just come to life at times

Here's the protagonist , Richard , having breakfast with the family before some more shit goes down

Lets go back to #1 and give a description of what the fuck this series is about : 
Set in the cold beauty of Middle America in the late '80s! After a brutal massacre takes place in a gorgeous house, real estate agent and family man Richard Ashwalt is assigned the impossible task of picking up the pieces and selling the property. As Richard inspects the blood-soaked grounds a twisted old man journeys to the house with a sinister and terrifying purpose.
Gord Says: This shit gets real right off the bat in #1 with the original murders. Your drawn in right away , with Bing Cansino's realistic  pencil work ,the blood and gore just splatters right off the page and onto your face. Jebediah Crone , the old creepy guy is building himself quite the iconic presence.. he's quite haunting.  Get on board now caz they're already planning on a film to this mother fucker. 

Abattoir #1 with the before mentioned Jebediah Crone on the cover.. he's actually way creepier within the comics. They make him look like a agile Joker like dude.. which he might be.. but he's more slithering imo. 

Final Word: Dig It. Though we're only 2 issues in , I cant see them dropping the ball on this one . Either jump on board with the comics ASAP or put it on your list for trades to get in 2011. Its definitely worth checking out some way or another.

Some more of Cansino's sensational art work

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Feeding Ground #1/6(Archaia) $3.99 by Swifty Lang art; Michael Lapinski

 Plot: 
a horror tale set on the Mexico-Arizona border, launches an entirely new werewolf mythology! A famine caused by Blackwell Industries drives Diego Busqueda, a noble “coyote,” to lead a band of Mexican border crossers across the unforgiving Devil’s Highway, a desert cursed with blistering days and deadly nights. Back home, Diego’s daughter Flaca discovers that something hungrier prowls the factory fields. Stalked and persecuted, can the Busqueda family maintain their dreams of immigration or will the horrors of the desert tear them apart?

Gord Says: Its listed as a "horror" but #1 was tilted more to a drama.  Now I understand the first  issue was to establish the scene and characters which I felt they did. This was the first  of six issues so there's plenty of time for this to get all "horry"  because the cliffhanger definitely leaves a taste of horror to come. But enough to get me coming back for more?

The art is in a soft monotone sketch style. Soft pencil work and colours , very easy on the eyes.. the scenes where there's some violence , Lapinski simplifies it without losing any of the depth for the scene.

Also the description says 48 pages and its a thick comic for $4 but misleading.. its in both english and spanish .. you get the comic twice. 


Final Word: #2 is already out but Im really mixed if I want to stick with it. I want to find out where this is going yet It didnt compel me enough to get excited for more. My recommendation is Incomplete lol , Im going to have to loiter and check out #2 before I can conclusively Dig it or Ditch it.


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Horror Comic News

Starting this March , a new on going series for Hellraiser from Boom comics is beginning. They are also reprinting the old Marvel comics for a re-release too from Boom Studios. Here's a sneak peak at the cover #1 

Covers A & B for Clive Barker's Hellraiser #1. Pretty epic if you're a Pinhead fan!

Thanks again for checking out the blog and now that the holidays are done , I should be more active again for video and reviews in general. Cheers to a new year for all of us , esp for Horror Happy Hour!