3/3/11 HHH reivew: Beast of Burden : Animal Rites

   This week I take a look at Beasts of Burden : Animal Rites (darkhorse comics) $19.99 by Evan Dorkin , art:  Jill Thompson

    

plot/premise:

       Welcome to Burden Hill-a picturesque little town adorned with white picket fences and green, green grass, home to a unique team of paranormal investigators. Beneath this shiny exterior, Burden Hill harbors dark and sinister secrets, and it's up to a heroic gang of dogs-and one cat-to protect the town from the evil forces at work.

Gord says:
    If you like comic books and you're also a dog/cat lover , then this is what "deflecting blame to victims" and "covering up crimes" are to the catholic church , the perfect compliment to your needs. It's the Goonies except that they're dogs , it's The Watchmen except that its an animal society , it's The Little Rascals except it's a gang of dogs dealing with horrific supernatural stuff that would straighten out Buckwheat's hair. Beasts of Burden's shit does gets real.

    You might be saying how the frak is this horror ? its a Disney talking animal story ain't it? . I can assure you this is not a Disney type story. We got zombie dogs , we got werewolves  , we got witches , we got angry rats , we got bloodshed , we got eye gouging goo , we got dog on dog violence... hell , somewhere in Philadelphia Michael Vick has an unexplained boner. Though it wont scare anybody ,  however maybe kids might get a  genuine spook fest from it.

    The stories are riveting , the characters are lovable , and it looks great overall. For every panel that I was on the edge of my seat , there was a panel I just wanted to tickle their tummies and go " awwwwww poochy goochy dooooo! ". Every dog in this story will have his/her day whether it be finding redemption , courage , friendship , intimacy , a reason to live... it's a coming of age story ... for dogs. 

 

 zombie dogs! ... Groovy!

The Good:
     To steal a line from Jeff Cannata (Jeff is co host to web series Totally Rad Show) this is " a childern's book for adults ". There's something soothing about this book. I find Jill Thompson's classic style of art to be like comfort food that makes you feel like you're home no matter where you are .. Jill Thompson is "comfort art".

who ya going to call?

The Bad:
     The only bad thing I have to say about this series is that it clearly is an on going series and leaves you craving more , there's only this book and 1 one shot floppy(w/Hellboy) currently available. There's no long term plans for more BoB series.

 is it just me or is it raining FRIGGEN FROGS!?!

The Verdict: Dig it or Ditch it.
I Dig it lots. Love the adventure , the mystery , the thrills ... the horror elements won't actually scare you but it will entertain you. Does an all out dogs vs zombie dogs battle royal sound awesome? ruff ruff

Value Rating: Of the $20 cover price , I would pay $20/20.. its worthy of a 20 dollar bill.  A solid 184 pages and it comes with some extra sketches and scripts.

let sleeping dogs lay ..especially if they're dead

Arooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

2/24/11 HHH review: Morning Glories: For a Better Future vol.1 tpb

I take a look at Image's latest sexy title Morning Glories : For a Better Future vol.1 (image)TPB $9.99 by Nick Spencer , art: Joe Eisma

Plot/premise:

Morning Glory Academy is one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country, but something sinister and deadly lurks behind its walls. When six gifted but troubled new students arrive, they find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives as the secrets of the academy reveal themselves! 

the opening page 

Gord Says:
     Nick Spencer is basically playing 20 questions with himself and we're watching him play caz the questions are crazy and we are curious to see where the hell this is going.  I don't know what really to say , there's so much going on in this story , from super natural to psychological thriller to teen drama to slasher to murder mystery , .. etc. Whether Spencer is using cheap parlor tricks or intellectual stimuli , it doesn't matter I dont know how this ends but I want to know.

   I really like the fact that Spencer is writing on his own pace and doing this the way he wants to.. he's not cramming things into a short series and hurrying himself up. The further this series moves forward , the deeper and more complicated the plot and characters get. I read this in monthly floppy form and again in its collected form.. it reads much better together , I get the feeling this series will be even better when its complete.

    The questions Morning Glories creates within it's storytelling is boundless , it will initiate discussion in your head that will border line schizophrenia. What's the M Night Shylaman twist to the school and characters? What's the big secret behind all of this ? Who's this ,and who's that? What the fuck is that about? what the hell is going on ?... It's magnificent

 

The Good:
     The value for the trade is as good as it gets. Its collects the first 6 comics priced at 3.50 each , over 190 pages.. for TEN BUCKS $10!!!! I recommend highly just based on that. They're clearly using the Crack Dealer business model..  give that first hit for cheap , get you hooked and cash in long term on our addictions. .

The Bad:
      I dont have much negative to say about this title. 

Verdict: Dig it or Ditch it

I DIG IT like Seinfeld , Elaine , George and Kramer dug Melrose Place.



Value Rating: $10/10...  I would've paid 15+ bucks for this trade. Best value out there. I paid over $20 for the comics.

" You're a little short to be a storm trooper" - Hunter, Morning Glories

2/9/11 HHH Graphic Novel Review: Locke & Key vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

This week I take a look at IDW's best kept secret that everybody knows about... I have no idea what that means...

Locke & Key : Welcome to Lovecraft vol.1(IDW) hardcover by Joe Hill , art: Gabriel Rodriguez 

plot/premise:
   Locke & Key is a dark supernatural tale about three siblings whose lives are thrown into turmoil after a vicious attack on their parents. Sent to live in Keyhouse, the Locke family home in Lovecraft, MA. Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode try to adapt to their new surroundings, but youngest brother Bode won't give up his delusion that some of the doors in Keyhouse are magical portals if you use the right key. 

 Bode's WTF expression is a perfect compliment to this sensational book

Gord says:
    Locke & Key is part of the HP Lovecraft universe but that's not relevant to appreciate this title , its a stand alone series so no worries for noobs like myself. For a brand new series Joe Hill does a fantastic job in laying out the landscape , introducing characters and moving the plot along in limited space and time. I think Hill mastered the skill of multi-tasking his story telling , managing to have his characters move the story along while adding some depth to their characters.

   The house itself is just oozing with boundless potential to take this series in so many directions down the road. Each mystical doorway can be activated with a mystical key to act as a portal to various places and time , also can give special abilities like exiting your soul from your body dependant on the doorway and the key... man , this house is just weird but in a good Clockwork Orange kind of weird , not in the OH SHIT Carrot Top looks like a tranny mannequin  come to life weird

   I found myself caring for the lead characters , the kids in particular , Bode , Kinsey and Tyler Locke. From their adverse beginning to watching them deal with themselves , the house , new town .. the Locke kids aren't  douchey as I worried they might be. In particular the youngest Locke ,  Bode , having little kids as one of the main stars can be trickier than it appears , you could easily end up with this annoying bastard! 

   The main antagonist is a tragic and cold soul that stains each page with that hollow face. Joe Hill developes a chilling , disturbed person  using intricately placed flashback scenes to give the tragic origins of the antagonist , then Rodriguez takes over with his pencil work to make the violent rage and bloodshed come alive.  Not to mention the other dark mysterious figure thats a major player  that made me feel like doing this after

     Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez's collaborated work is the back bone to Locke & Key's success. Their chemistry was fantastic.. the flashbacks and switching of characters was so vital and elegantly done that it doesn't get noticed in the aftermath caz we're too busy applauding the end product. I can easily see why Fox picked this series up for a tv series.

 

Bode gives a summary of what Locke & Key is about

Good News:
The series is on going though rather than sold in a on going continuous series , IDW delivers them in 6 issue sets. The collected books are of high quality and look nice on the shelf.

Bad News:
Though it does come with some extra art , its only 5-6 pages worth. At the very least they should add the floppy covers for collected editions. It could be worse , they could've thrown in ads for other IDW titles.

 The "Jan Brady" of the Locke family , Kinsey  making a new friend

Verdict: dig it or ditch it
I dig it like Charlie Sheen digs locking up coked up porn stars in hotel broom closets. On Amazon the hardcover is only $1 more than the soft cover. There's currently 3  volumes available with the 4th just finishing up in floppies(each collected volume consist of 6 issues).

value rating: from its $25 hardcover price.. I feel I would pay $21/25.  The actual story is flawless , just needed more extra goodies. 

If they could only bottle HP Lovecraft's sauce

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