Review: Dark Horse Presents #29

So my last review of Dark Horse Presents was less than flattering.  In fact, it was the first issue of Dark Horse Presents that I’ve ever not recommended.  So you can understand my hesitation when this month’s issue came out.  It’s not as bad, but it still only get’s a conditional recommendation.

Chapter 2 of The Strain: The Fall – The Silver Angel is better than last time at least.  Some action, a little bit of story, but the Silver Angel doesn’t seem to have any motivation for what he’s doing, unless it’s a death wish, I guess.  Looking to next month’s conclusion of the miniseries to see if there’s any point behind his actions.

Snip Snip is a bit of a whimsical variant of the Underground series seen in issues 25-27 of Dark Horse Presents.  Themed gang wars.  It’s above ground, and very cartoon-y (the hero looks a little like Steamboat Willie).  I can’t really call it “bad” but it was in the unfortunate position of following close behind a similar story.

Alone with Mag the Hag is another Edgar Allen Poe Work brought to the page by Richard Corben.  In the last issue of Dark Horse Presents I said that this only worked as a one shot.  I realize in retrospect that that is a little ambiguous.  What I meant was that particular story did not need more pages.  I would love a collection of short stories by Edgar Allen Poe from Corben, and with any luck, this piece is an indication that he may be working towards just that.

Chapter 10 of Alabaster: Boxcar Tales is much more interesting than last time.  The big hole in the last chapter was that nothing productive really happened.  This time at least, we get some emotional plot development, even if the characters don’t get anywhere.  I do worry a little that the pace picks up too much and that they wouldn’t lay well next to each other, even though they are clearly intended to.

Chapter 5 of Nexus: Into the Past is different.  Until now it’s been a chase through time and that’s about it.  Entertaining, but straight forward.  Now, we have some intrigue, some surprise, something going on more than just Hellpop’s hunt for Clayborn.  We see a scene for Hellpop’s daughters, no clue how they’re involved in the story yet though, as well as his wife.

Chapter 6 of Trekker: The Train to Avalon Bay is the final chapter of this story and rightfully ends with a great fight scene and some witty banter.  I’ve liked this series, but I think I’m done with Trekker for a while.  Nothing against it, but it took six months to get this story told, so it feels like I’ve been reading it forever.

Chapter 4 of the Nosferatu Wars is… very strange.  Imagine watching Inception and then finding out at the end that the whole time they were in the mind of a werewolf.  It’s that level of twist ending.  It’s just a bad aftertaste for an otherwise excellent series.  The art is still beautiful, I’m just not so sure about the decisions on how to conclude it.

Chapter 3 of Mr. Monster: Dark Stearn is more of the same from last time.  It just seems like a bridge (an unnecessary one) to the finale.  I think this chapter and the last one could have been compressed into one, and we could have gotten to the conclusion a little quicker.  Still, they say the fourth chapter will be the last, so there’s a blessing.  Doc Stearn has been a really boring protagonist since he split from Dark Strean.

Chapter 10 of Blood is confusing to me.  I mentioned in my last review that I hadn’t gotten to read the first 8 chapters and that this left me a little out of the loop on the setting and situation that I found myself in last time and it just gets worse this time.  I’ve never seen someone use hemokenesis to pull blood out of their own body to attack someone (see cover of the issue).  It’s very different from anything I’ve ever read and I was just left lost from the weird place they picked the series back up.

Brainbot Jr. is just a single page this time, even shorter than the one that appeared back in Dark Horse Presents #26.  It’s still cute, and like I said then, it’s well suited to short pieces like this.

I would only recommend this issue to those who are following a series.  Trekker is a good conclusion, Nexus is interesting, at least things happen in Alabaster.  Hell, if you know what’s going on in Blood, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad of a read.  The question come down to if keeping up with your series of choice is worth $7.99 to you.  But I’d be willing to bet that if you aren’t following anything in here currently, it’s not worth that to you.

Matthew Bryant, a.k.a. Baker Street Holmes, is a writer and the lead editor for the Red Shirt Crew.  He is glad to hear there will be a number of new comers next time, and has higher hopes for Dark Horse Presents #30.  If you wish to follow him on Twitter, you can find him at @BStreetHolmes, or email him at HMCrazySS@gmail.com.

Review: Dark Horse Presents #28

It is with great sadness that I must announce for the first time that I do not recommend an issue of Dark Horse Presents.  If you have read any of my reviews of the Dark Horse Series, you know that I tend to gush about how there’s always far more good than bad in these issues.  Not this time.

Chapter 1 of The Strain: The Fall – The Silver Angel is a little strange for me since I’m only familiar with The Strain setting through Brendan’s reviews.  It’s chapter 1, but I haven’t been given anything to be excited about for the second chapter.  The Silver Angel, seems like a potentially interesting character, but we just don’t get much to go on in this comic.

Chapter 9 of Blood is likewise an odd comic, because it picks up where chapter 8 left off.  A year an a half ago.  And it’s not like a new story, it starts in the middle of the action.  I have NO idea what’s going on.  It doesn’t help that I missed the “to be continued” at the end of the The Strain and Blood didn’t have title page, so I figured the stylistic change was intentional (since it wasn’t major).  This just made me more confused and I had to read the whole thing twice.

The Assignation is an adaptation of Edgar Alan Poe’s story of the same name.  I liked this one, but I think it only works as a single issue.  It’s a great story, and this is a wonderful adaptation, though I am usually a fan of comic book adaptations of literary works.  Credit to Richard Corben, especially because his artwork here is just gorgeous.


Chapter 9 of Alabaster: Boxcar Tales just doesn’t really go anywhere.  The raven/narrator meets up with the ghost seen back in Chapter 4 and they have a little philosophical discussion of the nature of coincidence and fate.  This is never one of my favorite series, but considering the slim pickings this month, I’m pleased to see a little tease at the end that makes this seem like one of the brighter prospects for next month.

Chapters 1 and 2 of Mrs. Plopsworths Kitchen are just plain annoying.  I think these are just evidence of how desperate the editors for the Dark Horse Presents series were for comics this month, because they not only put two chapters of it in (each only half the length of a normal chapter) but split them up, and neither is all that amusing.  Patrick Alexander has always given things that were amusing and cute, but only run for one issue and I’ve typically liked both of those things about his work.  This time was not as enjoyable.

Chapter 5 of Trekker: The Train to Avalon Bay is more action packed than the others we’ve seen thus far, and for that I was immensely thankful.  Also, I may be using a Leechbear or two in my next roleplaying adventure…  Anyways, this chapter is one of the few in this issue that made reading it not quite such a waste of time.  Another bonus, every chapter since the second has helped to allay my concerns that she was a Mary Sue.

Chapter 3 of Nosferatu Wars is the other continuing series that I enjoyed.  This has been a beautiful, poetic series and it’s sad knowing that the next chapter will be the last.  We get a taste of the main character’s backgrounds this time, but also a glimpse at their cunning and brutality.  The best chapter yet!

Chapter 2 of Mr. Monster: Dark Stearn was a surprise, though it shouldn’t have been.  The first chapter I believe addressed the idea of superheroes causing collateral damage and the traditional “be careful what you wish for” lesson wonderfully.  I didn’t realize at the time that this was going to be a continuing series (though “Chapter 1” should have been a clue) and honestly, this chapter does add much, unless it is a bridge to an amazing conclusion, but at this point I don’t have high hopes.

Chapter 3 of Juice Squeezers: Squish is much like the first chapter, in that nothing happens.  Looking back at the three chapter series, I think as a whole comic, it would work just fine, but cutting it into pieces like this does the first and last chapters a major disservice.  All the interesting stuff has happened by now.

Sabertooth Swordsman was also odd. It looks like it could have huge potential, but this issue is basically a discussion between a large viper and the titular Sabertooth over the “every end is a beginning”, “when one door closes, another door opens” cliche philosophy and discussing the “why bother, we’re all going to die eventually” mentality, too.  I make that sounds like I didn’t enjoy this comic, but I think that was just the grumpy mood I was in at this point, and the fact that a Sabertooth Swordsman and a giant serpent could have made a badass fight and there is a lot of talking going on instead.  Still, there is supposedly a graphic novel coming out about the Sabertooth Swordsman, so the concept at least has offered some hope for that, even if this particular story was a bit of a flop.

All in all, if you couldn’t tell, I would not recommend this issue of Dark Horse Presents. A little Poe, some Trekker and the next piece of Nosferatu Wars are worth reading, but not for $7.99.  It’s disappointing that they get so screwed by their bedfellows.

Matthew Bryant, a.k.a. Baker Street Holmes, isn’t sure he’s looking forward to the next issue of Dark Horse Presents for the first time since the Red Shirt Crew began reviewing comics.  This was just sad.  The table of contents even has formatting issues!  *Grumble, Grumble*  You can follow him on Twitter at @BStreetHolmes or email him at HMCrazySS@gmail.com.

Review: The Fall of the House of Usher #2

The Fall of the House of Usher #2 is the last issue of Richard Corben‘s adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story. When I reviewed the previous issue, I said that I’d have to wait for the end to give a final verdict, which I think is fair for a miniseries, especially one this short. Unfortunately, that length works to the detriment of the story, and leaves me wishing it was longer so the story could be told in a satisfying way.

I continue to enjoy the art for the same reasons as before. My main issue is that the odd panel layouts continue, becoming a problem here. There is a fight between a couple of characters, and the odd layouts made it quite difficult to follow. That is my only real issue with the art here, as the rest of it uses its unique style to create the atmosphere that was used to such great effect.

In the previous issue, the narrator character had been relegated to the background, letting the atmosphere created by the art do the job of replacing the narrator. He’s brought back to a prominent role in this issue, and that’s what makes this issue start to fall apart. His narration covers large pieces of the story without letting us see what happens, seemingly in the interest of rushing through the story. Events that should have been set up in the previous issue or played out through a slightly longer arc are quickly set up through narration, though not organically.

I also have issues with the ending, but not because it feels different than the original. Instead, it’s the presence of the narrator. His narration ruins what could be a good ending with an odd attempt at humor that doesn’t work. I hate to say that something so small can ruin a story, but the attempt at humor simply falls flat and leaves a bad taste in my mouth to close out the book.

I have to mention that there are no extras in the back like in the previous issue. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but I’m slightly disappointed, since the previous issue led me to believe that there might be some more extras here to round out the creative process that led to this book.

Sadly, I don’t think that I can recommend this issue for the $3.99 cover price. The story is too rushed to try and fit it in such a short series. I’m also wondering if my original idea about Poe’s stories not working in comics is right – this relies on a lot of narration, one of the defining aspects of his stories, and it just doesn’t work in this medium. I still think that Poe’s stories could be adapted to comics in some way that works, but for all the hope I had, this isn’t that adaptation.

Zac Kandell (known mostly on the internet as Mischlings) thinks he knows better than to have hope, but doesn’t really. He also can’t believe that that log line applies to this review as much as the last. If you find what he says interesting, follow him on Twitter at @Mischlings for more thoughts occasionally.

Review: The Fall of the House of Usher #1

The Fall of the House of Usher #1 (written and illustrated by Richard Corben) is the first part of a two part adaptation of the short story by Edgar Allen Poe. I’m familiar with the original short story, which I read long enough ago to remember the general story but to have forgotten a lot of the details. That led to a lot of confusion when I read this book, since Corben doesn’t just adapt The Fall of the House of Usher, but also merges it with elements of The Oval Portrait, a Poe story with which I was unfamiliar. Until I read both stories for this review, I couldn’t tell which elements were taken from each, which really speaks to Corben’s writing.

An adaptation of something by Poe in comic format is probably not something that I’d expect to work completely. He deals with very internal stories, while a visual medium like comics are better dealing with external stories. There’s enough going on in this story that it can be heavily event focused, but the tone that Poe had in the original story still needs to be conveyed, which is where the art comes in.

The art for this book is very interesting and essential to the story. With it, Corben manages to convey the creepy tone necessary to pull this off. The house, while still habitable, is highly dilapidated, looking just like a house where someone that crazy would live, and that doesn’t even get into the Ushers themselves. They’re drawn with deformed features, both accentuating that they’re related and adding even more to the creepy tone throughout.

There are a couple places that the layout of the panels is confusing and not intuitive. I don’t see any deeper purpose to it – it really just feels like an incompetent layout, which luckily only happens a couple times and not throughout the book, otherwise it might be a major problem.

There’s also an odd flow of time throughout the book. Unlike the panel issue, this fits right at home here. Poe had a tendency to play around with perception, and having days elapsing between panels with only subtle indications feels much like that. The long period of time over which the story takes place also accentuates just how creepy everything really is. Things like that make the writing hard to really talk about without delving into specifics – it’s mostly in setting the tone that the writing works, and it’s hard to convey in this review without just telling you that it works.

This issue also has a few pages at the end of extra features, which I’ve noted before that I am a real sucker for. This is especially surprising since this is a single issue and not a trade. It has quite a few sketches and includes some of the ideas that Corben had while deciding how to adapt this material. I love these, especially since his methods are definitely those of a perfectionist who wants to find just the right feel and look for everything.

Overall, would I recommend this for $3.99? Yes, so long as you realize that this isn’t a standalone story and will need the second part. If that bothers you, you might want to wait for the second issue to come out. It leaves me really wanting to know what he’s doing with the second half since it’s changed significantly from the source, but the fact that an adaptation of something I’m already familiar with leaves me not knowing what’s coming next and really wanting to know is probably the best recommendation I can give.

Zac Kandell (known mostly on the internet as Mischlings) has had an odd fascination with Poe ever since using a flashlight to read The Raven in a dark room in the middle of the night, which seemed like a better idea at the time. Follow him on Twitter at @Mischlings to read his other thoughts in bite-sized pieces when he actually has any worth sharing.

Review: Creepy #12

Well, the time has finally come for me to review an anthology comic. To be honest, I was rather sad when I first handed over Dark Horse Presents to Baker Street Holmes, since Dark Horse’s anthologies are known for being among the best the world of comics has to offer. But today, I get to look at another great anthology series, Creepy #12. With good ole’ Uncle Creepy providing some opening and closing narration, Creepy #12 tells five spooky stories with three cartoons to lighten the mood. Does this issue warrant a purchase, or will it fail to deliver the creeps? Let’s find out.

Since each story features a different creative team, there aren’t many overarching points to be made about the comic as a whole. With the exception of the front and back cover, the comics included are black and white. This isn’t an issue for most people, but since some people prefer colour comics, I figure it’s worth mentioning. But now, let’s get into the actual stories.

“Uncle Magnus” by Richard Corben is the first story of the bunch. Now usually, I would be ecstatic to see a Richard Corben piece in anything, as his legendary status (he’s a member of the Will Eisner Hall of Fame) speaks for itself, but if I learned anything from my Last Day in Vietnam review, it’s that great creators are capable of mediocre work. “Uncle Magnus” avoids that pitfall by being quite good, if not as fulfilling as it could have been. The art is fantastic, nailing the facial expressions such that the art itself tells the whole story. However, the ending fell a little flat for me. Without giving anything away, a character is punished at the end of the story without anything being presented that would make the reader believe she should be punished. Maybe it’s meant to emphasize how terrible things can happen to people without due cause, but I wasn’t rooting for that character’s demise like I rooted for the demise of the other characters. There’s no real moral to be taught from this one, and if there had been, a very good story would have been a great one. Still, it is an enjoyable piece.

“Fishing” by Ron Marz (story) and Richard P. Clark (art) was my favourite piece. The art here is also well done, making the scenes really feel as if they’re playing out in front of you. It also really does a good job of handling the horror bits, with injuries looking as gruesome as one would hope they would. What really makes this story great, however, is the irony of the tale. Without giving anything away, the story is able to be terrifying and amusing at the same time, and the whole thing struck me as being incredibly clever. Well done by both artists, and I hope they team up on something else again soon.

Next up is a one page comic called “Role Models” by Dan Braun and Peter Bagge. Not much to say about it, honestly. It’s okay. The joke might be funnier if you’ve read previous issues (I have not), but as it stands, it’s simply okay.

“Local Talent” by Matthew Allison is another excellent piece (you might be noticing a trend at this point), focused on a horror movie production gone wrong. When the director, who acts like a complete jerk, loses his make up man and monster actor, a local named Kino promises him some local talent to help complete the movie on time. It’s another one of those “be careful what you wish for” stories, but it’s executed very well. And the art in this piece is brilliant, really emphasizing the gore in some of the later parts of the story in a truly rewarding way. Well done across the board by Allison.

The next comic is actually a reprint of a classic tale by some of the most legendary creatores in comics. “The Spirit of the Thing” by Archie Goodwin (story) and Steve Ditko (art) features a very different set up than the rest, having the character involved tell the story of what happened to him instead of showing the events play out in real time. In this way, the reader becomes a member of the group of tenants who searched to see what was going on themselves, and the technique really works. The story is not as scary or amusing as some of the others in this book, but it more than makes up for it with its creativity. The other stories included were somewhat predictable in that they covered tropes that have been cornerstones of horror for quite some time. This story, while not being without its influences, didn’t fit into a single trope, and thus actually kept me guessing what would happen next. There’s a reason these creators are considered classic, after all.

“Mother’s Little Helper” by Peter Bagge is another one page comic. It’s pretty funny, but that’s all that I cna really say about it, so let’s move on.

“Pack Leader” by John Arcudi (story) and Julian Totino Tedesco (art) stands out from the other comics in this book, as it doesn’t have any opening or closing narration by a member of the Creepy family. The art is also quite experimental, with certain images being so detailed as to be nearly photorealistic, yet other pages have no art whatsoever, existing merely as white pages with narration and dialogue. It’s a very different kind of horror story, going more for building a tense and harrowing atmosphere without having to rely on any over the top scares. It’s a heartbreaking tale, well told and amazingly executed. This one will stick in your mind long after you’ve finished reading it. Just…wow.

Finally, there’s one more comic from Dan Braun and Peter Bigge; this one’s called “Reflections of My Life”. My biggest problem with it is that it comes at the end of the comic, when “Pack Leader” provided the perfect end point for the issue. It’s actually the funniest comic of the three, but I just wish they’d structured the comic as a whole differently so that we could end on “Pack Leader”. This is, admittedly, a nitpick.

Creepy #12 delivers in every way you could want it to. Each of the five tales is sufficiently scary and entertaining, with a couple that will most assuredly stand out in your mind long after you’ve read them. “Pack Leader” wins the top prize in this collection, with “Fishing” as a close second, but each story included is worth reading. For $4.99, you’re getting more than your money’s worth with this collection. Do yourself a favour and go buy it. It’s worth every cent and more.

Chase Wassenar, aka MaristPlayBoy, is the Lead Editor and Founder of the Red Shirt Crew. “Pack Leader” may have scarred him for life, but it was totally worth it. You can read his other articles at ToyTMA,  follow him on Twitter at @RedShirtCrew or email him at theredshirtcrew@gmail.com.