After two incredibly heavy weeks of comics, the wallets of horror fans are given a bit of a break this time around.  That being said, we've got some pretty top notch books. Let's get to it.

 

Angel & Faith #8
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Rebekah Isaacs
$2.99, 24 Pages

 

Although I thought last month was a little light, Angel & Faith come storming back with part three of Daddy Issues.  The stories of our two protagonists converge as Angel helps deal with the loan sharks out for blood from Faith's dad.  Meanwhile, Faith is trying to calm down Nadira, the slayer who saw her entire squad killed by Pearl and Nash, but she's had enough of this and is looking for a change.  Things can get pretty drastic here.

Rebekah Isaacs continues to kill it on this book.  Her artwork is crisp, clean, and filled with emotion.  I think I said this for a previous issue, but author Christos Gage should be thankful for her pencils as she's able to convey so much with the characters' expressions so Gage never has to waste time explaining those.  Case in point: the Irish mob shows up on Faith's doorstep and without saying a word, you know they're bad news.  You get this vibe from them right off the bat.  I also love the way that Isaacs draws Angel's vampy face.  It's spooky and it often comes out of nowhere.

Angel & Faith has been outpacing Buffy for the past few months.  I love where the book is going and it's really exploring these two deeply flawed characters as they seek redemption.  

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B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth - The Pickens County Horror #1
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
Illustrated by Jason Latour
$3.50, 24 Pages

 

The B.P.R.D. just cannot catch a break lately.  The title "Hell on Earth" is incredibly accurate.  The Pickens County Horror looks like it's finally bringing vampires into the Mignola-verse and it's done in an incredibly creepy, almost Deliverance-like way.  

A mysterious fog rolls through Pickens County and the B.P.R.D. is called in to investigate.  Meanwhile, we're given a glimpse into the lives of some of the vampires that are living in seclusion.  Their time is approaching and they're getting antsy.

Jason Latour provided the pencils for this issue.  His style matches up with the "Good 'Ol Boy" mindset that Pickens County clearly has.  His characters are softer around the edges and even the vampires don't look too intimidating.  This makes the fog and whatever lurks within it even scarier as it can take you by surprise.  

The Pickens County Horror is only a two issue mini-series, but I'm sure this is not the last we'll see of the vampires and their rise.  This is an eerie comic that subtly creeps up on you.  It's a kind of horror that you can find yourself getting into and certainly relating to.  That just amplifies the spook factor.

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Alpha Girl #2
Published by Image Comics
Written by Jeff Roenning
Illustrated by Robert Love
$2.99, 30 Pages

 

After seeing how the world went to shit last month, Alpha Girl picks up with a peek at what Judith's life was like earlier.  She had a pretty run-of-the-mill job at the local book store and ran a side operation selling her urine, saliva, and other used items to strangers on the Internet.  You know, like every girl next door.  Then this bizarre disease starting turning women into homicidal cannibals and well, you can understand how that can throw a monkey wrench into things.  

Throughout all this insanity, Robert Love keeps the story in check with a fun, cartoony art style.  Alpha Girl is one of the bloodiest and over-the-top comics I've read in awhile and Love's work helps to remind us that we shouldn't take these things too seriously.  I mean, this issue has a panel that takes up a third of the page of a woman vomiting up an ear, an eyeball, and at least two fingers.  Where else are you going to see that?  

Alpha Girl is probably the weirdest way for the world to end.  It's gory and filled with some incredibly dark humor.  It's like 28 Days Later if it was written by a funnier Chuck Palahniuk.

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Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends #14
Published by Zenescope Entertainment
Written by Raven Gregory
Illustrated by Juanan Ramirez
$2.99, 28 Pages

 

At long last, the beast is revealed! It's been teased for two issues and, Eddie's transformation is almost complete.  His quest for the ultimate revenge against the woman he believes caused his brother to commit suicide is coming together.  This tale of vengeance doesn't quite rival that of Oldboy, but it's still pretty brutal.  First he attacked Jenna's fiancee Steve, putting him in the hospital, then he tortured him.  He also bought the bank that held the mortgage on her parents' house and foreclosed on it.  And he's not done yet!

Juanan Ramirez's art is hit or miss in this issue.  There are some shots that look great, such as Eddie attacking Steve with the shadow of the hulking beast looming behind him.  Then there are others, mostly with Jenna, that look awkward.  Zenescope has a stable of buxom beauties, but Jenna's figure would make Barbie blush.  Her boobs are bigger than her head.  This makes her look like she's falling over half the time, which I guess makes sense if she's walking around with two watermelons strapped to her chest.  

There's been no hint yet as to how this ties into the overall Grimm Fairy Tales universe.  Usually by now someone else has shown up in an effort to calm the twisted urges of the main character.  Considering how dark the story is and how far Eddie has gone, I don't see why anyone would try to quell his anger and calm this beast.  The arc wraps up next month and it looks like it's going to be pretty bloody.

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The Bulletproof Coffin Disinterred #3
Published by Image Comics
Written by David Hine
Illustrated by Shaky Kane
$3.99, 32 Pages

 

Three months in and I'm still not really sure what The Bulletproof Coffin Disinterred is, but I can say that it is really fun.  This issue dives into the bizarre mind of a child as his imagination takes him and his action figures to the moon.  It seems the Red Menace and the Kommunist Kill Kadre have stolen monuments from the U.S. and assembled them into a giant robot on the moon ready to take us out!  Picture a giant with the Washington Monument and the Empire State Building for legs, Mount Rushmore for a head, and the Statue of Liberty and a space shuttle for arms.  It's terrifying and awesome at the same times.

Guiding us through this fever dream of a comic is Shaky Kane and his crazy art.  It's a perfect match for David Hine's script and manages to capture the nostalgia and paranoia that runs rampant through the book.  Kane's artwork makes the Bulletproof Coffin look like a lost comic from the '50s that was only just discovered.  It's like an acid trip with super heroes, communists, and terror.  

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Hellraiser #12
Published by BOOM! Studios
Written by Clive Barker and Mark Miller
Illustrated by Stephen Thompson and Janusz Ordon
$3.99, 24 Pages

 

I wish I could tell you what the Hellraiser comic is about, but after 12 issues I'm just lost.  From what I've heard, this is very much a book for the fans of the movies.  As I have not seen those, I'm somewhat out of luck.  This comic could mean a great deal to fans, but I'm not seeing it within the bloody gore that flows through almost every page.  I think I'm about ready to throw in the towel on this series because I just can't find a footing within the story for me to grasp on to.

I'd love to hear more from people that have seen the movies and have been reading the book so that they can explain to me what I'm missing here.

It should be noted that Tim Bradstreet's cover for this issue is f-ing beautiful.

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There were still a few other books out this week too, but not enough to break the bank fortunately:

 

  • Immortal Demon In The Blood #4 (Dark Horse Comics)
  • I Vampire #7 (DC Comics)
  • American Vampire #25 (Vertigo)
  • New Deadwardians #1 (Vertigo)
  • Patricia Briggs Alpha & Omega Cry Wolf #6 (Dynamite Entertainment)
  • Hawken #3 (IDW Publishing)
  • Infestation 2: GI Joe #2 (IDW Publishing)
  • Walking Dead #95 (Image Comics)
  • Dark Tower Gunslinger Way Station #4 (Marvel Comics)
  • Last Zombie Neverland #2 (Antarctic Press)
  • Crossed Badlands #2 (Avatar Press)
  • Charmed #20 (Zenescope Entertainment)
  • Grimm Fairy Tales #70 (Zenescope Entertainment)

 

And in graphic novel news, we've got a few releases too.

 

 

That's about it for this week.  What did you pick up?  Let me know in the comments!

 

 

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James Ferguson
Lord of the Funny Books
James has a 2nd grade reading level and, as a result, only reads books with pictures. Horror is his 5th favorite genre right after romantic comedy and just before silent films. No one knows why he's here, but he won't leave.
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