REVIEW: Bite Club #1 (of 6)

Writers: Howard Chaykin & David Tischman
Artist: David Hahn
Review: Will Dubbeld

I can't pin down when exactly vampires ceased being bloodthirsty creatures to be feared and started unlife as trendy pop-culture fixtures. Certainly it wasn't with Bram Stoker's Transylvanian nobleman or Le Fanu's Carmilla. Was Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles to blame? Or was it The Lost Boys? Although they were a bit tragically hip, the gothic-punk aesthetic of it all was too counterculture for the mainstream. Marvel's Tomb of Dracula or perhaps the Vampire: The Masquerade roleplaying game?
Again, I think not.

I can't help but think the trend started with a deluge of Young Adult teen drama novels. Series like Vampire Diaries, Vampire Academy and, of course, Twilight, I think are largely responsible for the transition of vampires from folkloric terrors of the night to watered-down commonplace figures of fiction. Bite Club is either a forerunner or contemporary in the mix.

REVIEW: Locke & Key Master Edition Vol. 1

Writers:  Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
Colors:  Jay Fotos
Letters:  Robbie Robbins
Review:  Art Bee

For quite some time Lock & Key has been on my radar and seemed interesting, but I had never gotten my hands on any issues. Recently this Master Edition was acquired for an unbelievable deal: from $49.99 down to $30. How could I say no? This has been one of the best purchases I have made recently. This volume of Locke & Key is amazing! There is so much going on in this storyline that it is impossible to write about it all and not bore you all to death before you can even read it. 

Locke & Key was first published and released on February 20, 2008, by IDW. Now there has not been much that has come out of IDW that I have ever liked, but this is now my favorite from them. 

This volume covers the first two story arcs:  Welcome to Lovecraft and Head Games. The story setting is Lovecraft, Massachusetts at a mansion on the island named Keyhouse. The plot is centered on the Locke family and a set of mysterious keys which unlock some very amazing things. So far in the story only four keys have been revealed and two others are barely mentioned. The keys’ origin has not been divulged so far, but that is fine. I am sure Hill and Rodriguez will get to it before long. 

REVIEW: Iron Fist #14

Writer: Chris Claremont

Artist: John Byrne

Inker: Dan Green

Color: Janice Cohen

Review: Cody "Madman" Miller

This book is hands down the greatest dirt mall find of my meager existence.

 I was digging through the normal random piles of abandoned misfit comics that one always finds in such a place, your usual 90s X-Men, Superman “Funeral for a Friend”, and Alpha Flight, when suddenly I found the vein and struck dirt mall gold. The price tag mocked me with it’s meager $1.50. My skepticism grew instantly as I assumed it had to be a reprint, half the pages were scribbled on, or worst case, missing. I've never been so happy to be wrong in my life. Oh sure, there’s a few cosmetic issues, like a small quarter inch tear through the upc and the top corner has a small crease, but that’s about best case scenario when you’re pawing through moldy oldies in a re-purposed drive in movie theater. But seriously: yay me.

REVIEW: Full Metal Fiction #3

Creative team:
Everette Hartsoe, Rebecca O'Connor, D. Presedo, Darryl Sheakley, Hill & Gross, Pentzer and Rizzo

Review: Will Dubbeld

Did I buy this comic, hot off the Dollar Box, simply because the cover reminded me of a 1970s Grindhouse/Exploitation movie?

Maybe.

Yes . . .

Truth be told, I picked up the first issue of Full Metal Fiction some years ago thinking it was a book from Glenn Danzig's company.
Turns out I was thinking of Verotik, not London Night Studios, but I netted an anthology comic of dubious quality out of the deal.
As I'm prone to making poor decisions when it comes to comics, I came back for more when a few more issues showed up at the LCS.

REVIEW: Curse of Spawn #1 - 3

Story: Alan McElroy
Pencils: Dwayne Turner
Inks: Danny Miki
Color: Todd Broeker and Roy Young
Review: Art Bee

For over two decades, Todd McFarlane has captivated my attention with his creation, Spawn. This story has been reincarnated in many facets and genres, similar to Romeo and Juliet, and in this case, Curse of Spawn. We are dropped into a post-apocalyptic world in which the Battle of Armageddon is about to be fought. This comic made me feel as if it were a blend of traditional Spawn and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Todd McFarlane did not have a direct influence on the creation of this story, but he was in the background. The credits page lists him and Image as presenting this story to us so, whatever that means, he did. Regardless of his input into Curse of Spawn, it is worth him putting his name on it. Think about that kind of creative power: is this story worthy of my name to be emblazoned on it? Yes. (Cue the sound of heavy metal clanking accompanied followed by a sizzling etching sound)