Nightmares Illustrated 037 For The Frosty-Toed Reader

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Top Five Picks…Buy These Right Now.

1. Transfusion #2 (IDW).

2. Dark Shadows/Vampirella #5 (Dynamite).

3. Heavy Metal #260 (Metal Mammoth).

4. Wonderland #7 (Zenescope).

5. Haunted Horror #2 (IDW).

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How is 2013 treating you so far? Day one and, for me, everything is fine. I am trying not to rock the boat or jump on the ice or swing the bow too much as I wouldn’t want to set a negative precedent so early in the year. I hope, therefore, that this is a year for caution and not a year for action. Otherwise I am screwed.

All right, then.

2012 was a DC-bashing year for me. While I will stick to my DC-related declarations made last year (see all those NI columns for details) I am starting over with DC for 2013, clear-headed and open-minded. Same for every other publisher, too, including the ones I liked so much last year – they have to prove themselves again. I am Critic, hear me whimper.

Let’s get started.

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Sleepy Hollow #3 (Zenescope). We all know the Washington Irving story of the Headless Horseman, right? He wasn’t the first person to tell a headless horseman story, but his is the first one I remember and the one everybody in the US knows. Set in Sleepy Hollow? Ichabod Crane? All right, it is the same set-up here with a slightly different coloring to the events but not fundamental differences. In this case, familiarity breeds delight because Sleepy Hollow is a wonderful mini-series. Written by Dan Wickline following a story from the Zenescope Holy Trinity and exceptionally well illustrated by A. C. Osorio, this Sleepy Hollow is the one that will come to mind now when I think of foreshortened equestrianism. The final issue will be out soon so catch up while you can. It is a great way to start the new year.

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Grimm Universe #1&2 (Zenescope). This new series from Zenescope “features characters from the Grimm Universe in never before told stories.” All right. That could be a really good thing or it could just be filler. The possible down side is they have a bunch of mostly-finished work that didn’t pan out for the regular books and now they are pushing it out so as not to waste it. Another possibility is they see interesting aspects of stories that would be a digression from the main series and slow them down too much but which are interesting enough in their own right to be told…somehow. So which is it?

The first two issues are very promising. #1 is about three magical entities discovering their powers and limitations, and although there are some stunning grabs from other books and movies, at least visually, the issue comes together nicely and turns out an original tale that is not the derivative morass it first appeared to be. Whew. Give me a minute. That was a long sentence. OK. Actually, I liked it quite a bit better the second time through. It grows on you. The second issue concerns Red Riding Hood, who here, like in so many other recent reinvigorations of the character, is a werewolf. The story is good, again despite the familiar new-invention/intervention casting, and the transformation scene is delightfully rendered. The third issue promises the origin story of the Goblin Queen.

I am coming down on the positive side for Grimm Universe. The first two issues both gave me an uneasy feeling at the beginning but won me over by the end. Give it a look.

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I am a big Steve Niles fan. Sure, I have ragged on some of his work in the past, but nobody likes everything an artist creates. I have always said he is an excellent writer and his trademark creation is one of my all-time favorites. Teaming up now with Menton³ for Transfusion (IDW), Niles has hit another peak. The book certainly puts you in mind of Monocyte because of the glorious artwork, but this is a completely different creation in the burgeoning vampires-versus-robots genre. The artwork is dark, murky, and menacing. The writing is threateningly spare. Desolation and desperation seeps from the pages into your fingers as you read and verily takes you over. This book is not something you can afford to miss. If you didn’t get it for Christmas (and was there ever a better Christmas gift?) then treat yourself in the new year to something you won’t soon forget. Highly recommended.

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Buy These Too…

Justice League #15 (DC). Sure, crossovers are tedious, usually, and over-stuffed. But the Aquaman book is one of the last DC titles I still look forward to, so the “Throne of Atlantis” storyline remains on my reading list. The back-up feature sounds pretty bad (Black Adam and Shazam) because I still have the taste in my mouth from the last round of these characters, but, it is the new year and hope springs eternal. For now.

Hip Flask Ouroborous (Image). We are in the middle of the end at issue the second. With the death of Sahara, Hip and Obadiah have become desperate to change the way the world is. I still love the Elephantment book even through all the bumps and stops and repetition. Maybe the end is near. If so, I am going down with the ship.

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Bargain Bin…

Every once in a while, I like to drop into the middle of a book I haven’t read in a long time and take a nostalgic stroll down the annals of comic book history. I just saw Green Lantern (volume 3) #154 (2002) and JLA #95 (2004) for 25¢ each. The Green Lantern issue is more savage than you usually think of a GL storyline being and the JLA issue is a magical one with a vampire and a brain-washed Superman. Get your old books out and take a look at these issues again – lots of fun. Or, even better, trundle down to your comic book store and look through those boxes on the floor for forgotten treasures. It is amazing what a quarter can buy sometimes.

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