Category: Horror

Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, Ken Meyer, Jr. and More!

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If you’re a fan of fanzines, then you’ve got to check out Ken Meyer, Jr.’s monthly column Ink Stains.  Each month Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts… well, let’s let Ken explain…

I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!

The top piece of art is a Neal Adams pencil sketch that appeared as a front piece for the fanzine Infinity #6.  Below is an unused Howard Chaykin cover for Scorpion!  Infinity #6 also featured a Jeff Jones cover, art by Tim Connrad, Clyde Caldwell, and much more. (Ink Stains #101).

As always, thanks to Ken for bringing back great memories of fandom!

The October Faction by Steve Niles and Damien Worm

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The October Faction by Steve (30 Days of Night) Niles and artist, Damien Worm is soon to be a series on Netflix. 

Before it was a tv series it was a comic series…

Meet the Allan family in this tale about the typical challenges that a very atypical family encounters while fending off the attacks of vampires, werewolves, demons, and more.

From Steve Niles, the co-creator of 30 Days of Night, and artist Damien Worm comes a series about retired monster hunter Fredrick, his wife Deloris, and their two children Geoff and Vivian.

As Fredrick works to put his monster hunting days behind him, his two kids insist on joining the family business. But ghosts from the past refuse to stay dead and conspiring forces lurk in the shadows all leading to a massive showdown with foes supernatural and natural alike!

The October Faction: Open Season collects the first 12 issues of the comic book series and is available for pre-order now.

The Vampire State Building Preview is Available Now

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Charlie Adlard, artist best known for his work on The Walking Dead has a new horror project coming out.  The Vampire State Building written by Ange, Patrick Renault and Sébastien Gérard.  Here’s the synopsis…

A young soldier about to be sent to war, Terry Fisher meets his friends at the top of the Empire State Building for a farewell party. Only for a legion of vampires to attack the skyscraper and massacre its occupants. Hounded in the 102 floors that have become a deadly trap, before the army of abominations spills into the city, they will face U’tluntla, the terrible Vampire God, walled in the building since its construction.

If The Vampire State Building sounds like something you’d like, check out the preview at Bleeding Cool.

“Black Summer” / Z-View

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Black Summer (2019)

Creators: John Hyams, Karl Schaefer

Stars: Jaime King, Justin Chu Cary, Christine Lee, Sal Velez Jr., Kelsey Flower and Erika Hau.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a prequel to Z-Nation.”

The Overview:

Black Summer is a new Netflix series that serves as a prequel to Z-Nation. Since it’s a prequel it’s not necessary to have watched Z-Nation.  (Truth be told, I like Black Summer better than Z-Nation).

The series starts off following what appears to be random folks working to survive a zombie outbreak.  The cool thing is that as the episodes progress people that we see in the background might become the focus of the next installment.  Ultimately a band of survivors forms with the goal of getting to a stadium where they hope the military is waiting to transport them to safety.  Because Black Summer is (at this point) a limited series, there is no “star” that you just know is going to survive.  This raises the stakes and adds to the tension.

You’d think by now we’d have seen it all when it comes to zombie stories.  Black Summer is proof that just ain’t so.  I really liked this first season and hope that it returns for a second.  Guess who else likes Black Summer?  Stephen King said this today…

“BLACK SUMMER (Netflix): Just when you think there’s no more scare left in zombies, THIS comes along. Existential hell in the suburbs, stripped to the bone.”

So don’t just take my word for it, take Stephen King’s.

Rating: 

“The Silence” / Z-View

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The Silence (2019)

Director: John R. Leonetti

Screenplay: Carey Van Dyke & Shane Van Dyke based on the novel by Tim Lebbon.

Stars: Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto, Kate Trotter, John Corbett, Kyle Breitkopf, Dempsey Bryk and Billy MacLellan.

The Pitch: “Let’s turn Tim Lebbon’s novel into a movie.”

Tagline: They’re listening.

The Overview:

The Silence can be summarized as Pitch Black meets A Quiet Place but unfortunately The Silence is not on the same level as either.

The creatures in The Silence are like smaller versions of those in Pitch Black.  And like the monsters in Vin Diesel’s best movie, they are accidentally released from underground.

The similarities to A Quiet Place include: monsters that are blind and hunt by sound, a young girl who is deaf and a family struggling to survive.  I’m sure many folks will think The Silence was made to cash in on the success of A Quiet Place but the truth is Tim Lebbon’s novel and filming on The Silence came first.

The Silence follows a family (father, mother, son, daughter and grandma) as they work to survive in a world where prehistoric flying creatures who hunt by sound are wiping out cities.  In addition, sometimes the other people hoping to survive are as dangerous as the monsters.

The Silence works best when things are first starting to go sideways.  What is happening?  How do we survive?  What is the best course of action?  Things should be off and running but it’s more like off and walking.

I enjoyed The Silence but not to the degree I had hoped.

Rating: 

Rage: A Joe Ledger Novel by Jonathan Maberry

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Jonathan Maberry has a new Joe Ledger novel, Rage, coming out on November 5th and I can’t wait.  Here’s the synopsis:

Rage is the first title in Jonathan Maberry’s brand new Joe Ledger spin-off series of international weird science thrillers.

A small island off the coast of Japan is torn apart by a bioweapon that drives everyone―men, women, and children―insane with murderous rage. The people behind that attack want Korea united or destroyed. No middle ground. No mercy. And they are willing to punish any country that stands in the way―the United States, China, and Japan could all be consumed by a plague of pure destructive slaughter.

Joe Ledger leads his newly formed band of international troubleshooters in their first mission to stop the terror cell, fighting alongside agents from North and South Korea. With the lives of billions at stake, Ledger is willing to bring his own brand of terror to this frightening new war.

Rage is the first of the new adventures of Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you can pre-order Rage here.

“Us” / Z-View

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Us (2019)

Director: Jordan Peele

Screenplay: Jordan Peele

Stars: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex.

The Pitch: “Jordan Peele is ready to do his next film.  It’s about – ” “Do it!”

Tagline: From Jordan Peele, writer/director of ‘Get Out,’ comes a New Nightmare.

The Overview:

Us is a beautifully crafted movie that works on two levels:

1) It provides just under two hours of entertainment for those looking for a scary movie
2) It provides plenty of food for thought after the movie is over looking at the symbolism and depth of thought Peele put into creating a great horror film.  In fact, I liked Us even better the more I thought about it.

Gabe Wilson has decided to surprise his wife (Adelaide) and two children (Zora and Jason) with a Santa Cruz beach vacation.  Surprisingly, Adelaide is against the trip because of a frightening event that happened to her there when she was a child.  Despite, her concerns, Adelaide relents and the family heads for the beach on a vacation that they may not survive.

There’s no denying that a major part of the appeal of Us is writer / director Jordan Peele.  Peele knows how to create a suspenseful scene, uses just the right amount of humor, cranks up the tension and layers the story so there’s more than just what’s happening on the screen for those who take the time to look.  Peele should also be credited for surrounding himself with an awesome cast. Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke are excellent actors and come across as just plain likeable (I hope that’s not just acting.)  As do Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex  who play the kids.

Us is one of those movies that will entertain and provide the audience plenty to talk about long after the film has ended.  Because I like my reviews to be spoiler free,  I’m not going to say more but I definitely recommend /Film’s ‘Us’ Movie Explained: Exploring the Biggest Questions and Craziest Twists in Jordan Peele’s Film.   I’d be more than happy to discuss symbolism, plot twists, your opinions of Us and more in the comments section of this post — so if you venture there beware of spoilers.

Rating:

Ranking Bruce Willis’ Best Films

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Riley Jones at Goliath took on the task of Ranking The 25 Greatest Bruce Willis Movies.  From Jones’ list, my top three would be…

  1. Die Hard: Wouldn’t this be #1 on any Bruce Willis’ best list?
  2. The Sixth Sense: Perhaps a contender for the #1 Bruce Willis spot by folks who don’t dig action flicks?
  3.  The Last Boy Scout: I always felt that TLBS was under-rated and would support sequels.

I didn’t include Pulp Fiction in my top three since I look at it as more of a Quentin Tarantino film with a Bruce Willis supporting role.

Larry Cohen – RIP

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Larry Cohen, the writer – director – producer who made his mark in television and feature films, has died at the age of 77.

I first became aware of Mr. Cohen when he wrote and directed the low-budget horror cult classic It’s Alive.  After that I saw Cohen’s name pop-up from time to time but it wasn’t until Cohen’s adaption of Mickey Spillane’s I, the Jury that I really began to take notice.

Cohen’s I, the Jury, directed by Richard T. Heffron starred Armand Assante as Mike Hammer.  That film really hit a sweet-spot for me.  As I learned more about the people behind the making of the film I discovered that Cohen had created two television series that I loved as a kid: Branded and The Invaders!

Cohen broke into the business writing for television creating scripts for The Fugitive, The Rat Patrol, Custer (3 shows I loved as a kid) and many other series.  He went on to create Branded and The Invaders.  Cohen’s tv work led to theatrical films where he wrote and directed Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem, Q and others.

Had Cohen just been known for Branded or The Invaders or I, the Jury, his impact on my youth would have warranted a mention here, but to think that he did those and so much more…

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Larry Cohen’s family, friends and fans.