Comic Reviews: Harrow County issue #18 from Dark Horse Comics

Harrow County Issue #18

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Carla Speed McNeil
Cover Artist: Tyler Crook
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
November 23, 2016
Dark Horse Comics
Format: FC, 32 pages; Ongoing
Price: $3.99
UPC: 7 61568 26606 1 01811
Emmy has just learned about the mysterious group of powerful beings that call themselves her family. But they’ve been around since before Harrow County ever existed. Through the eyes of a haint, masterfully illustrated by guest artists Carla Speed McNeil and Jenn Manley Lee, this issue explains the Abandoned’s past and reveals his connection with the family, including the enigmatic Amaryllis.
* Featuring special backup stories exclusive to the single issues!
* The second in a two-part story about the Abandoned.
“This is illustrated horror at its best. The world of Harrow County is dark, dense and deserves its status as a modern horror classic.”—Big Comic Page
In this issue, Emmy is told what happened when Malachi made Hester, thinking she would be as close to human and able to lead the family. Except she learns much more about who the beast haunt in the woods is and who she really is.

The Tales of Harrow County is Priscilla. And Priscilla isn’t human, but something much, much creepier, plus, this is obviously a first part of a continuing story for the next issue.

Delightfully eerie as always, Harrow County has never disappointed in being what a good Southern Gothic supernatural dark fantasy should be—nightmares and haints!

5 spooky Southern Gothic sheep.

Pamela Kinney

Comic Review: THE PAYBACKS #1 REPO SUPERMEN! from Dark Horse

THE PAYBACKS #1
REPO SUPERMEN!
Writer: Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal

Artist: Geoff Shaw

Colorist: Lauren Affe

Dark Horse
Genre: Humor, Superhero
Publication Date:September 16, 2015

Format:FC, 32 pages; Ongoing

Heroism doesn’t come cheap, so when superheroes borrow money to finance their genetic enhancements or crime-fighting supercomputers, their debts make student loans look like IOUs! Enter the Paybacks, a repo squad composed of bankrupt former heroes here to foreclose on everybody’s secret lairs! From the team that delivered the acclaimed Buzzkill!
* Being a superhero has a price. Meet the team that collects it.
* A superhero comedy for the debt-ridden generation!
* Unicorn!
“I think my favorite thing about the book is that Night Knight doesn’t ride the unicorn. Like, I think that is genius.”—Gerard Way

This type of comic is what I live for! Superhero comedy gold. Paybacks basically spoofs all the superheroes stereotypes. There is perfect comedic timing between the artwork and the snarky, clever dialogue.

The Payback team is made up of: Emory Rains (Team leader), Bloodpouch (The funny one), Skisquatch (Friend of trees and the things that live in them. Party animal.), The Soviet Nunchuck (The only man to have ever fought in the Cold War.), and Miss Adventure (The deadly one.) They travel in something that is larger on the inside and it isn't a Tardis...it's a van driven by The Driver, an angry hippie looking trucker dude.

How could you not love a superhero named Night Knight who has a unicorn side-kick (and no, he doesn't ride it, that would be ridiculous!). But unfortunately for him, he is having money problems and The Paybacks are here to collect. It kind of ruins his plans to thwart the villain Reflectoid—Master of Mirrors. And he doesn't plan on going quietly into the night!

 

I will be putting this comic on my must read list.

5 "pew, pew" Sheep

SharonS

Comic Review: Star Wars Darth Maul Son of Dathomir

STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL—SON OF DATHOMIR #1
Writer: Jeremy Barlow

Penciller: Juan Frigeri

Inker: Mauro Vargas

Colorist: Wes Dzioba

Cover Artist: Chris Scalf
Dark Horse Comics

Genre: Action/Adventure, Science-Fiction, Star Wars
Publication Date: May 21, 2014

Format: FC, 40 pages; Miniseries

Price: $3.50

UPC:7 61568 24765 7 00111

Preview

Getting cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi and being rejected by his former Sith master Darth Sidious isn’t going to defeat Darth Maul. In fact, it only makes him mad enough to take on the galaxy—with an army of Mandalorians!

A part of The Clone Wars season 6 you never saw!

* Based on unaired episodes of The Clone Wars television series!

After surviving his confrontation with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, and was saved from madness by the Dathomir witch Mother Talzin, Darth Maul constructed a vast criminal syndicate known as the Shadow Collective, gathering the galaxy’s most feared crime lords. Black Sun, the Pykes, and even the mighty Hutts have all fallen in line behind the dark warrior. From a base of operations on the planet of Mandalore, Maul plotted revenge against his many enemies. But Maul’s lust for power and conquest has drawn a great enemy upon him—his former master, Darth Sidious. Judging Maul a threat to his own designs, Sidious defeated his former apprentice, ruthlessly murdering Maul’s brother Savage Opress and leaving Maul beaten but, curiously, still alive and imprisoned .

We find that Maul did not die when Obi-Wan Kenobi slashed his body in half with his lightsaber. It seems that a member of the Night Sisters, the witch Mother Talzin. Found him and has brought him back from the dead. Gathering Mandalorian troops, the Black Sun, The Pykes, and the Hutts to join with his Shadow Collective, Maul is out for revenge against his former Sith master, Sideous, Sideous’s new apprentice, Count Dooku, General Grievous and the Droid troops of the Separatists. They battle each other, at what seems to be the time of the Clone Wars. Though neither Anakin or Padme is in this comic, we do get to see Obi-Wan, Jedi Master Mace Windu, and some other Jedi in a few scenes. All of the story leads to an ending scene set on the planet of the Night Sisters, Dathomir.

It was interesting to see Maul back. This is a good facet to the time of the Clone Wars, letting us see that Sideous’s people had to fight on two fronts, not just against the Jedi and the Clone troops. The artwork and colors are great. The storyline is good. Maul fans will be happy with this comic.

I give Star Wars Darth Maul Son of Dathomir 4 ‘May the Force Be With You’ sheep.

Pamela K. Kinney

Comic Review (ARC): A Second Chance at Sarah (HC) by Neil Druckmann

A Second Chance at Sarah
Written by Neil Druckmann
Art by Joysuke Wong
Colors by Joysuke Wong
Words by Michael Thomas

Dark Horse

Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Publication Date:August 20, 2014

Format:FC, 96 pages; HC

Price:$14.99

Age range:14

ISBN-10:1-61655-423-1

ISBN-13:978-1-61655-423-1

Preview

As his wife Sarah lies dying, John makes a deal with a demon for a desperate chance to save her! Transported to their childhood, John gets a single day to prevent the tragedy that led to Sarah’s present-day doom, all while trying to convince her that he really is who he says!

* An original graphic novel from the Last of Us creative director!

The story begins with a life given, a life taken, and the revelation that a deal with the devil facilitated it all.

Johnny finds himself overwhelmed at the birth of his son and subsequently learning his wife, Sarah, is in a coma. Dying. It's when Johnny finds her necklace on which is a demonic talisman that speaks to him, offering him a chance to strike a deal and reverse the deal struck with Sarah. Johnny accepts and is thrust back in time to the mid-90s, back into his seventeen-year-old self to find Sarah and stop her before she makes her deal with the devil.

The whole beat-the-devil routine is something visited upon a lot in fiction, but that's because it is so often a compelling tale. And with Druckman's dash of Back to the Future thrown in and having Johnny go back in time to change the past and Sarah's fate--and that of their infant son--the story is made all the more compelling.

I'm just a sucker for a good time-travel story, I suppose. Go about it clumsily and the story just winds up insulting the reader's intelligence, but by playing with paradox and using the device as smartly as you can, a story can stand out from the pack. And I think A Second Chance at Sarah did just that. It seems pretty cut-and-dry when he's first thrown into the angsty Generation X vibe that was the mid-90s, but as the story develops and his interactions with Sarah progress, the story kind of turns on itself in a fun way. Their first meeting is nothing at all like how they originally met, but it winds up that these two seemed pretty destined to wind up together and have instant chemistry.

Joysuke's artwork was pretty breathtaking in spots, too. There was this not quite in focus style that gave the whole book a nostalgic tinge to it. And her ability to capture the action or focus in one a particular character's gesture during quieter and reflective moments really helped pull the story together for an experience I am totally up for revisiting.

It's a great collaboration between writer and illustrator to make a memorable, romantic, fantastical tale. I am certainly up for more, whatever that might be.

4 1/2 Sheep

Gef Fox

http://waggingthefox.blogspot.com/

Gef Fox's Top 5 comics of 2013

My Fave Five Comic Books of 2013

Gef Fox

Wag The Fox

Ever since Katie and Sharon invited me to review comic books for I Smell Sheep, I've been having a blast doing something that I just never had the chance to do when I was a boy: read comic books!

It's like I'm making up for lost time. And it's nice to live in a century where a thirty-something fella can read a comic book without having scorn heaped upon him. I get enough of that for reading horror novels, anyway.

Okay, so to be clear, the vast majority of comics I have read this year were published by Image and Dark Horse, though I have had the chance to read some promising titles from publishers like Valiant, Top Cow, Zenescope, and others, so please don't take this as any kind of definitive list or anything. It's just me cheer-leading the books I managed to read. So, here we go.

~~~~~

#5 Kiss Me, Satan by Victor Gischler (Dark Horse) - This series was custom-made for me, it feels like, because it is an amped-up urban fantasy that makes no apologies for how entrenched in the genre it is. I can only imagine the fiendish glee Victor Gischler and Juan Ferreyra take with putting the story on the page. It's only three issues into the five-part series as I write this, but it's already a standout for me.
Gef's reviews of Kiss Me, Satan

#4 Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image) - I'm late to this series, but what I've read has been a delight to a devilish degree. The overtly melodramatic noir is so well-suited to the medium, I'm surprised. I would go bonkers if there was a TV or film adaptation of this series, but I have to wonder how a general audience would react when the allusions to supernatural elements rear up at certain points. Bah, screw adaptations--the comic book is superb.
Gef's reviews: Fatale

#3 X by Duane Swierczynski and Erin Nguyen (Dark Horse) - I'm already a fan of Swierczynski's novels, so when I caught word he also wrote for comic books and he had a new series coming out, I just had to check it out. I'm glad I did, too. The hyper-violent revenge thriller is at times so over the top, I feel like I should be repulsed, but there is just enough humanity injected into the story that I am simply captivated.
Gef's reviews: X

#2 Skullkickers by Jim Zub and Edwin Huang (Image) - I think it was Skullkickers #19 that first introduced me to the irreverent humor of Jim Zub. This series has been one of the most genuinely hilarious comic book series I've ever read. Heck, one of the funniest book series, period. If you enjoy fantasy adventure with drunken dwarves, you're gonna love this series.
Gef's reviews: Skullkickers

#1 Ten Grand by J. Michael Straczynski, Ben Templesmith, & C.P. Smith (Image) - I like my urban fantasy gritty, and Ten Grand might be the grittiest. Up until very recently, it was illustrated by the incomparable Ben Templesmith, whose artwork such a bleak and mesmerizing portrayal of this universe. Now, the helm has been passed to C.P. Smith, just as the main character ventures into Hell to save his lady love, which has been a bit of serendipity, offering a refreshing twist on the visual tone of the story. Straczynski's writing remains unchanged, meaning brilliant. I am hard-pressed to imagine a series that could impress me more.
Gef's reviews of Ten Grand

~~~~~

And there you have it. I'm sure other lists of this sort look entirely different, but I'm going with my gut and basically putting my personal tastes in comics on display here. Aside from Batman and the occasional X-Men comic, I don't get wrapped up in the superhero genres. I have been far more drawn towards the books that work to tell stories a little more grounded, yet just as fantastical.

So, what are your favorite comic books from this past year? What have I been missing out on and need to hunt down once it's out in trade form?

Sheep Comic Review: Itty Bitty Hellboy #2

Itty Bitty Hellboy #2
Writer:Art Baltazar, Franco

Artist:Art Baltazar

Cover Artist:Art Baltazar
Genre: Humor, Superhero
Dark Horse

Publication Date:September 25, 2013

Format:FC, 32 pages; Miniseries

Price:$2.99

UPC:7 61568 23936 2 00211

Preview

Lobster Johnson is on the trail of a Squatch!

His search has led him to the deep woods, and Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. are going to help him the best way they know how! That's right—it’s a camping trip! One thing is for sure: when Liz is around you never need a flashlight, but you might need to bring your own marshmallows!

* The creators of Aw Yeah Comics come to Dark Horse!

*Art Baltazar and Franco reimagine Mike Mignola’s best-loved characters in the style of Tiny Titans and Superman Family Adventures!

The cuteness continues. You have been warned.

The backyard antics of Hellboy and friends persist, with more appearances from sort-of-familiar faces from the BPRD universe. If you didn't check out the first issue, just imagine the cast of Mignola's creation all kiddified. Just think The L'il Rascals if they were mutants and hellspawn. Now you're up to speed.

Anyway, I gotta admit that the novelty has worn off a bit for me. The first issue was fun, but with the attention span of a newspaper comic strip, there's not a lot in the way of story being propelled forward. And with gags being revisited already, I'm actually a little disappointed with this issue.

Am I expected too much from a comic book that is essentially designed to be a fun and irreverent take on Hellboy? Probably, but I just see so much potential with this project and the second issue felt like it kept things in first gear. I have my fingers crossed the third issue kicks it up, they have three more issues slated in this thing and the "someone wears Roger's underwear on their head" gag is played out.

review: Itty Bitty Hellboy #1

3 1/2 Sheep

Gef Fox 
Wag The Fox

Comic Review (ARC): The Strain: The Fall #3

The Strain: The Fall #3

Writer: Lapham, David
Artist: Huddleston, Mike
Cover Artist: E. M. Gist

Colorist: Jackson, Dan
Publisher: Dark Horse
On Sale: September 18, 2013
Price: $3.99
Product Id: JUL130044

Preview

The Silver Angel was famous. A legend in the world of lucha libre, he battled vampires during the Saturday matinee, and, in the ring, no man could withstand his mighty wrestling moves. That was then. Now a broken, poor old man wasting away in New Jersey, the Silver Angel must call upon the courage of his youth to defend his home against real-life monsters!

* Continuing the story of the critically acclaimed comic The Strain!

* The next chapter in The Strain Trilogy, by director Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan!

possible spoilers

“A week ago, they invaded Manhattan. Now they will destroy the world. A vast conspiracy prevents the vampire epidemic from coming to light. A small force is humanity’s only chance: an alcoholic, a doctor, a pawnbroker, an exterminator, and a criminal. Can they prevent the Master from covering the planet in darkness?”

Ah, the third comic installment of The Strain, The Fall. We get to hear a tale from the Professor‘s WWII years and about a certain Nazi, Dreverhaven as he tells Vasility about needing to obtain the Occido Lumen as possibly the way to destroy the Master is in it. The story leaves WWII to 1972 Amsterdam, where the Nazi now is a wealthy and reclusive collector (seems the Master is attracted to wealthy and reclusive men in the books) named Mynheer Blaak. But using a fake version of the book with a cover made of silver, he learns that the former Nazi is a vampire, one he came to kill. In the end, after he tortured him, he dumped the vampire in the North Sea, between the land masses, where he still is. The only thing that bothered me is why this vampire does not have the Nosferatu look like those in present day NYC and even the Master himself. No explanation is ever said in this issue or in the original novel. Maybe in the TV series when it is released?

Besides the Professor’s story, a new character is introduced; whom we see from his past was a luchador--wrestler who wore a mask like the ones in Mexico. He is saved from vampires by Gus and his gang from New Jersey, who come to New York seeking his help.

Though I read this and it predecessor as books, plus the eBook of the third novel in the trilogy, I have enjoyed the comics. This issue is no different. The artwork is superb and disturbing.

review: The Strain: The Fall #1
review: The Strain: The Fall #2

I give this issue 5 sheep

Guest Reviewer: Pamela K. Kinney 
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Comic Review: (ARC) Angel and Faith: Vol 3: Family Reunion TPB

Angel and Faith: Volume 3: Family Reunion TPB
Writer: Christos Gage

Penciller: Lee Garbett

Artist: Rebekah Isaacs, David Lapham

Inker: Derek Fridolfs

Colorist: Dan Jackson

Cover Artist: Steve Morris
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Publication Date: April 17, 2013

Format: FC, 136 Pages; TP, 7" x 10"

ISBN-10:1-61655-079-1

ISBN-13:978-1-61655-079-0

Dark Horse

Angel’s quest to resurrect Giles has brought an old friend to London—Willow! Tensions run high as these two confront the loss of Giles, but before blood can be shed, Willow has a proposition. She’ll help Angel on his quest if he’ll help her find magic. To do that, she’ll need Connor to get them into Quor’toth, a hell dimension where magic runs deep. Collects issues #11–#15.

“This story takes place during Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 9, created by Joss Whedon.”

“This volume reprints the comic-book series, Faith and Angel #11-13 from Dark Horse Comics.”

It’s been a while since I’ve been immersed in the Joss Whedon universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Yes, I own all the seasons of Angel and some of Buffy, but with my current favorites being Supernatural, The Walking Dead and others, I just haven’t taken the time to revisit the Sunnydale Scoobies and Angel and his co-harts. But agreeing to review this graphic novel has me once more enjoying the paranormal battles of Angel and Faith, the formerly bad slayer now on the side of good, with Willow and Angel’s son along for the ride. Brought up to speed that Giles is dead and magic gone from earth, Willow arrives at Giles’ former residence in England to talk to Angel and Faith about using Giles’ scythe and Connor (back in L.A.) to open the portal to Quor’toth where Conner and the man, Holtz who’d stolen him, had lived until their return to earth when Connor was age 17. She is hoping to get her magic back so she can restore magic to the world. But as she will learn, along with the others, that may not be simple. For besides battling demons of all types, Connor finds he is considered a sort of devil to the beings in this world and the evil in the atmosphere might be overtaking their evil sides. But then, nothing is ever black and white in a Whedoneque universe. Which made me feel back at home.

Part 2: Whistler, is about Angel meeting Whistler and where we learn the demon/Powers That Be (angel?) halfbreed’s back story of how he must straddle the line of balance between good and evil.

Besides Family Reunion and Part 1: Whistler, there is also a Part 2: Pearl and Dash, about the demon halfbreeds, Pearl and Dash, and their back-story. This didn’t jib with me as much; kinda like they wanted to have a sort of Spike and Drusilla, but honestly, these two could not compare. This was the only jarring story in the book.

The artwork is super and the colors perfect, just like being back in the television shows that spawned the comics. The storylines are superb too. I read the whole thing in one afternoon, as I couldn’t put the graphic novel down. Next time, you need to get back to Buffy or Angel, you don’t need to pop in the DVD sets, instead, run down to your local comic store and pick up this up.

I give this 41/2 sheep.

Guest Reviewer: Author Pamela Kinney

Comic Review: The Answer! issue #2 and #3

The Answer! Issue #2 (of 4) 

Writer: Dennis Hopeless 
Artist: Mike Norton 
Colorist: Mark Englert 
Genre: Superhero, Action/Adventure 
Publication Date: February 27, 2013 
Dark Horse Comics

Format: FC, 32 Pages 
UPC: 7 61568 22480 1 00211

Preview 

On the run in Cincinnati, punctuation-faced hero The Answer must rescue the abducted librarian Devin from a sinister gang of asylum nurses and orderlies . . . but she may not WANT to be saved! More insane superhero adventure! 

* Eisner Award-winning creator of Battlepug!

* Written by Dennis Hopeless (Cable and X-Force, Avengers Arena)!

The Answer! Issue #3 (of 4) (ARC)
Writer: Mike Norton, Dennis Hopeless 
Artist: Mike Norton 
Colorist: Mark Englert 
Genre: Superhero, Action/Adventure 
Publication Date: March 27, 2013 
Dark Horse Comics
Format: FC, 32 Pages 
UPC: 7 61568 22480 1 00311 

While Devin is living out her dream, working among the greatest minds in the world, the Answer is stuck in a nuthouse nightmare! They'll both have to wake up and work together if they're going to unravel the secrets of the enigmatic BRAIN TRUST. 

* Eisner Award-winning creator of Battlepug!

* Written by Dennis Hopeless (Cable and X-Force, Avengers Arena)! 

I love this punctuation-faced superhero. He makes me laugh. The writers are having fun with this guy and it shows. He doesn't seem to have a plan and likes to wing it when it comes to rescuing but he has a snarky attitude and some awesome skills. After three issues we still don’t know anything about him, but we've seen his butt… those damn hospital gowns!

By the end of #3 we still don’t know what the Aperion organization is and why they are collecting smart people. We also don’t know much about The Answer! and his role in all of this. There is only one more issue in this series. Will we find out who The Answer is? Why he wears an exclamation point mask? What evil plot is the Aperion Corporation planning? So many questions….

I recommend this series to anyone who loves campy action comics. I hope there will be more of The Answer! when this mini-series is over.

4 "Why would I be wearing spandex?" Sheep

Sharon Stogner (edit by Kalpar)

Comic Review: (ARC) Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison

Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison 
Writer: Haden Blackman

Artist:Agustin Alessio

Cover Artist: Dave Wilkins
Genre: Star Wars
Publication Date: March 27, 2013

Dark Horse

Format: FC, 120 pages; HC, 7" x 10"

ISBN-10:1-61655-059-7

ISBN-13:978-1-61655-059-2

A traitorous uprising against the fledgling Galactic Empire leaves Emperor Palpatine close to death. Saving the Emperor—and the Empire—appears to be a lost cause . . . unless Vader can uncover the secrets of the Jedi Council and locate the mysterious “Ghost Prison.” Collects the five-issue miniseries.

* Written by The Force Unleashed’s Haden Blackman!

* A beautiful, fully painted graphic novel in hardcover with dust jacket!

If anything, I'm a bit of a Trekkie, but even then I'm not much of one. Star Trek and Star Wars have always had this contentious relationship, among their armies of fans at any rate, as if it is considered blasphemous to be a fan of both. I get caught up in that from time to time, criticizing what I consider some pretty lackluster writing on the Star Wars side, while ignoring the same perpetrated by Star Trek. When it comes to Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison, however, I can only praise the story and the writing within its pages. 

Having never read a book with the words Star Wars on the cover before, I would have probably started with one of those novels by Timothy Zahn or Michael A. Stackpole, but when the wonderful gals running I Smell Sheep brought this book to my attention, I couldn't resist. 

The story follows Lieutenant Tohm, rather than Darth Vader, as he attends a huge graduation ceremony for Imperial cadets on Coruscant. Following the ceremony, General Gentis, a hero from the Clone Wars and the leader of the new generation of soldiers, orchestrates an attack on the Emperor. Tohm, faced with siding with his friends and mentor or with the Empire, chooses the dark side. But it's not a choice born of hate, but from loyalty and duty. The guy is fighting alongside Darth Vader--and Vader is whupping all kinds of rebellion butt in this book, by the way--but Tohm has a very no-nonsense, rigid sense of duty towards the Emperor. 

Tohm, like Vader, is disfigured, and it's that commonality that seems to be a point of comradery as Vader takes the young lieutenant under his wing. The Jedi and the rebellion might be wearing white hats, but it sure looks like they've left a lot of collateral damage in their fight against the Empire. 

The Ghost Prison winds up coming into play later in the book, as Darth Vader finds himself with an army of Storm Troopers at his command. So when he needs to find reinforcements to put a serious hurt on General Gentis and the cadets, Tohm comes up with a radical and risky idea on how to do it.

This book was amazing. Tohm is an earnest and agitated young man, and a really captivating character to watch as he fights and learns by Vader's side, literally becoming his right-hand man through the aftermath of the attack. Somewhat poetic given Tohm is an amputee. Between this book and the animated series, The Clone Wars, I wonder why the modern trilogy of movies couldn't be this exciting and tightly woven.

If you loved the movies, but are like me and wish George Lucus had aimed a little higher with the cohesive storytelling, you should check out Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison, because it is a barnburner of a book.

5 Sheep!

Guest reviewer: Gef Fox
Wag The Fox: a den for dark fiction

Comic Review: Hellboy in Hell #4

Hellboy In Hell #4 by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)

Writer: Mike Mignola

Artist:Mike Mignola

Colorist: Dave Stewart

Cover Artist:Mike Mignola
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Publication Date: March 06, 2013

Format:FC, 32 Pages

Price:$2.99

UPC:7 61568 18635 2 00411
Preview

After a bizarre family reunion, Hellboy can barely process the new information, and the things he's done, since arriving in Hell. But Mike Mignola has one more revelation before concluding this initial monthly run of the story we've been building to since 1994 . . .* Mike Mignola writes and draws Hellboy!
* Death was only the beginning!
* The bizarre origin of one of Mignola’s most enigmatic characters.

Here comes the gear shift in the series, as Hellboy is plucked from one depth of Hell into another by the masked figure he met upon his arrival. Quite the twist to learn to the stoic fella really is once he takes his mask off, but that's not the only surprise in this book's pages.

As it was mentioned in the previous book, Hellboy has blood on his hands for offing a certain someone, but he has no memory of it. This is probably where my understanding of what's going on gets a little murky, because I'm feeling about as lost as the big red hero.

This fourth issue is where the reasons for the masked man to pull Hellboy from the Abyss into Acheron, a slightly less morbid neighborhood in Hell, become at least alluded to. Apparently there are three things Hellboy has to do down there, but nothing is explicitly detailed. But, heck, at least it's been established he is there to actually do something and not just wallow with the monsters.

As I read this series, I'm at the point where a little clarity is quite welcome. The sightseeing tour of every avenue of the underworld has been something to behold, especially with Mignola's art stylings and Dave Stewart's colors, but some good ol' fashioned questing would be a nice change of pace.

So with four issues in the can, it feels like all the prelude and setup has been firmly established, and now it's time to give HB a path and a purpose.

Reviews:
Hellboy in Hell issue #1
Hellboy in Hell issue #2
Hellboy in Hell issue #3

4 Sheep

Guest Reviewer: Gef Fox

Comic Review: R.I.P.D. from Dark Horse

Dark Horse, working with Universal Studios, is bringing Peter Lenkov’s 1999 comic RIPD (Rest in Peace Department) to the big screen July 19, 2013. The movie stars Jeff Bridges, aka The Dude, and Ryan Reynolds. In conjunction with the film, Dark Horse has re-released the original 4 issue mini-series as a trade paperback and is publishing a new 4 issue prequel to the movie based on Peter Lenkov’s comic. It will be interesting to see if the movie follows the campy tone of the original series, or the darker and edgier tone of the prequel collection. I read both collections and will do a quick review of each for you, as well as include the information I have for the upcoming movie. Both collections are entertaining and worth a read. RIPD Vol 1 is an action/comedy story and City of the Damned (issues 1-4) also has action and humor, but is a grittier and horror oriented.

Re-release of Original RIPD collection by Lenkov:

2nd edition cover 

R.I.P.D. VOL. 1 2ND EDITION TPB
Writer: Peter Lenkov
Penciller: Lucas Marangon
Inker: Randy Emberlin
Colorist: Dave Nestelle
Cover Artist: Dave Wilkins
Genre: Horror, Crime, Action/Adventure
Publication Date: March 20, 2013
Format: FC, 104 pages; TP, 6 5/8" x 10 3/16"
Price: $12.99
Age range: 12
ISBN-10:1-61655-071-6
ISBN-13:978-1-61655-071-4

Preview

Welcome to the Rest In Peace Department—the devoted, yet dead, officers of divine law enforcement. Nick Cruz was gunned down in the line of duty at the height of his personal and professional life. Now he's traded a hundred years of service to the R.I.P.D. in exchange for a shot at solving his own murder. Collects the original four-issue miniseries.
* The original tale of Nick Cruz and Roy Powell that introduced the wild world of the R.I.P.D.!
Pre-Order R.I.P.D. Vol. 1 2nd Edition TPB Now @ TFAW.com

this is the cover of the first edition

Let me begin with how freaking fun the whole idea behind R.I.P.D. is. Dark Horse originally released this 4 issue comic back in 1999, and it's basically Men In Black, but with creatures from hell instead of aliens. The Rest in Peace Department is made up of dead lawmen that trade 100 years of service to divine justice in return for finding out who murdered them in their previous life.

The comic is fast-paced and crams a whole lot of story into the 4 issue mini-series. The dialogue and art work is campy as hell (pun intended) but it works.

The story follows police officer Nick Cruz as he is murdered on duty and is sent to RIPD. Nick is then paired up with Sheriff Roy Powell, an old fashion Wild West cowboy, who is only weeks from ending his 100 year contract with RIPD. Roy helps teach Nick the ropes, discover who murdered him, and chase a dim-witted demon into hell who has stolen the Sword of St. Michael with the intent of killing the devil.

The artwork is reflective of the time it was written and has a cheesy cartoon look to it. It fits the campy tone of the story, but definitely dates it.

3.5 Sheep

New Prequel to RIPD movie – City of the Damned (4 issues)

R.I.P.D. City of the Damned (issues 1-4)
Creators: Peter Lenkov
Writer: Jeremy Barlow
Artist: Tony Parker
Cover Artist: Dave Wilkins
Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure
Publication Date: November 28, 2012
Format: FC, 32 pages
Price: $3.50
UPC: 7 61568 21229 7 00111

Just because Roy Pulsipher and Nick Walker are dead, that doesn’t mean their time in law enforcement is over. Roy and Nick are officers in the Rest in Peace Department, sworn to serve the Almighty and protect the living from evil’s foul corruption. Their current case has them chasing a ghostly fanatic determined to undo all of creation—a threat with very personal connections to Roy’s past, stretching back a hundred years. Collecting the four-issue miniseries.* Prequel to the upcoming feature film starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges!
Cowboys versus demons in the Wild West!* Written by Jeremy Barlow (Dethklok) and drawn by Tony Parker (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)

Dark Horse recently published a 4 issue mini-series prequel to introduce readers to the world of RIPD created by Peter Lenkov called City of the Damned, and it tells the story of how U.S. Marshall Roy Pulsipher gets recruited into the RIPD. The story starts with Roy and Nick in a futuristic setting then flashes back to the Wild West and Roy’s introduction into the RIPD. We follow him on his first job with his partner Crispin, a puritan priest. I actually preferred this collection over the original 1999 series. It has a much darker edge to the story and humor, which is reflected in the writing and artwork. I especially like how the panels changed to reflect the time period the story was being told in which definitely enhanced the tone of the story.

 

5 Sheep

Movie information 
R.I.P.D. (Rest in Peace Department)
Release Date: July 19 2013
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Robert Schwentke
Writer: Matt Manfredi, Phil Hay, Peter Lenkov
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Stephanie Szostak, Mary-Louise Parker, Marisa Miller, Mike O'Malley, James Hong, Robert Knepper, Tobias Segal

-Sharon Stogner (edit by Kalpar)