Sheep Movie Review: The Shape of Water (2017)

The Shape of Water (2017)
Directed By: Guillermo del Toro
Written By: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Dec 22, 2017 Wide
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer
Rating: R (for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence and language)
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance
Runtime: 119 minutes
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
From master story teller, Guillermo del Toro, comes THE SHAPE OF WATER - an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment. Rounding out the cast are Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Went to see this with my 16-year-old daughter. She was a little freaked out by the thought of the woman having sex with the very not human sea creature <G>. You don't see them having sex...it is a behind closed doors sort of thing.

The Shape of Water is a character driven story. It pays homage to the old monsters movies like King Kong, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Dracula. The "monster" falls in love with the girl, but The Shape of Water takes it to the next level which was unacceptable back in the day. The girl falls in love too.

The story moves slow with moments of suspense and humor and for the most part predictable. All the characters are lonely in one way or another and live banal lives. So when they become entangled in the fate of Eliza and the fishman they are willing to fight for their unconventional love. But if the same movie was made, but with a human man instead of the fishman, then this would have been a dull and pointless movie.

I did enjoy the movie... it was very different from what I normally watch (nothing got blown up) and there was some nice cinematography. Seeing it on the big screen doesn't add to the experience so if you aren't into the artsy film scene then wait for the DVD.

Holly and I both give it 3 1/2 "cat eating" Sheep

SharonS

Comic Review: The Strain: Master Quinlan, Vampire Hunter #4

The Strain: Master Quinlan, Vampire Hunter #4
Writer: David Lapham
Penciller: Edgar Salazar
Inker: Keith Champagne
Colorist: Dan Jackson
Dark Horse Books
December 14, 2016
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror

Format: FC, 32 pages; Miniseries

Read the comic! Watch the series!

Quinlan races against time to move the dwindling troops into place and support Tacitus’s surge against the Berber horde. Can he hold out against the vampire menace lurking in the desert and fulfill his mission?

* The origin of Mr. Quinlan from The Strain—by Pan’s Labyrinth and Pacific Rim director Guillermo del Toro and writer David Lapham—begins here!

Quinlan and his Roman soldiers battled vampire hordes in this issue. During the last hour before dawn, and later, when the vampires hide during the day in the desert.

The Strain: Master Quinlan, Vampire Hunter is a vampire tale that is gritty, bloody, with a taste of humanity.

5 vampiric sheep

Pamela Kinney

Movie Review: Crimson Peak (2015)

Crimson Peak (2015)
Directed By: Guillermo del Toro
Written By: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins, Lucinda Coxon
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Hunnam
Oct 16, 2015
Rating: R (for bloody violence, some sexual content and brief strong language)
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 1 hr. 59 min.
Universal Pictures - Official Site
When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak. From the imagination of director Guillermo del Toro comes a supernatural mystery starring Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Hunnam (C) Universal

This was a visually stunning movie. The use of color as symbolism, the shadows, costumes, Hiddleston's butt...and how can you go wrong with Charlie Hunnam? It was a Victorian Gothic feast for the senses.

But the story...predictable and linear, not to mention some plot holes and parts that had me thinking "Why didn't they just...?" At no point was I surprised by the twists. There are lots of jump scares with rotten corpses and a lot of blood. A few are properly creepy, but for the most part nothing I haven't seen before. I loved the cast and they did a great job with what they were given. I don't think I could stand to live during that time period...those clothes looked suffocating, but pretty.

If you love the cinematography (also Tom and Charlie) of the trailer then this is worth a matinee price and seeing it on the big screen will enhanced the experience. The rest of you can wait and rent it.

3 1/2 "Crimson" Sheep

SharonS

Comic Review: Guillermo Del Toro’s and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain: the Night Eternal issue #10

THE STRAIN: THE NIGHT ETERNAL #10
Writer: David Lapham

Artist: Mike Huddleston

Colorist: Dan Jackson

Cover Artist: E. M. Gist
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Dark Horse

Publication Date:June 17, 2015Format: FC, 32 pages

PREVIEW

Two years ago, the Master won.

He spread the vampire virus across New York and, by triggering a series of nuclear meltdowns, defeated the ancient vampires that opposed him.

Now, in a world where the sun is all but blocked out by nuclear winter, the Master’s influences reaches across the globe.

Hope is on life support, but a few remain who may revive it: an alcoholic, a doctor, an exterminator, a criminal, and a renegade vampire are humanity’s last chance…

This issue, those fighting the Master are looking for a detonator for the nuclear bomb they have to destroy the Master. Plus find the place where it must go off. There is a book, but Eph figures out how to read it. Made for humankind to fight vampires, it has a silver cover and its secrets were written so they could only be read in sunlight. They take off in a truck, heading for where the island they need to be on the right day is. Meanwhile the Master and Zack’s vampire mother visit Zack at the zoo, to tell him his father is still alive. That he did not come for Zack; as like the snow leopard in the zoo, he wants to be the last obstacle between the Master and his vamps and total domination.

Close to the end of the comic based on the third book in The Strain trilogy, the vampires seem less frightening and unsettling as in the first two novels and comics. I am not feeling this one particularly. Still, one still wants to follow this to the end, to see if the humans win against the Master. The artwork is still great and the dark colors perfect for this comic.

I give The Strain: the Night Eternal Issue #10

3 ½ sheep

Pamela K. Kinney

Book Review: Trollhunters (Trollhunters #1) by Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus

Trollhunters (Trollhunters #1)
by Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus

Publisher: Disney Hyperion
July 7, 2015

"You are food. Those muscles you flex to walk, lift, and talk? They're patties of meat topped with chewy tendon. That skin you've paid so much attention to in mirrors? It's delicious to the right tongues, a casserole of succulent tissue. And those bones that give you the strength to make your way in the world? They rattle between teeth as the marrow is sucked down slobbering throats. These facts are unpleasant but useful. There are things out there, you see, that don't cower in holes to be captured by us and cooked over our fires. These things have their own ways of trapping their kills, their own fires, their own appetites."

Jim Sturges is your typical teen in suburban San Bernardino-one with an embarrassingly overprotective dad, a best friend named "Tubby" who shares his hatred of all things torturous (like gym class), and a crush on a girl who doesn't know he exists. But everything changes for Jim when a 45-year old mystery resurfaces, threatening the lives of everyone in his seemingly sleepy town. Soon Jim has to team up with a band of unlikely (and some un-human) heroes to battle the monsters he never knew existed.

Hardcover-Kindle

Barnes and Noble-Hardcover-Nook

The book begins with two young boys playing on bikes after one’s birthday party in 1969. Jack just turned 13 and he and his younger brother, Jimbo, are playing the hero and mad scientist when Jack vanishes beneath a bridge, the only evidence, his new bike bent and broken. Jim sees something that cannot be real and he runs home in fear. Years later, Jim is grown up and works for a electronics firm and what he saw that evening in ’69 has him living in fear still, locking the house with a series f locks on the doors and metal shutters that lock down the windows. So nothing can get in. Except his teenage son will discover his father is not crazy and that monsters are real—not existing in closets, but able to come up from below. That San Bernardino, California has an underground city of trolls.

It’s hard enough being a teenager in the 21st century, with a bully who is also a football and basketball champ, the Math teacher making your life hell, and the new girl in the school from the British Isles makes your heart beat fast. So when Jim Junior and his best friend, Tubby find out trolls are real and not all are evil, but yet, there are evil, child eating ones too in his town, and they are pulled into this battle, surviving high school and the town’s annual festival is not the only thing they have to worry about.

This is the kind of story I enjoyed reading as a kid. Though there is some slightly gory things (trolls being what they are), I think a middle school kid can handle it. It may not be Halloween or October, but this is a summer dark fantasy read not only teenagers and middle schools kids will enjoy, but adults too. Just be sure to check beneath your bed or couch before you do.

I give Trollhunters 5 sheep

Pamela K. Kinney

About the Authors:

Guillermo del Toro is known for his critically acclaimed feature films, such as Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, The Hobbit, and Pacific Rim, as well as his best-selling Strain Trilogy.

Daniel Kraus is the award-winning author of Scowler and Rotters, and is the director of six feature films. He lives with his wife in Chicago. 

Sean Murray is an illustrator, concept artist, author and teacher known for his work on video games such as Dungeons & Dragons Online and The Lord of the Rings Online, as well as the creator of The World of Gateway, which includes his fantasy guidebook Gateway: The Book of Wizards and the upcoming card game Gateway Uprising.

Comic Review: THE STRAIN: THE NIGHT ETERNAL #4

THE STRAIN: THE NIGHT ETERNAL #4Writer: David Lapham

Artist: Mike Huddleston

Colorist: Dan Jackson

Cover Artist: E. M. Gist
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Dark Horse Comics

Publication Date: November 19, 2014

Format: FC, 32 pages; Ongoing

Price: $3.99

UPC:7 61568 19195 0 00411

Preview

Read the comic! Watch the series!

The final chapter in the Strain Trilogy—by Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan—begins here!

It’s been two years since the Master’s plan succeeded and a near apocalypse coated the world in darkness. Now able to roam freely, the Master’s legion of vampires rule the world—a horrifying police state where humans are harvested for blood.
Known as the Born, he works with the rebellion, but he’s a vampire . . . Who, or what, is Mr. Quinlan? And what, exactly, is his connection to the Master? This issue sheds light on the past of the mysterious and badass bloodsucker slayer who is bent on destroying the Master’s strain and ending his reign.

The final chapter in the Strain Trilogy—by Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan—begins here!

This issue of the last book in The Strain trilogy is about Mr. Quinlan’s past and his connection to the Master. The Master tells the story of how he served the Roman Emperor Caligula. For his payment, he is given seven virgins. Not for sex, but for their blood. But the last victim is not a virgin, and is with child. He wanted to kill the unborn, but got called away to help the emperor at the time, he returns to find the soldiers took her, but she killed two of the guards and escaped. She finds a cave, where she gives birth and raises the child, ignoring the call of her master. When Quinlan is almost grown up, his mother is killed by the Master and he escapes. Through years of fighting as a gladiator, he is eventually bought by a Roman senator who realizes what he is and who he serves, battling in wars. His being able to walk in the sunlight helps him. His life ends up serving the other Ancients against the Master until he helps the humans fighting the vampires in New York City.

This issue is all about a true badass vampire. He may not be handsome as many paranormal romances write vampires as, but he truly has an interesting past. He may not be stone-faced ass kicker like Blade, but he holds his own as well as that daywalker.

5 sheep

 

Pamela Kinney

Comic Review: The Strain, The Night Eternal issue #1

THE STRAIN: THE NIGHT ETERNAL #1Writer: David Lapham

Artist:Mike Huddleston

Colorist:Dan Jackson

Cover Artist:E. M. Gist

Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror

Publication Date:August 20, 2014

Format:FC, 32 pages; Ongoing

Price:$3.99

UPC:7 61568 19195 0 00111


It’s been two years since the Master’s plan succeeded and a near apocalypse coated the world in darkness. Now able to roam freely, the Master’s legion of vampires rule the world—a horrifying police state where humans are harvested for blood. As humanity despairs, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and an unlikely team of heroes continue their fight against extinction and hope to unlock the secret to the Master’s demise.
* The final chapter in the Strain Trilogy, by Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan, begins here!

“A truly engrossing tale.”—Bloody Disgusting

“Great writing Lapham. I'm locked in.” —Comic Bastards

“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?”

There be spoilers ahead!

This comic begins with Eph discovering that Nora and Vasily Fet are attracted to each other, by emails. He has been late getting back to Nora who is waiting for him in the hospital, so when Fet tells her in the email, to keep moving, she takes her mother with her and grabs a subway train. Meanwhile, Eph finds two vampires waiting for him, which the Master uses to communicate. When he says no and demands his son, the Master releases them, and the vamps attack. He kills one, but the other escapes. Looking out a window to the ground below, he finds the building surrounded. As for Zack, he hasn’t been for while with his father and is under the Master’s care. The Master has left him not Turned, still human and growing up. When Zack comes back from thinking on something, he finds his mother in the room with him, still a vampire, but almost like she was before her change.

As for Fet, he runs into a vampire not like the others. He is attempting to find the Occido Luen that had been the Professor’s. All this appears to set up for some excitement to the adaptation of the third novel.

The colors are dark and convey a dark, bleak world, ruled by the Master and his vampires. Humans appear to be acting as normal, as you see the crowds, but vampires walk among them. The Night Eternal 2 lures us to need to know the next chapter.

I give Guillermo Del Toro’s and Chuck Hogan’s the Strain, the Night Eternal 4 bloody sheep.

Pamela Kinney

TV Review: The Strain

The Strain (2014– )
TV Series - 60 min - Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

FX Sundays 10:00pm

The Strain is a high concept thriller that tells the story of "Dr. Ephraim Goodweather," the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.

Co-Creators, Executive Producers and Writers Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan co-wrote the pilot script for The Strain, which was directed by del Toro. Emmy® Award winning Writer and Producer Carlton Cuse serves as Executive Producer/Showrunner and Writer. Gary Ungar also serves as Executive Producer. The series is produced by FX Productions.

Hell yeah! We have a winner. I haven't read the books, but have checked out the comics from Dark Horse and I was thrilled with those. I had pretty high expectations going into tonight's premier. 

I thought it was a very well made pilot with lots of suspense and just the right amount of gore. It is hard to truly creep me out, but they achieved it!

There is a lot more going on than mindless vampire like killing machines about to take over N.Y. This is going to be a must watch for me!

I got to mention my editor brain was having a hard time with some things and the scientist in me cringed a few times and it had nothing to do with the vampires. Seriously, would a CDC scientist reach out with bare hands to touch the unknown soil that might have killed 206 people? Also did anyone notice in the beginning when Dr. Ephraim Goodweather jumped in his vehicle to head to the airport, the steering wheel was on the right side? Odd for NY <G>

4.5 "I'm very cold" Sheep

Sharon

Comic Review: Guillermo Del Toro’s and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain, The Fall #8

The Strain: The Fall #8

Writer: David Lapham

Artist: Mike Huddleston

Colorist: Dan Jackson

Cover Artist: E. M. Gist
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Publication Date:February 19, 2014

Format:FC, 32 pages;

Dark Horse

Trapped in a tunnel below the Hudson River, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather’s son Zack and Dr. Nora Martinez fight for their lives against an onslaught of vampires commanded by Zack’s mother! Meanwhile, though the Master’s evil plan has almost sealed humanity’s fate, his oldest enemy, Abraham Setrakian, may have discovered the key to victory.
* Soon to be a TV show on FX!
“A fun action horror comic.”—Geeks of Doom

“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?”

In this issue, Professor Setrakian learns the truth behind the star maps and more in the book, there is a nuclear plant accident in China, and Eldritch Palmer learns you can not screw over the Master, demanding his being turned. Worse, for Zack and Nora, the train Eph put them on to get out of New York City has derailed and Eph’s ex-wife now a vampire and other vampires are pursuing them. Things appear dark for the heroes and humanity.

The artwork is superb and the colors of the comic reflect the growing darkness in this series of comics based on the second novel. The pacing is fast and terrifying. Who will live and who will die by the last comic of this second series? I can not wait.

5 sheep

Comic Review: The Strain: The Fall #6

THE STRAIN: THE FALL #6
Writer: David Lapham

Artist: Mike Huddleston

Colorist: Dan Jackson

Cover Artist: E. M. Gist
Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure
Publication Date: December 18, 2013

Dark Horse Comics

Format: FC, 32 pages; Ongoing

Price: $3.99

UPC:7 61568 19185 1 00611

Preview

When Nora tries to shepherd Eph’s son to safety outside the city, her subterranean escape from Manhattan is intercepted by the boy’s mother—a freshly turned vampire! Meanwhile, Eph comes face to face with the man that helped engineer the vampiric coup!

* The vampire conspiracy . . . REVEALED!

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

"A high octane adventure filled with action and suspense."
—Bloody Disgusting

“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?”

It appears we are nearing to the end of this second apocalyptic vampire series. In this comic, we have the professor and Vasiliy shown that the Master is not the only master vampire around, the professor bidding for the book he feels will stop the Master, The Occido Lumen, Nora is on the run with Zack Goodweather and her mother from vampires, and Goodweather is captured, but allowed a meal with the man he had hoped to kill. The pacing is fast and terrifying. Who will live and who will die by the last comic of this second series? I can not wait.

review: The Strain: The Fall #5
review: The Strain: The Fall #4
review: The Strain: The Fall #3
review: The Strain: The Fall #2
review: The Strain: The Fall #1

I give this 5 sheep

Pamela K. Kinney
Website Blog Facebook
aka Sapphire Phelan
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Comic Review: The Strain, The Fall #5

The Strain, The Fall #5
Writer: David Lapham, Mike Huddleston
Colorist: Dan Jackson

Cover Artist:E. M. Gist
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Dark Horse Comics
Publication Date:October 16, 2013

Format:FC, 32 pages; Ongoing

Price:$3.99

UPC:7 61568 19185 1 00411

Preview
Sure that an ancient tome, the Occido Lumen, holds the secret to defeating the Master, Fet and Setrakian head to the auction house for a different kind of battle. Meanwhile, Eph, sure of a conspiracy surrounding the vampire epidemic, mounts a secret mission to assassinate the wealthy and ailing Eldritch Palmer!
* The next chapter in The Strain Trilogy, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan!
* Soon to be a TV show on FX!

“I’ve got to say that they’ve created the vilest, most revolting looking vampires I’ve ever seen.”–Geeks of DoomNovember 2013. 
“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?”

This issue begins with Eph writing a letter to his son who is speeding away with Nora on a train to hopefully safety from the vampires in New York City. He wrote it as he is about to try and assassinate Mr. Palmer. From there the comic had sections of each thing happening to each of the characters—from Eph to Vasiliy and the Professor talking about vampires and book an what it might mean to destroying the Master, to Nora trying to escape with Zach as Zach’s vampire mother and others attack the train. All of it ends at the space station in orbit above the earth. 

The artwork is still super and the storyline growing more intense. If you love scary vampire stories and even te end of the word scenarios, then you need to read this series. 

review: The Strain: The Fall #4
review: The Strain: The Fall #3
review: The Strain: The Fall #2
review: The Strain: The Fall #1

I give this 5 sheep

Guest Reviewer: Pamela K. Kinney 
Website Blog Facebook
aka Sapphire Phelan
Website Newsletter Facebook


 

Comic Review: The Strain: The Fall #4

The Strain, The Fall #4
Writer: David Lapham, Mike Huddleston
Colorist: Dan Jackson

Cover Artist:E. M. Gist
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Dark Horse Comics
Publication Date:October 16, 2013

Format:FC, 32 pages; Ongoing

Price:$3.99

UPC:7 61568 19185 1 00411
Preview
As a full-fledged war breaks out in Harlem, Gus’s heavily armed gang and an old luchador let the Master know they won’t give up their city without one helluva fight! It’s an all-out vampire brawl! Elsewhere, Fet makes a groundbreaking discovery about the vampires as Eph makes a fateful decision about his role in the ongoing battle for survival.

* Coming to the FX Network in 2014!

“The subtle build of tension and terror still peppers every page.”—IGN
“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?”

Number 4 in The Fall series of The Strain has arrived for October. The first scene begins in Flatlands, Brooklyn, where the Professor is talking to Vasiliy about the pest exterminator turned vampire hunter returning to the tunnels where the strigoi are using to destroy them. The next one has vampires breaking into The Professor’s former digs. From there it hits fast and hard with explosions. Quick and short, readers won’t be disappointed. The only disappointment might come from how it ends and readers hooked into wanting the next installment. But they’ll have to wait until November for that.

The artwork is as good as always. The storyline is short, to the point, and with more excitement.

review: The Strain: The Fall #3
review: The Strain: The Fall #2
review: The Strain: The Fall #1

I give this 5 sheep

Guest Reviewer: Pamela K. Kinney 
Website Blog Facebook
aka Sapphire Phelan
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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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aka Sapphire Phelan
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