Comic Review: Fatale #15 by Ed Brubaker

Fatale #15 
By: Ed Brubaker

Published: June 26, 2013

Image Comics

A NEW ARC BEGINS!FATALE finally arrives in modern times, as Nicolas Lash's research from his prison cell draws out old enemies. And him with nowhere left to run. And remember each issue of FATALE contains extra content, articles and artwork that are not available anywhere but the printed single issues.

I'd been reading some good things about this series from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, but with it being fourteen issues deep I was a little hesitant to take this fifteenth issue for a test drive, since I'm conditioned to reviewing comic books from the inaugural issue onward. Fatale #15, thankfully, feels like the start of a new story arch, making the learning curve a whole lot easier.

Nick Lash seems utterly doomed, but at least he knows it. Framed for murder, his dead uncle's manuscript stolen, his lawyer killed in front of him, and on the run with a man named Nelson who did the killing. Yeah, Nick is doomed.

That's just the prologue though, as the main story goes back to the mid-90s where a struggling rock musician, Lance, robs a bank to fund his band, only to botch the getaway and stumble across a naked beauty on the side of the road, covered in nothing but a bed sheet and a lot of blood. Even weirder is the fact that the blood ain't hers and there's somebody with a basement full of dead women looking for her.

If you like your crime fiction brazen and bloody, Brubaker and Phillips are your guys. Don't ask me how the first part with Nick Lash ties in with Nelson's heist gone awry storyline, at least beyond the femme fatale Josephine, but I think I'm going to enjoy finding out. The main characters all have the classic combination of empathy and ineptitude; guys in over their heads and can't help but dig their own graves a little deeper. With Nelson, all he's really done in this issue is take a strange girl home, but the atmosphere is as powerful as it is pulpy, and leaves things off in such a way that I can't wait to read Fatale #16.

If you're like me, and you haven't bothered with the first fourteen issues of this series for whatever reason, now might be a good time to give the series a chance, because it's either getting good or it's getting even better.

4 1/2 Sheep
Guest Review: Gef Fox
Wag The Fox  

Sheep Comic Review: Fatale #17

Fatale #17

Story By: Ed Brubaker

Art By: Sean Phillips
Art By: Elizabeth Breitweiser
Cover By: Sean Phillips
Image Comics
Price: $3.50Diamond ID: JUN130542
Published: September 25, 2013

The Bishop disappeared in Los Angeles in the late '70s, in a fiery scream, but he's never really been gone, and now he's finally got Jo's scent again. And remember each issue of FATALE contains extra content, articles and artwork that are not available anywhere but the printed single issues.

Okay, things are getting weird--and I'm loving it.

Fatale #17 begins with another interlude featuring the one-legged fugitive, Nick Lash, and his grizzled ol' liberator,, Nelson. They're still on the run, laying low, and the more time they spend together, the more it looks like Nelson is outhouse crazy.

After the interlude leaves off with a really great cliffhanger, the main story set in the mid-90s resumes with Lance, the guitarist/bank robber, and Jane, the alluring amnesiac. Now that she is firmly entrenched with the band in their farmhouse hideaway, her hold on the men of the house has reached a new level of obsession and depravity. Now, she is joining in on the robberies with Lance, while the other guys each grapple with Jane's mind-altering machinations.

Oh yeah, and the detective/serial killer is slowly closing in on them, too.

Along with all of that, a new player enters the stage who wants a piece of Jane.

Jane's secrets are slowly coming to bear, but there's still plenty of mystery behind what she is doing to these men and why. It's such a gripping piece of noir and fantasy, I simply enamored by Brubaker's storytelling and Phillips' atmospheric artwork. At this point, it feels like we're on our way to some kind of collision with all of these storylines, and it's shaping up to be a truly memorable one. At this rate, Fatale is going to wind up my favorite comic book series of 2013.

Review: Fetale #15

Review: Fatale #16

5 Sheep

Gef Fox

Wag The Fox: a den for dark fiction

Comic Review: Fatale #18

Fatale #18
Image Comics
Story By: Ed Brubaker
Art By: Sean Phillips
Art By: Elizabeth Breitweiser
Cover By: Sean Phillips
Cover Price: $3.50
Digital Price: $2.99
Diamond ID: JUL130523
Published: November 6, 2013
NOMINATED FOR MORE 2013 EISNER AWARDS THAN ANY OTHER COMIC!

Everything goes wrong when Josephine appears in a Seattle band's music video, and her effect on those who desire her runs wild, as the most exciting arc of Fatale continues.

And remember, each issue of FATALE contains extra content, artwork and articles that are only available in the printed single issues.

Holy moly, this series is just bound and determined to find out how far down the rabbit hole goes.

Skip's dead. Jane killed him ... sort of. After Skip tried to force himself on her while the rest of the band was out, Jane worked whatever mojo she has in that noodle of hers and made Skip dunk his head in the toilet until he drowned himself. Eesh.

Now, when your drummer dies, you'd think that would be a sobering moment that might have you reexamining the choice you've made in life recently, but you're not smitten with Jane like these guys. Nope, they move the body to the basement and argue over how to dispose of it--and try to figure out how to keep people asking too many questions when they do their music video shoot the next day.

In all of this madness, Darcy is the only one thinking straight. Maybe Jane can only affect men. Whatever the case, her common sense approach to things inside that house is gonna get her killed, I can just feel it.

Aside from some panels that felt a little uneven compared to the rest, the artwork effectively captures the dark, twisting descent this rock band is taking. And when it comes time for the video shoot ... well, my oh my, you will just have to see that to believe it.

The serial killer cop, the horrifically scarred mob boss, and the double-crossed fugitive take a backseat in this issue, but I think things are gearing up for one helluva climax in the next couple of issues. And I ... can't ... wait.

Review: Fetale #15
Review: Fatale #16

Review: Fatale #17

4 1/2 Sheep

Gef Fox
Wag the Fox: Den For Dark Fiction

Sheep Comic Review: Fatale #19

Fatale #19 
Story By: Ed Brubaker
Art By: Sean Phillips
Art By: Elizabeth Breitweiser
Cover By: Sean Phillips
Cover Price: $3.50
Digital Price: $2.99
Diamond ID: AUG130693
Published: January 8, 2014
Image Comics

Rock 'n' roll, robbery, and ritual murder collide in '90s Seattle as the fourth arc of FATALE comes to a shattering conclusion... and the secret identity of Nic's present day helper is revealed. Is he who he claims to be?

And remember each issue of FATALE contains extra content, articles, and artwork that are not available anywhere but the printed single issues.
Just when I think the story can't spiral any further down into the darkest depths of human frailty, the next issue comes out and my jaw hits the floor ... again.

In the last issue, the music video turned into pure, carnal pandemonium with Jane as the centerpiece. The band retreats to their farmhouse with no idea where Jane is, how long before the cops come knocking on their door, and what they're going to do with Skip, their dead band-mate left rotting in the basement.

Now, it looks like things are coming to a head. After what happened at the video shoot, word is bound to spread, and Jane has decided to run. Her absence leaves everything going a little battier than they were already, including the psycho cop trying to get her back.

It's bedlam before the issue is all over and when Jane feels drawn back to the farmhouse, she realizes there's good reason because as bad as her presence was for the band, there's something even worse in store for them.

I sure wasn't expecting a happy ending, but even I didn't foresee such a grizzly, unrelenting showdown. It's not over yet though, not by a long shot, as the epilogue reveals. Brubaker's writing and Phillips's artwork, not to mention the coloring scheme of Elizabeth Breitweiser, maintain an alluring and alarming portrait of mid-90s lawbreakers and lust. Where it all goes from here, I've no idea, but I'm still totally captivated.

Gef's Fatale reviews

5 Sheep 

 Gef Fox
Wag The Fox  

Sheep Comic Review: Fatale #16 by Ed Brubaker

Fatale #16 
By: Ed Brubaker 
Image Comics 

Nicolas is on Josephine's trail of secrets, and they lead him back to 1990s Seattle, where a rock band, a gang of bank robbers, and a wandering serial killer all circle around a mysterious woman with no memory... And remember, each issue of FATALE contains extra content, artwork and articles that are only available in the printed single issues.

The irresistible allure of the nameless beauty comes to bear in this issue, giving Fatale a bit of a supernatural element I wasn't expecting to go with the noir atmosphere.

At the end of the previous issue, we saw the woman had escaped the makeshift dungeon of a psycho-cop serial killer. To start Chapter Two, we get a glimpse into his madness and what propels him to kill, and why he had such an obsession with our femme fatale. Meanwhile, the woman in question has taken on the name Jane Doe and effortlessly charmed the young bandmates with whom she's now living.

Lance, the guitarist/bank robber, becomes so enamored by Jane he convinces her to star in the band's music video. Trouble is they don't have enough cash. Lance figures the easiest solution for that is to rob another bank. As he is off making plans for the next robbery, Jane works her magic on the reclusive songwriter, Tom, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Darcy.

The story has a lot of moving parts, and despite not starting into this series earlier, issue #15 provided an easy enough jumping on point and this issue has managed to ease more of the backstory into the forefront. Things towards the end of the issue felt a little murky for me, but nothing has felt convoluted or impassable thus far. The nature of Jane and the effect she has on the men around her is gradually coming into focus, but I think it's the relationships among the bandmates, as well as the desperation of the killer on Jane's trail, that will provide the most intrigue for the next little while.

Bring on Chapter Three. 

4 1/2 Sheep 
Guest Reviewer: Gef Fox
Wag The Fox

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?

Book Review: DARK SECRETS, A Paranormal Noir Anthology + giveaway

DARK SECRETS, A Paranormal Noir Anthology
Participating Authors: Rachel Caine, Cynthia Eden, Megan Hart, Suzanne Johnson, Jeffe Kennedy, and Mina Khan
ISBN: 978-1-942840-05-3
Six award-winning authors bring you this spellbinding collection of stories about dark desires, mysterious worlds, and danger that lurks in the shadows of the night. Where nothing is black and white; where things might not be as they seem; where magic and mayhem rule.
MARION, MISSING by Rachel Caine
Valentine is a detective with two major problems: he's been offered a kidnapping case that will probably get him killed, and his partner won't let him turn it down. He owes her that much … since his partner's a ghost, and he blames himself for her death. A dark, haunting noir mystery of love, hate and loss.
FEMME FATALE by Cynthia Eden
PI Mick Swayne has seen it all—his clients have included liars, thieves, and even killers. He thinks he can handle anything and anyone. Then she walks into his office. Savannah Moreau is beautiful, seductive, and…a vampire? The gorgeous vamp hires Mick to help her track down a killer who is hunting in Chicago, but as Mick slips deeper into Savannah’s paranormal world, he wonders if he can really trust his new client…
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Megan Hart
When the devil starts the music, you'd better get ready to dance.

Kathleen Murphy has sold her soul to the devil. Fame, fortune, success...everything she's ever dreamed of is hers, and all she has to do is the devil's bidding. When love comes knocking, the last thing in the world she wants to do is involve Jake in her twisted world, but the devil's started up the jukebox and Kathleen has no choice but to learn the steps
THE CONSORT by Suzanne Johnson
Faulkner Hearne, the captain of the ruthless Fae Hunters, finds his duty at odds with his heart when he’s ordered to capture the consort of Faerie’s cruel Prince of Summer when she flees across the veil into modern New Orleans. Can Faulk turn Liandra over to a certain death at the hands of the prince, or will he risk a war with Faerie in order to save her?
An all-new novella set in the Sentinels of New Orleans multiverse.
HEART’S BLOOD by Jeffe Kennedy, a Twelve Kingdoms novella
A dark fairytale retelling of a princess robbed of rank, husband and even her name.

Nix is nothing. The Princess Natilde—her former waiting woman—attacked her on the journey to wed Prince Cavan, stripping her of everything and taking her place. With no serving skills, Nix becomes a goose girl. Perhaps if Nix keeps her promise never to reveal who she really is, Natilde won’t carry out her vile threats. Prince Cavan entered his arranged marriage determined to have a congenial, if not loving relationship with his future queen—for the sake of both their kingdoms. But, his wife repels him more each day and he finds himself absurdly drawn to the lovely Nix.

With broken vows, anguish and dark secrets between them, Cavan and Nix struggle to find the magic to restore what’s gone terribly wrong... if it ever can be.
THE DJINN IN THE MIRROR by Mina Khan, a Djinn World novella
A paranormal Cinderella story with a young witch as the heroine and a wicked, sexy djinn instead of a fairy godmother.

Dahlia, the step-daughter of a power hungry wizard, promises to free a djinn trapped in a mirror if he rescues her from impending death. But Ashmael the djinn has his own agenda: to trick & seduce his way to freedom. The only problem is he ends up falling for Dahlia. Can he win his freedom and save the girl?

Goodreads-Kobo-amazon-ARe-Google Play

This is a solid anthology of quality stories. All the authors were new to me except Caine and Khan so it was a great chance to sample some authors I've been meaning to try.

All the stories are considered urban fantasy and there are varying degrees of romance depending on the story. They all have a dark edge to them, some darker than others, but they all have happy ever afters.

Marion, Missing is a noir mystery set during the segregation period, and. P.I. Valentine is a white man and his P.I. partner is Tilde, a black woman. Caine does a great job of touching on the racial tensions of the times and expressing Valentine's deep guilt and eventual forgiveness of himself.

Femme Fatale isn't as complex, and not as dark as the others. It is pretty straightforward with some dark humor.

Dance With the Devil delivered the darkest emotional punch. The plot kept you guessing and your heart will break right along with Kathleen. I was worried there was no way this one could turn out happy, but Megan Hart pulled it off.

The Consort had the most humor and romance. I love fae stories and have always wanted to read Suzanne Johnson's series. It is the world building that attracts me (and sexy fae men, duh!) and this story delivered.

Heart's Blood had a horror element to it. I loved the contrast of the innocence of Nix and Prince Cavan pitted against the evil of Princes Natilde. Well told with a heavy fairy-tale feel.

The Djinn in the Mirror has me wanting to find a magical mirror with my own djinn! Great mixing of an urban setting and djinn mythology. Ashmael is toe-curling sexy and Dahlia is an underdog heroine you can root for and be very jealous of...

At $.99 you would be a fool not to grab this one. Whether you love urban fantasy or PNR, you will find something to love in each story.

4 1/2 "Dark and dangerous" Sheep

SharonS

GIVEAWAY

$120 Amazon GC & Gothic Lace Choker & Earring Set

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b9cd9a9331/?

All the author bios and links are past the break...

Comic Review: DEAD VENGEANCE #2 from Dark Horse Comics

DEAD VENGEANCE #2
Writer: Bill Morrison

Penciller: Tone Rodriguez

Inker: Keith Champagne

Cover Artist: Bill Morrison

Genre: Action/Adventure, Crime, Horror

Dark Horse Comics

Publication Date: November 4, 2015

Format: FC, 32 pages; Miniseries

Price: $3.99

UPC:7 61568 15617 1 00111

Can the carnival’s fortunetelling femme fatale, Madame Cansino, help the newly reanimated amnesiac John Doe fill in his memory gaps—or will she lead him to his doom?

Perfect for fans of The Goon!

From Bill Morrison (The Simpsons)!

I was pleased to see that while issue 2 picks up where 1 left off, it moves past the flashback immediately and keeps things moving forward. John Dover and Joe Preston continue to work through the holes in his memory, recounting how he was falsely arrested for the murder of his wife (thanks to the corrupt mayor buying off the DA), and how they worked to break him out. By returning to the cabin where he hid out, Dover is able to remember how the hitman who did commit the crime was put away for ten years, making him inaccessible for Dover to get to. His memory takes him through going to a carnival and consulting a fortune teller out of desperation, and continuing to go to her out of attraction. Concepts of astral and time travel are kicked around as a means to go to the future to get information from the hitman, and by the end Joe is wondering if that’s what, in fact, has happened to him…but if it has, why is his body so different? The last few pages imply a love triangle as he tracks down Selina the fortune teller and also hints at a disturbing revelation about the state of John’s body and life ten years in the future.

Although there was a decent amount of flashbacking this issue, too, it was done in spurts and really served to push things ahead rather than be just exposition. John was more emotional as he struggled to put the pieces of his life together, and while you could argue that that process was a little too convenient, it works for the genre and tone of the story. It was nice to see that Selina is an actual character and not just décor, and in general it was nice to see that plot points were hinted at without overtly being hit over the head with them. All in all the characters fit the tone of the piece, the pacing was great throughout the issue, and the time travel element is definitely a new take and something I wasn’t expecting to find. I love being surprised in a good way, so the outside-the-box thinking while keeping to the style is a nice touch. I felt more empathy for John this issue now that he’s less holier-than-thou, and I’m also really intrigued by Selina’s other suitor as well. This issue gives just enough story to satisfy and just enough questions to make me curious. I also really love the color tones and the art choices – it all just fits together so well and reminds me of all the older stories in Creepy and Eerie that used similar elements that I grew up loving. This issue makes me really curious to see where this is going, and but also lets me enjoy the ride until I get there.

4 sheep

Guest Reviewer: Selah Janel

Comic Review: Kiss Me, Satan #3

Kiss Me, Satan #3
Writer:Victor Gischler
Artist:Juan Ferreyra
Colorist:Juan Ferreyra
Cover Artist:Dave Johnson
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crime, Horror
Publication Date:November 20, 2013
Format:FC, 32 pages; Miniseries
Price:$3.99
Age range:14
UPC:7 61568 23081 9 00311
Dark Horse Comics

Preview

After a bloody zombie battle, a dying witch tells Barnabus Black to cut out her eye. If it’s still in her head when she dies, all her knowledge of the occult will be lost forever. Now for the hard part: Who gets the eye?
* Don’t miss writer Victor Gischler’s all-new series, Clown Fatale!
* By Victor Gischler (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike—A Dark Place, Punisher MAX, X-Men)and Juan Ferreyra(Colder, Rex Mundi)!
It kind of speaks to just how nuts this series is when the third issue kicks off with a rumble in a New Orleans graveyard between a coven of witches and a horde of zombies. Throw in an angelic bodyguard and a cowboy wizard and all bets are off.

Cassian Steele, the werewolf kingpin, has set a very enticing price on the heads of those witches, in hopes of keeping the news of his newborn son hush-hush. And it appears The Bone Wrangler, a wizard with a penchant for enchanted trinkets, looks to be Cassian's best hire yet, since ol' Boney's undead ruffians have put a serious hurt on the witches. So much so in fact that Barnabus and the coven have to retreat and lick their wounds--and prepare for a changing of the guard, so to speak.

But Bone Wrangler didn't finish the job, which leaves the door open for a warlock by the name of Malcolm Drake, who has eyes for the Eye of Fate, the infernal device used to see the future of Cassian's would-be heir. Considering the lengths Cassian has gone to so far to keep things in check regarding his son, even going so far as to incapacitate his wife, the Eye is practically a bargain.

This series has, so far, played out like a violent, fantastical soap opera. With the atmospheric backdrop of New Orleans, every supernatural creature imaginable short of the Creature from the Black Lagoon, there's little to complain about regarding Kiss Me, Satan. If I have one gripe, it's that there has been no followup on Barnabus' relationship and arrangement with Heaven, since he's serving as bodyguard as a way to earn his way back into God's good graces. Maybe it's simply that I would love to see the return of Jules, the impish angel who struck the deal with Barnabus in the first place.

Oh well, two more issues to go and a heckuva lot more action. Can't wait.

review: Kiss Me Satan #2
review: Kiss Me Satan #1

4 and 1/2 Sheep 
Gef Fox 
Wag The Fox

  

Selah's Manga Mania: Tomie by Junji Ito

Tomie: Complete Deluxe Edition Hardcover

by Junji Ito 

December 20, 2016

Genre: Horror

Written by Junji Ito

Published by Asahi Sonorama

ComicsOne (former)

Dark Horse Comics (former)

Viz Media (current)

Demographic: Shōjo

Original run 1987 – 2000

Volumes: 3 (List of volumes)

The complete classic horror series, now available in a single deluxe volume. Murdered, again and again, one girl always comes back for more...

Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.

Not everything in my life is hearts and sparkles and paranormal boyfriend dreams. Crazy, I know. Today, I want to pause on the shojo to take a look at a truly amazing and horrifying piece of manga: Tomie by Junji Ito.

I checked this out on the recommendation of a friend, and I’m so glad I did. I plowed through this massive volume in an evening, it is that good and that insane. It’s very different than a lot of horror I’ve read, and I like that while it plays on succubus themes there’s no huge attempt at explanation about what Tomie is. People are too busy trying to survive her.

We start off mourning the death of Tomie with her school class, and through events learn that they actually all had a hand in killing her.

And then she comes back to school days after the funeral and slowly drives everyone mad.

The themes of the chapters are pretty much that men fall in love with her to the point of homicidal insanity and women suffer their own madness by being around her, if they don’t end up as her victims. Tomie ends up dead a lot, but she keeps coming back (sometimes as a whole army of Tomies). I guess this is kind of a love-based series in a way, albeit love in all-consuming, toxic, crazed form.

This should come off as sexist and tropey, but somehow, it ends up legitimately terrifying and haunting. Part of it is because Tomie is impossible to escape – when she’s dismembered she multiplies, she can take over someone with a blood or organ transfusion or transplant (or even a bit of hair), she can entrap friends while making them feel broken down, even ensares a little boy and turns him against his parents. She’s vile, she demands attention, she wants absolute focus. She’s smart and manipulative, and I think that’s what raises this above some sort of bizarre slasher story – it really explores a range of emotions with many different types of people and their interactions with her.

Part of the success of this book is the insane art – this is body horror cranked up to eleven, and Tomie’s mutations don’t ever really feel repetitious, which is amazing because she goes through a hell of a lot of them. Between that grossness and her ability for psychological warfare…you end up putting yourself in some of the scenes, thinking how you could get away or outsmart her, and I just couldn’t come up with much. This has a very bleak feel, because she gets her way and keeps getting her way and those around her desperately struggle to regain their lives and get her out of them (or keep her in them, depending on the situation). Her callousness and hunger for love/attention is truly frightening.

This likely isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you like horror that’s both gruesome and psychological, you’ll definitely want to check this one out. 

Five mutating, love-hungry sheep

***

About the Author:

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Selah Janel is a writer who is trying to start doing that again instead of reading manga all the time.

New from WorldFire Press

WordFire Press is a mid-size new-model publisher founded by New York Times bestselling authors Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. You can find us at wordfirepress.com. Tweet us @WordFirePress. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/WordfireI

Gunfighters. Chinese gangsters. Prehistoric monsters, and 

sharks! A Western steampunk adventure for Felix Gomez – Detective Vampire!

Steampunk Banditos: Sex Slaves of Shark Island (Felix Gomez detective-vampire Book 7)

by Mario Acevedo

August 16, 2018

364 pages

Publisher: WordFire Press

In his undead quest for justice, Felix Gomez—detective vampire extraordinaire—has traveled from dusty desert battlefields, to gritty urban barrios, to the deepest corners of outer space. Now he’s about to embark on his wildest adventure yet: back to an alternative past of steam-powered technology, telepathic magic, and intrigue more deadly and unforgiving than any he has ever encountered. There, he’s a renowned pistolero hired to find the missing daughter of notorious Chinese gangster Wu-Fei. 

Accompanied by philosopher-gunfighter Malachi Hunter and mercenary femme fatale Hermosa Singer, Felix follows clues through the reimagined Southwest of Aztlan to the Gulf of California. The fate of Wu Fei’s daughter is known only to the sex slaves imprisoned on Isla Tiburón—Shark Island—the fortress home of a mad scientist whose ambitions are as twisted as her evil genius. 

Getting on the island proves tough. Getting off the island proves impossible. But to learn what happened to Wu Fei’s daughter, Felix must brave a gauntlet of murderous henchmen, infernal machines, and ferocious prehistoric monsters. 

And don’t forget the sharks.

And coming in September...

Biopunk. Lovecraftian weirdness. Hardcore cyberpunk and old school pulp. The best in fantastical fiction from a master of imaginative literature!

Infinite Fantastika

by Paul Di Filippo
September 30, 2018
WordFire Press
This eclectic, wide-ranging collection of some of Di Filippo's newest stories—plus one newly excavated gem from nearly thirty years past—illustrates the enormous territory encompassed by modern fantastical fiction in general, and this writer's realm in particular. From the sheer Lovecraftian weirdness found in "The Horror at Gancio Rosso" to the biopunk future of "The Herple is a Happy Beast"; from the old-school pulp of "Airboy and Vooda Visit the Jungles of the Moon" to the hardcore cyberpunk of "A Faster, Deeper Now", these tales chart the unexpected, the comical, the tragic and the likely-to-happen. Whether our heroes are trying to kill God ("The Trail of the Creator, the Trial of Creation") or time-travel to a happier era ("I'll Follow the Sun"), they exhibit all the intelligence, derring-do, resilience and manic assaults on the multiverse found in the best classic imaginative literature.

Book Review: The Darkest Captive: A Lords of the Underworld Novella by Gena Showalter

The demon possessed beast wants his beauty back, and he’ll do anything to win her. Even war with a god king.

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Gena Showalter, comes THE DARKEST CAPTIVE, a new novella in her addictive bestselling Lords of the Underworld Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today

The Darkest Captive: A Lords of the Underworld Novella

by Gena Showalter

December 4, 2018

161 pages

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter comes a new story in her Lords of the Underworld series… 

For centuries, Galen the Treacherous has been the most hated immortal in the Underworld. With good reason! This bad boy of bad boys has lied, stolen, cheated and killed with abandon. Possessed by the demons of Jealousy and False Hope, he has always lived for a single purpose: destroy everything.

Then he met her.

Former demon turned human femme fatale — Legion Honey -- sought to kill Galen, but ended up parting with her virginity instead. Afraid of their sizzling connection, she ran away…and ended up trapped in hell, tortured and abused in the worst of ways. Now she’s free, and a shell of herself, afraid of her own shadow. 

Galen's hunger for Legion has only grown. Now the warrior with nothing to lose must help her rekindle the fire that once burned inside her. But as desires blaze white-hot, will Legion run again? Or will the unlikely pair succumb to love at long last?

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

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What a read! Sadly, 161 pages is just not enough! This author comes hard (and I mean that in ALL ways) with every single aspect of her stories. Action and adventure are dripping from the pages and the steamy sex scenes......meoooooow!

I love everything Gena has created and will continue to be a fan. She writes with colorful meaning and brings to life these awesome characters. Love it. All I want is more. 

Give me more and give it now! Getting 5 sheep.

KD 

About the Author:

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Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld series, two young adult series–Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles–and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader’s Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, she’s been mentioned in Orange is the New Black–if you ask her about it, she’ll talk for hours–and her books have been translated in multiple languages. She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com