Comics
Review: ‘Fatima: The Blood Spinners’ #2
Fatima is back to continue her campy, zombie-obliterating adventures in issue #2 of “Fatima: The Blood Spinners”. Once again, Gilbert Hernandez manages to bring something a little different to the table, and not just in the form of boobies and big lips. “Fatima” is not all fun and games; although some of the panels are truly silly, the direction that the story is taking is dynamic and interesting. A stark black-and-white comic is only helping it to stand out, so that more and more readers can be drawn into this strange zombie-infested universe, where people have tiny waists and trouble finding their pants.
WRITTEN BY: Gilbert Hernandez
ART BY: Gilbert Hernandez
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
RELEASE: July 18
We rejoin Fatima for chapter 2 at Operations, where she worked as a top-rated agent. She explains that everyone really worked as a team, and felt a sense of purpose in trying to defeat the disease that Spin caused. She goes on to say that she even had a little workplace crush. But after the silly, suggestive “de-briefing” pun, shit gets real.
From there, the origin of Spin is revealed. For those just joining us, Spin was explained in the previous issue as being a new synthetic psychedelic that helped the consumer to reach the ultimate high, but then proceeded to turn them into a zombie. Of course, the zombie could then infect other zombies, but the strange part about it was that prolonged exposure to the zombies would make an uninfected person “want” to be infected. That, of course, helped the disease to spread even faster.
After Fatima explains the origin of Spin, the motives of Operations are also revealed, and then we rejoin Fatima at the present day, where she is then propelled into even more trouble. She may not even be in the same time period at this point, and it leaves the reader wondering exactly where she is and where her friends are.
As far as the story goes, I applaud Hernandez for being able to keep such a radical story together without it getting too campy. The pop art does not inhibit the progression at all; in fact, it helps to keep the humor in check, at times. For instance, the hilarious lack of pants and surplus of boobs are enough to make you at least giggle at some inappropriate moments. During one action sequence, there’s a civilian woman with the most gigantic knockers on any planet drawn in a panel of other panicking civilians. It’s definitely enough to instill a smile, and art throughout the rest of the comic does not disappoint, either.
Anyway, Gilbert Hernandez has so far laid some solid foundation and provided a point of action, where we’re finally past the flashbacks and thrown into… uh, well, a slightly uncertain point in time. I’m really excited to see a time and place in the next issue, as well as more of Fatima’s character development, as we only saw a glimpse in the first couple of issues. I’m actually surprised at how exciting this comic has been so far, and I’m psyched to see what the next issue of this unconventional series brings.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Kaity McAllister
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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