Comics
Review: Stephen Kings’ The Stand Soul Survivors #2
Marvel’s ‘The Stand’ arcs have thus far exceeded all expectations, following in the footsteps of the ever exciting ‘Dark Tower’ spin offs. It would seem that Stephen Kings’ stories, no matter how old, always seem to have relevance, and most importantly, the ability to chill you to the core. You’ll find the full review inside.
Stephen Kings’ ‘The Stand: Soul Survivors’, written by Roberto Aguirre Sacasa (“Sensational Spiderman”, “Angel Revelations”, and HBO’s “Big Love”) is the latest arc in the ongoing story of survival in a world ravaged by a deadly plague that is swiftly wiping out humanity.
The story of issue #2 finds us hot on the trail of a surviver named Larry Underwood once again as he makes his way across the countryside. Still haunted by the nightmares of The Dark Man and Rita, finds salvation in a small home in Maine. He finds that the dreams cease when he is there, and so he decides to roost awhile. Thankfully Sacasa doesn’t dwell too much on this period, instead transports us to Larry’s journey to the ocean. The peaceful moment is shattered almost instantly by a young boy named Joe who attacks Larry with a knife. The scuffle ends with Nadine, the boys mysterious yet beautiful guardian, talking the child down. Later on they are also joined by a young blonde woman named Lucy who also shares their reoccurring nightmares.
From then on we start to learn quite a bit more about the happenings in the world of ‘The Stand’, but like any 1 episode of ‘Lost’, we are given 1 answer and 52 new questions. The script for the issue is tight and compelling. Aguirre-Sacasa has done an outstanding job of capturing the feelings of despair and loneliness in a world God forgot. It is not easily forgotten that King himself has almost all creative control over his creations’ side stories. His touch is found in almost every bubble of dialogue, each character seeming to breathe the life of the beloved characters within his novels.
This is not to say that ‘The Stand: Soul Survivors’ doesn’t sputter a bit. the further we get into the story, the more questions we are given, and rarely are we handed answers. I do understand the importance of mystique, but if I wanted to feel annoyed and confused I’d watch Criss Angel.
Art wise Mike Perkins is as strong as ever, pushing us through the story with a steady hand. The vivid detail he contributes is one of the great draws of the series, and it never goes unnoticed just how well a job he does. The book ends with Nadine fainting oddly as the group are reading a note left by Harold and his group whom they are following. From the looks of it Nadine has some secrets of her own that just might tie her to Larry in a very personal way.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Skulls
Comics
‘Archie Comics: Judgment Day’ Exclusive Preview: Step into the Most Horrifying Version of Riverdale Ever Seen!
The Archie Horror label is unleashing apocalyptic thrills in Archie Comics: Judgment Day, a multi-issue demon apocalypse story billed as the first Archie Premium Event.
With their extended length and scale, comics under the brand new Archie Premium Event banner tell Archie stories that are “simply too grand for a single one-shot release.”
From writer Aubrey Sitterson and artist Megan Hutchison, Bloody Disgusting has been provided with a 6-page sequence from the upcoming Archie Comics: Judgment Day #1!
The Archie Comics team previews, “Prepare for a spine-tingling journey into the heart of Riverdale with Archie Comics: Judgment Day, an epic three-issue event set to captivate readers with a tale of demonic forces, moral quandaries, and the relentless quest for righteousness.”
Hitting shelves on May 22, 2024 from the Archie Horror imprint, the Archie Premium Event miniseries reimagines the iconic Archie Comics characters in a dark supernatural setting and promises the most horrifying version of Riverdale we’ve ever seen.
Judgment Day sets Archie Andrews on a daring quest to cleanse an alternate version of Riverdale overrun by demons. After claiming some destructive powers of his own, Archie is forced to destroy corrupted versions of the people closest to him, ostensibly in the name of the greater good.
As questions about his own morality and the sacrifices he’s made start to pile up, Archie must confront the question: are his efforts truly good, or the work of pure evil?
Writer Aubrey Sitterson tells Bloody Disgusting, “Judgment Day is my very first horror book, it’s at a company that’s extraordinarily well known for their takes on the genre, and my cocreator has a tremendous affinity and talent for horror; as a result, I felt significant pressure to get things right.”
“Recently, there’s been a trend in horror – across mediums – that works on a directly metaphorical level, a type of riddle that the audience figures out in order to unlock the message of the work,” Sitterson’s statement continues. “For Judgment Day, however, my goal was to create something that encourages people to spend time with it; something worth puzzling over as opposed to a puzzle to complete. It’s an approach that dovetails nicely with my recent efforts to write in deeper consideration of page design and the visual exploration of themes. It’s all about harnessing horror tropes and conventions as well as the iconic Archie cast to create something new and challenging that can’t be summed up with one-to-one correlations.”
Artist Megan Hutchison adds, “I knew of Aubrey and his work, and a chance to work with him is such an exciting opportunity! Once we had our first chat on the phone, I knew we were going to have so much fun. We have such similar tastes and temperaments and agreed on the same things! Instant friends! We’re also huge fans of the same horror and movie genres (including huge Dune nerds; ask us about it!) that have found their way into this book.”
“I’ve felt so supported though this whole process by Aubrey — I’ll text him an idea and he’ll love it, then we’ll go off about something horrific and dorky that we’re super into and that will make its way into the book,” Megan continues. “He also intentionally writes scenes for me with a lot of demons and crazy action and weird gothy stuff so that I can go and have fun. It’s been an amazing process and I hope to continue it after this. Also, if you haven’t read his other work, do yourself a favor — he’s one of the best writers and people working in comics right now.”
Take a peek inside the pages of Archie Comics: Judgment Day #1 below!
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