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BD Pick Of The Week: ‘The Shelter’ PLUS Full Review And A 3 Page Preview!

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All month long we have been talking about Hardway Studios and their newest title “THE SHELTER” which is finally being released this coming Friday. The title is one of those rare little gems that you’ll stumble upon every now just when you thought you’d read every zombie story there was to tell. The story is powerful, interesting, funny, and most importantly relevant. So for those of you who have yet to hear about “THE SHELTER” you can make the jump to read my official review of the title, and get a 3 page look. Read on for the skinny.


WRITTEN BY: JAMISON KASIAN
ILLUSTRATED BY: DWAYNE BIDDIX
INKS BY: ROB LANSLEY
LETTERS BY: DWAYNE BIDDIX
COVER INKS BY: DWAYNE BIDDIX

“Silence. True Silence. The actual absence of sound. It’s one of the strangest things you can ever experience. It’s….un-nerving. No car engines. No humming electricity. No planes flying overhead. No people walking their dogs. No birds chirping. No squirrels…squirrel-ing. A world cast into infinite silence.”

Join us on this Zombie adventure as we get to know Violet, a young lady destine to find a safe haven from the infestation that left her alone, scared and with no where else to turn, dependent upon herself to survive. Can she make it in time or is the end of the world to tight of a deadline?!”


WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

I’m not going to lie: there is altogether way to many zombie comics running around right now. Sure, there are such masterpieces as “THE WALKING DEAD” and up and coming greats like “WE WILL BURY YOU” out there, but for every Robert Kirkman there are 10 other guys who are trying to cash in on the zombie phenomena. Some have something profound to say, and others have nothing new to add at all. At this juncture it is nearly impossible to be creative with the sub-genre, and rather than try many are standing pat by bringing fans more of the same. Read on for the full review as we continue our spotlight on Hardway Studios.

So with these thoughts in mind I went into “THE SHELTER” from up and coming publisher Hardway Studios with my expectations set at a moderate level (for those of you who are more politically minded I was on ‘orange’) and not expecting anything profound, but at least expecting to be entertained.

“THE SHELTER”, written by Jamison Kasian (“SUICIDE NOTE”) and illustrated by Dwayne Biddix (whose interview with us you can read here) , is the story of Violet, a woman who wakes up one day to find that the world has fallen to flesh-eaters. When she is forced out of hiding in her apartment building by a fire the woman must learn to survive in this new world or be another nameless victim of it. The story is told mainly through narrative as Violet leads readers along and tells her story of survival as she fights to make her way to “THE SHELTER”, a promised haven where survivors can find safety from the undead.

The story itself doesn’t necessarily lend anything NEW to the genre as it uses an outline that readers have undoubtedly seen before, and many of them are growing a bit tired. That aside I can safely say that “THE SHELTER” is a success. Oh yea, totally 180’d that didn’t I? Yes the book is a bit cliché, but it is good because it takes these old dried up ideas and it makes them worth reading again. Not once while I was reading “THE SHELTER” (which is a bit short at 26 pages) did I feel bored. In fact I was pinned to my seat.

What made me love “THE SHELTER” was the fact that it balanced the horror elements very well with the more dramatic tones to come up with a finished product not unlike an issue of “THE WALKING DEAD”. I think that it would be a fair comparison to make seeing as how the story is a bit light on the gore and more heavy on the character drama. (although there is still a good amount of violence to be had here) Mostly though this is a character study wrapped inside of a social commentary on the side effects of human nature and the terrible consequences that they can have on those around us. Many times as I was reading this one-shot I thought of the word “nihilistic” and in a way this is the best way to describe “THE SHELTER” as a whole. It is a nihilistic look at humanity that uses the undead as a parallel to the ideas it is presenting.

When all is done and read Kasian & Co. have presented readers with a very nihilistic version of the zombie survival story much akin to the recent Stefan Hutchinson offering, “DAY OF THE DEAD: DESERTION”. Throughout the story readers never once are allowed to feel a sense of comfort, and the tension is crafted in such a way that by the end of the story you will feel like you have just been dropped from the top of a building. There is an intricate piece of fiction being told beneath the surface of the generic nature of the basic plotline of “THE SHELTER” that the deep thinkers will surely appreciate, and are several references to popular culture and the genre itself that are sure to appeal to diehards of the genre(All I can say is “SHAUN OF THE DEAD”). There are some good little pieces of referential humor sprinkled in to break up the monotony and ease up on the gas a bit but for the most part this is a story that straps you in, makes you take the ride, and then lets you off. Though the story is short, and it leaves you wanting more, “THE SHELTER” is a great little title that fans of “THE WALKING DEAD” will love if they give it a chance.

4 Out Of 5 Skulls

“THE SHELTER” is available for pre-order now and is available on April 30th! (MSRP-$2.99)

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[Review] Graphic Novel ‘Tender’ Is Brilliant Feminist Body Horror That Will Make You Squirm & Scream

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Tender Beth Hetland Graphic Novel

Beth Hetland’s debut graphic novel, ‘Tender,’ is a modern tale of love, validation, and self-destruction by way of brutal body horror with a feminist edge.

“I’ve wanted this more than anything.”

Men so often dominate the body horror subgenre, which makes it so rare and insightful whenever women tackle this space. This makes Beth Hetland’s Tender such a refreshing change of pace. It’s earnest, honest, and impossibly exposed. Tender takes the body horror subgenre and brilliantly and subversively mixes it together with a narrative that’s steeped in the societal expectations that women face on a daily basis, whether it comes to empowerment, family, or sexuality. It single-handedly beats other 2023 and ‘24 feminine horror texts like American Horror Story: Delicate, Sick, Lisa Frankenstein, and Immaculate at their own game.

Hetland’s Tender is American Psycho meets Rosemary’s Baby meets Swallow. It’s also absolutely not for the faint of heart.

Right from the jump, Tender grabs hold of its audience and doesn’t let go. Carolanne’s quest for romantic fulfillment, validation, and a grander purpose is easy to empathize with and an effective framework for this woeful saga. Carolanne’s wounds cut so deep simply because they’re so incredibly commonplace. Everybody wants to feel wanted.

Tender is full of beautiful, gross, expressive artwork that makes the reader squirm in their seat and itch. Hetland’s drawings are simultaneously minimalist and comprehensively layered. They’re  reminiscent of Charles Burns’ Black Hole, in the best way possible. There’s consistently inspired and striking use of spot coloring that elevates Hetland’s story whenever it’s incorporated, invading Tender’s muted world.

Hetland employs effective, economical storytelling that makes clever use of panels and scene construction so that Tender can breeze through exposition and get to the story’s gooey, aching heart. There’s an excellent page that depicts Carolanne’s menial domestic tasks where the repetitive panels grow increasingly smaller to illustrate the formulaic rut that her life has become. It’s magical. Tender is full of creative devices like this that further let the reader into Carolanne’s mind without ever getting clunky or explicit on the matter. The graphic novel is bookended with a simple moment that shifts from sweet to suffocating.

Tender gives the audience a proper sense of who Carolanne is right away. Hetland adeptly defines her protagonist so that readers are immediately on her side, praying that she gets her “happily ever after,” and makes it out of this sick story alive…And then they’re rapidly wishing for the opposite and utterly aghast over this chameleon. There’s also some creative experimentation with non-linear storytelling that gets to the root of Carolanne and continually recontextualizes who she is and what she wants out of life so that the audience is kept on guard.

Tender casually transforms from a picture-perfect rom-com, right down to the visual style, into a haunting horror story. There’s such a natural quality to how Tender presents the melancholy manner in which a relationship — and life — can decay. Once the horror elements hit, they hit hard, like a jackhammer, and don’t relent. It’s hard not to wince and grimace through Tender’s terrifying images. They’re reminiscent of the nightmarish dadaist visuals from The Ring’s cursed videotape, distilled to blunt comic panels that the reader is forced to confront and digest, rather than something that simply flickers through their mind and is gone a moment later. Tender makes its audience marinate in its mania and incubates its horror as if it’s a gestating fetus in their womb.

Tender tells a powerful, emotional, disturbing story, but its secret weapon may be its sublime pacing. Hetland paces Tender in such an exceptional manner, so that it takes its time, sneaks up on the reader, and gets under their skin until they’re dreading where the story will go next. Tender pushes the audience right up to the edge so that they’re practically begging that Carolanne won’t do the things that she does, yet the other shoe always drops in the most devastating manner. Audiences will read Tender with clenched fists that make it a struggle to turn each page, although they won’t be able to stop. Tender isn’t a short story, at more than 160 pages, but readers will want to take their time and relish each page so that this macabre story lasts for as long as possible before it cascades to its tragic conclusion. 

Tender is an accomplished and uncomfortable debut graphic novel from Hetland that reveals a strong, unflinching voice that’s the perfect fit for horror. Tender indulges in heightened flights of fancy and toes the line with the supernatural. However, Tender is so successful at what it does because it’s so grounded in reality and presents a horror story that’s all too common in society. It’s a heartbreaking meditation on loneliness and codependency that’s one of 2024’s must-read horror graphic novels.

‘Tender,’ by Beth Hetland and published by Fantagraphics, is now available.

4 out of 5 skulls

Tender graphic novel review

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