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10 Comics To Feast On: May 23 2012

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The comic gods are kind to us this week, with an insane pile of new horror books set for release. This week we see Grant Morrison kick off Batman Incorporated, Jeff Lemire takes over Justice League Dark, IDW launches their new Godzilla ongoing series, and loads more.

With the ever-increasing number of books coming out between the tie-ins, the crossovers, and the new series, we’ve all got to limit our reading list somehow. We present you with our ten most anticipated books of the week. So feast your eyes on these! Whether you’ve been into comics since you were a young’un, or you’re new to the game, we’re here to help you decide which books to pick up. If I’ve missed something you’re stoked about or if you’ve got any questions, list it in the comments.

Caligula Vol. 1

WRITTEN BY: David Lapham
ART BY: German Nobile and Jacen Burrows
PUBLISHER: Avatar
PRICE: $19.99

The Low Down: “In an age of depravity, one man’s appetites horrified the entire Roman Empire… the mad emperor, Caligula. When his family was brutally slaughtered by Caligula and his court, Junius travels to Rome to avenge their deaths, but discovers that the emperor cannot be killed, no matter how horrific the wound! Renamed ‘Felix’ and admitted into Caligula’s court as a pet, confidante, lover, and biographer, the young man witnesses the worst depravity and brutality that the ancient world has to offer: virgin blood ceremonies, rigged gladiator fights, and dinner parties where guests are randomly slaughtered. Can Felix maintain his sanity in the face of so much horror and discover the secret behind Caligula’s mysterious supernatural power over life and death? All six issues of the first series are collected here. The modern master of horror, David Lapham (Crossed Vol. 2: Family Values, Stray Bullets), joins talented painter German Nobile in a descent into the darkest corners of Rome’s history. Available in three editions: as a TPB or Hardcover with covers by artist Jacen Burrows and also a Signed Hardcover signed by writer David Lapham and limited to just 1000 copies!”

The Feast: When it comes to the horror comics game, I don’t think anybody writes as many titles as David Lapham. Seriously, this dude pumps out some of the goriest, craziest, and most outrageous titles out there. “Caligula” is just another notch under the belt for Lapham, bringing terror into the age of the Roman Empire. Fans of “Spartacus”, “300”, and “Crossed” would do good to check this out.

Resident Alien #1

WRITTEN BY: Peter Hogan
ART BY: Steve Parkhouse
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.50

The Low Down: “A stranded alien seeks refuge in the small town of Patience, USA, where he hides undercover as a semiretired doctor, masking his appearance using his unique mental abilities. Now known as Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, all the alien wants is to be left alone until he’s rescued. However, when the town’s real doctor dies, ‘Dr. Harry’ is pulled into medical service-and also finds himself smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery! He’d rather be fishing. Acclaimed creators Peter Hogan (2000 AD, Tom Strong) and Steve Parkhouse (The Milkman Murders, Doctor Who) deliver a truly unique sci-fi adventure tale!”

The Feast: A strange man comes to town, turns out he’s actually an alien who’s just trying to live a normal life. Unfortunately, the town discovers his deep, dark secret and he’s forced into a murder mystery plot. It’s totally ludicrous, but it works wonders. This is one of the first books to really examine the character of an alien, rather than passing them off as some freaks who want to pillage the Earth. You can likely still get your hands on a #0 issue, which you will want to read before this one.

Justice League Dark #9 (May as well be #1)

WRITTEN BY: Jeff Lemrie
ART BY: Mikel Janin
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “New series writer JEFF LEMIRE introduces a new team roster and a new mission! Featuring JOHN CONSTANTINE, ZATANNA, DEADMAN, BLACK ORCHID and more! Constantine and the team must steal a map to the source of all magic out of the clutches of FELIX FAUST! The first of a four-part story that will have lasting implications for the entire DC Universe.”

The Feast: Although we loved Milligan’s work on “Justice League Dark”, we’ve been anxiously awaiting for Jeff Lemire to take over as head writer. Lemire has been an unstoppable force with his work on “Animal Man”, “Frankenstein Agent of SHADE”, and “Sweet Tooth”. Now, he takes on another team from DC’s “Dark” lineup. This may as well be a #1 issue because Lemire will completely change the direction this book is heading, with Constantine as the front man. If you like DC and good writing, don’t miss this one!

Gozilla Ongoing #1

WRITTEN BY: Duane Swierczynski
ART BY: Simon Gane
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “Godzilla is back… in an all-new ongoing series! Duane Swierczynski and Simon Gane launch this ultimate action-movie blockbuster, ushering in a new era of monster battles. Ex-special forces tough-guy Boxer is a man with a grudge and vows to end the terror of Godzilla, no matter what. He assembles a top notch team to take down monster-sized threats… at $7 billion a bounty. What starts as a vendetta could become a lucrative business for Boxer… if he can live past day one!”

The Feast: IDW is finally releasing a new “Godzilla” ongoing series this week. After years of mini-series and one-shots, it’s about time the giant monsters saw their own blockbuster comic series. Duane Swierczynski is bringing the epic monster battles to life with what we hope to be an action packed, fun, and thrilling series. The series opens with a man and his team who will stop at nothing to take down Godzilla. We’d like to see this one stick around for a while so here’s to hoping it kicks ass.

Rebel Blood #3

WRITTEN BY: Alex Link and Riley Rossmo
ART BY: Riley Rossmo
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50

The Low Down: “It’s dog-eat-dog out there. And dog-eat-man. A mysterious infection has turned the whole world into a free-for-all feeding frenzy overnight and the forest is alive with infected animals and people out for your blood. They’re after you and they’re hungry! If only they weren’t walking. If only they weren’t dead!”

The Feast: Okay, time to be honest for a second here. We’re pretty much in love with everything Riley Rossmo does. He’s got an incredibly unique style, he tells stories like no one’s business, and he’s not afraid to push the boundaries. “Rebel Blood” is a zombie story, yes, but it’s genuinely different from all the other zombie books out there. It’s demented, fast, action-packed, and moody. After the cliffhanger from issue #2, we can’t wait to see what Link and Rossmo have in store for their demented world.

Lord of the Jungle Annual #1

WRITTEN BY: Mark Rahner
ART BY: Sergio Fernandez Davila
PUBLISHER: Dynamite
PRICE: $4.99

The Low Down: “Tarzan finds himself the prey in a jungle hunt led by a blowhard Yankee mogul named Sykes. Several bodies and a series of mind games later, Sykes’ plan unfolds: bring the captive ape-man to New York City for the Match of the Century against undefeated master of the fighting arts, Starker the Suplative!”

The Feast: Tarzan often gets a bad rap, and probably for good reason. But, Dynamite is doing all they can to change the modern day image of Tarzan from loser in a loincloth, to a vicious man who is wild enough to live amongst beasts in the jungle. This Annual issue is a great place to hop on board to see what the fuss is all about. A group of men try to bring Tarzan into the big city to force him into a boxing match with one of the toughest men alive, yeah it’s going to be awesome.

Ragemoor #3

WRITTEN BY: Jan Strnad
ART BY: Richard Corben
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.50

The Low Down: “From the creators of Mutant World! The mad owner of the Ragemoor mansion seeks an heir for his throne. Unfortunately the woman he loves would rather die than subject herself to him, his crazy apes, and his living castle!”

The Feast: Reverting back to horror comics of the Golden Age, Jan Strnad and Richard Corben are doing one helluva job to create a moody suspense story unlike any other horror book out there today. There’s an old gothic castle, it’s alive, and it’s home to some of the most unruly things you could imagine. If you love yourself some classic horror tales, you must check this out.

Batman Incorporated #1

WRITTEN BY: Grant Morrison
ART BY: Chris Burnham
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99

The Low Down: “BATMAN, INCORPORATED makes its NEW 52 debut with an all-new first issue!

The series hits the ground running as BATMAN and ROBIN face off against the assassin GOATBOY!

LEVIATHAN’S sinister mission revealed!”

The Feast: Grant Morrison has been building toward this Batman storyline since 2006, and we couldn’t be more excited. It’s a mystery as to how this will fit into the New 52, but knowing Morrison, he’s probably got a few nifty tricks up his sleeve that nobody will really understand. If you love Batman as much as you claim you do, there is no way you will miss out on this one. For those of you who have not been reading Batman since 2006, not to worry, it’s (somewhat) friendly for everyone. Whether you love or hate Morrison, you can’t deny that his ability to craft such a long-standing Batman story is astonishing.

Mind MGMT #1

WRITTEN BY: Matt Kindt
ART BY: Matt Kindt
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99

The Low Down: “Matt Kindt, the most original voice in genre comics, outdoes himself in this bold new espionage series! Reporting on a commercial flight where everyone aboard lost their memories, a young journalist stumbles onto a much bigger story, the top-secret Mind Management program. Her ensuing journey involves weaponized psychics, hypnotic advertising, talking dolphins, and seemingly immortal pursuers, as she attempts to find the flight’s missing passenger, the man who was Mind MGMT’s greatest success-and its most devastating failure. But in a world where people can rewrite reality itself, can she trust anything she sees?”

The Feast: Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT sounds like a cross somewhere between Lost and Total Recall. If you’re just getting into comics and you haven’t branched out from the big two publishers yet, this is a great opportunity to do so, as Matt Kindt constantly delivers the goods.

Dark Horse Presents #12

WRITTEN BY: John Arcudi and various
ART BY: Francesco Francavilla and Various
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $7.99

The Low Down: “Unstoppable juggernaut of comics greatness? Unbeatable, unbelievable value? You be the judge as another incredible issue of Dark Horse Presents hits shelves! This issue is packing a brand-new Aliens story by Chew’s John Layman and legendary artist Sam Kieth, the return of Jim Valentino’s Normalman and Dean Motter’s Mister X, and last but not least, the reemergence of Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s intergalactic fighting force, Nexus!”

The Feast: “Dark Horse Presents” has been a gem of an anthology since day one, offering a diverse range of short stories, as well as serving as a kicking off point for some ongoing series. This time around there’s a brand new story as part of the “Alien” universe, written by the brilliant John Layman of “Chew”. If you’re gearing up for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (who isn’t?) then this may satiate your alien hunger for another few weeks.

Comics

[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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