Comics

Review: ‘Halloween Eve’ One-shot

Published

12 years ago

October 17, 2012

Writer Brandon Montclare and artist Amy Reeder have joined forces for a Halloween themed one-shot from Image Comics called Halloween Eve. The book follows the story of a young woman appropriately named Eve as she and her colleagues prepare for the busiest night of the year at the costume shop at which they work. The employees are warned that the day before Halloween is always the most hectic of the season, with the activity slightly less chaotic on Halloween itself. The staff is advised that costumes are 100% mandatory on Halloween, much to Eve’s chagrin. While the book offers crisp artwork from Reeder, the story feels like an empty ripoff of children’s Halloween stories.

WRITTEN BY: Brandon Montclare
ART BY: Amy Reeder
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 10, 2012

Eve is all attitude and surliness and she doesn’t even try to hide her disdain for what she sees as an indulgent children’s holiday. After quite literally falling through the looking glass into a fantastical rip-off of The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Halloween Town, Eve eventually comes around and learns to love the holiday and all its ghoulish delights.

The sentiment behind “Halloween Eve” is as saccharine as it is seasonal though the basic premise falls more in line with the archetypal ‘X learns the meaning of Christmas’ formula. A reader can only expect so much in-depth character development from a book totaling less than 50 pages but “Halloween Eve” does leave something to be desired in the speedy resolution of Eve’s distaste for the
holiday. Eve and the other characters of “Halloween Eve,” included her mostly pathetic love interest Raymond, are never quite fleshed out as real people, and for the most part, they have all the depth of showroom mannequins.

Montclare never gives us a reason why Eve has such a bad attitude about the entire affair but it’s evidently not a very strong one as it seemingly takes a handful of minutes for her to overcome it. Most stories follow a basic three act dramatic structure: the protasis, the epitasis, and the catastrophe, to borrow from the Greek terminology. In “Halloween Eve” we get the beginning and the end, but we seem to be missing all the juicy bits in the middle.

The plot is far from meaty but the artwork makes the book worth the cover price. Amy Reeder has said that it’s some of the best work of her career and that conviction and confidence dances right off the page. The visuals in “Halloween Eve” are bursting with vibrant colors and dynamic inks, which pop with all the flavor of the tastiest Halloween treats. Montclare’s dull story is given life by Reeder’s exquisite line work and delicious designs. Though it doesn’t offer much by way of conflict, the art is nothing short of lovely. Montclare and Reeder’s “Halloween Eve” is a confection of a comic that will satisfy your craving from something short, but sweet – at least in the way of eye candy.

Rating: 2.5/5

Reviewed by – MelissaGrey

Related Topics:Amy Reeder Halloween Eve Image Comics

Lonnie Nadler

1 Comment

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.