Comics
2013 BLACK FRIDAY CHOPPING LIST: BOOKS & COMICS!
Yep! It’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving is on Thursday, which means dutiful consumers are already preparing for the Holiday Shopping Season. If you think you’re exempt from that, think again. Either you know a fellow horror fan (or family member) in need, or you want something for yourself! You can take this as advice for what to buy, or what to ask for.
This second installment is all about comics and books. From graphic novel box sets, to standalone comics to actual novels. There’s something for every horror-giver and recipient alike. Some of this stuff is on the expensive side and some of it is dirt cheap, and it’s all just a click away from being at your doorstep (and in someone’s stocking). You can also check out yesterday’s FILMS & TV LIST.
Head inside to find that special something for that special someone. Lonmonster did 99% of the work for this so ALL of the credit goes to him unless otherwise noted.
List Price: $25.99 (currently $19.27 at Amazon)
The Dark Man poem is one of Stephen King’s earliest published works and the first to feature the villain Randall Flagg. King wrote it during his college years, and it was later featured in a small press journal in 1969. This year, artist Glenn Chadbourne took it upon himself to illustrate the poem with about 80 pages of stellar artwork. A must for King fans.
List Price: $27.99 (currently $16.79 at Amazon)
I recently dug up some of my Junji Ito collections, and his brilliance is more apparent now than ever. Perhaps none of his work is more horrific than the insane “Uzumaki”, a bizarre tale about a town that become obsessed with spirals. If you’re looking for a truly horrifying comic, “Uzumaki” is your book. VIZ Media just released the three-volume work in one big, beautiful, black an white collection.
List Price: $125.00 (currently $84.11 at Amazon)
“Blackest Night” is essentially an epic Green Lantern zombie story in which you get to see some of your favorite heroes return from the dead in an attempt to destroy the emotional spectrum. Geoff Johns’ work on Green Lantern is a staple of modern superhero comics, and the “Blackest Night” event is at the apex of his long run with the series. This 576-page Absolute edition is an oversized beast, showcasing the cosmic scale of the superhero horror story like never before.
List Price: $25.00 (currently $17.38 at Amazon)
What I love so much about Guillermo del Toro his dedication to the horror genre. Not just in terms of film, but he is so well versed in roots of the genre. This year, del Toro teamed up with Penguin Publishing to curate a six-volume series of classic horror novels from the master of the genre. Each book comes with an introduction by del Toro.
List Price: $75.00 (currently $46.93 at Amazon)
Animal Man is a strange hero. Despite having one of the silliest names in the DCU, Grant Morrison managed to create one of the most memorable and groundbreaking series of the 90s. “Animal Man” touches upon important social issues like animal rights while simultaneously functioning as a crazy post-modern comic that could only come from the mind of someone on copious amounts of LCD. DC put Morrison’s entire run together in a huge volume, collecting issues #1-26.
List Price: $150.00 (currently $95.45 at Amazon)
Neil Gaiman’s infamous comic book that really launched his career is getting more attention now than ever. Not only has Gaiman returned to the King of Dreams with the new prequel series, “Sandman: Overture”, but it seems the TV show may finally get off its feet in the next year or so. If you haven’t enjoyed the masterpiece that is “The Sandman” series, these Omnibus editions are perfect. Volume one holds issues #1-37 and volume two holds #38-75 for the complete series.
List Price: $24.99 (currently $19.11 at Amazon)
We talk a lot about modern horror comics here on Bloody-Disgusting, but I know a lot of people will tell you that nothing compares to the banned horror comics of the 1950s. There is some seriously demented and twisted goings on in these short stories, coming from the best creators the comics industry has ever known.
List Price: $30.00 (currently $16.88 at Amazon)
Stephen King returns to “The Shining” territory and a much older Danny Torrance, in the sequel to one of his most beloved books of all time. While I have yet to read “Dr. Sleep”, I know King fans have been gobbling it up. You can snag a copy on Amazon, but I’ve also seen the hardcover edition heavily discounted in bookstores recently.
List Price: $17.99 (currently $10.79 at Amazon)
It may have taken Joe Hill a while to break in to the world of fiction, but he’s one of those writers who continues to evolve with every novel. The book takes place over several time periods, but the horror stems from the man, Charles Talent Manx, who abducts children with his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith, with the license plate NOS4A2. Many are calling Joe Hill the best horror writer of our time, and I can’t say I disagree. .
List Price: $60.00 (currently $36.00 at Amazon)
Guillermo del Toro exudes passion. This is a man who said that he would die for every film he makes. Regardless of the project he undertakes, you can tell it is a labor of love. “Guillermo del Toro Cabinet of Curiosities” is the published journal of the famed director/writer/artist that includes his vague musings, production notes, and concept drawings. It’s rare that we are afforded the opportunity to look into an artist’s creative process, but del Toro gives us the chance to see into his wonderful mind.
List Price: $14.99 (currently $12.10 at Amazon)
What was Hellboy like in his younger years with the B.P.R.D.? “Hellboy: The Midnight Circus” harkens back to the loveable red demon’s childhood in one of the best Hellboy stories in recent years. This stand-alone graphic novel is heavily influenced Bradbury’s classic novel, “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” making it a real nostalgic ride, and perfect winter reading.
List Price: $9.99 (currently $6.73 at Amazon)
“Five Ghosts” is the definition of pulp adventure. The story follows Fabian Gray, a treasure hunter who is haunted by five different spirits who he can channel in order to perform various abilities. It’s insane in the best possible way, and a story that utilizes the comics medium to the fullest. At under ten bucks for the first five-issue arc, it’s a steal.
List Price: $39.95 (currently $28.73 at Amazon)
Jeff Smith is best known for creating the masterwork of children’s comics, “Bone”. However, over the past few years he dove into much darker territory with a crazy book called “RASL”. The story follows an art thief who jumps across universes to snatch his paintings. The series was finally collected in one big hardcover edition this year and it’s well worth the time of any sci-fi fan.
There are so many comics out there and I know you all have very different tastes. If nothing above struck your fancy, or if you’re just looking for more sales, head over to TFAW.com because they are having a huge Black Friday sale. You can grab select graphic novels for up to %60 off.
If you happen to live near a “Things From Another World” in Oregon, you’ll want to rush to the store early because they’ve got some doorbusters that you probably don’t want to miss out on.
List Price: NA (currently $26.79 at Amazon)
“Whether or not you loved the screenplay for ‘Prometheus’, you sort of have to admit that it’s an incredibly striking film in visual terms. So if you hate the story (or even if you love it), cut out the middle man and get right to the heart of the designs in this book by Mark Salisbury. It’s worth it.” ~ ED
List Price: $14.00 (currently $11.18 at Amazon)
“I know this book is six years old, but with Flynn’s “Gone Girl” being a cultural phenomenon these days, I thought I’d direct you to this earlier book to pick up as a stocking stuffer for any fan of her newer book. It’s way more twisted, bloody and sickening than I thought it would be.” ~ ED
Comics
[Review] Graphic Novel ‘Tender’ Is Brilliant Feminist Body Horror That Will Make You Squirm & Scream
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.
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