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BD Pick Of The Week: ‘Day of The Dead: Desertion’

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We have done a lot of coverage regarding Arrow Publishing’s upcoming “DAY OF THE DEAD: DESERTION” one shot that will be released exclusively alongside the “DAY OF THE DEAD 25th ANNIVERSARY” DVD that will be dropping tomorrow. You can read our interview with scribe Stefan Hutchinson (“HALLOWEEN: FIRST DEATH OF LAURIE STRODE”) here and you can also read our very positive review of the book here if you haven’t done so already. So with that said this week’s “BD PICK OF THE WEEK” shouldn’t come as any surprise. So as we sit on the eve of one of the best Blu-Ray releases in classic horror this year you can get yourself amped up with the first 6 pages of the book, and as always, why you should care.

WRITTEN BY: Stefan Hutchinson, Barry Keating
ILLUSTRATED BY: Jeff Zornow

“This March, Arrow Video celebrates the 25th Anniversary of writer-director George A. Romero’s 1985 horror masterpiece, Day Of The Dead, with a special two-disc Blu-ray release that features a host of world exclusive extras, including a restored presentation of the film, a new hi-def soundtrack (the original ‘uncensored dialogue’ version, completely restored), four alternate sleeves, a double-sided poster, a 24-page collector’s booklet ‘For Every Dawn There Is A Day’, plus a very special collector’s comic – ‘Day Of The Dead: Desertion’ – featuring a brand new ‘Bub’ storyline. Also after years of Dawn of the Dead getting all the great documentaries Day finally gets the retrospective it deserves with the all-new Joe of the Dead and Travelogue of the Dead.”




WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

There isn’t a whole lot we can say that hasn’t already been said. Anyone worth their weight as a horror fan should be well acquainted with George A Romero’s 1985 masterpiece “DAY OF THE DEAD” that marked the third installment in his now legendary “DEAD” series. And with that being said it should also go without saying that fans across the globe know of the domesticated, and oddly gentle flesh-eater named, Bub. But what most do not know if where Bub came from, his origins, his tragic story. That is until tomorrow when horror comic heavy-weight Stefan Hutchinson and partner Barry Keating deliver their beautifully illustrated (By none other than ‘Fright Rags’ artist Jeff Zornow) origin story “DAY OF THE DEAD: DESERTION”.

I have already said all that can be said about the comic book in my exclusive advance review of the book. Hutchinson and Keating have easily delivered one of the most respectful, disturbing, and downright best film spin-offs in comic HISTORY. These are not words that I use to describe very many stories, and very rarely will I find myself praising a book in this vain so highly, but with “DESERTION” there just isn’t any other way to go about it. Story wise “DESERTION” is a kick in the gut, an emotional juggernaut that is unrelentingly depressing and disgusting. It is a story that WILL stay with you days after it has been finished, and like any great piece of horror literature it will haunt you.

It is important to note that this book is only available with the “DAY OF THE DEAD 25th ANNIVERSARY” 2 Disc Blu-Ray that goes on sale tomorrow. The release marks the first time the classic has gotten the 2-disc treatment, and with it it brings some fantastic bonus features. In fact both discs are jam packed with enough bonus content to fully warrant the $30 price tag. And all of this is on top of the beautiful transfer from standard DVD to Blu-Ray that proves single handedly why the format is the way of the future.

With all that being said, “DAY OF THE DEAD” is one of the absolute must own DVD releases of the year, and the fantastic “DESERTION” is just icing on the cake. A must own for fans of Romero’s classic film or horror in general, this is a release that is not to be missed.

“DAY OF THE DEAD: DISSERTION” Hits Stores On March 29th!

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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