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[Comic Book Review] “Plunder” #1 – Is Damn Good Albeit Familiar Horror

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Reviewed By Torin Chambers. “Plunder” #1 holds a lot of promise but this initial issue falls short. While you may not care for any of its characters the sense of mystery and dread however are palpable, giving it an eerie and unsettling feel. When the horror ramps up it’s a good read, damn good, but too much of it this issue contains exposition upon exposition of why the pirates we’re following are bad guys.

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WRITTEN BY: Swifty Lang
ART BY: Skuds McKinkey
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 18, 2015

The book opens on them attacking another ship so they can steal from them, this alone shows that they’re bad. The problem isn’t that they’re all built up to be really bad, it’s that they are at the expense of the protagonist’s development. It just feels like a waste of space on the page for what are essentially cannon fodder for whatever horror they’re facing, space that the protagonist could be growing in.

Once everything’s set up our pirate party reach a ship that’s dead in the water. This is when the real fun begins and Plunder get’s increasingly more interesting with each passing page. As they descend deeper and deeper into the lifeless ship it becomes incredibly apparent something is not right here. An interesting dynamic early in their decent is how they mostly write off what they’re seeing as the work of another pirate group. It’s not all necessarily shocking to them, which is a cool perspective for a group to have in a horror story such as this.

When the monsters hiding below deck make their appearance they do not disappoint. Unsettling to the nines and creepy as hell, I can’t wait to see more. To see all the different forms they’ll take, there’s a lot of creative potential for monstrosities here.

Visually Plunder is a bit inconsistent at time but nothing earth shattering. The awesome moments definitely outshine the discrepancies overall. The major visual issue I had was that both of the pirates with glasses also both have yellow scarf’s and short sleeved grayish shirts. There’re a few pages where they’re in different parts of the ship and as it cuts between the two scenes I was initially confused as to how this guy was in two places at once. Also on only the first page our lead clearly has a striped shirt for two panels when for the rest of the book he’s wearing a solid white shirt. Those instances aside when it comes to gore and carnage Plunder looks rad.

A slow and clunky start gives way to an original and intriguing horror premise. Plunder is worth a look for any horror fan who’s tired of the same old routine.

Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter @TorinsChambers

 

 

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‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]

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From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.

You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.

In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.

“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”

The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.

Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”

Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*

Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”

Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!

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