Comics
REVIEW: ‘Creepy’ Issue #5
The cover for the fifth issue of Creepy is a bit deceiving. The medieval priest dressed in satanic red robes and lugging an ornament of skulls, along with the devilish smirk on the face of narrator “Uncle Creepy” in the background, might make a reader perusing his comic book store think that hard-core horror and gore await on the inside of the issue, but that’s not quite the case. Actually, most of the short stories presented in Creepy contain the thrills and engaging storytelling more akin to The Twilight Zone than, say, The Evil Dead. Read on for the full review!
“Creepy is presented as a series of short stories all by different writers and artists which are tied together by introductions and narrations by “Uncle Creepy”, the decrepit creepster that plays essentially the same part as the Cryptkeeper from Tales from the Crypt, or Rod Serling from The Twilight Zone. The entire comic is in black and white which might, unfortunately, be a drawback for some readers but which I find to be charming in a stoic sort of way. For the most part, the artists use the monochromatic color scheme effectively to their advantage. Only one of the stories seemed as though it could have been “adapted” for shades of gray.
Issue number five starts out with a bang, and then unfortunately tapers off a bit. That’s not to say that the last story isn’t worth reading—just that the first one, in my opinion, is so good that it far overshadows the rest. This is probably the best tactic to get readers into the book, though, and luckily the first story is also the longest. Ironically, this story, “Blood of the Sky” by Benjamin and Timothy Truman, is the least scary in the book and could be classified as more of an action or adventure tale than a piece of horror. The art by Timothy Truman is gorgeously shaded and detailed—the type of pencil drawings seen in a lot of fantasy art but rarely in a comic. “Blood of the Sky” tells of the leader of a northern Indian tribe who must travel to the underworld to save her son. There are numerous surprises and plot twists, but what makes this story such a great read is the actual wording of the dialogue and narration. Reading it, I felt as though I might be reading a piece of classic literature or mythology.
As I said before, the other stories, in my opinion, didn’t quite live up to what was delivered in the first one, but they are still decent thrillers. “The Field” and “Murdicide” are what most reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone (albeit a bit more gruesome), the former being the generic horror-author-who’s-latest-story-comes-true scenario. While this story structure is nothing new, the writing was again better than most and really felt like a short horror story instead of a comic book trying to be a horror story. “Murdicide” was again a decent thriller somewhat in the same vain but was not quite as enticing.
The story I had the biggest problem with was “Loathsome Lore” which actually wasn’t a story at all but was merely Uncle Creepy describing real-world cultists such as Jim Jones and Charles Manson. While it was interesting to see a horror comic discuss evil men who actually lived, the mocking or even sarcastic nature by which this bit was presented seemed inappropriate. Perhaps I read it too seriously or was being a little too sensitive or politically correct, but something about it just didn’t sit well. Also, this “story” ends with a rather harsh jab at Christianity, and regardless of what your beliefs might be, I personally like my comics to be nothing more than entertainment.
There might a dud or two in this issue, but there’s still a good amount of excellent writing. Even if you don’t care for half of the book, the first story alone is more than enough reason to pick it up.”
“CREEPY” Issue #5 Is Available NOW From Dark Horse Comics! (MSRP-$4.99)
WRITTEN BY: David Lapham and Benjamin Truman
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: David Lapham and Timothy Truman
“The newest, gnarliest, and ickiest incarnation of the classic horror anthology Creepy is clawing its way onto your must-read list for 2011! Don’t miss the demented debut of Creepy #5 this March, which features strange and stunning offerings by David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Timothy Truman (Conan), classic Creepy cover artist Sanjulian, and much, much gore. Whether you prefer your horror tales bloody and bold, or supernatural and subtle, Uncle Creepy and his maleficent minions are sure to satisfy your lust for scary stories!”
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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