Comics
Review: Crawl To Me (Graphic Novel)
As horror fans, I honestly believe that we are so desensitized to graphic and horrific subject matter that we often forget that there truly exist unspeakable horrors in the world. There are the real monsters that hide in our closets, that make it unsafe to walk home at night alone, that make us fear for those we love. These horrors, the rapists, the murderers, the pedophiles, the one’s that effect people every day, are the subject of Alan Robert’s Crawl To Me. Robert uses such unspeakable horrors to show that if we really want to be terrified, we need only to look around us. With no scarcity of violence, gore, perversion, this is a book that will seriously get under your skin. The intense and quick pacing combined with stunning visuals, and an ending that will leave your jaw on the floor, Crawl To Me is one great indie mini-series of 2011. Read on for the skinny…
WRITTEN BY: Alan Robert
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Alan Robert
PUBLISHER: IDW
RELEASE: January
The plot is not entirely novel at first, it follows the struggling young couple, Ryan, Jess, and their newborn, as they move into a new home. As you may have guessed, not all is as it seems. The visuals work wonders to pull you in from the very beginning, as Ryan stands outside in the snow and the police pull up quickly to arrest his perverted, maniacal, neighbor. Soon after, Ryan discovers an unnerving crawl space in his basement that is home of some heinous life force that is as mysterious as it is horrific. This is where the story really takes off as an original and disturbing tale of madness. These seemingly disconnected events become increasingly important as the story develops, and dread seems to be lurking around every corner for Ryan and his family.
Each issue the family encounters snowballing amounts of dismay, disgust, and outright insane events that would make anyone feel like they were losing their mind. From the swarm of flesh-hungry rats, to the pair of possessed scissor that tell Jess to kill her baby, there are several moments that will make you want to take a nice, long, shower. Each scene of terror is brought to light through the brilliant artwork. Robert’s style of inked drawings with vibrant Photoshopped layers brings the book an incredible amount of depth. The reds, yellows, blues, and whites just fly off the page with eerie elegance, contrasting with the otherwise blackness of the panels.
The pacing is quick and relentless from the very first page and it doesn’t let up at all. I actually believe that Crawl to Me is best read in trade form because it presents the full effect of the story without having to wait between installments. Sometimes the dialogue runs along the line of being cheesy and “not real enough”. When Ryan talks to himself it loses a bit of its flow, but I suspect that Robert will work out the kinks in time. On the other hand, the story itself is a prime example of a well-structured narrative where every single event, every little detail maintains meaning in the end. The concluding chapter is both extremely disturbing and shocking, showing the real emotional damage the sick people in our world can do. When you reach the big twist, you come to realize that the most terrifying things are not those we see in movies or books but rather the most terrifying are those people closest to us.
Robert is able to awaken horror fans from their long, slumbering numbness and call attention to the real horrors that exist around us. Once you reach the end, you’ll immediately want to revisit Crawl to Me, which is really where the value lies. Any book that is so stunning that it warrants a reexamining is worth a purchase in my books.
4/5 skulls
Comics
‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics
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.
-
Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
-
Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
-
Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
-
Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
-
Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
-
Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
-
Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
-
Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)
Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
Looking for New Episodes of “Chucky” on Peacock? Here’s What Changed
‘Mountain Man’ – Joe Manganiello Will Battle Zombies in Upcoming Horror Movie
‘The Blair Witch Project’ – Original Stars Release a Statement Asking Lionsgate for Residuals & Recognition
‘Trap’ – Official Trailer Previews a Wild New Horror Experience from M. Night Shyamalan
‘Longlegs’ – New Teaser Video for NEON Horror Movie Is Soaked in Cryptic Eeriness
You must be logged in to post a comment.