Comics
Review: ’68: Scars’ #3
With believable characters and nonstop zombie action, ’68: Scars #3 delivers on the bloody goods to continue this emotional alt-history series. With the imaginative mix of the undead, history, and war, the visual queues are constantly powerful in “68”. The grim and gritty story will bring you back to the horrors of the Vietnam War with an original twist.
WRITTEN BY: Mark Kidwell
ART BY: Nat Jones
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: November 28th, 2012
As the rising dead continue to multiply in vast numbers, American soldiers have fallen victim to their hearts of darkness. Ever since the war started, Vietnam has become an open gateway to Hell itself. In the demonic jungle, soldiers are fighting each other as well as their enemy. But, lurking in the shadows, there are hungry zombies waiting to strike. With many on the brink of insanity, there is no salvation for any of the soldiers as their homeland has become infected with the same zombie infestation. With mutiny on the rise, soldiers do not know what their enemy is supposed to look like.
Scars, whether mental or physical, is a major theme throughout Mark Kidwell’s narrative. Andrew is afraid to return to his family because he hasn’t told them of his disfigurement. Keirney looks slim and docile, but he has a sick infatuation with violence. When Keirney is handed a gun, he loses his sanity to the war and starts shooting civilians. Kidwell manages to give his protagonists a chance to bare their soul right before they realize death is coming for them.
If you have been following the “’68” series, you may have noticed the character arc of Private Kuen Yam. Kidwell remakes the same scene with Yam but with varying results. In “Volume 1: Better Run Through The Jungle,” Kuen finds himself trapped in a hidden tunnel surrounded by bloodthirsty zombies. At first, he is too afraid to even pull the trigger and shoot them. But now in the “Scars” miniseries, Yam finds himself in the same situation. This time around, Yam is throwing himself into danger, chopping up the zombies with his shovel. Like many of the others, Yam has succumbed to his inner rage and thrives on his blood thirst.
Kidwell’s idea that “War is Hell” is stuck right in your face with Nate Jones’ gritty artwork. Through Jones’ detailed illustrations, you can sense the desperation and exhaustion on the facial expressions of the soldiers. As if the sun never sets, colorist Jay Fotos mixes brownish and yellowish tones to depict the sweltering heat of the jungle. You can tell there is sickness in Kierney’s eyes when his face is splattered with blood. What I really like about this issue is how Jones puts much attention into the look of the zombies and the soldiers. The scar-faced Andrew looks like one of the zombies lurking in the jungle. In the opening pages, Dawes is playing catch with a zombie’s head. Towards the climax, there is a splash page of a soldier getting shot in the forehead, which will definitely make you squirm. Jones and Fotos want you to see the blood, the gunshot, and the O-faced expression on the soldier’s face; they even add the saliva drooling from his mouth.
Highly recommended, “’68: Scars” #3 ends on a high note before its gripping conclusion. With the artwork strongly suited with the narrative, “’68: Scars” uses zombies as a metaphor for the violent and unforgiving nature of war. If you love war stories and zombie tales, check out the “’68” series.
4/5 skulls
Reviewed by Jorge Solis
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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