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Review: ‘To Hell You Ride’ #1

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A great kickoff, the themes and nonlinear storytelling in To Hell You Ride #1 are unified in beautiful sweeping style. Actor Lance Henricksen’s first turn at comic writing will leave a lasting impression with his revenge/western horror hybrid. Lance Henriksen’s comics debut doesn’t disappoint and should not be missed.

WRITTEN BY: Lance Henriksen, Joseph Maddrey
ART BY: Tom Mandrake
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: December 12, 2012

After a sacred burial ground is disturbed, a deadly curse is set into motion in a small town. The townspeople feel the wrath of the angry spirits as their skin begins to burn and flesh melts off their bones. Feeling betrayed by his heritage and his community, Two Dogs ends up on a long and bitter drinking binge. When he sobers up, Two Dogs discovers the horrid truths of the past.

What makes the story interesting is how Henriksen and Maddrey provide their character with a back-story. Because he is well-developed, readers understand why Two Dogs, the outsider and working class stiff, is so angry at the world. Because he is a disappointment to the community, Two Dogs has to think about why he should bother saving the corrupt town. What’s impressive about the storytelling is that the opening pages do not have any dialogue whatsoever, just captions to follow along with Tom Mandrake’s art.

As the narrative jumps in time, the three subplots are interconnected through family lineage. In the past, the tribal warrior sacrifices his life to save his people, but his death brings forth a vengeful spirit. In the present, the sheriff needs Five George to help him solve the case of a missing girl. All the lies and crimes of the past have been building up to Two Dogs’ discovery of the truth. The complex narrative is used to display the clear cause and effect relationship between the timelines, and it makes the story feel that much larger.

The artwork by Tom Mandrake is unbelievably eye-catching. Because Henriksen is known for his movie roles such as Aliens, there is a heavy focus on facial expressions. Mandrake wants readers to see the performance captured within the narration. In Two Dogs’ introduction, Mandrake gives a lot of attention to his posture to show his anger and frustration. The close-ups are incredibly expressive as Two Dogs comes across as angry, spiteful, and indifferent all at the same time.

Mandrake manages to ground the mysticism and spirituality of the story without letting it fly over the top. In the background, notice how the face of the mountain resembles Five George. When the story heads into the direction of the supernatural, the panels are illuminated with bright tones. In a large panel, Mandrake captures the majestic beauty of the desert in the nighttime, with a shooting star in the sky. For readers to understand the nonlinear storytelling, Mandrake does an excellent job distinguishing the different time periods.

An ambitious effort, that hooked me into the Colorado scenery and the Native American culture of “To Hell You Ride” #1. This is an impressive debut. If the writing and artwork continue on this road, “To Hell You Ride” will be a definite hit.

4.5/5 skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

Comics

‘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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