Comics

Review: ‘Abe Sapien’ #4

Published

8 years ago

July 5, 2013

Coming fresh off his debut arc in his new ongoing, Abe Sapien continues on his journey of self-discovery in the two-part “Abe Sapien: The New Race of Man”. After the last horror-filled arc ended with an intense confrontation and massive battle, this issue dials it back a notch, but really pushes forward the development of the plot and subplots.

WRITTEN BY BY: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
ART BY: Max Fiumara
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
RELEASE DATE: July 3rd, 2013
PRICE: 3:50

The book starts off as an intense nightmare. After having been killed, Agent Vaughn is violently reminded of his demise before stirring to consciousness. This side of the story lasts but a few panels before Abe Sapien takes over for the rest of the book as he journeys to the Salton Sea to see one of the areas affected by the giant creatures plaguing the Earth. Though this arc is focused on the evolution of humans and not that of Abe, we see that old habits, like prejudice and ignorance, are still prevalent.

John Arcudi writes an intense tale, using Abe’s inner dialogue to elaborate on the events that had taken place during his coma. In the last arc we saw him confused and fleeing from the B.P.R.D. Now that he has plan of action, Arcudi is able to zero in on this aspect of the tale. The pacing is slow, but there are some interesting philosophical parts dispersed throughout the dialogue that make the slow ride inconsequential. I find it very interesting to see Abe’s interactions with other people, especially following the events last month.

Max Fiumara showcases his skills in this book in the detail and precision of the images in each panel, but I think the most significant part of his work is the differences with his brother Sebastián. In the previous issue, where Sebastián took the drawing role, the images were much more sketchy, similar to Mike Mignola’s style. Max, on the other hand, has a very clean look to his illustrations with hard precise lines. I’m not knocking one or the other but Max’s style of art is tailored to fit the book.

This series is one of my favourites of the year, and I can’t wait to see where Abe’s path takes him in coming issues.

4.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – GreenBasterd

Lonnie Nadler

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Comics

David Dastmalchian’s ‘Count Crowley’ Comic To Make a Return in 2022

Published

1 week ago

December 23, 2021

Meagan Navarro

Actor David Dastmalchian‘s comic book mini-series Count Crowley is one big ole love letter to the days of the horror host, centered on the “reluctant midnight monster hunter” Jerri Bartman and her adventures as both horror host and monster slayer.

Lucky for us, Jerri is set to make her return this spring with a new comic.

THR reports that Count Crowley: Amateur Midnight Monster Hunter will arrive on March 23, 2022, from Dark Horse Comics. It sounds like Jerri’s received a monster hunting job promotion since the last comic’s Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter, which our own Jason Jenkins called “one of the best damned comics currently haunting your local comic shop.”

“The 1980s-set series centers on Jerri Bartman, a once-rising TV journalist who moves back to her hometown in the Midwest after washing out of her career due to struggle with alcohol. After taking over as the host of a midnight monster show, she learns that monsters are real. Now she must take a crash course in monster hunting to protect those she loves from a vampire who is coming to town.”

“With no promise of more Crowleys, I still wrote Jerri’s story and took her further into her quest to defeat the ‘bad’ monsters while defending the ‘good’ ones,” says Dastmalchian. “Writing about her internal struggles, her family stresses, her battle to find her true, authentic, and actualized self all helped me navigate the strain of the lockdown and my depression throughout the pandemic.”

Fresh off his breakout role as Polka-Dot Man in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Dastmalchian promised a more “stumbling, fumbling, courageous” monster hunter in Jerri’s upcoming adventures.