Comics
Review: “Bad Blood” #2
I’m always suspicious of vampire literature, comics or prose. I feel that’s justifiable in light of recent pop culture. But what continues to astound me is the fact that certain writers can still surprise me when it comes to vampire lore and plotlines. Jonathan Maberry’s “Bad Blood” #2, while not as sobering as issue #1, continues on a steady beat of realism mixed with fantasy that poetically brings you to your knees in fear and sorrow, with a chin toward the sky waiting for that moment of vindication.
WRITTEN BY: Jonathan Maberry
ART BY: Tyler Crook
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 5, 2014
Trick’s search for his vampire adversary leads him straight into the arms (well, knee to the groin) of Lolly, a “Candy Goth” stripper with a dark past and an earnest longing to be whisked out of this mortal realm by A Dark One. Though she doesn’t quite believe that a vampire attacked Trick, she does believe in vampires and she knows all the clubs and all the right people to help him in his search for his best friend’s killer.
However, instead of the vampire-fanaticism helping Trick, it becomes yet another albatross around his neck. The vampire worship runs so deep that either no one believes Trick because they’re wannabes who’d wet themselves if a real vampire ever exposed it’s fangs OR because they don’t believe a vampire could ever be so evil. To many of them, the creatures of the night save humans from mortal misery, not run around killing University students. Needless to say, Trick’s fetish club tour is fruitless, albeit eye-opening. That is until his search ends with disastrous consequences, though not entirely undesired consequences in the grand scheme of things.
What Maberry has done with this comic is nothing short of astonishing. He doesn’t create a world full of vampire devotees, role players, and believers—he sheds light on this world. I know this because when I was getting my masters I wrote my thesis on humans who believed they were real, in-the-flesh, vampires. I can’t make this shit up and neither does Maberry. While reading “Bad Blood” #2, I was continually swept away into that place, a place where these people truly existed and took themselves very seriously, and a place where I had the same reactions as Trick. I simply can’t enumerate how many times Maberry hit the nail right on the head.
Until now, we’ve only dealt with hyper-fantastical vampire plots. Whether horror or romance or a little bit of both, they’ve never been bathed in so much reality. It would be a sin not to credit a good portion of that authenticity to Tyler Crook’s viciously straightforward and unapologetic art.
At it’s core, “Bad Blood” is a story of escapism. Whether through death or the illusion of death. And while some have no choice in their escape, others seek after it. As Maberry often does in his writing, he lets you decide what side of the fence you sit on.
This comic is one part truth, one part realism, and one part fantasy. Unless vampires truly exist. Then it’s three parts scary-as-shit reality.
4.5/5 Skulls
Review by- Bree Odgen
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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