Comics
Review: “Umbral” #6
Stabbing, jumping out of windows, and magic. Also, there’s nasty looking demons that kill you and take your shape and memories. “Umbral” #6 opened my eyes to another world where swords, guns, thieves, scientists, wizards and scary monsters run around together. Is it worth sticking around? Is there more to discover? Yes, and I think you’ll love it too.
WRITTEN BY: Antony Jonhston
ART BY: Christopher Mitten
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: 30 April 2014
I’ve been surprised more and more lately how fantasy comic books are popping up and breathing new life into the genre. Thanks to hit TV shows like Game of Thrones, people’s appetite for swords and sorcery is peaking right now. Writer Antony Jonhston has built up a thought-provoking world where crystals can be powerful and guns are the high tech achievement. I think there’s some dimension-hopping implied in this issue too.
The rag-tag group readers are following includes a thief, a wizard, a “zealot”, and a scientist/monk. It’s such a great mix that I must applaud Johnston for making it all seems so refreshing. The artwork by Christopher Mitten the Illuminator, Jordan Boyd the Painter and Thomas Mauer the Flourisher (great job titles) really give this world a weighted substance in each panel. There is plenty of grime and darkness to explore as well as beautiful castles and dream-like realities.
Although this is the final chapter of Book One, it’s not at all anticlimactic. It’s full of hooks for the future. Creators Johnston and Mitten have really just scratched the surface of this tale. This world seems to have all kinds of themes/genres running around together. I’m fascinated to see how they will play collectively in Book Two starting in July 2014.
Review by – Your Friendly Neighborhood Brady
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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