Comics
Review: “The Devilers” #1
Amidst a demonic attack upon the Vatican, an unorthodox priest is folded into a group of inter-continental demon hunters and asked to the front line of the war against hell itself. This mini-series explodes out of the gate with occult awesomeness and doesn’t slow down, at times to the detriment of its own story telling. Ultimately, “Devilers #1” fills the need for the kind of book you didn’t realize your stack was missing.
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Hale Fialkov
ART BY: Matt Triano
PUBLISHER: Dynamite
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: July 16, 2014
Reviewed By: Epic Switzer
Father Malcolm O’Rourke, is a hard-drinking, double-talking, wise ass mother fucker. He is a convention of the genre as much as fire and brimstone, but that isn’t to say he’s necessarily a flat character. There is enough hinted at about his past as he is rushed into battle to lead me to wonder if this Father Mal may be a new take on the hard edge demon fighter, which is something I’m very much looking forward to discovering.
Speaking of rushed in, my big problem with this book is how quickly characters and conflicts are established. Its something I pick up on most commonly with mini-series’, and though it isn’t an especially complex premise, our team of multi-faith, “Super Best Friends”-ish demonologists are introduced and thrust into battle in less than 6 pages. It is certainly too soon to tell, but I hope this book doesn’t forsake characters and relationships for spectacle.
As a spectacle, however, “The Devilers” depicts the most twisted fucked up demons Fialkov and Triano could imagine. New 52 “Animal Man” seems to be a reference for the grotesque creatures here but there is also an interesting focus on animal-demon hybrid creatures. There is an especially haunting hippo-tarantula hybrid (don’t try to picture it), a frog with human hands flipping the bird, and even a friendly (second South Park reference) ManBearPig. I’m really digging the imaginative hellspawn.
This book has got all the ingredients for a delicious Satan Gumbo, I’m just not yet sure if the ratios are right for it to earn a spot in my stack. It certainly is unique enough to stand out as one of those books I didn’t know I needed, but I also found myself doubling back on more than one occasion for dialogue that didn’t quite make sense or flow and when it was over I wish it had taken a little more time to build up to the big battle. It’s really too soon to tell where things are going, but I certainly can’t wait to find out.
Epic Switzer AKA Eric is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.
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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