Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out” #1 Will Have You Begging For More!
An incredibly fast read, “Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out” #1 is gritty revenge thriller that rings in Christmas with gore. There’s nothing like spending the holidays watching people’s heads get blown off in this bloody sleigh ride. This first installment brings in the buckets of blood, nudity, and graphic violence the Grindhouse genre deserves.
WRITTEN BY: Alex De Campi
ART BY: R.M. Guera
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: November 12, 2014
Reviewed By Jorge Solis
A solider returns home from the war to visit his family for the holidays. Arriving with gifts in his backpack, the solider discovers his father lying dead on the floor. He never realized his killer was standing right behind him, with a gun pointed at his head. After witnessing their deaths, Mother Wolf calls upon her estranged granddaughter, Shayla, to seek out their murderers. As they track down The Clown, The Overseer, and The Man Who Walks, something else more cruel and bloodthirsty hunts them.
What I really enjoyed about the Alex De Campi’s writing is the focus on the relationship between the two female protagonists. Though Mother Wolf is Shayla’s grandmother, there is a maternal instinct to protect and guide her loved one. The dialogue reveals the years of abuse and estrangement between them as they snap back at each other in full-blown argument. Though Shayla has been through the worse, she does want to prove how tough she is in front of her grandmother.
Christmas can be a joyous occasion, but for many it can also be the worst of times. De Campi uses the Christmas spirit to reflect the themes of loneliness, depression, and never-ending hardships. Mother Wolf has gone through hard times, making her tough and resilient as her end days are approaching. Though Shayla shares her feisty attitude and has her whole life ahead of her, there is a bit of cynicism in her tone.
Artist R.M. Guera does a fantastic job with the cold and snowy backgrounds, capturing a claustrophobic atmosphere these characters are stuck inside their small town. The snow seems to have cut out the rest of the world, offering no escape for anyone. Notice how Guera uses the twisted shape of the tress and the cloud’s surface to depict one of the killer’s faces.
Guera illustrates little details in the wardrobe to distinguish our two protagonists. Mother Wolf has a wool cover draped over her body, as if it’s some sort of cape for her. Even her walking stick has wolf’s head on top, which serves as a prop. Because it’s wintertime, Shayla is dressed wearing a huge jacket, jeans, and boots as if she’s supposed to resemble a hunter.
“Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed out” #1 hooks readers right in with this first issue. With a jaw-dropping cliff-hanger, readers will be anxiously awaiting the second chapter. This is your favorite comic with it’s tits out, covered in blood, and you’ll be begging for more.
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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