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.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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