Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Stickleback: Number of the Beast” TP Is Fun Satire
Stickleback is an ongoing series from England focusing on the Pope of Crime, the eponymous Stickleback. If you haven’t read Volume One yet, and you like organized crime and conspiracies, go pick that up and then come back and read this review.
WRITTEN BY: Ian Edginton
ART BY: D’Israeli, I.N.J. Culbard
PUBLISHER: Rebellion/2000AD
PRICE: $26.99
RELEASE: December 17, 2014
Reviewed By Katy Rex
The plot to this continues where the first left off, following (and celebrating) a mysterious crime lord. The last volume dealt with clockwork automatons masquerading as psychics and a city-wide secret order of corrupt authority figures. How do you top that? Why, with a plan to regain total and tyrannical control over London’s criminals, of course. In order to maintain his criminal papacy, Stickleback must reign with an iron fist, and although many of the would-be crime lords in London know better than to challenge him, there’s a newcomer in town. The pacing is occasionally a little slow, which is both frustrating and anticipation-building.
I know the black-and-white no-outlines style is chosen purposefully, and the character designs are great, but I can’t help but wishing this book was in color. That aside, however, the lines are clear, the panels are straightforward, and the art makes this an easy and enjoyable read. D’Israeli makes full use of the effects of negative space, and balances drama with realism. The exaggerated features of the characters make their trope-like characterization intentional, satirical, and the slightest bit campy. The technique is almost reminiscent of wood block printing.
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Katy Rex writes comics analysis at endoftheuniversecomics.com, comicsbulletin.com, and bloody-disgusting.com. She also writes scholarly articles for various academic journals. She really likes butt jokes, dinosaurs, and killing psychos and midgets in Borderlands 2. She has a great sense of humor if you’re not an asshole.
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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