Comics
5 Skull Comic Review: “The Ghost Fleet” #4 – Shit Get’s Really Real
Reviewed By Torin Chambers. “Ghost Fleet” #4 gets real this month, swapping out hardcore action for an emotional rollercoaster. The best part? It works, it works really well. With each passing issue and the deeper we get into this story the more it strays from how it was originally presented. From seeing its original announcement at NYCC last year there’s no way I could’ve guessed it’d be going in the direction it now is. Which is in no way a negative, as this series has proven to be superbly intriguing.
WRITTEN BY: Donny Cates
ART BY: Daniel Warren Johnson
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 4, 2014
Initially we’re treated to a flashback showing Ward and Trace in an incredibly different time. Wards been drinking heavily in his car, too ashamed or too scared to enter his own home. Until he hears a scream and goes rushing in, hand on his gun, ready for anything. Except to deal with his wife’s cancer. Turns out Trace and Sara have been waiting for him for hours as he’s been out drowning himself in the drink. Trace takes him outside in the friendliest way possible and lays it all out for him, how he’s gotta step up and really be there for his wife. This whole scene is a real gut punch I was never expecting from Ghost Fleet, but one I welcome with open arms. (maybe that’s how they gut punched me so easily)
Later in the issue things get really gnarly and supernatural but I won’t spoil any of it because it’s totally rad. Another character is also introduced this issue, he beautifully takes care of the balls to the walls action for this month. How he ties into everything isn’t very clear but make sure to keep an eye on his t-shirt, trust me.
Meanwhile Lauren Affe’s colors add a surreal texture to the book that you really can’t find anywhere else in comics. It straddles the line between a old school pulp book and new school awesome.
The concept of this series has evolved into something tremendous and has built with every subsequent issue. Now that we’ve reached the fourth chapter everything that has been teased is coming together beautifully in a way that doesn’t feel forced but organically challenges every thing that came before in brand new ways. This is one stellar read. If you come to the series for amazing action scenes, you’ll find plenty to love this month, but if you linger a little longer you’ll find yourself immersed in an emotional and surprising read.
Donny Cates and Daniel Warren Johnson have truly hit their stride now, this is the best Ghost Fleet issue yet and I’m craving that next issue more than my many chemical dependencies.
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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