Comics
[Comic Review] “Burning Fields” #3 Builds Tension Like No Other Comic
“Burning Fields” #3 offers a handful of satisfying reveals. I’ve complained about the first two issues dropping us into the middle of conversations and dropping too many names and referencing too many events making it difficult to follow. Patience has rewarded and now I feel like I’ve got a grasp on the whos and whats of this book and I gotta say, I’m 100% invested.
WRITTEN BY: Michael Moreci, Tim Daniel
ART BY: Colin Lorimer
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 18, 2015
“Burning Fields” is a unique blend of noir, political thriller, and horror. In a way it feels like ideas got pulled out of a hat, but the execution is so on point that it is easy to get swept away and not get hung up on the oddness of it all. This issue stands out to me, as I said, for being the most accessible in the series. These killings are beginning to have a domino effect Kirkuk, Verge, and our protagonists and a new, uneasy alliance is formed between Dana, Aban, and Aban’s former cult associate Ghada. Just as some real progress is about to be made on the case, conflict erupts between Decker’s people and the locals. Emotions are running high on both sides since the murders started happening, and the tension surrounding the oil field is on the verge of erupting.
It is impressive to see how all of these factions and forces with their own motivations are coming together. For a serial killer book, “Burning Fields” is pretty grounded. There have been some not so subtle hints that things are going to take a turn for the supernatural (and I’m not even talking about that freaky-ass cover) and even though at this point I’d prefer it didn’t go that way, I trust these guys to do it in such a way that the book doesn’t lose focus or direction. I feel like my investment in the series has been earned.
It is difficult to find anything to critique here, but I will say that Dana’s Decker speech got a little melodramatic for my taste. In particular the page where we have a close up of her face on the left side of the page and her memories on the right. It was effective, but felt too derivative to me and it followed a high energy scene, making it seems like the issue was slamming on the breaks.
I’ve been praising “Burning Fields” all along and I think #3 is the strongest issue yet. There are a lot of serial killer books ongoing right now, but please don’t overlook this one. It offers something really unique that I think people should see.
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Eric Switzer 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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