Comics
[Comic Review] “Curb Stomp” #4 Statisfies A Craving
Reviewed by Taylor Hoffman // @taylorcheckers
The girls of The Fever gang have seen some real dark shit and their only chance at survival is to protect each other and their home, Old Beach. Curb Stomp is a series full of betrayal, kidnapping, and plenty of killing, and this final issue brings all the brutality to the forefront with vengeance in full swing. Curb Stomp feels like a smoking a cigarette; there’s a rush of endorphins pumping, dopamine fulfillment, billowing smoke everywhere. This final issue makes me crave for more, mostly because the ending wasn’t quite as satisfying as I expected.
Story by: Ryan Ferrier
Art by: Devaki Neogi
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Release Date: 5/27/15
Price: $3.99
Ryan Ferrier and Devaki Neogi build a world of neon that can’t be ignored and shines a light into an underworld that rages with fire reds and brimstone yellow. There isn’t time to play shows, skate, or have family dinners anymore for the gang. Each member of the Fever has their own battle to fight within the war and any attempt at cleaning up this turf war mess only has only made it worse, especially involving the shady exchanges between the corrupt mayor and the self-described King of the Wrath. Machete Betty’s inner dialogue to guides us through the final battles as she focuses on rescuing Sweet Pea while the riot police have been called into Old Beach.
Drugs, gentrification, and dirty politics threaten the residents as much as the internal gang relations, so at this point in the story, everyone is on high alert. Scenes between the police and the members of Old Beach are as disturbing as they are powerful. The story doesn’t delve deep enough into issues of race, class, and gender as much as I wished it had given all the opportunities there were intrinsic to the setting and main characters.
Neogi’s style on the series combines the feel of the Hernandez brothers, very Love & Rockets both in tone and linework. Jeremy Lawson’s coloring separates Curb Stomp from almost every other current comic, there’s something so appealing about the lack of backgrounds in most panels because it shifts such attention to the characters themselves where their faces are front and center in a neon haven for the eyes.
The color pallet is the most striking aspect of the art: Blue, purple, and green take up the sky and foreboding black bleeds into the harsh red. The coloring is integral to the storytelling, highlighting shifting of alliances and the turning of the turf. Overall, it’s gory, but with a dash of cartoonish style that balances out the outright viscera spilling through the panels. However, so much of the detail was lost in this last issue that it looked more like a rough draft in comparison to the rest of the series. There were many times that characters weren’t well defined enough to determine who they were and far too often faces seemed awkwardly frozen and inappropriate for the scene.
Overall, Curb Stomp is an excellent mini-series that satisfies a taste for sweet, sweet revenge.
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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