Saturday, November 2, 2013

Review- THARG'S TERROR TALES PRESENTS NECRONAUTS & A LOVE LIKE BLOOD


THARG'S TERROR TALES PRESENTS NECRONAUTS & A LOVE LIKE BLOOD (2000 AD, 2011; Softcover)

Collects selections from 2000 A.D. Nos. 1223-1230, 1243-1249, 1263, 1285 2000 A.D. Progs. 2001, 2004, and Metal Hammer Magazine (cover dates December 13, 2000- December 17, 2003)

Writers: Gordon Rennie and John Smith

Artist: Frazer Irving

I have no recollection of buying this book. Indeed, it might very well be a vile, cursed object which simply appeared in my collection. However it got into my house, I was delighted when I flipped through it and loaded it into my 'to read' queue.

The Necronauts is a League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen-style mash-up of Harry Houdini, H.P. Lovecraft, Charles Fort, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The team takes on an ancient evil like the ones in Lovecraft's stories. A Love Like Blood is a Romeo And Juliet style tale about forbidden love between a member of the vampire clan and a member of the werewolf clan. Reefer Madness, Mars Needs Mates, and Monsters of Rock are one-shot short stories. Daughter Of Darkness, The Dead Can't Dance, The Devil Has The Best Tunes, Sound Of The Underground, Of Wolf And Man, and Monsters Of Rock* are all half-page strips originally published in Metal Hammer magazine. (*Not the same as the short story listed prior.)


The only thread connecting all of these works is the artwork of Frazer Irving. My only experience with Frazer Irving's artwork prior to reading this was the Grant Morrison Batman & Robin: Batman & Robin Must Die Deluxe Edition hardcover. He is right at home with the gruesome and the macabre, and he has a great style. I like how the The Necronauts was black and white while A Love Like Blood was in full color. Some artists seem to do well with one or the other, but he does great with both. These are some terrific Horror stories that you may have overlooked or been unaware of. 

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the US edition of this book, co-published by Simon & Schuster. It retains the original UK edition's dimensions, meaning that it is marginally wider than a standard US trade paperback.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Seven page Frazer Irving sketchbook.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Nice, thick glossy coated stock, perfect for modern material.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback. Read: glue.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4 out of 5. While I find the coating on the cover of this book to feel sticky and distasteful, it is durable and scuff resistant.


http://www.instocktrades.com/TP/2000-AD/THARGS-TERROR-TALES-NECRONAUTS-LOVE-GN-%28C-0-1-2%29/AUG111180

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