Review- JOHN CARPENTER TALES OF SCIENCE FICTION: VAULT

JOHN CARPENTER TALES OF SCIENCE FICTION: VAULT (Storm King Comics, First Printing, 2018; Softcover)

Collects John Carpenter's Tales Of Science Fiction: Vault #1-3 (cover dates July- September, 2017)

Writers: James Ninness

Artists: Andres Esparza

Colorists: Sergio Martinez

This was a double dip from the single issues. I buy everything that Storm King does and then buy the trade. No, I am not sure why I do that either. Someday science will come up with a name for my affliction.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Paper stock: Super thick, super glossy stock.

Binding: Perfect bound.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte finish with foil embossed accents. Very classy for a trade paperback.

Review- JOHN CARPENTER'S TALES FOR A HALLOWEEN NIGHT VOL. 4

JOHN CARPENTER'S TALES FOR A HALLOWEEN NIGHT VOL. 4 (Storm King Comics, First Printing, 2018; Softcover)

Original Graphic Novel

Writers: Elena Carrillo, John Carpenter, David J. Schow, Duane Swierczynski, Joe Harris, Amanda Deibert, Dennis Calero, Renae Deliz, Frank Tieri, and Sandy King

Artists: Jaime Carrillo, Cat Staggs, Nick Percival, Greg Scott, Megan Hutchison, Dennis Calero, Ray Dillon, and Jason Felix

Colorist: Felipe Sobreiro

The fourth annual volume of this series has made this a Halloween tradition. I am a sucker for the Horror anthology, a tried and true institution in comics. Before I begin, I have to say that I am a bit sad that the Groundscreeper wasn't here to narrate the between story bits this time out. It doesn't matter much or impact the flow of anything, I had just grown accustomed to him and was looking forward to him being a part of it. That said, let's continue.

The stories tend to tread the same boards that Horror comics and movies often do. I enjoyed all of them but one, which I'm not going to reveal. After deliberation I decided that my favorite story in this book is Teen Angel, a riff on mean girls in high school and the goth outcast that they despise.

I finished reading this book on Halloween night after taking my kids trick or treating. It seemed proper. I am looking forward to the fifth volume next Halloween.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Paper stock: Glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte finish with spot varnish as well as an embossed logo.

Review- John Carpenter's Tales Of Science Fiction: Vortex #1-8

John Carpenter's Tales Of Science Fiction: Vortex #1-8 (Storm King, cover dates October, 2017- May, 2018)

Writers: John Carpenter, Sandy King, and Mike Sizemore

Artist: David Kennedy (also Colorist for #1)

Colorist: Pete Kennedy (#2-8)

Asteroid Garm. The Veil Nebula. 1,470 light years from Earth. This is the setting of the second John Carpenter Science Fiction anthology series. Vortex is a hybrid of his adaptation of The Thing with an Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers backdrop. We have managed to build a portal to this far flung solar system and have a team that are on a mining expedition. A follow up crew is sent to check out why they haven't heard back from the team. By this point everyone should know that A) something is wrong and B) we are not alone.

I'm not going into a blow by blow, nor will I spoil the series. What I will say is that there is something in issue 7 that leads me to believe that the invasive species is not contained. Also, the ending of the series is filled with as many questions and answers. It's not the greatest ending in this manner (that honor belongs to The Thing), but it works and is satisfying.

My takeaway from this series is that maybe we shouldn't venture too far out into space. When Europeans came to the Americas they brought rats with them. Invasive species have become the norm with the global economy, with Asian carp invading the Great Lakes, etc. Vortex shows us that we are, at best, the invasive species in outer space. Or maybe if we went to the farther reaches we would find something and give it a ride back. Maybe we've already done that and that's why we have an increase in obesity and cancer. This is of course not the case, but the mind boggles when spinning possible scenarios.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I find it interesting that there are no advertisements in Storm King Comics. The last few pages of the book are roughed out sneak preview pages for the next issue and/or character sketches and a house ad for other Storm King books. This is commercial free comics, although no one could fault them if they did have ads. It's worth noting that there are not ads in these comic books since everyone other company has them.

Review- JOHN CARPENTER'S TALES FOR A HALLOWEEN NIGHT VOL. 3

JOHN CARPENTER'S TALES FOR A HALLOWEEN NIGHT VOL. 3 (Storm King, First Printing, 2017; Softcover)

Original Graphic Novel

Writers: John Carpenter, Steven Hoveke, David J. Schow, Louise Simonson, Joe Harris, Amanda Deibert, Richard P. Clark, Frank Tieri, James Ninness, Duane Swierczynski, Kealan Patrick Burke, and Sandy King

Artists: Tim Bradstreet, Jon Bogdanove, Luis Guaranga, Darick Robertson, Guy Dorian, Sal Buscema, Greg Scott, Cat Staggs, Richard P. Clark, James M. Daly III, Trevor Denham, Jaime J. Carrillo, Jan Duursema, Tom Mandrake, Sian Mandrake, and Ray Dillon

Colorists: Sian Mandrake, Richard P. Clark, Ross Campbell, Felipe Sobreiro, Cat Staggs, Trevor Denham, Kinsun Loh, and Ray Dillon

Letterer: Janice Chiang with Ben Gilbert (one story)

This is the biggest volume yet in this series, with eleven stories, a few sneak previews for Volume 4, and expanded Groundscreeper interludes. In previous volumes The Groundscreeper was one image with a text page which set the stage for the following tale. This time around it is a two page strip in between each tale, serving the same purpose. This has to be Jon Bogdanove's best artwork. I fondly remember his work on Power Pack and Superman, but here he is at his peak.

Like any Horror anthology, you get a mixed bag of topics with various styles of art. The first story, The Awakening, is written by John Carpenter with Luis Guaranga's Ghastly Graham Ingels inspired art. It deals with two of Carpenter's pet themes: religion and demonic possession. Let's face it, when it comes to Horror those two themes never run out of steam because it's the foundation of it all. Good versus evil in the truest sense.

Louise Simonson, another Power Pack alumni (I was a huge fan of the series in the '80s), turns in the Sci-Fi Horror tale Bug. Traveling to other worlds poses many risks. We could unknowingly contaminate ourselves with who knows what. Heck, it's possible that the rise in obesity and cancer is from something we brought back from the moon that we can't identify. That type of thing scares the crap out of me, and Bug is 21^st century Horror done right.

Indivisible is a timely political Horror story. 2017 is a strange time to be an American, as identity politics has seemingly ripped our country apart. While I have a ton of tinfoil hat theories about Communist brainwashing using social media, Indivisible is not that far fetched a story. The Warren Magazines delved into timely political tales in the early '70s and it will be interesting to see how this story reads in a few decades. If we're still here to read comic books and haven't blown up the whole planet, that is.

The Captive (written by Amanda Deibert with art by Cat Staggs) is brilliant. This is another 21^st century Horror concept, a cautionary tale about the horrors of online dating. There are plenty of losers to meet in real life, folks.

36 Baron Street treads well covered ground, but I'll be damned if those kinds of haunted house stories don't get me every time. I love them and can never get enough of them. EC had a ton of them, and they've been covered by every horror anthology under the sun, but they always work so why not do them?

Visitation Rights is the one that really got me, though. I went through a brutal custody battle during my divorce a year ago, so this piqued my interest from the word go. While the story wasn't as horrifying as the reality of fighting Michigan's draconian family court system with it's rich history of systemic discrimination and overt gender bias against men, it is pretty messed up stuff. I absolutely love Trevor Denham's art and colors. The text captions in lieu of word balloons is reminiscent of EC's short lived Picto-Fiction format. I don't give anything away in terms of plot twists or reveals in my reviews, but this one the real deal, a visceral piece of art.

Everlasting Peace is another haunted house type ghost story that works. This volume is easily the best one in the series yet, and I am really looking forward to Volume 4. Get off of the fence and get into this series.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Nothing unusual to report.

Paper stock: Super thick glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback. The binding is a little tight but loosens as you read it.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte finish on thick cardstock with spot varnish and an embossed logo, a nice touch. 

Review- John Carpenter's Tales Of Science Fiction: Vault #1-3

John Carpenter's Tales Of Science Fiction: Vault #1-3 (Storm King, cover dates July- September, 2017)

Writer: James Ninness (series created by John Carpenter and Sandy King)

Artist: Andres Esparza

Colorist: Sergio Martinez

John Carpenter's latest comic book creation is an ongoing science fiction series, albeit with a Horror bent a la The Thing. While it is easy to pass this series off as an Alien meets The Thing riff, one would be missing the point and the punchline of this series if they did that. While the aforementioned movies are certainly reference points here they are not what this series is all about.

I try not to spoil books when I review them or give blow by blow book report style reviews. I'll try to touch on a few points and let you decide if it's something you might like. The crew of the Gaia are your standard rag tag bunch seen in these types of movies, with the dynamics of distrust and politics that you would find in any group of people. The Gaia encounters an unknown ship and decides to board it. We've all seen this before and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that something is wrong from the word go.

With the recent discovery of a new black hole so close to our solar system, this series was better timed than even the creators could have hoped for. Black holes are a huge mystery that we are only scratching the surface of understanding. It's here that we have the springboard for the Vault series. I'm not giving away anything else other than we are not alone and it's only a matter of time before unforeseen circumstances lead to unintended consequences for mankind.

I've read these three issues as they came out and again once the series was completed, and it works better as a whole story than as individual parts. Some comics series are like that. While I primarily read collected editions I do buy all Storm King stuff in singles first. At three issues I can't imagine this being collected as a stand alone book. It will likely be compiled with one of the other Tales Of Science Fiction series down the road. The next one is Vortex and issue 1 is out now.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Review- JOHN CARPENTER'S TALES FOR A HALLOWEEN NIGHT VOL. 2

JOHN CARPENTER'S TALES FOR A HALLOWEEN NIGHT VOL. 2 (Storm King, First Printing, 2016; Softcover)

Original Graphic Novel.

Writers: Steven Hoveke, John Carpenter, Deirdre Brooks, Mike Sizemore, David J. Schow, Jimmy Palmiotti, Renae Deliz, James Ninness, Duane Swierczynki, Amanda Diebert, Kealan Patrick Burke, Sandy King, and Federico De Luca

Artists: Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Calero, Daniel Leister, David Kennedy, Darick Robertson, Richard P. Clark, Joel Seguin, Ray Dillon, Axur Aneas, Trevor Denham, Cat Staggs, Jaime Carillo, and Federico De Luca

Colorists: Jeff Balke, Diego Rodriguez, Paul Mounts, Ben Glibert, and Kinsun Loh

Volume 2 of this anthology Horror series offers twice as many stories as the first volume. Like Volume 1, this book starts out with a John Carpenter penned story, this time The Traveler's Tale. It treads familiar ground but it works on all levels. All of the writers seem to channel Carpenter's style, which is fine by me.

Carn-Evil Max And The Traveling Beauty Show doesn't work as far as I'm concerned. It's the weak link in the book. The set up isn't firmly established and the Twilight Zone style riff for the ending falls flat. Patterns and The Basement are both great stories with solid artwork. Mr. Goodnight takes the cake. Jaime Carillo and colorist Kinsun Loh knocked that one out of the park.

The series host, the Groundscreeper, remains a series highlight. Please refer to my review for Volume 1 for more thoughts on him. This was enjoyable enough to make want to pick up the forthcoming third volume this Halloween. You'll have to look to find this book but it's worth it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone-

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding in a softcover.

Cardstock cover notes: The majority of the cover has a matte finish with select spot varnish. The logo is embossed, a welcome touch which adds some class to the proceedings. 

Review- JOHN CARPENTER'S TALES FOR A HALLOWEEN NIGHT VOL. 1

JOHN CARPENTER'S TALES FOR A HALLOWEEN NIGHT VOL. 1 (Storm King, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Original Graphic Novel.

Writers: Steven Hoveke, John Carpenter, Trent Olsen, David J. Schow, James Ninness, Duane Swierczynki, and Sandy King

Artists: Jon Bogdanove, Federico De Luca, Tone Rodriguez, Darick Robertson, Richard P. Clark, Brett Simmons, and Leonardo Manco with cover art by Tim Bradstreet

Colorists: Ray Dillon, Sian Mandrake, Diego Rodriguez, Ben Glibert, and Mariana Sanzone

EC Comics had a huge impact on the children of the 1950s...children like John Carpenter. This graphic novel takes the Horror anthology found in EC titles like Tales From The Crypt, Vault Of Horror, and Haunt Of Fear and brings them up to speed with contemporary writing and artwork. Like those titles, the book has a host, the Groundscreeper. The same one page interlude Groundscreeper image, with art by Jon Bogdanove and “Ben Day” dot style coloring by Ray Dillon, introduces each story. I have to say that I wish that more comics used this nostalgic approach. It looks more “comic book”-like, only without the drawbacks of line bleed and off-register printing. The Groundscreeper page is packed with third party narrative describing each scene and then accented with his own darkly ironic humor by way of monologue.

John Carpenter pens the first story, The Ghost Maker. Some Grub is a great story with mediocre artwork by Brett Simmons. The art is too cartoony for a serious Horror story. This is just one fan's opinion, and your mileage may vary. The beauty of the Horror anthology format is that anything goes. Any writing style, any art style. Notice To Quit and Fortune Broken are both solid stories that wrap things up nicely. This was a good read and is worthy of a spot on your shelf.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book has that sweet Chinese-made-book smell to it, although it was printed in Canada. All of the great scents without the toxic chemicals that the Chinese probably use in their sweatshop printing presses.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding in a softcover.

Cardstock cover notes: The majority of the cover has a matte finish with select spot varnish. The logo is embossed, a welcome touch which adds some class to the proceedings. 

Review- JOHN CARPENTER'S ASYLUM VOL. 2

JOHN CARPENTER'S ASYLUM VOL. 2 (Storm King, First Printing, 2016; Softcover)

Collects John Carpenter's Asylum #7-14 (cover dates July, 2014- May 25, 2016)

Writers: Sandy King and Trent Olsen

Artists: Tom Mandrake (#7, 8) and Leonardo Manco (#8-14)

Colorists: Sian Mandrake, Leonardo Manco, Marjana Sanzone, and Nick Percival

As anyone who watches Horror movies knows, John Carpenter is the cream of the crop. His audio and visual cues have become the standard in Horror that so many others have aped. It is appropriate that Asylum is cinematic in feel and tone. This could have just as easily been a television show on FX or Netflix, but it's in comic form instead. Religion and ultimate battles between good and evil are pet themes for Carpenter, and it's played out here on a more personal scale.

In the series' second arc Beckett and Duran arrive in a small town to root out the mystery of a pattern of child abductions which have been going on for decades. All signs point to a larger evil than just a child abductor, and it turns out that they are right. While the arc was finished with #14 it doesn't seem like this series has truly ended. Hopefully we'll see a return of this series someday. Time will tell.

John Carpenter came to Detroit this past summer for a rare live performance and I missed it. I was in the throes of a major upheaval in my personal life at that time and couldn't make it. I regret not seeing him live but at the end of the day there was no other choice. Such is life, and life goes on.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- A hardcover version of this book exists but I must have missed the boat, as I was in the midst of relocating when this book was released and wasn't spending money on much of anything.

Paper stock: Glossy coated stock. Not super glossy but not matte, either.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte finish with spot varnish. The logo and creator names on the front cover are embossed, an elegant touch on a softcover. 

Review- JOHN CARPENTER'S ASYLUM VOL. 1 and #7-9

JOHN CARPENTER'S ASYLUM VOL. 1 (Storm King Comics, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects John Carpenter's Asylum #1-6 and an exclusive twelve page prologue (cover dates 2013- 2014)

Writers: Sandy King, Bruce Jones, and Trent Olsen

Artist: Leonardo Manco

Colorist: Kinsun Loh

This is a reread, since I gladly double dipped after buying the single issues. Reading it as a trade as opposed to bi-monthly singles has a different vibe. I honestly preferred reading it in installments, which may sound strange coming from someone who almost exclusively buys collected editions. I guess it was the down time between issues making me wonder what was coming next as opposed to reading it all in one sitting. This is the comic book equivalent of watching a television series week in and week out as opposed to binge-watching the entire season on DVD or whatever. 

This title is one the best things going on in comics right now, a no-nonsense story with beautiful artwork by the vastly underrated Leonardo Manco. It's a good old-fashioned demonic possession, battle of good versus evil with the fate of the world hanging in the balance type of tale. 

While the price point may seem a bit high for a six issue book ($34.99 MSRP), there is an exclusive twelve page story as well as plenty of DVD-style extras (character sketches, etc.) in the back of the book. Also, Storm King is an independent company, so the economy of scale afforded to larger publishers is not there. There is a softcover available for the more budget-minded fan. This is a very nice book that I am proud to add to my collection.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The covers are collected as a cover gallery in the back of the book, making it difficult to know where to break.

There are two sketch cards included, a nice and completely unexpected touch.

Paper stock: Thick glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect binding. It is a bit stiff but loosens up with play.

Hardback cover notes: Thick glossy casewrap lamination. The logo is embossed with foil stamping.

John Carpenter's Asylum #7-9 (cover dates July- December 9, 2014)

Note: #9 actually released in January 2015.

Writers: Sandy King and Trent Olsen

Artists: Tom Mandrake (#7 and most of #8) and Leonardo Manco (part of #8 and all of #9)

Colorist: Kinsun Loh

I have been lackadaisical in my reviews as of late, sometimes forgetting to review something that I read. Case in point being these issues. #7 and 8 are something of a bridge between the first arc and the second, focusing on King Leo on his journey to the Barrens. #9 is the first part of the second arc. Beckett and Duran are now wandering the country, with their journey takes them to the small town of Arlington where something is stealing children. Great stuff. I look forward to seeing where it goes next.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

Review- John Carpenter's Asylum #6

John Carpenter's Asylum #6 (Storm King, cover date 2014, released June 4, 2014)

Writers: Sandy King and Trent Olsen

Artist: Leonardo Manco

Colorist: Kinsun Loh

This title has backed itself into a dangerous corner. The high quality is no longer a pleasant surprise, it has become par for the course. The bar has been raised, makers of Horror comics! I am of course being tongue in cheek. I savor and enjoy each issue of this title, reading it twice in a row.

The conclusion of this round in the battle between good and evil has reached epic, almost biblical, proportions. Ancient good fighting ancient evils . It could come off as preachy or corny but thankfully it is not. It's hard to do this sort of thing without coming off as either Dungeons & Dragons, Death Metal nerd demonology or, worse yet, Christian Metal holy righteousness.

The conclusion to the first arc is really the beginning of something much bigger. I am so happy to see this series continue, as I was wondering what the goal was after the first arc concluded. This series could do what American Horror Story does, where the entire setting changes from one “season” to the next. For now it appears that it will continue on with this setting.

Beginning with #7 we get a two issue, two-part sidebar story with artwork by the incredible Tom Mandrake! Then the second arc will begin with issue 9, where Leonardo Manco's artwork returns. When it comes to Mandrake and Manco, one is an apple and one is an orange but they are both delicious.

The folks over at their Facebook page recently posted that there will be a trade paperback solicited in July for an October release. Seeing as how the bulk of this blog is dedicated to collected editions, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be picking that one up! To all of my fellow trade waiters, this is your chance to find out what I have been gushing about for the past year or so. I know what I will be giving everybody for Christmas...

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.