Reviews: Jack The Ripper; Wolfskin Vol. 2- Hundredth Dream

JACK THE RIPPER (Transfuzion, 2010; Softcover)

Orignal Graphic Novel, 54 pages, black and white

Writer: Gary Reed

Artist: Mark Bloodworth

Not quite a book and not quite a comic, The Illustrated Jack the Ripper is a happy marriage of both. It features numerous written passages discussing various facts and theories and other pages done in comic book style. It also has reproductions of actual newspaper drawings and mortuary photographs from the era, which are a real treat and worth the price of admission alone. Like many people, I have long been a sucker for the whole Jack the Ripper thing. There is a real mystique, and the fact that it is virtually unsolvable means that we'll never tire of studying it. 

WOLFSKIN VOL.. 2: HUNDREDTH DREAM (Avatar, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Wolfskin: Hundredth Dream Nos. 1-6 (cover dates April, 2010- April, 2011)

Writer: Warren Ellis and Mike Wolfer

Artist: Gianluca Pagliarani and Chris Dreier

Like all Avatar titles, this boasts high quality writing, artwork and computer coloring. The production values are really top notch on this title. This is a very thinly veiled metaphor for today's society, albeit done with copious amounts of medieval, Dungeons & Dragons style bloodshed. I sometimes have a hard time embracing tomorrow, much like some of the characters in this story. I do not, however, go on a bloodsoaked rampage across the countryside to try and prevent that change from happening. This is a really good read, and I highly recommend it to the aforementioned D&D crowd as well as fans of Avatar Press' other titles.

The OCD zone- This book has a nice heft to it, the result of the thick paper stock used. All of the variant covers are included, making this a nice package even if you did collect the regular series.

Reviews: Zombie Terrors Vol. 1; A Murder of Scarecrows; Murder By Remote Control

ZOMBIE TERRORS VOL. 1(Asylum Press, 2010; Softcover)

Original graphic novel

Various writers and artists.

Like the stench of the decaying flesh and organs of zombies, the stories in this book stink. This anthology graphic novel is horrid, derivative, and uninspired...and those are the good stories. This is for masochists or those fanboys that dwell in zombie knock-off retread glory.

The OCD zone- Very thin paper, but it does have sewn binding. Sewn binding cannot save these stories, though.

A MURDER OF SCARECROWS (Transfuzion, 2011; Softcover)

Original Graphic Novel, black and white

Writer: Gary Reed

Artist: Wayne Reid

I picked this up at Gary Reed's table at the Detroit FanFare last September, and it's one of those 'real world' moments where I likely never would've stumbled across this had I not been there. It's a decent read, and if it only had a costumed antagonist it would've felt similar to Marvel's Bronze Age monster/Horror output. Good stuff for those into Horror and Horror-tinged comic books.

MURDER BY REMOTE CONTROL (Available Press/ Random House, 1986; Softcover)

Original Graphic Novel, 96 pages, black and white

Writer: Janwillem van de Wetering

Artist: Paul Kirchner

This book was another real world encounter. I would have never come across this in a million years if I didn't stumble across it at that moment at the Detroit FanFare. This is a murder mystery whodunit, and is very well done. It was way ahead of what was going on in mainstream comic books of the time, and holds up remarkably well nearly 30 years after it was originally published. Paul Kirchner's artwork is excellent and incredibly detailed. This is the English translation of a 1984 Dutch graphic novel, which was originally published as a full color hardcover.

The OCD zone- It is comforting that this book is nearly 30 years old, and yet the glued binding is still solid and nothing is loose. The paper is really nice. I know that those reading this on their iPad are saying to themselves “What's paper?”, but I still like the tactile sensations of real books.

Review: Midnight Mortuary #1

MIDNIGHT MORTUARY #1 (Transfuzion, cover date October, 2008; Softcover)

This is an homage to the black and white Horror magazines of the 1970s, both in tone and format. It's actually a bit larger than those magazines, and is closer to a prestige format or graphic novel than a magazine, since it is perfect bound. The stories are all pretty good reads, except for the Ed Wood homage, which was a clunker. Everything else was fine, though, and the artwork is solid throughout. 

My only complaint is the price, which is MSRP $12.95 for a 64 page book. While I understand that independent publishers like Transfuzion do not have the economy of scale that, say, DC might have, this seemed a bit pricey. According to the book, the creator lives right here in Michigan, which is cool because there is an article about Sir Graves Ghastly in the book. I remember him too, and he used to show the monster drawings that kids sent in. I remember making one for him and sending it in (around age 4 or 5) and they showed it on TV. That made my day way back when.