My favorite day of the week is here once again, new comic book day. This week we'll see quite a few books being released and I have some quality recommendations to check out. Last week I had two new books to review that I couldn’t decide between, so I decided to just read them both and put them up against one another. I’ll be giving you my impressions on them every Wednesday for the rest of the month. As always, read on for your weekly dose of comic book horror.
Harrow County #9 (Dark Horse)
Writer –Cullen Bunn
Artist – Carla Speed McNeil
Cullen Bunn has an impressive list of titles to his name and is no stranger to horror. This is another solid entry to add to that list. Harrow County has something for the horror nerd in all of us - witches, monsters and zombies. Issue #9 is the beginning of a new story arc and a good jumping on point for those curious about the book.
Aliens Vampirella #6 (Dynamite)
Writer – Corinna Bechko
Artist – Javier Garcia-Miranda
Vampirella, a horror comic icon, goes head to head with a Xenomorph queen/vampire hybrid in the final chapter of this limited series. I’ve had a good time reading this and am excited to get my hands on the conclusion of this story.
The Dark & Bloody #1 (Vertigo)
Writer - Shawn Aldridge
Artist - Scott Godlewski
This book caught my eye when it was first announced. Published under DC's Vertigo imprint, The Dark & Bloody promises “guns, moonshine, monsters” and a “deadly, otherworldly consequence looking for vengeance.” This one is definitely going on the pull list.
Nijigahara Holograph VS Sons of the Devil
Last week I had these two books ready to be read and reviewed but I couldn’t choose which one. I really wanted to read both of these though, so I decided to do just that. I’ll be choosing a winner at the end of this month. Because Nijigahra Holograph is complete and Sons of the Devil is an ongoing series, the length and overall completion of the stories won’t affect my decision. These books share some similarities, they’re both in the psychological horror subgenre and the stories are both told over the course of at least a decade. That’s where the similarities end as these books go in completely different directions.
The first thing you will notice about these books is how different the art styles are. If you’re unaware, American comics generally have a team of three to four working on the book while the art is usually split between two to three members of the team. Japanese comics aren’t made in that fashion and the art is almost always black and white line art. Nijigahara Holograph looks great as far the art goes. Very clean lines and some beautifully detailed scenes. Sons of the Devil has a very raw style and, while the art is good, I have to give the nod to its opponent.
Both of these books are written well and draw you in quickly. Sons of the Devil is a pretty straightforward read with your typical amount of dialogue. While it does take some detours to show the past (specifically 1989) there’s never really much confusion on what’s taking place. Nijigahara Holograph takes a different approach. The story telling is a bit more complex. I found myself somewhat confused and a little lost not too long after starting. This is a book that relies heavily on visual storytelling and there are tons of subtle queues within each panel. Once I figured that out I quickly caught up. This is a book that rewards your attention to detail.
Next week I’ll go into the stories and talk about the differences in writing styles, highs and lows, and more good stuff. This week I wanted to start off with a little overview on how things are laid out. I hope you enjoy this because I enjoyed reading both of these. See you all next week!
- Creature of the ComiCombs
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