Welcome back! It’s the second part of my \"bringing you new shit\" series. Check out last month\'s Panels for details if you need them. As it turns out, I just happen to have some creepy new books to share with you for Halloween month!
Zombie King #0 (Image Comics)
Written and illustrated by Frank Cho
Black Ops, rednecks, zombie entrails, and a good ol\' fashioned cow fucking! What’s not to like about this book? In the wake of a blizzard-induced power outage, a horde of bio-engineered zombies are on the verge of waking from their stasis. I’m assuming disaster will follow. The art on this book is stunning, but I’m sure no one expects any less from Mr. Cho (Shanna the She-Devil, Liberty Meadows). My only small complaint is that it’s strictly black and white. I can understand avoiding color on an independent book to save some cost, but I feel like grayscaling this would have added another layer to it that it slightly lacks now.
Does it make me want to pick up the next issue? Yes!
Night Mary #1 (IDW)
Story and script by Rick Remender / Story and art by Kieron Dwyer
Talk about fucked up! Mary is the assistant to a doctor performing “dream therapy” experiments (think The Cell), only her patients keep dying! But who’s to blame? That is the question. Art on this rocks. It’s very non-traditional for comics. It’s very storybook like, using a pastel/chalk/charcoal medium, and the characterizations are slightly Eisnerian.
Does it make me want to pick up the next issue? Definitely!
The Hunger #1 (Speakeasy Comics)
Written by Jose L. Torres / Illustrated by Chris DiBari
Charlie is turned into a flesh craving monster by a creepy voodoo-priest, hilarity ensues! (Not really.) Coolest thing about this is that Charlie is still semi-conscious of what he’s doing-- he’s just been robbed of his free will and is terrified of what’s going on. Worst thing about this is that it ends with him calling for his mommy. Art on this is spotty with me. Sometimes it looks bad as hell, sometimes it looks wonky-- really wonky.
Does it make me want to pick up the next issue? Strangely, no.
The Expatriate #1, #2 (Image Comics)
Written by B. Clay Moore / Illustrated by Jason Latour
A mystery man is on the run from FBI-looking guys in Mexico. Nothing very interesting happens in these two issues. Mostly it’s the FBI guys being dicks to the locals while trying to find mystery man. Other than that, it’s mystery man “getting to know” a local married senorita. We never even get a glimpse of why this guy is on the run, and the suspense is kind of dry. The art on the covers is cool-- I like the style. However once you get inside it seems that the style goes from kind of muddy to sloppy in some places.
Does it make me want to pick up the next issue? Not my cup of tea, no.
That’s my space for this month. Stop by next time for more brand-spanking-new comics!