Review – Bunny Mask #1
Review – Bunny Mask #1.Sealed in a cave before the dawn of man, released by a crazed madman, Bunny Mask walks our world once more
Review – Us (2019)
Review – Us (2019) Directed by: Jordan Peele Written by: Jordan Peele Produced by: Jordan Peele & Jason Blum Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke & Elisabeth Moss Release Date: March 22nd 2019 (UK) I re-watched Us last night for review and I really enjoyed getting to revisit it. Us is directed by comedian turned horror auteur Jordan Peele and after how much I loved Get Out, I was very much looking forward to seeing this when it first released. I do think that if Us had came before Get Out, I probably would have enjoyed it more, as for every element that I enjoyed in Us, I couldn’t help but keep thinking that it had already been done better in Get Out. One of the main differences between the two films though, is just how quickly things go South. In Get Out, the first 3 quarters of the movie were all build up before things eventually got nuts in the last 30 minutes, whereas in Us we are only just at the end of the first act when crazy antics start to go down. I get why Peele did this from a film-making perspective. In Get Out, we didn’t really know what we were in for and he had the benefit of keeping us in the dark for as long as he wanted to, whereas in Us we all went in expecting bizarre things to take place. So ,rather than messing about for too long building tension, Peele lets things get weird fairly early in the film. Whether you prefer the slower burn of Get Out like I did, or the faster pace in Us will be down to personal preference. The worst thing about Us is that it is following Get Out. Even when something really cool happens, it was done better in Get Out. Take the score for example; it is pretty great in Us, but was superior in Get Out. The same goes for the editing, the script, the cinematography and a whole load of other technical elements. One thing that did stand out was the fantastic use of lighting. It was perfect in every scene throughout the film and conveyed the feelings that Peele was subjecting the audience to flawlessly. The performances were also great. The whole cast did a fantastic job, (including the kids,) but the stand outs for me were Lupita Nyong’o and Elisabeth Moss. They were pretty good as the normal versions of their characters, but they really shone when they got to play the psychotic doppelgangers, for way more reasons than just how scary they were. Another thing about the film that I appreciated was that for the most part it doesn’t treat you like you are dumb, with one blatant exception. The film opens on a shot of an old CRT TV showing various adverts. One of these is an advert for Santa Cruz tourism and another tells us that the year is 1986. In the very next shot we are shown a title card reading, “Santa Cruz, 1986.” This isn’t an outrageous inclusion, just one that causes an eye-roll for anyone actually paying attention to what they are seeing onscreen. Another thing that didn’t quite work for me was the use of comedy. Where Get Out used comedy to cut away from the intensity and give the audience a breather, Us intertwined it more with the carnage, which made it come off as fairly messy in parts. Don’t get me wrong, the film’s comedic dialogue is well written and well delivered, I just feel that it could have been implemented a bit better. Overall, Us is another great horror/thriller from Jordan Peele. I know that I compared it to Get Out all the way through this review, but even when watching it, it is extremely hard not to make comparisons. That does not mean that this is a bad movie by any stretch though and I am very much looking forward to seeing whatever Peele’s next project happens to be. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Us, see what he thought of Andy Muschietti’s It movie here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com
IT: Chapter One Review – Does Pennywise Still Scare in 2026?
Review – It: Chapter One Directed by: Andy Muschietti Written by: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga (Screenplay) & Stephen King (Book) Produced by: Barbara Muschietti Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Finn Wolfhard & Sophia Lillis Release Date: September 8th 2017 I re-watched It: Chapter One recently for review and I had a pretty good time going back to it. It is not a perfect movie by any stretch, but as far as remakes of classic horror movies usually go, this could have been a lot worse. The 2017 remake of IT was highly anticipated by Stephen King fans around the world upon its release and being a huge fan of King myself and growing up reading his stuff meant that I was one of these excited fans. I also loved the original 1990 version starring Tim Curry when I was younger, so I was really hoping that this remake wouldn’t suck. Let’s go through what I like about the movie first of all. The movie opens with the tragic and brutal death of Georgie Denborough. Just like the book, he follows his paper sailboat down a storm drain, where he first encounters IT. This first appearance of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise sets the tone for the rest of the movie; unflinching and horrifying. I felt that this intro was extremely effective in setting up what the audience could expect from this adaption, both tonally and visually. I think that performances given by the child actors in the movie are phenomenal, much better than I had anticipated before seeing the film. They all do a great job with the material they are given and each manage to bring some range to their roles. I like the visuals for the most part and appreciate the use of mostly practical effects, my highlights being the headless burning boy in the library and when Pennywise’s entire head opens up to consume Beverly. I enjoy the fact that the movie serves as both a coming of age story and as a horror movie. Stranger Things was clearly inspired by the original IT and this version is clearly inspired by Stanger Things, which is nice to see as a fan of both series. I like how the movie was about kids, but deals with adult themes in a mature manner. I also admire how the movie works in a fair amount of comedic moments whilst still remaining frightening. Another thing that I appreciate are the few moments of subtle creepiness that the film sprinkles throughout, such as the kids TV show that can be heard in the background talking about how ‘you should dance along with the clown,’ and encouraging you to be violent etc, I think that this is a really nice touch. Also, during the library scene where Ben is flipping through the history book, you see IT taking the form of the librarian in the background, as she stands really creepily staring at Ben from the background of the scene. This really freaked me out when I first noticed it. I also like how some of the jump-scares worked, but unfortunately not all of them do. Now onto what I don’t like about the film; my biggest issue with this movie is how formulaic it ends up feeling by around the halfway mark. With each new member of the losers club we are introduced to, we find out what the kid is scared of, then IT appears to them as the aforementioned fear, then we get a jump-scare and the scene cuts away, the next kid is introduced and the same thing happens again. This occurs repeatedly about eight times and by the fifth or sixth time it isn’t scary any longer. The worst thing that a horror movie can be is to become predictable and I’m sorry to say that this is what happens here. It ends up feeling like a checklist: 1. A child is introduced into the movie. Check2. Some exposition is given for why they are scared of a certain thing. Check3. IT takes the form of said fear and scares the kid. Check4. Jumpscare happens and we abruptly cut to the next scene. Check5. Rinse and repeat. Some of the jump-scares do work though. Although the jump-scare during the projector screen is very obviously telegraphed, the fact that Pennywise is so huge in that scene did take me by surprise during my first viewing, which is a nice touch. Also the scene I mentioned earlier with the headless boy in the library is well structured in the sense that once the boy is chasing Ben through the library you think that you have already seen the scare, but when Pennywise leapt out from nowhere it was a genuine surprise. The sound design is another element of the movie that I had a love/hate relationship with. For me, good sound design is essential to any worthwhile horror movie. I think that the score used in the film was fantastic; the varied pieces perfectly complement the tone of each scene they are used in. I also think that some of the sound effects are very well implemented in places. At other points though, the audio just annoys me. The most egregious example of this is after Beverly smacks her dad across the head and IT appears behind her and grabs her. The sound that occurs here is ear piercingly loud, to the point that it is uncomfortable. Its not scary, its not enjoyable, its just obnoxiously loud. It also comes across as lazy; it’s as if in post production someone decided that that scene wasn’t scary enough, so as a quick fix they just put in a painfully loud noise. Another technical element that bothers me in places is the lighting. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy how a lot of the scenes take place in broad daylight, meaning that we get to see IT in all of his terrifying glory. And in some scenes the lack of lighting adds a sense
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Review – LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS: VOLUME 2
OVERVIEW Love Death + Robots: Volume 2 is the long awaited follow up to the shockingly dark animated anthology of short stories, brought to you by Deadpool’s Tim Miller and Seven’s David Fincher as well as Jennifer Miller and Josh Donen. The show is known for its masterful artistry, brutal violence, virtuosic genre diversity and very real ethical dilemmas of the future to be. Be sure to check out Dan’s review of Love Death + Robots: Volume 1! With that being said, let’s dig into this existential nightmare and get whimsically uncomfortable! AUTOMATED CUSTOMER SERVICE Like Wall-E meets Hal 9000, this introductory episode perfectly sums up what Love Death + Robots is all about. Eerily realistic but cartoony animation mixed with humorous tension and a dark commentary on household machines and customer service. You won’t be scarred for life with this one but you will be frightfully giddy and uncomfortable throughout. ICE What does it mean to be a modded human being? Are you better or just different? One brother looks to prove himself as an equal amongst a gang of modded beings (including his younger brother) on a thrilling but beautiful race across the ice. The animation is sharp and cold to synergise with its gripping brotherly narrative. The only downside being some hoaky dialogue which I think is supposed to be cool. POP SQUAD In a world of revolutionary evolution, overpopulation is a crime. The birth of immortality breeds inhumanity as one cop discovers. This is the “I can’t believe it’s not butter” of computer-generated animation in this series; with the exception of some artistic choices (characters would be right at home in the Dishonoured franchise), you could believe this was a live action Blade Runner spin off. Despite the heavenly possibilities of a futuristic utopia, the story is a dystopian abyss of the primal human condition that will pull on your heart strings. SNOW IN THE DESERT Regenerative immortality is only a peaceful existence if everyone has it, otherwise you’ll be hunted down for what makes you tick. Did you like The Mandalorian but wished it could be Rated R? Here’s your episode! Once again, seamlessly computer-generated animation to the point where you might as well make it a live action story, brought down a little bit in its action sequences that can look somewhat rubbery at times. Otherwise, this is once again a perfect trifecta of love, death and robots. THE TALL GRASS The distant lights of the dark don’t always lead to safety, stay with the train or risk not coming back. Usually I’m not a fan of the jittery shell shaded animation style but its utilization here blends impeccably with the creepy industrial age charm of this episode. In comparison to other episodes, this is the least impactful but no less thought-provoking in its themes and artistry. ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE There’s a reason you need to be sleeping when Santa comes to town, these two curious kids will never forget to be good. This is the shortest but potentially the best episode of this volume. If you enjoy practicality in your stories such as stop motion animation and Pans Labyrinthian horror, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a certified Christmas classic for all the family. Kids gotta learn to behave some way or another! LIFE HUTCH Never before has a pet playing with a laser tory been so stressful. Just the uncanniest of valleys in terms of life-like animation here, I’m unsure at times where the line between live action Michael B. Jordan and animation lands throughout this episode. You’ll feel every shot of pain, hopelessness and isolation in this space thriller. Welcome to Life Hutch! THE DROWNED GIANT Ending on a colossal note, we are invited to experience an Osymandian tale of woe and modern society in the face of the grandiose and gargantuan. Where there is no life or power, humanity dwindles and leaves only a materialistic carcass. While by no means a poorly animated episode, in fact it is suitably unbelievable how detailed and realistic the animation is, the crutch of this episode is the thought-provoking message of humanity’s eclipsing capacity for inhumanity and a commercialised circle of life. OVERALL In conclusion, Love Death + Robots: Volume 2 is a solid and surprisingly easy watch. There are significantly less episodes than its predecessor and that loss is not entirely made up for with extremely diverse animation styles. The styles utilized however, bestow an uncanny valley of realism and a bouquet of beautiful colours and artwork to blossom the masterful short stories. In my opinion, less is more. I personally began to tune out towards the latter episodes of Volume 1. This volume lands a softer blow in comparison to the viscerally disturbing twists and menacing gore of Volume 1 but rest assured, that trauma is still present and is sure to keep you on your toes! If you enjoyed our Review of LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS: VOLUME 2 then rate or comment below. [yasr_multiset setid=4] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=4] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Love Death + Robots: Volume 2, your favourite episodes and be sure to check out Dan’s review of Volume 1 and Netflix’s Trese! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
Is The Haunting of Hill House Overrated? An Honest Review
The Haunting of Hill House Review: Masterpiece or Lazy Horror? Review – The Haunting of Hill House Directed by: Mike Flanagan Written by: Mike Flanagan & Jeff Howard Produced by: Mike Flanagan & Jeff Howard Starring: Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas & Oliver Jackson-Cohen Release Date: October 12th 2018 Being a fan of Mike Flanagan’s other work and having missed this series when it first released, I decided that it was time to go back and review The Haunting of Hill House. I went back to watch the series in preparation for the release of The Haunting of Bly Manor and was extremely let down by this series. Flanagan is capable of producing great horror, we know this from 2017’s fantastically creepy adaption of Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game and 2019’s fantastic Doctor Sleep. Hill House features some of the same cast members as Gerald’s Game in Carla Gugino and Henry Thomas, whom I both really like. Before diving into Hill House for the first time, I thought that this show was going to be tailor made for me, with a brilliant cast and the same subtle but terrifying horror that Flanagan used in Gerald’s Game. However, after watching the first couple of episodes, I was struggling to get into it. Due to the massive amount of hype and praise that this show received I decided to stick with it. By the time I got to episode 6, I was done, but then my girlfriend guilted me into watching that rest of the series because she wanted to see it and she was, “too scared to watch it alone.” What a huge waste of time that turned out to be. Is Alien: Earth Good? The 2026 Spoiler-Free Verdict If you have read any of my other reviews of horror-based media, you will know that I have a love/hate relationship with the genre. There are very few horror movies or shows that I feel indifferent about. I hate lazy, formulaic bad horror and that is exactly what Hill House is. Every single episode consists of a jump-scare at the start of the episode, then a hard cut either forwards or backwards in the timeline. Then about 15-20 minutes of very poor acting and boring dialogue. This is followed by another cheap jump-scare, usually a woman screaming at an obnoxiously loud volume at the camera. Then we get another hard cut back to the other timeline. The main issue with this structure, (other than being extremely lazy and repetitive,) is that when the hard cut is made to the other timeline, the audience knows that it is done by an editor and that we are now being asked to focus on a part of the story within the other timeline. However, for the characters within the show it makes absolutely zero sense. For example, two people are having a conversation when something creepy happens. They go to investigate and a screaming woman comes launching towards them or is standing at the edge of a bed or doing basically any other ghost story cliché you can think of. Then the show cuts away to show the characters as children being haunted by a different ghost, but then when we cut back to the present, we never find out how the last jump-scare was resolved. What was the aftermath of that screaming lady at the end of the bed you ask? How was that resolved? How are the character’s mentalities after this happened to them? Who cares?! Say the writers, let’s just move on to the next cheap jump-scare. The script is extraordinarily lazy and the child actors are horribly bad. This is an issue that I feel that there isn’t really any excuse for anymore after the brilliant child performances in shows like Stranger Things and Season 2 of the Sinner. If you judge the quality of something based on what it sets out to do versus what it actually does, then The Haunting Of Hill House is the worst show that I have had the displeasure of ever sitting through. The scares are pathetic, the acting is atrocious in places, the script is diabolically cheesy at times, there is hardly any originality present for an, ‘original series,’ and the show is overflowing with clichés. Not once did a jump-scare actually scare me, because they were all either laughably predicable or they would be totally out of place just for the sake of shock value and would merit a heavy sigh rather than an legit scare. The most egregious, offensively bad example of this was when two characters were having a conversation in a car in episode 6 and a ghost randomly screams from the backseat. Please do not waste your time with this series. The last few years has had a plethora of brilliance to offer on the small screen and despite what you might have heard from big publications, this show should not be included in that list.
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Review – The Evil Within 2 (2017)
Review – The Evil Within 2 (2017) Developer: Tango Gameworks Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Genre: Survival Horror Director: John Johanas Release Date: October 13th 2017 I recently revisited the criminally underrated Evil Within 2 for review and I loved almost every second I spent in this insane world. The Evil Within 2 does what all great sequels should aim to do, which is to take the best concepts and systems from the first game and expand on them, while adding in some fresh concepts and discard a lot of the excess fat that dragged the first game down. This game is a much more streamlined action-horror adventure than the first entry and while it starts out with some creepy and uneasy moments, it focuses more on the action element than the horror side of things in comparison with the first game. I do however feel that the game finds a nice equal balance of horror and action, in a way that feels reminiscent of the modern classic, Resident Evil 4. Even though Shinji Mikami didn’t direct this game as he did the first entry, this one actually feels more like a traditional Shinji Mikami game. The villain that torments you for the first third of the game is brilliant, he is engaging, threatening and over the top in all of the best possible ways. The one issue I have with him is that he is sadly killed off far too early and replaced with a more bland, less entertaining villain. There is also some ropey voice acting present in the game, the actor who plays Kidman has been changed from the first game and the new VO artist isn’t quite as engaging in her performance. The actor playing the protagonist’s daughter Lily, is also quite awkward and stilted sounding. There are also some strange lines of dialogue that don’t feel very natural and come across a bit pantomime, but it should be remembered that this is a Japanese game, written in Japanese and then translated into English. I did experience some technical issues whilst playing through the final third of the game, mostly to do with the use of the radio transmitter and I experienced one slight hiccup with the in-game physics. Unfortunately, although these weren’t game-breaking issues, they are still present 4 years after the game’s initial release, meaning I am forced to knock a point off of my overall score. In summary though, this is a damn good time for any horror fan out there. The fact that this game is a great deal easier than the first may bother some of the more hardcore gamers out there, but for me it was fine as I mostly play games for the story anyway rather than the challenge. The optional first person mode is also a nice addition and adds a cool incentive to play through the New Game Plus. [yasr_multiset setid=5] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=5] Read Dan’s thoughts on an inferior horror game here in our review for Vampyr. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
Review – Monstress Volume One
SUMMARY Monstress Volume One: Awakening, is the beginning of your new favourite horror fantasy series written by Marjorie Liu (comic book writer of Black Widow, Dark Wolverine and Astonishing X-Men) and illustrated by Sana Takeda (former designer for SEGA and illustrator for Ms. Marvel as well as X-23 alongside Liu). Game of Thrones meets Princess Mononoke meets Shadow of the Colossus meets Legend of Korra meets Dark Souls. All are limbs, mechanically Frankenstitched to a steampunk body to create something uniquely organic and memorable. In the aftermath of the war between the Cumaea, a council of power hungry humans and the magical hybrids known as the Arcanics, the Known World has become a wasteland for the inhumane with slavery and segregation at the helm. Maika Halfwolf, a half-breed girl and survivor of the war, hunts down the answers to her forgotten past and seeks to avenge her dead mother with a mysterious and gruesome entity by her side and a monstrous voice of reason in her mind. ART Firstly, Takeda has created the Western steampunk metropolis of Zamora, set against a gorgeous East Asian inspired backdrop. Think Legend of Korra but waaaaay darker! The artwork strikes a balance between supernatural levels of gritty realism– both in flesh and machine, and prophetic panels of menacing mythological minimalism. A masterclass in visualizing emotion on the surface in addition to the loose cogs of an industrial city. In contrast to the beautiful scenery and characters, this is a visceral and ugly story. I don’t know where Takeda gets her violent and horrifying inspiration from but it never ceased to contort and twist the nerves. As a well-seasoned veteran of bleak imagery myself, I appreciate the maturity especially when it is important and necessary…but good Goddess there is an abundance of darkness and terror here! WRITING It should be noted, with the comparisons to Game of Thrones and Tolkien’s Middle Earth in its ambitious worldbuilding, it is immediately daunting to intake yet another realm of characters, conflicts, races and rules. Thankfully however, much of the background history is explained through several lectures from the esteemed (and adorable) Professor Tam Tam. Review – Monstress Volume One continues below Truly, the worldbuilding as a whole is brilliantly executed, one line of dialogue in particular gave me chills with an inspiring and idealistic world view that I have never considered before. Perfectly descriptive of the history of this realm and how the current state of things has changed said history. All I’ll say is that it’s on page 96! Most importantly, with a generation changing rise in empowerment for our society, Monstress offers a heartwrenching journey that encapsulates the hardships and inner turmoil of all walks of life. Most notably in its overarching matriarchy and relatable diverse cast of characters as well as the bleak shadow of segregation. Additionally, its more subtle subtexts of mental health and the LGBT+ community offer a new chapter in the Hero’s Journey of inspiration to those battling their own monsters. Furthermore, there’s talking cats if you need a breather from the serious stuff. BALANCE! OVERALL To conclude, have you ever experienced something so visceral yet so versatile in its message that you are convinced you are in the presence of something monumental? That is the experience of reading Monstress Volume One: Awakening. This volume shoots high and breaks through the stratosphere of storytelling with a fiery sky of atmospheric artwork left in its trail. A masterpiece all on its own, that isn’t finished yet. Again, like The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings, this is a household treasure for fantasy fans that demands your annual immersion and guarantees itself to be a timeless classic. In a time of sharing the spotlight with ethnic minorities, empowering feminism and overall evolving as human beings, this comic is in a word, essential. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on our Review of Monstress Volume One the series as a whole with as little spoilers as possible please and if you’d like to see a TV or Film adaption of the series! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
SUMMARY Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the graphic novelization of the virtuosic Francis Ford Coppola film adaption by the same name. A tale as old as time of transcendental terror and tragic temptation, resurrected by legendary comic titan, Roy Thomas, and reimagined through the eyes of the Hellboy visionary, Mike Mignola. For those unfamiliar with the story, it’s like Bridget Jones’ Diary but with vampires. Yeah, I said it. Who is Mina gonna hook up with in the end? ART First and foremost, and I cannot stress this enough, Mike Mignola was born to adapt Bram Stoker’s Dracula, especially the Coppola film. When rewatching the film in preparation for the graphic novelization, it was as if I was experiencing an inverse adaption. As if Coppola had brought Mignola’s artwork to life on the big screen in an alternate but believable reality. This was before I had even opened the novel. Much of the beauty and brilliance of the film stems from the paranormal performance from Gary Oldman as Count Dracula. While the art ironically mirrors his likeness – as well as the other members of the cast, the subtleties and tension of his scenes are lost when confined to the stoic panels of a comic book. Nyberg and Chiarello’s use of colour and shadows differs from Coppola’s film slightly but takes the setting to surprisingly familiar places. Where the film is dynamic and subtle in its use of lighting and colour, the graphic novel goes all out with bright and vibrant colours – especially the prime colours of blue, red and yellow, mixed with enclosing shrouds of darkness. Harkening back to the classic Hammer House of Horror films. WRITING It goes without saying that with a graphic novelisation of a film, the story will be drastically condensed so to balance the adaption with consistency and engagement, and rightly so; quality over quantity. That being said, with this adaption there are both pros and cons to that structure. Some notable quotables have been omitted from the dialogue like the fan favourite line “bloody wolves chasing me through some blue inferno!”. This however, is for good reason. Worse than Keanu’s delivery is the blue inferno effect itself so it makes sense to extinguish that flame. Conversely on the other hand, several alterations have been made to iconic lines. Most notably, “I never drink…wine.” has been replaced with the original novel’s “I do not sup.”. Kudos are in order for subverting the expectation while maintaining integrity, but it just doesn’t have the same finesse. Narratively, the passage of time is noticeably thinner than the film. A maddening month in Castle Dracula in this case feels more like a weekend whirlwind that is over before it even starts. Some more time building tension between Harker & Dracula would serve the retelling well as it is the unbeating heart of the bloodsucker bible. OVERALL The graphic novel is the obedient familiar Renfield to the masterful Dracula film adaption. A truly inspired and faithful work of art. Any issues I have with the novel are more nitpicky than damning critiques and said nitpicks come off as artistic choices as opposed to objective mistakes. You can see the seeds of this adaption in Mignola’s Hellboy: Blood & Iron, an animated film featuring the real-life Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory. I half expected Hellboy to show up here and I wouldn’t be disappointed. Unquestionably, a treasured piece of fiction for fans of the Coppola film as well as the artwork and writing of Mike Mignola and Roy Thomas that is sure to quench a thirsty bloodlust!
Review – Marvel’s Alien #1
Review – Marvel’s Alien #1 Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson Art by Salvador Larroca & Guru-eFX Published by Marvel Released – March, 2021 SUMMARY Marvel’s Alien #1 is the debut of a brand-new comic series written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and brought to you by Marvel (thanks to Disney). The year is 2200. Weyland-Yutani employee, Gabriel Cruz, is sent home after a lifetime of servitude to the controversial company so he can reunite with his family. All the while, he battles a recurring nightmare of his haunted past with help from a counselling Bishop android. Back on Earth, he finds that home life comes with its own haunted past. ART The hyper focused art style and dynamic colour palettes of modern Marvel comics lends itself beautifully to the Alien franchise. With Larocca nailing the crucial queues of fear that arise in the presence of a Xenomorph and Guru-eFX showcasing a different kind of virtuosic darkness in their varied blends of colour and shading, the artwork in this comic will be embedded in the minds of all who dare to take a peek. Despite being a mostly dormant R rated comic to begin with – focussing more on the tense setup of Alien as opposed to the guns-a-blazing Aliens, we do see droplets of the crimson rain in a few panels that is sure to pour as the series continues. In the mean-time, there is more than enough dripping horror squeezed out of this one comic. WRITING First and foremost, the opening monologue immediately reminds you that this is not for the faint of heart. This isn’t just a thrilling comic, this is a flashback to your first paralyzing experience of Xenomorphobia. You’ll be reluctantly turning pages with a sweated palm over your eyes. The dialogue throughout comes off naturally with great readability and emotion, especially between main characters. I believe every word and relate to every breath. Without revealing too much, Johnson has set up a twisted twisty plot with characters you are actually going to care about which is a welcome inclusion. Personally, I love all the characters in the franchise, Covenant is my favourite of the films! With the potential for emotional attachment, there is sure to be added tension when stakes are raised. OVERALL Don’t let the combination of Alien and Disney sour your appetite just yet, this series is shaping up to be an absolutely dramatic and traumatic addition to the Alien franchise. From parasitic corporate politics to pseudo-sexual scenes of symbolism, the themes of the franchise are all on show in Marvel’s Alien #1. Finally, and most importantly, we have a new cat mascot in the Alien lore! His name is Stubs and his fur is black so witches will adore him and I would die for Stubs. I need a Stubs & Jonesy spin-off series on Disney+ ASAP! While you’re at it, add the Alien Queen to the list of princesses. She’s earned it! [yasr_multiset setid=1]