Nick Cato's Blog, page 41

Comic Geek Update #3

(The continuing chronicles of a re-born comic reader...)
Dark Horse Comics strikes hard with the premiere issue of METALOCALYPSE: DETHKLOK, based on the popular Adult Swim animated series. We find everyone's favorite death metal band about to unleash their own line of frozen dinners...and some serious hilarity ensues. If this series keeps the humor level this high it's sure to be a big hit.
DC's ongoing zombie series BRIGHTEST DAY continues with another dark segment in the Aquaman/Black Manta war, and the newly resurrected Deathstorm manages to obtain the White Lantern which he uses to bring back a small army of zombie villains thought to have been banished. The struggle between Deathstorm and Firestorm seems to be headed to a conclusion that should be similar to the classic Marvel title, "What if Dark Phoenix had Lived." We'll see.

VERTIGO's retro-looking series i,ZOMBIE continues to be one of the more entertaining titles on the market. In issues 4 and 5, an ancient Egyptian prince/mummy named Amon begins to teach everyone's favorite zombie girl, Gwen, what she has become (and gives her lessons on the origins of various creatures). Meanwhile, the monster hunters manage to get vampire girl Claire (although there's a strange error in issues 4 and 5: in issue 4 she's spiked with a silver knife, yet they bury her in issue 5 with a wooden stake in her heart. Go figure!). Regardless, these two issues read quick and lead nicely into issue 6, which features the origin of Gwen's friend Scott (who's also a "were-terrier."). Scott tells the story of how his grandfather raised him following the death of his parents; when he gets older and leaves home and is bit by a dying terrier, only to have the dog's spirit enter his body and cause him to change into a were-terrier once a month during the full moon. Flashes to issues 4 and 5 are cleverly spliced in-between the narrative. What becomes of Scott's grandfather leaves room for lots of fun possibilities. Michael Allred's artwork is simple but clean, reminiscent of 50s and 60s comics (issue 6 is even printed on retro-styled paper). Lovin' this series to (un)death...

Smart, Funny . . . and Weird

NEW WORLD MONKEYS (2009 Three Rivers Press / 292 pp. / tp)

After reading about this in a 2009 issue of Writer's Digest magazine, I was lured in by the quirky premise: but thanks to my heavy reading schedule, I missed the original hardcover release. The trade edition came out this past September, and I'm glad I finally had the chance to check out Mauro's highly-praised debut novel.

Duncan and Lily have been married 5 years. Already on the verge of separation, Lily decides to spend the summer at an inherited Victorian home in the small upstate town of Osterhagen in order to work on her dissertation. Duncan--recently put in charge of a make-him or break-him ad campaign--plans to visit on the weekends but remain in the city during the week to get the job done.

The tale takes a strange turn right from the get-go when our couple run over a wild boar on their ride upstate. Stuck under the front of their Saab, Lily puts the boar out of its misery with a tire iron when Duncan hesitates to do so. They place the animal in a nearby ditch, and shortly after settling in the new home they learn the boar ws actually the town's mascot...and that it has a jealous owner.

While Duncan puts together a controversial ad campaign in the city (he attempts to sell blue jeans using a Vietnam theme and two porn-looking asian models), Lily begins her studies at the Osterhagen library, only to be distracted by a peeping Tom named Lloyd. Fascinated by his techniques, she actually befriends him and begins to join him on excursions. The relationship between these two is the highlight of the novel.

Duncan's growing paranoia about his wife deepens when he attempts to start a gardening project in their new backyard, only to unearth human bones they learn belonged to Lily's great grandfather's nanny: the couple become obsessed with pieceing together the skeleton as well as the story behind it: all the while they're trying to keep their secret of killing the boar under cover, the boar's owner's annoying poodle starts to show up in their back yard, digging around their bone find. Eventually, Duncan takes care of the poodle in an attempt to make up for his mishandling of the boar situation.

With some serious small-town tension that brings several classic horror stories to mind, nearly endless dark and sarcastic humor, and three of the richest characters I've had the pleasure of reading in many moons, NEW WORLD MONKEYS is a love story that's anything but sappy; Mauro cleverly uses odd relationships, unusual situations, and rich symbolism (as well as Lily's past) to study a couple on an uncertain course. The final chapter is a surreal, beautiful end note that had me longing for more.

Even if literary novels aren't your thing, NEW WORLD MONKEYS is a best bet if you're seeking something truly out of the ordinary. I'll most certainly be reading this one again.

(Cover of the 2009 hardcover edition)

A HUNT You Don't Want to Miss

WOLF HUNT by Jeff Strand (2010 Dark Regions Press / hc)
Despite me not being a big werewolf fan, there's been plenty of good werewolf novels around lately. Jeff Strand's latest is no exception.
George and Lou, two low-level gangsters, are hired to deliver some guy named Ivan from Miami to Tampa to a crime lord. Ivan also happens to be caged. The thugs have been told to be careful because their captive is a werewolf. Naturally, Ivan manages to escape, and what follows is one of Strand's goriest (and, surprisingly, funniest) stories to date (especially if you have a sick sense of humor like me).
What makes WOLF HUNT different from other werewolf novels (at least the several I've read) is Ivan: even before he turns into a wolf (which he can do at will), he's one tough, sarcastic cookie who makes even George and Lou look like two wussies. Getting to know him a bit before his transformation prepares the reader's mind: if this guy is THIS hardcore as a human, just wait till he turns into a monster. And MAN does this SOB get busy in the splatter department...
WOLF HUNT's dialogue is quite funny (just check out chapter three's discussion between New York and Florida animals as well as a few of Ivan's rants) and the use of explosives toward the finale added some classic slapstick to the (nearly) non-stop action (the mention of a "classic Centipede machine" being destroyed almost made me wet my drawers).
Even with all this humor, the scenes of Ivan (in werewolf form) attacking get quite intense and there's several instances where the thrills work quite well.
Cemetery Dance Magazine said (several years ago) that "No author working today comes close to Jeff Strand's perfect mix of comedy and terror." With a large stack of books now under his belt, his latest, WOLF HUNT, continues to make that statement ring true. It's surely one of his all-around best, and the stage is even set for a sequel...
(If you still can't get enough Strand/wolfness after reading this, seek out his hysterical 2006 White Noise Press chapbook titled 'Werewolf Porno/Sex Potion #147.')

DOCTOR HOLOCAUST: A Revisit to My Favorite Euro-Trash Film

When my family bought our first VCR, it was 1983 and I was a high school sophomore. The first two films I had rented were BLOOD FEAST (1963), and DOCTOR BUTCHER, M.D. (1979), that was released to DVD a few years ago under the title ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST. I remember asking the owner of my local video rental store, "What's the grossest horror film you have?" Without hesitation, he pulled DOCTOR BUTCHER off the shelf and handed it to me. Suffice it to say, he wasn't kidding. The blood flows like a broken dam in this Euro-sleaze-fest that had my brother and I glued to the screen for repeated viewings.
The aforementioned DVD release (from Shreik Show in 2002) quickly sold out, but I managed to find a copy at this past September's HORRORFIND convention in Pennsylvania. Having not watched for at least 20 years, I recently got around to popping the disc in.
The only thing that bothers me is the "new" beginning; in the DOCTOR BUTCHER version (which was the official American cut of the film), the opening title sequence featured an eerie graveyard scene that was taken from an unreleased film titled TALES THAT'LL TEAR YOUR HEART OUT (google it---it's an interesting story). The music was also quite spooky, and the boring opening credits on the new ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST edition just don't cut it in my opinion. But then again, this is how it was seen throughout the rest of the world.
Shriek Show's DVD is very well done, and includes (as extras) an extensive stills and poster gallery and an unintentionally humorous interview with FX man Marizio Trani, where he admits to never even seeing the finished film!, and also scenes from the film used for the American release.
Watching it again after all these years was a real trip; the sheer brutality of the gore scenes border on the absurd, the Doctor's low-tech lab (that's actually the inside of a large shed on an island) had me cracking up, and the English overdubbing is as pitiful as any Godzilla film. I believe every horror fan (especially zombie completists) should see this at least once; it's another fine example of why 1979 was such a great year for horror films.
If you've never seen it, DOCTOR BUTCHER (or ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST) is basically a Third World Cannibal film, only instead of just "tribal jungle cannibals" you get doctor-created mutant zombies running all over the place, PLUS one of the easiest-to-look-at leading ladies ever to grace a Euro horror film (the lovely Alexandra Delli Colli) who spends most of the final 20 minutes buck naked.
Also: DOCTOR BUTCHER contains THE greatest use of an outboard motor in cinematic history.
ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Despite this cheap eye-gouge effect, it's still kind-of hard to watch.
What happens when a zombie gets too close to an outboard motor


The beautiful Alexandra Delli Colli as Lori Ridgeway

Star Ian McCulloch would return a year later in Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE, but DOCTOR BUTCHER's where the real action's at
Donald O'Brien as DOCTOR BUTCHER. Piss him off and he has no problem removing your scalp (or your vocal chords)
The DVD cover for SHRIEK SHOW's 2002 release
The classic PARAGON VHS case cover, circa 1983
McCulloch protecting Colli with outboard motor
Star Ian McCulloch with me and my buddy Chris at the CHILLER THEATRE expo, Parsippany, NJ. 4/2009

A Nice, Quick Thriller...

VERMILION DRIFT by William Kent Krueger (2010 Atria Books / 305 pp. / hc)
This is the 10th novel from Krueger featuring private investigator Cork O'Connor (a former sheriff), but the first I've read. I'm always weary coming into a series late, but thankfully Krueger gives much back info on O'Connor and for the most part I didn't feel lost for a second.
Still recovering from the murder of his wife, O'Connor is hired to look into threats being made against a mine that the government is planning to store nuclear waste in (the mine is named Vermilion Drift). While checking the mine out, he discovers 6 dead bodies; 5 turn out to have been dead for over 40 years, but one is the body of a woman he had also been hired to locate. The plot thickens when it's discovered two of the corpses have bullets in their heads that came from a gun O'Connor had inherited from his father.
VERMILLION DRIFT is a decent thriller, and a very good mystery. There's plenty of twists and several times the story went where I least expected it. Add a plus for a couple of very suspenseful scenes, as well as a well done ending. Krueger's prose is quick and clean, and also a bit more literary than much of what's found in your standard mainstream thriller.

BLACK STATIC No. 18: Another Keeper

The 18th issue of the UK's BLACK STATIC magazine continues to be one of the best horror fiction magazines on the market (it's been showing up at American Barnes & Noble stores lately, so now you have NO excuse not to check it out).
After another great film column from Stephen Volk, as well as a continuation of Christopher Fowler's 2nd installment of a short story competition (the second set of winning 10 shorts are printed, too), we dive head-first into this issue's 5 fiction pieces, and as usual there isn't a sour one in the bunch. Nina Allan's opening aquatic offering ORINOCO will make you look at angelfish in a whole new way, Carole Johnstone's BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE gives a nice look at one woman's paranoia, and Simon Kurt Unsworth's A MAN OF ICE AND SORROW is one of the creepiest snowman-themed stories I've read in quite a while. Nicholas Royle's THE OBSCURE BIRD is a standard yet very well told tale of a woman who discovers why her husband's been acting so weird at night, and Mercurio D. Rivera's TU SUFRIMIENTO SHALL PROTECT US deals with a man trying to understand the annoying sounds that continue to disturb his apartment, complete with an unexpected conclusion.
Then comes the review sections, which I always turn to first. Peter Tennant delivers yet another fantastic interview, this time with author Adam Nevill, then gives us another batch of in-depth book reviews, including Ellen Datlow's LOVECRAFT UNBOUND and one I'm now looking forward to titled DECAY INEVITABLE by Conrad A. Williams. The DVD reviews take up 7 pages and cover most recent releases.
All this, and one wickedly disturbing cover, too. Seriously...why aren't you reading this yet? Info at http://ttapress.com/

Comic Geek Update # 2

(The continuing chronicles of a re-born comic reader...)

I've been seeing this title for years at my local comics joint, but had only read one issue over the years. I couldn't resist picking up this reprint of the first issue (from 2003), especially since Dark Horse Comics released it for just a buck.
I can now see why artist & writer Eric Powell has won awards and much praise for this series. After a brief origin (Goon's an orphan being raised in a circus by his aunt, until a mobster kills her, setting our hero on his life path), we're off on Goon's first adventure, which features zombies, grave diggers, gangsters, creepy mongoloid brothers, a hobo jungle (!), and a few other strange characters, all wrapped around a nice retro-looking design.
Big mistake here (financially): I'm surely going to be looking for some GOON back issues or collections. This is addictive, top notch story telling that's very hard to put down.
DC Comic's bi-weekly post-zombie series BRIGHTEST DAY hits a magical mark with the 10th issue. There's been just WAY to much going on here to recap in a respectable length, so do a little googling if you're interested.
This time, Firestorm learns that he and Ronald, when together, have the ability to agitate the actual spark that created the original Big Bang and just may be able to trigger another one (remember folks, this is only a comic---don't panic!). Somehow the scientist working with Firestorm has managed to capture that spark and is studying it.
Meanwhile, Aqualad learns his parents aren't who he thought they were, and a genuinely creepy meeting with Black Manta and Siren goes down almost like a horror story; Aquaman shows up in the nick of time, meanwhile Firestorm turns back into the creature he had become in the DARKEST NIGHT series. Issue 11 can't come fast enough.
BRIGHTEST DAY is a fine example of why this 42-year old man is still a comics geek.
I have NO IDEA whatever happened to the 2nd issue of DYNAMITE Comic's adaptation of THE WARRIORS, but I was glad to track down the 3rd issue (and yeah---that cover is KILLER!).
If you're not a fan of the film, you probably won't care for this as it's a scene-by-scene adaptation. If you ARE a fan of the film, you'd better be a HUGE fan because there's nothing new here. Hence, unless you LOVE your Warriors, you're not missing anything. MY main gripe with the series is how dark the artwork is. There has to be another way to capture the look of night time without making the reader go blind in the process.
Until next time...

One of the BEST of 2010

PRETTY LITTLE DEAD THINGS by Gary McMahon (2010 Angry Robot / 312 pp. / tp)
Thomas Usher is the survivor of a car accident that claimed the lives of his wife and daughter. Now it's fifteen years later, and since the accident he's been given the ability to see and receive subtle messages from the dead. In constant grief and attempting to understand his supernatural abilities, Thomas is called to investigate the disappearance of a gangster's daughter...and it leads him on a dark adventure through multiple realities (or "levels") that lead to one gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, intense finale.
McMahon's ghosts are half human/half spirit beings looking to make their way through the afterlife; Thomas Usher is known as an "Usher" as he guides certain souls on their path. In PRETTY LITTLE DEAD THINGS, he also comes face to face with a being that could be a spirit, or a demon, or one that has yet to be discovered, and it's a being whose unpredictability makes this novel nearly impossible to out down.
A strong cast (including Usher's tattooist go-to buddy and his law connection, Detective Inspector Tebbit) makes this novel shine, while a new, complicated relationship between Usher and his one-time mistress named Ellen ads even more depth to an already deep tale. One scene, dealing with a paranormal con-artist, is a highlight of Usher's investiagation.
The entire tone of this novel managed to get under my skin; it's constantly dark with nearly every scene filled with dread and impending doom. McMahon's atmopshere is fantastic, thanks to his partially-poetic (and well-timed) prose. While there's a few scenes of well-placed (and graphic) violence, it doesn't distract from the dark fantasy feel (and in fact manages to increase it).
PRETTY LITTLE DEAD THINGS is one of those novels that you don't want to end. You want to follow Usher on his journey, and hopefully he'll be back to help guide more spirits on their way. This one's a keeper and easily one of my favorite horror novels of 2010.
(NOTE: This book will be available in the US and Canada in January, 2011. It will be released in the UK and Australia in November, 2010).

WAS This the First "Cop Buddy" Movie?

Find out as my latest article is now LIVE at Cinema Knife Fight!
http://cinemaknifefight.com/2010/09/30/suburban-grindhouse-memories-a-scream-in-the-streets/

Go Green!

PAINTER'S GREEN (2010 Damnation Books / 35 pp. / tp)

Cyrus Wraith Walker's PAINTER'S GREEN is basically a 35-paged short story that for some reason was released as a $12.36 (?!) chapbook.

The story itself is fine, about a man named Terry who inherits a unique can of his grandfather's paint: it seems "Painter's Green" has the ability to not only replenish itself in its sole gallon container, but brings all kinds of good fortune to the places and people it touches. Of course, things eventually get out of hand, but Walker handles the tale tightly and with a great protagonist. It sort-of reminded me of the grass-monster segment from the original CREEPSHOW film.

I'm assuming the hefty cover price will deter many from checking this out, so hopefully it'll be part of a collection somewhere down the road.