Tommy
Features two seasonal stories. Both are solid ideas, but neither is given any room to breathe and the issue as a whole really suffers for it.
It isn't all that bad in the first tale, “The Christmas Man”, because the story is intentionally simple and straightforward. That being said, the second tale, “Package Thief”, feels like it was hacked away at until some essential something was lost. Great concept, but it was over before it even got started! It could've filled this issue's page count (or more) by itself and would've been better off for it.
While this one shot deserved to have more meat on the bone, both stories looked great and the overall presentation made me excited to seek out more of these comics because the TV show is super fun.
I usually vibe pretty well with Grandy Hendrix and this short story was no exception. I came away wishing there was a little more of it, but what was here had me hook, line, and sinker.
I loved this series so much! It pulled me kicking and screaming out of a particularly terrible reading slump and I'm beyond grateful.
If you're gonna read a book about writing, who better to study than The King? On Writing is as much a book about the philosophy of writing as it is about the nuts and bolts of the process, and King is his usual charming, no-nonsense self within its pages. If you're a wannabe writer who needs that little kick in the rear to get back to the keyboard and get going, read this book. Trust me.
The notion that you can't change the life you're born into but that you can work to change the life you ultimately lead is not new, but it's massively important. Those of us who have had to learn that firsthand still need to be reminded about it sometimes. The back half of this book hit me like a bag of bricks, man. It was powerful! Rachel Harrison rocks.
It pains me to not give this the full five star treatment, but I did have one gripe. I was told more than once that there would be this mindblowing twist fairly early on and I somehow unravelled that twist almost instantly. I'm not good at that kind of thing and I never willfully attempt it, but this one clicked into place in my mind immediately and it got the book and I off to a bad start because I was twiddling my thumbs for a few dozen pages. It was more the fault of word of mouth and coy marketing than the book itself - this is my third Rachel Harrison read to date and I'm definitely a fan - but it did jeopardize what eventually became an immensely rewarding read.
WAY too many characters for a book with no plot. I don't ask for much from these schlocky old Point Horror titles, but this one was a bit of a travesty. There are a few good moments near the end and I enjoyed the Freddy Krueger homage; mostly, though, this book is a poorly written mess. And not even a fun one!
I loved this! It's a fairly simple set up but I found it really engrossing and am excited to move forward from here. I wish I had known about these books when they were new because I have a feeling I would have become absolutely obsessed with them after reading this one.
This team up just feels right! I already knew David Avallone had a good handle on writing Elvira but his take on Vincent Price is just as wonderful. This was SO much fun; I'd love to see a sequel down the line.
The best parts of this book are genuinely unnerving. At a certain point, something with so many sightings - and so much strangeness surrounding said sightings - feels hard to dismiss outright, no matter how skeptical you are. And the deeper you dig into the Mothman case, the weirder it becomes. As a story, whether you buy it or not, it's pretty fascinating stuff.
That said, there are better ways to experience this story than with this book. The book feels dated and is honestly a bit of a mess, meandering from incident to incident in a way that lacks any real cohesion. It's not awful, but it's one of those books that's better off summarized than actually read. If you're interested in the subject matter, I'd recommend the Astonishing Legends podcast's fascinating, multi-part series on the Mothman instead - because it covers everything in this book and then some, and in a more organized, engaging fashion.
144 pages of schlocky, self-aware, gratuitous gore for gore's sake. The whole book plays like a wild, wicked '80s horror film. I liked it, of course - this sort of thing is right up my horror loving alley. That said, the lack of a strong central character to root for brought things down a notch, making what could've easily been a great book only a good one.
Nevertheless, this was a solid read that I'd recommend to those who think they can handle it, but only ever to those who think they can handle it because it's pretty intense.
This was a silly idea from the get-go, but it could've been far worse than it actually is.
This comic book miniseries was conceived as an “expansion” of sorts to the original Evil Dead. The most interesting parts of this adaptation are the bits we DIDN'T see in the movie; the directly translated parts are too rushed to capture the tension the film version nailed so perfectly and the book suffers for it. That said, the artwork is on point and the narration text really nails Ash's character so there's certainly still a lot here for Evil Deadheads like myself to enjoy.
The mesmerizing story of the meteoric rise and mind-boggling fall of World Championship Wrestling, a pro wrestling promotion that took the genre to new heights and then ultimately to new lows before dying a fascinating death in early 2001. It's a hilarious, gripping read and it's required material for any wrasslin' fan.
This is my second trip through this book and I loved it even more this time around - especially the revised edition's new additions, detailing lessons other wrestling promotions have learned (and, more often, not learned) from this, the cautionary tale of WCW's demise.
I'm of two minds about this book. Walt Flanagan's toootally twisted artwork is epic, but the overall story is too confusing and abstract to really live up to it. It's an interesting idea but it just isn't executed as well as it could've been. If you're a fan of the creators' fantastic podcast Tell ‘Em-Steve Dave or their TV show Comic Book Men you'll find things to enjoy here, for sure, but I can't recommend it to the casual reader.
An original Friday the 13th comic book tale - well, as original as “Jason Voorhees stalks and slashes people at Camp Crystal Lake” can be, I suppose. It's a surprisingly fun read if you're a fan of the series like myself because the six issue length gives the story just enough time to breathe and develop without overstaying its welcome. The book also introduces a new wrinkle to Camp Crystal Lake's mythology that's actually pretty interesting! And the depiction of Jason is perfect; you see just enough of him to keep the story suspenseful and to make sure that each of his appearances deliver. The book has some problems - it's aged pretty badly with regards to political correctness, for sure, and the artwork is middling whenever Jason isn't on screen - but as a story alone it really surpassed my (admittedly low) expectations. High art this ain't, but Jason fans will dig it.
Loving this series so far even though it's a bit of a slow starter. It kind of plays like a mixture of the Addams Family and Supernatural - but with a darker tone than either - and it's right up my alley as a horror fan. The artwork is amazing, too; it's delightfully macabre and really enhances the tone of the story. Can't wait to keep reading.
While this book is longer than it needs to be and some of the content has aged pretty poorly, it has a great story, likable characters, and plenty of truly chilling horror. It isn't perfect, but there sure is a lot to love here.
Pretty good! Lays a solid foundation for a series I hope to continue reading. The plot was a little predictable and the villain quite undercooked, but I really liked the protagonists and all the worldbuilding. I have a feeling this series will only improve as it goes on.
As a southerner and a horror fiend, I really liked this. The characters and setting had me feeling right at home and the villain was fun and unique even if his motivations weren't especially interesting. Really, the only thing holding this one back for me was that it alternated between two plot threads and the B plot was undercooked in a way that made me question its inclusion altogether. That's a pretty minor gripe, though; most of this book entertained the hell out of me.
I'm gonna have to give Ronald Kelly's work a more thorough look sometime soon!
It's not a bad book, but I probably would've liked it better as a short story because parts of it feel a little tedious and padded out. Still, I liked the characters and the overall story. A solid read.
This was such a good series! I can't believe Marvel ended it after a measly two volumes. Tom Taylor has such a great grasp of what makes Spider-Man tick; I'm super bummed that we won't get to see more of his take on the character. But regardless, this was a fun read that was just as excellent as the first volume. The final issue even made this Spidey fan tear up a little!
I'm a big Adam Cesare fan, but this novella was unfortunately a swing and a miss. It takes too long to get to the action and when the good stuff does happen it doesn't happen for nearly long enough. The beginning feels padded and the ending feels strangely rushed. The characters also seem rushed; I liked them initially but nobody was given time to grow or develop. The ending could've been good if it had been built up properly, but as is it just... kinda happens?
It hurts to rate this so low because it has a great premise and I love Cesare's work. That said, I'd be lying to myself if I went even one star higher.
A fun, if somewhat uninspired, adaptation of the film. Nothing special, but if you're a fan of the source material it makes for a pleasant, quick read that's perfect for the Halloween season.