Freakfest Friday - Horror Comic Book Reviews

LOST BOYS: REIGN OF FROGS - Issue #2
WildStorm Entertainment http://www.dccomics.com/wildstorm/
Written by Hans Rodionoff Art by Joel Gomez

So David didn't die. The rule is, in order to validate a sequel, you have to have returning characters. But the thing is, bring them back if they have purpose. David? No purpose. Him and his mullet were done for. No reason whatsoever to bring him back. I should have known that was a great possibility with it being a WildStorm book. In fact, the new slogan is, "WildStorm - Proceed with Caution! Comic Book may self-destruct at any second, even on the first page."

I don't like being harsh on WildStorm since they have a great eye for artistic talent, but what they lack is ethics in the storytelling, and what risks will do to established properties such as Lost Boys, along with the other horror titles like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Reign of Frogs is to bridge the gap between the first film and the coming sequel, but having David return

is like having George Clooney return to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. It's uncalled for. And even though Grandpa extends the story from the first film in a way that fans will say, "Why did you do that?", it's still more believable than David's return. And to think, the first issue really got me onboard, only to ruin it with this poorly executed second issue.

I'm not sure what happened inbetween writing the first issue and second issue, but somebody dropped the ball, and since the art seems pretty much the same, I can't point the finger at them. A true disappointment.

GRADE: D CONTINUE READING: This issue put a hard stop on this series. I'll probably check out the third issue just to see if this second one was a fluke, but it's going to need a lot of magic in it. Lots.

LOCKE & KEY - Issue #5
IDW Publishing                http://www.idwpublishing.com
Written by Joe Hill                Art by Gabriel Rodriguez

The climax gets dirty as Sam makes his way to Lovecraft. His ruthless, unforgiving nature rivals that of No Country for Old Men Anton Chigur, where only a select few may live so that the rest can die tragically. It's symbolic in a sense, where the innocent become broken for no good reason but pure circumstance, and how that person deals with it, well, is normally not in a good way. Sam, he's a good kid. He just has to kill people to feel better.

Joe Hill continues to mix Clive Barker and Stephen King like it were a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Both influences show in his writing, and it tastes pretty darn good. How he crafted such a scary but intriguing tale with children of all age brackets shows he's a talented writer with many levels of storytelling. Gabriel Rodriguez also continues to make this book shine in the art department, sometimes making the paper disappear behind his gorgeous panels. I love this book, and I don't want it to end.

GRADE:         A         CONTINUE READING? I don't know how I'm going to stop wanting more after the next issue.

DEATH WALKS THE STREETS - Issue #0 Convention Exclusive
The Scream Factory www.myspace.com/thescreamfactory
Written by James Zahn & Ben Brezinski Art by Guilherme Balbi

The streets are alive once again... with death of course. The long-awaited film has a comic book to introduce what many online fans have been curious about, and it delivers what the tag-line has always told us.

Vampires. Demons. Zombies. Werewolves. The Mob.

Looks like they forgot one big, bad evil tribe of no-gooders: Corporate America.

Issue zero gives us the three characters and how they will deal with the many evils to walk the streets. Some are natural, some are skilled, and some learn from a video game on how to kill zombies. If it were me though, I'd want to learn more about killing demons and probably the mob because zombies are pretty elementary in the killing department.

I mean, if I come face to face with a demon, my mind is going to be searching for the nearest library and/or church!

Written by James Zahn and Ben Brezinski, issue zero is nice little set-up in the vein of Ghostbusters, where many types of evil just kind of pop up at once, and they write like the comic book moves in frames per second. The art is great from Guilherme Balbi, looking like a pumped-up Karl Moline (Fray) and keeping it real. Death Walks the Streets is fast-paced and bloody, and horror fans will like where this is going. Just as long as the Real Ghostbusters don't show up!

GRADE: B CONTINUE READING? I'm interested to see more, so I'll be on the sidewalk, staying clear of the death, but looking out for those pesky zombies.