Unfortunately, only the first story is holiday based. A woman is left alone with her child on Christmas Eve as reports of an escaped lunatic wearing a Santa costume come in over the radio. If the plot reminds you of the story 'And All Through The House' from Vault of Horror #35 (and no less than 2 live action adaptations), then give yourself a sugar cookie! There's definitely some inspiration here though our tale has a much happier and magical ending.
The other 3 stories are tales of terror. And like I stated earlier, there's nothing seasonal about them at all. A man dying of radiation poisoning, takes unique revenge on the owner of the nuclear power plant that made him sick. Then a trio of amateur drug dealers hire a mysterious man being trailed by the local authorities as their guide through a dense jungle. Lastly, a bridge troll keeps being evicted from his choice of overpass domiciles.
Vic Catan's artwork on the man dying from radiation sickness was amazing. I thought that the middle story about the guide was a true work of horror. That last story had elements of humor to it. So much that I didn't think it was scary at all. But the ending really was... unexpected.
I paid a little more than I probably should for this issue. But it's a book that is in large demand. The number of times it appears on the pages of the various Facebook groups I am a member of is proof of that. (I've seen it at least twice so far this season.) Along with having some holiday elements to it, this is also an anniversary issue. Marking the 25th anniversary of the title's creation, the page long account of the history of how this series was birthed during a tumultuous period in comic book history as Tales of the Unexpected was a fascinating read that added to my enjoyment of this book.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment