Old Head

After the death of his mother, a retired basketball player and his daughter return home to settle her estate. The owner of the creepy old castle up the road has wanted desperately for years to purchase the home. When the athlete goes to sell his childhood home, he learns that the residents of the citadel are a coven of vampires, led by the Lord of the bloodsuckers himself, Count Dracula! 

Kyle Starks wrote and illustrated this madcap tale that may look suitable for children. But it's anything but! Lots of swears. Tons of gratuitous talk about sexual depravity. Lots of blood and death. Some nudity; including an anus! What do you expect? It's rated mature!

My wife actually picked this book up for me. It states on the back cover that Dracula and his brood are preparing for their favorite holiday. Me being a fan of holiday comics and graphic novels, she thought that this was a Halloween set book. I must admit, from reading the description, I did too. But there's a saying, 'don't judge a book by its cover ' and that also applies to the back of the book as well as the front.

I also thought that the retired basketball star, nicknamed 'Old Head' by rookies, was going to battle the vampires in a game of basketball. It would have fit with the oddball nature of the book. Plus there's an image on the back cover of the protagonist dunking over someone outdoors, at night with a full moon out. Assumptions got me again.

Not a bad read for only $3. I won't keep it. But maybe I can get a keeper when I trade this in at a used book store somewhere. Expect the unexpected. Only not in terms of scares but Monty Python level comedic twists that definitely push the envelope over the edge and into the rubbish bin. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Dracula

Witness the rise and fall of a Hollywood movie icon in Lugosi. If you thought you knew the whole story from Tim Burton's Ed Wood bio-pic, guess again! Creator Shadmi Koren dives right into Lugosi's early life in Romania, disappointing his high-brow successful parents with wild dreams of becoming an actor to becoming one of Budapest's greatest actors, only to flee for his life for his failed support of the Communist party. 

An exiled Bela will take the stage in London as Dracula, gaining notoriety before immigrating to the United States in hopes of becoming a star. Unfortunately, his thick accent and lack of mastery of the English language makes roles on Broadway few and far between. But when Bela moves to California to try his hand at Hollywood, the actor will be reunited with Count Dracula, beginning a lifelong connection with the Lord of Vampires that will wrongly typecast Lugosi as just another schlock horror movie actor. 

Shadmi Koren's artwork was fantastic. I felt like both Lugosi and cinematic rival Boris Karloff were alive and well right in front of me. I learned so much about early Hollywood horror and my respect for Ed Wood, based on how above and beyond he would go for his friends and family, has increased exponentially. And I was already a fan of his! Though I felt at times that Koren's personal commentary took over for what was supposed to be a passive narrative voice, I want to read more of his works- especially his graphic novel account of the life of Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling!

Want to capture the Halloween spirit of things without being too scared? The life and times of Bela Lugosi is one way to capture the magic of the season without having to sleep with the lights on!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 8

No. You haven't gone back in time! The calendar is right. It's December 8th.  I know that this might sound oxy-moronic but there actually are Christmas ornaments based on the classic monsters of Universal Horror. Let's take a quick look at a few...

You can depend on Christopher Radko to have an official line of blown glass ornaments based on the Universal Monsters. This set of 6 includes Frankenstein and his Bride, Dracula, The Wolfman, Gill Man and the Mummy. Being blown glass, I am sure it is down right impossible to get the likenesses just right. Yet, I think the Mummy looks just like Boris Karloff did in the 1932 film.

For some really quality looking likenesses, look no further than at Oriental Trading Company. They've got several officially licensed mini-busts ornaments that appear that straight from the movie! My favorites are of Claude Rains' Invisible Man and Lon Chaney's Phantom of the opera.

It seems that I can't do an Advent post about holiday ornaments without making a small trip through Hallmark village. In 2014, the greeting card company released a bauble in honor of 1931's Frankenstein that was designed for your tree. It's a beautiful rendering of Boris Karloff, if such a thing can be classified as such.

On the Etsy route, I just couldn't believe my eyes with this handmade ornament crafted by the seller LTCPinball. I first thought it was actually made by Bally. Second, I could not believe that this was not officially licensed stuff. It's museum quality!

While the pinball ornament is fantastic, it's also a bit pricey. On the more affordable route, seller HomemadeHorrorStore has a set of handcrafted ceramic ornaments based on the Universal monsters. The seller also has modern monsters. But it's the old school characters that capture my eye like the Bride of Frankenstein.

Lastly, I want to pay tribute to the late night horror hosts. Though these guys (and occasion gal) weren't officially licensed by Universal Studios, if not for them reminding the next generation of movie buffs of these creatures of the night, characters such as the Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon might be lost to time. In honor of these hosts being the keepers of the flame, I want to honor my favorite of the bunch, MeTV's Svengoolie. Here's a handmade trinket in which its shape could also pay tribute to Hanukkah. 

Bizarre Adventures #1

Not happy with the website I use to catalog my comic book collection and wish list, I'm inventorying all 11,000 plus comic books. It's an arduous process, but it's helping me catch things that have slipped in the cracks. And that's where we come to this book. 

I bought this comic new in 2019. I read it within a day or so of purchasing. And then I filed it in my long boxes without neither a review nor adding it to my database. 

This one-shot is a tribute to the Bizarre Adventures anthologies series from 1981-83. Originally titled Marvel Preview, the name change occurred at issue #25. The book was originally a magazine format; which was code for containing material not encumbered by the Comics Code. Marvel kept the oversized magazine format for a couple of issues with the new name. However, the name change wasn't enough to win over new fans. So, some of the last few issues were released in comic book format. Even with forgoing the CCA, Marvel just couldn't make the series a hit and Bizarre Adventures ended with issue #34; a holiday horror classic!

Even though Bizarre Adventures wasn't a commercial success, the title became a cult classic. Thus the tribute release in 2019.

There are four stories in this issue. First up is an origin or early years story starring that eternal monster hunter, Ulysses Bloodstone. Set in his days as a caveman, it turns out that those pesky Skrulls have been visiting here a heck of a lot longer than we originally thought.

Story #2 involves Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu. I don't recall much of the plot. I do recall when I read this 3 years ago, my eyes were opened to a Communist Chinese concept of building new cities for the purpose of keeping unoccupied until the need for relocating citizens. In 2019, I couldn't believe such cities existed. But I think last year or maybe 2020, when China needed to divert a river or a dam, they moved their people to one of these brand spanking new metropolises. Therefore, in a weird sort of way, life imitated art!

Third story involves Dracula. Set in like the 20s or 30s, the Lord of the Vampires becomes enamored with a beauty. But of course, there's a twist!

Lastly, things are wrapped up with a Bill Foster Giant Man/Goliath story. It was a hot mess that was supposed to be the debut of some hot new talent. Maybe this cartoonist is some great player on the Indy comics circuit. But they just weren't Marvel material.

Like I said, it's been about 3 years since I read this book. And as you can tell from the Shang-Chi story, my memory isn't 100% clear. So I'm going to base my review on how I felt about the book in 2019. I hated the Bill Foster story. It's too psychedelic for my taste. Loved the two true horror stories that comprise this book. The Master of Kung-Fu story was good. But I apparently only remembered the wrong parts of this book.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars. 

Essential Doctor Strange, Vol. 3

This volume of Essential Doctor Strange sees the good doctor back in the starring role of his own title. After renouncing his title as Master of the Mystic Arts with the cancellation of his first series, Stephen Strange went back into medicine. But as with just about any and all comic book universes, you just can't keep a good character down.

After teaming with both the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner, Doctor Strange donned his mystical cape and formed the Defenders. With the popularity of that super-team title, Strange starred in about a dozen issues of Marvel Premiere. With the horror levels amped up thanks to the recent loosening of the Comics Code, Doctor Strange won over a ton of new fans. 

By the summer of 1974, Doctor Strange was leading his own title again. And that's where this book begins. Strange has resettled into his Sanctum Sanctorium. Along with his faithful servant Wong, Strange has taken an apprentice, his lover Clea. Strange has also taken on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme after his master, The Ancient One, has left this physical plane to become one with the universe.

The adventures in this volume is one to boggle the mind. First Strange must save himself by entering the Orb of Agamotto. Then Doctor Strange must battle Eternity after the Earth has been deemed ready for destruction. After that battle, Strange takes on the Lord of Vampires, Dracula, after the Count attacks Wong. Things wrap up with a twisty little saga called the 'Creator Chronicles'.

The last volume wasn't really something I enjoyed. The level of evil in the characters was upped, especially as Strange went from dueling super-powered beings from other dimensions to magically imbued satanists. From page one of this book, things were mystical and arcane. But I saw that magic as science that wasn't yet understood. Strange and Clea have to struggle with this type of thinking when they go back in time to Colonial America. But when Strange battles Dracula, I started feeling ill at ease again.

Anything magical Doctor Strange does to take on the Lord of the Vampires didn't bother me. But the workings of Dracula and his followers were not my thing. There's literal devil worship and I don't like stories like that. I had been wanting to one day gather the collected Tomb of Dracula books. But if the comics contained in this collection as any indication of such, I won't be taking part. 

A good collection of stories. Just some of those stories felt so very evil. I'll be selling this book along with my other 2 Essential volumes. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

The Soddyssey, and Other Tales of Supernatural Law (A Madman Re-Read)

The trial of the man turned swamp thing, Sodd, finally begins. And it ends just about as quick as it starts as Sodd, under the influence of environmentalists, and maybe Cupid's arrow, goes rogue. 

As the man-thing hunt for Sodd is underway, Wolff and Byrd must head down to the Big Easy in order to unravel a snafu with one of Count Dracula's many real estate properties. 

Plus the counselors of the macabre investigate a supposed alien abduction of a small child. Their client is accused of kidnapping the girl in opposition to the custody agreement. Bring in a team of FBI agents investigating paranormal happenings and you've got a X-Files level parody.

Throw in a case involving a neglectful guardian angel, an artist who only paints werewolves, and an IRS case involving a literal dead man and you've got a full case docket. 

There's also a case in which a young woman is impregnated by the devil. The woman is against abortion. But she also doesn't want to give birth to the son of Satan either. This story is actually pretty philosophical as both fundamentalists and occultists join forces on both sides of the debate! With what just happened with the Supreme Court leak, this part of my re-read became unexpectedly topical.

I really wish I could rate this book with an 11 or higher. I feel that even though volume 1 of stories was perfect, this book was superior. That's because any growing pains Batton Lash might have faced in starting a regular comic book series was ironed out. There are added layers of inside jokes, even more complex Easter eggs, and dual sides of the aisle debates in this volume.

 It just keeps getting better from the late Batton Lash. Just another reason I wanted to complete my Supernatural Law run and to re-read the ones I have in my collection.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #79

In the Crimes Against Comics Dept., the Howling Commandos/Dracula team-up comes to a close. After a mere 3 tiny 8-page segments!

A very bloody World War II story that goes to show that Vlad Dracul will overlook personal blood lust when it involves Nazis rampaging his beloved Romanian haunts.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #78

It's the hump segment of the mere 3-part Sgt. Fury/Dracula tale. The first issue didn't have the two meet. Pleasantries and plans are made in this segment. The Howling Commandos aren't quite so jolly as they were in their original 60s and 70s run as they are here. But this is also a Marvel monsters story and not a Marvel war story. So, I'm okay with it. 

I just hate that this story isn't longer than 3 chapters! It just doesn't seem fair! I would love to see a Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD/Dracula follow-up. That would be epic. Unlikely. But epic!

The two one-and-done stories are polar opposites. The Iron Man and Rhodey story is forgettable. Literally. But the second story starring the immortal priestess Selene and the Joe Fix-it Hulk was really good. After a rowdy bar fight, Selene sets her sites on the Gray Hulk. Seems that after about 17,000 years, nobody quite has the stamina, attitude, and muscles as the Hulkster does. Only while Selene is drooling all over the behemoth, Hulk can only reply 'Not Interested' and that sort of rebuke makes the demoness want him even more!

3 out of 4 tales were rather enjoyable. The Iron Man story felt like every other generic 90s Iron Man story. Still, I liked this issue a lot more than many previous MCP offerings.Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #77

After 10 chapters, the Shanna the She Devil epic comes to a close- finally. And while I enjoyed the exciting ending and glad that one of my new favorite characters didn't die, that's not the segment of this issue I want to talk about!

Beginning in this issue, it's a Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos Old World team-up with Dracula! Holy Frickin' Cow! I love team-ups. Love Marvel horror. LOVE Nick Fury. This is a win, win, win! Only downside, this is only a three-parter! 

That just doesn't seem fair. We had a 25-part Black Panther story that ran slower than a snail in molasses. We have sat through numerous 7-12 part long runs starring Wolverine. That Shanna tale was 10 issues long. But we only get 3 parts of a Nick Fury/Lord of the Vampires war story? I'm gonna make the most of it, I promise you that!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Decades: Marvel in the 70s- Legion of Monsters

Many collections of classic Marvel materials are omnibuses that capture a complete run of stories starring a certain character or a specific genre. That's not the case with Marvel's Decades books. They are instead snapshots of the time period. In this case, the coming of Marvel horror. 

Sometimes the stories featured are well-known legends, like that of Johnny Blaze and his deal with the devil that curses him to become the Ghost Rider. 

Other episodes are rarities, like the coming of an alien creature called the Manphibian, a gill-man arch-type who is on the hunt for the killer of his lover. 

Then there's those established characters who see new life in the pages of horror anthologies. Frankenstein's Monster and Count Dracula continue to roam the night looking for victims, sometimes running afoul of Marvel superstars such as Morbius, the living Vampire and the hybrid vampire hunter, Blade.

Several of Marvel's rarest horror mags are reprinted in this collection along with some great issues of Marvel's one-shot series Marvel Spot-Light and Marvel Premiere. As a fan of several comic book and horror fan groups on Facebook, I am aware of the Legion of Monsters popularity with horror comic fans. What I was not aware of was how much poor faith the House of Ideas had in the title. It only lasted 1 issue with 2 classic but ill-fated attempts to revive the idea. Legion of Monsters may not have been on store shelves for long, but with collectors such as me, they last forever in our hearts. 

A collection such as this is such a mixed-bag. There's some classics and there are some stinkers. But what I love so much about this series is how it's both a grab bag and time capsule. Maybe a little bit more commentary would have been appreciated. But I quite enjoyed it warts and all.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Tomb of Dracula Presents:Throne of Blood One-Shot

An intriguing story of the arrival of the first ever vampire in Japan. Set during the feudal period of the Empire of the Rising Sun, a pair of brothers seek to end the reign of tyranny of a dreaded war lord. Unaware of the threat of a bloodsucker, one brother is bitten in the assault and develops the early symptoms of vampirism. Can the uninfected brother save his clan family before it's too late?

This book was another grab bag find. I really couldn't figure out where Dracula fits into this tale from the cover alone. I'm pretty sure Dracula wasn't Japanese. But my question was answered pretty quick. While yes, this is a story that can be read separate from any Marvel title, I'm clueless as to what series this book segues into. Writer Victor Gischler doesn't go right out and tell the reader to pick up the next issue of some title for the rest of the story. But the implications that this adventure continues somewhere is clearly there.

This book was published in 2011. I'm a little surprised that Marvel didn't publish several more one-shots based on the premise of Tomb of Dracula Presents. I actually would have liked further stories of vampires in other countries. Missed opportunity from the House of Ideas- Oh well...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Silverblade #6

  

 Seeking to end the reign of terror of the Executioner in the form of the Winged Avenger, Jonathan Lord has used his powers to assume his toughest role yet- the Lord of the Undead, Dracula. But the bloodlust is too much for Lord to control and as a result, one of the former actor's allies is killed in a most gruesome Hollywood fashion. 

   An interesting twist in a very interesting series that never ceases to amaze. With a cliffhanger that I didn't see coming (but I should), this is perhaps the best issue in the series thus far.

    The plot- flawless.
    The art- stunning.
    The book itself- Worth Consuming

    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

X-Men Vs. Dracula #1

 The cover says issue #1. The cover looks new (for 1993.) But open up the book and what do I get, but a bloody reprint (Uncanny X-Men Annual #6) Yes, it features masterful storytelling by the ultimate writer of X-titles, Chris Claremont. No, we don't get the masterful pen and pencil of John Bryne. But it's close with Bill Seinkiewicz providing the art.

   But it's a blasted reprint! I've already read this before...

  It's a good story. However, the plot relies on the reader being very familiar with the 1970s Tomb of Dracula series of which I am not. Plus it's more of a Dracula tale than an X-Men title and I feel like Marvel used this annual as an opportunity to wrap up some loose ends from Tomb.
 
   Sadly, publishers hijack popular titles as a way to finish out unpopular plotlines. It makes it hard for loyal readers of the less popular titles to get closure since it's hidden in another title. On the flipside, it's just as difficult for readers of the popular publication being hijacked, who must endure characters and plots that just aren't up to snuff.

   I also hate it when a publisher reprints a title under a completely different title (like this one) and don't warn the reader on the cover. Now I know I could just look inside and see if it's a reprint or has a crossover cliffhanger. But when you are at a comic book store and the book is taped and boarded, more often than not unless your good buddies with the owner, they frown upon you breaking up bags least you damage the book and lower the value. So, you can see why I didn't know that this wasn't an original title or story.

    Thankfully I didn't pay more than $1 for this or I would have been furious.

  Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

(BTW- there were 3 other titles in this Vs. Dracula series. They include Dr. Strange, the Silver Surfer, and Spider-man. I have not read those titles previously and since I know they are reprints, I do have those books on my wish list.)

Steampunk Halloween 2013 (#3)

Great Cover, Bad Comic...

Can you consider something to be a Halloween special if it doesn’t pertain in any way to Halloween? Maybe; but I think it’s a stretch. Does having a band of zombies in the plot constitute a Halloween story? No, not really. So explain to me how a comic book that takes place on a deserted isle, set sometime around the 1700s, starring a shipwrecked crew along with a young girl and her robot that looks an awful look like Legolas from LOTR is a Halloween special?

 This book was a major disappointment. If the story I talked about was just one of several stories contained in a Halloween special, I could make allowances. I’ve read many a Christmas themed special that has one or two stories that take place during winter but do not involve any sort of festive spirit. But this special has only 1 story and it’s not really all that scary and doesn’t even have candy in it!

The worst thing about this book was how excited I was about it. Look at the cover- there’s a Christopher Lee looking vampire being discovered by Holmes, Watson, and a robot cop! That’s what I was expecting in this book. Why, even the pin-up at the back of the book that’s of Steampunk Ghostbusters would’ve been better suited for this special than the story I got.

Lastly, the story itself was weak. The art was a quasi-manga style work. It wasn’t bad but it was lacking depth. Then you’ve got the crew who turn into zombies for some reason. There’s mention of a lord of the undead but you’re not even sure if that’s really what’s behind the zombie attack or did some of the crew drink some bad grog? And then there’s our heroine who makes an ambiguous statement to one of the crew members that ‘mother would’ve been proud.” Where these two brother and sister? Was the girl older than she looked and this boy’s mother only he didn’t know?  It’s left very vague and I hate it when books end like that.

If I didn’t get this out or a grab bag or bargain bin, I think I would’ve written the company to demand my money back. This just isn’t such a great comic. There are 2 more specials in this series. Based on my disappointment, I’m not even sure I’d pursue them and I’d seriously consider passing them up if found in a dollar box.

So much of this book could’ve worked. Why it didn’t is beyond me.

Not Worth Consuming.

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #42

This issue features Peter Parker back when he had the symbiote costume. Here, Parker realizes he’s made a grievous error at a local bank that cost a single mother her job and he does everything in his power to get that job back. Aside from a little vindictiveness that’s been evidenced in his earliest qualms with Jonah Jameson, I would expect a symbiote influenced Parker to be edgier.

  The second tale has the Monica Lambeau Capt. Marvel going back in time in a mission that puts her face-to-face with Dracula, Lord of the Vampires. It’s a neat homage to Marvel’s horror books of the 1970s.

  Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.