Welcome fellow geeks, freaks, and monsters. I would like to thank everyone up front for reading these ridiculous rants that I call reviews. It’s a heavy week for me, I’m getting caught up on last weeks pull on top of my pick up today. Cali and I attended Heroes Con this past weekend, so all of last week’s focus and energy went towards that. Long story short, I picked up last weeks issues but didn’t have time to read them. Heroes Con was INCREDIBLE!! Cali and I got to meet, the legend himself, Stan “The Man” Lee and fulfilled a FanBoy quest that I had set for myself. I had gotten a
copy of Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee and I made a promise to not unsheathe it from it’s plastic wrapping until I can have it signed by the Great One himself. It would feel more like he was actually handing it to me to read for the first time. Yeah see, FanBoy right here. Anyway, Lots of killer stuff happened at Heroes Con, Cali debuted her, much anticipated, Black Widow Cosplay outfit. We got a bunch of stuff singed and bought a bunch of really cool classic and rare issues, that are all up for sale on www.TheSkeletonCrue.com, go check it out!

Ok, lets get started..

Amazing Spider-Man #688

This was a surprisingly morbid issue. I liked it a lot! To piggy back on the release of the new The Amazing Spider-Man movie coming out next week, Marvel has set Spidey up against The Lizard. I
love The Lizard, he’s always been one of my favorite villains. I’m always stoked when they write him into a story, and I’m losing my mind over him being in a movie! This issue was the fist issue after Ends of the Earth and Spider-Man is really obsessed with death and people dying under his protection. This happened to make it a really bad time for Morbius The Living Vampire to start messing with the bodies of one of Peter Parker’s dead friends. The Lizard is left in a vulnerable position at the end of the issue and still bat-sh!t crazy.

Amazing Spider-Man #689

Well… Dr. Connors has finally perfected his “arm growing back” formula. So in the last issue we were left with The Lizard being restored back to his old, one armed, Dr. Connors, human self. Now that he’s regained his humanity his sole goal in life is to now turn himself back into a lizard monster… Comic characters are just never satisfied. I can’t really say too much more without there being a few spoilers, so I’m just going to leave you with this, save your money on going to see the new The Amazing Spider-Man movie and invest what you saved on this comic and the previous issue. As a Spider-Man fanboy, I was really let down by the movie, not to say there weren’t things I liked about it, but overall it wasn’t a good film or rendition of Spider-Man’s origin.

Marvel Zombies Destroy #4 (Limited Series)
Issue 4 of 6.

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Marvel Zombies mini series. It has a lot to due to the fact that I think Dum Dum Dugan is one of the most bad ass dudes in the Marvel universe and the fact that they’ve teamed the Nazi zombies with zombie Asgardians.. Yup, and Dugan wears a Leatherface mask made of zombie flesh. Incredible.

The New Avengers #27 (Avengers Vs. X-Men Tie-In)

Another killer read, I really have yet to be let down by any of the AvX tie-in issues from any tittle. Even titles I wouldn’t normally pick up have surprised me, but with such an increasingly epic
crossover event how could any of them really miss. This issue focuses on Hope Summers and The Iron Fist, and has an incredible twist with Spider-Man at the end.. That’s not a spoiler because he’s on the cover! How would you expect to beat a cosmic fire bird? With a cosmic dragon, of course… or maybe a cosmic spider?? I don’t know, Iron Fist has played a surprisingly big role in AvX and now they’ve brought Spider-Man in on the same note. It’s a great read, but their cliffhangers are more mystical than eventful, you end each issue with “What?” or “Why? instead of “Oh Sh!t”.

Venom #19

Damn… This issue was brutal.

Venom is being attacked by the Savage Six, they’re like the Sinister Six but only half as cool. The three villains that matter in the group are Jack O’Lantern, The Human Fly, and Toxin. That brutal ass trio had done some serious damage to Flash Thompson’s family, in a pretty serious and macabre manner. If you’re a horror fan you’ll love this issue. I highly recommend it, but then again I ALWAYS highly recommend picking up this title.

Avengers Vs. X-Men: Round 6

The AvX series has gotten to it’s first turning point, and the X-Men are winning. So in the last issue The X-Men took control of the Phoenix force and it has possessed, not one but, five hosts! I’m not going to spoil any more because I feel it’s too soon, but you need to pick up this issue, inner politics are starting to pick at the Avengers team.

Avengers Vs. X-Men: Round 7

This is a serious roller coaster of an issue. First, they hit you really hard right off the bat with a seriously heart dropping moment. Once you come down from the first shock they confuse you with weirdness between 2 members of the Phoenix Five, which leads into the edge of your seat ending. If I hadn’t been keeping up with the tie-ins, this issue would have been twice as confusing. Having said that, the was just another really stellar issue.

Spider-Men #2 (Limited Series)
Issue 2 of 5

This series has turned out to be everything I wanted it to be. If you’re a Spider-Man fan and you’re not reading this then you should be ashamed. Peter Parker has slipped into the Ultimate universe and has found, fought, and befriended his alternate super self, setting up this series to be one of my fanboy favorites.

X-Men Legacy #269

It’s always fun to see Ms. Marvel and Rouge throw down. In case you haven’t been keeping up the X-Man are currently destroying the Avengers. They’re cheating though. Anyway this issue is a must for
Avengers fans ironically. This issue is a serious turning point for the Avengers and the Phoenix Five.

Wolverine and the X-Men #12

I think we can all this one a pseudo win for the Avengers. It’s all on how you really look at it though, I guess. I’m I’m going to call it a half win, a lucky win, but a win none the less. This was a battle issue with a look in what Rachel Grey is going through personally with dealing with the Phoenix Force again. A good read.

Hit-Girl #1

HIT-GIRL! Who doesn’t love Hit-Girl??

I’m stoked that they’re doing a Hit-Girl series and this first issue was a great introduction to the series. Even if you haven’t read Kick Ass, this issue provides a pretty decent origin and character introduction for all our Kick Ass favorites. A new regular pick up for our collection.

Ultimate Spider-Man #12

Here it is!! I’ve been waiting for this issue since the series started, I wash;t sure when it was going to happen, but I knew it was inevitable as soon as the introduced the character. The Peter Parker symbolism just oozes off the last two pages of this issue, so much so that I don’t think you’ll have to be a diehard Spidey fanboy to see it. This was a phenomenal issue, I can’t say anything more about it without dropping the spoiler, BUT if you have read it and want to geek out find me on Facebook or wherever, it’s “Rev. Jay Leal” on whatever site you use.

Wolverine #310

Sabertooth is back!!

Ok, so back in Wolverine #90, Wolverine finally killed, his longtime nemesis, Sabertooth. He accomplished this by chopping off ol’ Sabertooth’s head, a pretty solid way to kill just about anything.
Well here we are years later and to Wolverine’s disbelief Cloak breaks the news to Logan that Sabertooth is in fact still alive. The ending was expected yet surprising at the same time making this a really entertaining read. I’m not much of an X-Men fan but I do have a few favorite mutants, and Wolverine is at the top of that list.

WHOO! That was a lot of reading for 2 days. Alright well I hope you guys enjoyed reading and I hope that I’ve inspired some of you to pick up a few of these titles. If ever you want me to read and review anything feel free to let the guys here at Wreckhouse Magazine know! So, until next time, make sure you checkout www.TheSkeletonCrue.com for all your Geek, Freak & Monster wear and THANKS FOR READING!

Rest in Piece,
Rev. Jay Leal

Here we go on June 13, 2012′s new releases

The Amazing Spider-Man #’s 1&2 (limited series)

So, this is a pretty standard “intro to a movie” series. I love Spider-Man, there is VERY rarely a series I don’t like. I wouldn’t call this a must-read, but if you’re a Spider-Man fan then you won’t be let down. It definitely helps you gear up for the movie. This was just a 2-issue mini series, really would have done fine as one issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #687

Final issue of the Ends of the Earth saga; all and all it was pretty good. We got to see a new Spider-Suit, which I thought looked righteous as hell, and we got to see what decrepit little Doc Ock
looks like outside of his tentacled iron lung. This last issue brought everything to a close really nicely without losing its suspense. A potential hero death accrues as well..

Marvel Zombies Destroy #3 (Limited Series)
Issue 3 of 6.

Definitely one of those mini-series that gets better as it progresses.

I’ve been a big fan of most of the Marvel Zombies series and this is just another win, in my opinion. Zombie Dum Dum Dugan, I mean come on, insanely stellar.

AVENGERS #27 (Avengers Vs. X-Men Tie-In)

So, if you haven’t been keeping up with the Avengers vs X-Men tie-ins, then you’re REALLY missing out. Let me pull you up to speed… So, the Secret Avengers have ventured off to try and stop the Phoenix, like went into space to stop it. They were able to contain a piece of the Phoenix force, but in no way were able to stop it. Once they were able to snag a piece of the space bird, the Protector pulled some shady moves and bailed back to the Kree home planet with the Phoenix piece, leaving the Secret Avengers knocked out and headed into the sun. I really feel like this issue should have been a Secret Avengers issue instead of part of the AVENGERS title, but whatever.. Anyway, in this issue we see what the Protector had planned with his bailing, and it actually kind of surprised me, the moves he made after the fact. Long story short, there are A LOT of entities pissed off at the Protector right now..

Avengers Assemble #4

Ok, so I totally think that this is a possible plot line for The Avengers 2. I don’t want to spoil the movie’s giant reveal, but if you haven’t seen or heard about it yet, then you must live on another planet. All I’m going to say is that the way the Avengers movie ended and with the way this series has been going, I feel it’s a solid possibility we’re reading a movie sequel. I definitely recommend this title.

Versus #3 (Limited Series) (Avengers Vs. X-Men Tie-In)
Issue 3 of 6

This series has been a really fun read, I mean honestly, who doesn’t love cover-to-cover fight scenes. This issue features Colossus vs. the Thing, with a little Red Hulk to start it off and Black Widow vs. Magick. Again, not the most important title of AvX, but I think one of the most fun.

Spider-Men #1 (Limited Series)

It’s happened! It happened a lot sooner than I thought it would, but who cares?! So here, for the first time, our two favorite Spider-Men cross universes and meet. Well, it’s more Peter Parker crosses over into the Ultimate universe, home of their new Spider-Man, Miles Morales. It’s only the first issue, so it’s still getting set-up, but it’s a perfect start to what I know will be a killer mini-series.

DEADPOOL #56

Issue #2 of DeadPool with no healing factor.. suspenseful. Seriously though, now that DeadPool can be hurt and even die, it makes all of those life threatening moments actually threatening. It really wasn’t long before someone figured out DeadPool’s new found weakness to injury; I thought he’d try to hide his secret a little better. A righteous read, even if you’re not a conventional DeadPool fan.

Scarlet Spider #6

I have only the best things to say about this title, it only gets better with every issue. If you like Spider-Man and Wolverine, then you’re going to love Scarlet Spider. He’s an equal combination of those characters. All of the powers and even more than Spider-Man, mixed with all of the dark past issues and bad-ass attitude of Wolverine.. Incredible. This issue, in particular, escalated the series to the next level with the introductions of both Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web… Love it. Oh, and Kaine isn’t above killing people either, does it all the time.

Batman #10

Hey, see! I’ve actually started reading some DC. Excited? Well, you should be!

Ok, so the Night of the Owls has ended and it worked out pretty well for most, save for a few murders. This was definitely a bombshell issue, it revealed a fairly big chunk of history about the Wayne dynasty and it’s put Batman in a tough spot with a blown mind. I kinda hope they keep this villain around..

Batman and Robin #10

War of the Robins is what they’ve titled this issue. “Damian Wayne Being A Twisted Little F*@#” may have been a more accurate title. I’m really digging the interaction between Batman and all four generations of boy wonders, and from what I gathered, from the Robin vs. Red Robin confrontation, is that Damian is just trying to prove himself as an equal among the bird brains. A good read and I’m really looking forward to Damian and Jason squaring off.

Batgirl #10

The first issue of Batgirl that I read was the Night of the Owls issue and I really enjoyed the read. This was the next issue released in the series and it was still a fun read, so I feel like it’s safe to say that it’s actually a good series and I wasn’t just enjoying the event rather than the comic. Anyway, definitely a good read, not great, but I’ll still pick up #11.

Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1
Issue 1 of 4

This is the second issue released from the Before Watchmen titles, the first being Minutemen #1. Both number ones for the two series have been incredible and I can’t wait for the rest of the series. Minutemen was mainly Night Owl doing an introduction to himself and the other members of the Minutemen. Silk Spectre is pretty much her origin story, as I assume all of the series will be. A great read and a great first issue! A collection must if you ask me..

WHOO! That was a lot of reading for 2 days.. Alright, well, I hope you guys enjoyed reading and I hope that I’ve inspired some of you to pick up a few of these titles. If ever you want me to read and review anything, feel free to let the guys here at Wreckhouse Magazine know!

So, until next time, make sure you checkout www.TheSkeletonCrue.com for all of your Geek, Freak & Monster wear and THANKS FOR READING!

Rest in Peace,
Rev. Jay Leal

Huge thanks to my buddy Steve Spatucci who not only turned me on to SEVERED, but who mailed them to me!!  I really appreciate it.

—–

I don’t do nearly enough horror comic reviews here at anythinghorror.com!!  I love comic books and I love reading them.  But nothing gets me angrier than buying a comic series and it turns out to be absolute shit.  But on other occasions when I end up with something like SEVERED, a seven issue horror comic, everything becomes right in the world.  Now my impulsive side wants to go purchase more horror comics, but my rational side is telling me to cool down … SEVERED is a rarity.

SEVERED is written by Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft, with artwork by Attila Futaki.  Futaki has an amazing eye and includes an incredible amount of details on each page.  After my first reading of SEVERED (I read all seven issues in one sitting), I went back to to beginning and started really looking at Futaki’s artwork.  I got so caught up in the story that I was skimming over everything else.  But definitely take the time to look at the artwork closely … Futaki puts some very subtle details in practically every box.  He uses a lot of earth-tones that really captures the feel and atmosphere of the time period the story takes place in.

The story begins around 1956.  An elderly Jack Garron is watching a thin Elvis Presley shake his moneymaker on TV when his grandson comes running in the room to give him a letter that a stranger left for him.  Upon reading the letter, the blood drains from Jack’s face as his past suddenly collides with his present.  We then slip into Jack’s memory and back to 1916 as he tells the story of what happened to him when he was 12 years old.  I’m not gonna go too deep into the story, but Snyder and Tuft craft a fantastic story about a boy hitting the road to find his father.  Young Jack is essentially after the American Dream, but what he finds is evil and older than time itself.  This is a really remarkable story that touches on some very disturbing ideas:  Child predators, child abductions, cannibalism, and ancient evil.  America was young in 1916 and the sky was the limit as to what people could achieve.  World War I was raging on in Europe and this brought the country together.  The future was bright and hopeful.  But even amid this positive, “the future is ours” attitude, the American landscape had a dark side.  There were things out there that took advantage of this era and exploited people’s dreams.

The story arc Snyder and Tuft create will have you on the edge of your seat.  These are two extremely talented writers who understand what it takes to write an effective horror story.  They create an atmosphere of suspicion, dread, and the feeling that something really bad is gonna happen at any time.  I don’t think I’ve ever been this creeped out by a comic book!!  At about issue four I was beginning to doubt that seven issues was gonna be enough to wrap up the story in a satisfying way.  But these two writers effortlessly bring together various plot points (some which seemed to be not that important) and end the story with a bang.  The writers also hint at the fact that this story may be continued in a larger format, but nothing is concrete.  They provide a very satisfying ending to this seven issue series, but there’s also a lot of potential to continue this story in the future.

For all you people that may have read SEVERED when it was originally released, I must tell you that you all have amazing will power.  I’d have been going crazy waiting for each issue to be released!!  I’m glad I was introduced to this series after all seven issues were out so I could read then all together (thanks again, Steve).  Definitely check this comic series out.  It’s nice to read an adult horror comic that pulls no punches.  This one goes right for the throat and succeeds.  Highly recommended.

My Summary:

Writers:  Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft

Artist:  Attila Futaki

Plot:  5 out of 5 stars

Gore:  6 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

Been a pretty productive couple of weeks.  I’m starting to get more reading done (which is always a good thing), but I’m still far from being caught up!!  I’m also noticing a recent trend; besides the Repairman Jack series of books from F. Paul Wilson, all I read are fucking zombie novels and comics!!  Not complaining; just saying.

Recently I’ve finished three books.  One is a novel (Day by Day Armageddon, see review here) and the other two are graphic comics (yeah so what??  I like reading graphic novels to make it feel as though I’m getting a lot of books read.  Screw you; who are you to judge me??!?).

Let’s start with Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, written by John Layman and inked by Fabiano Neves, Fernando Blanco, and Sean Phillips.  This is of course a crossover between the popular Marvel Zombies series and the iconic Ash of the Evil Dead trilogy.  As is Ash’s luck in the Evil Dead flicks, the comic begins with Ash falling from the sky and into the dumpster on a strange world.  But unfortunately for Ash the world he just fell to is inhabited not just with zombies but with superhero zombies who retain their superpowers even in death.  The plot here is fun and quick paced with writing that captures all the attitude we’ve come to expect from Ash.  Not even in the face of battling superhero zombies does Ash ever show fear!!

And at the end of the day this comic delivers what its audience wants to see:  Ash kicking the asses of zombified popular superheroes (there’s even a zombie Howard the Duck!!).  This one’s a lot of fun and every page is filled with well-drawn and ample gore.  Check it out; it’s a lot of fun.

This brings us too Max Brooks’ The Zombie Survival Guide Recorded Attacks.  Now I haven’t yet written reviews on Brooks’ other works, The Zombie Survival Guide or World War Z.  I really enjoyed the Survival Guide; it’s a fast, fun read that actually offers solid survival tips while at the same time satirizing the zombie genre.  Good stuff.  World War Z, on the other hand, was a book I didn’t care for.  I didn’t like the style it was written in (that faux-journal style) and I didn’t think there were nearly enough zombies in it.  In fact it was surprisingly lacking in zombies considering the world was being overrun by the fuckers.

So where does that leave the Recorded Attacks.  You just knew that between Brooks’ first 2 books that there was gonna be either a graphic novel or a series of comic books.  Here we get the comic book treatment of 12 of the attacks he wrote about in the Survival Guide.  We start with the first recorded attack in history, “60,000 B.C., Katanda, Central Africa,” and move through history hitting different eras:  “A.D. 1579, The Central Pacific”; A.D. 1893, French North Africa”; and A.D. 1992, Joshua Tree National Park”.

The stories are concise and some of them are a little too short, running only 3 pages long.  This was one problem I had with this book:  Brooks tries to cram too many stories into 141 pages.  I never felt a connection with any of the stories or characters in them.  It’s a shame too.  I remember as I was reading the Survivor Guide how cool it would be to learn more details about the attacks and even see them in comic book-form.  This project seems rushed and even feels as though Brooks wasn’t even that involved in it.  And for $17 you feel ripped off after you’re done reading it (not to mention you can read it in the amount of time it takes for one good bowel movement).  If you stumble upon this one in a used or 2^nd-hand book store for under $10 you may wanna pick it up.  But for what it is and how rushed it feels you’ll be pissed at yourself for paying full price.

My Summary:

Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness

Author:  John Layman

Plot:  4 out of 5 stars

Gore:  10 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  5 out of 5 brains

Recorded Attacks

Author:  Max Brooks

Plot:  3 out of 5 stars

Gore:  6.5 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  4 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I am WAY behind on my reading!!  I’m staying pretty damn current with my horror flicks but can’t seem to catch up on all my reading.  Perfect example; The Walking Dead (TWD).  TWD first appeared in October 2003.  It was put out by Image Comics and was created by Robert Kirkman (the writer) and Tony Moore (the original artist).  So why the fuck did it take me 7 years to read it?  Unfortunately the primary answer has to do with money.  I really didn’t become aware of the comic until around 2008.  That’s 5 years worth of comics to buy at once.  Wasn’t gonna happen!!  I’m glad I held out because at the end of 2009, right in time for the holiday season, Image Comics put out The Walking Dead: Compendium One.  The Compendium collects the first 48 issues of the comic.  Well I got me a couple gift cards to my local book store and immediately bought the Compendium and ate up every single fucking page.

The story is pretty simple as we follow a small group of people as they try to survive the zombie apocalypse.  I could take the next 200 pages listing all the various movies, books, and comics that have this exact same plot.  So what makes TWD stand out and above the flooded genre its apart of?  Let me answer that in the form of an analogy (albeit an oversimplified analogy):  The Walking Dead is to the zombie genre as Watchmen is to the superhero genre.  Do ya get what I’m talking about?  TWD is an extremely well written book (notice I didn’t say comic) with incredibly fleshed-out and developed characters that I’d put up against any zombie novel.  But what’s really amazing is that Kirkman makes the story about the survivors without forgetting about the zombies.  My biggest complaint with the movie Zombieland (see review here) and the book Thunder and Ashes (see review here) is that the writers for each project kinda forgot about the zombies in the middle of their respective projects.  Not here; the zombie threat is present in every panel.  In addition, the pace is quick and the art work is stunning.  It’s done in black and white which gives the entire project a kind of nostalgic feel.  But this ain’t your grandpa’s zombie story.

Among the group of survivors is Rick Grimes, his wife Lori and son Carl; Tyreese and his daughter Julie; Dale; Carol and her daughter Sophia; and Michonne.  Now I know this is an extremely incomplete list of characters, but these are some of the more important characters in the Compendium.  We first meet Rick as he wakes up from a coma 28 Days Later-ish style; he’s a cop and was injured in the line of duty and while he was “out” the world went to shit.  At of the end of the Compendium no explanation has been offered as to what brought on the zombie apocalypse.  And I, for one, hope we don’t get one.  I like my zombie movies and books to resist explaining the cause of the apocalypse; it gives the reader more room to play in his head.

After waking up it doesn’t take long for Rick to discover the world has been overrun with zombies.  You really relate with him as he desperately tries to find out what happened to his wife and son.  He conveniently finds them just outside of Atlanta with a few other survivors who escaped from the Hell that downtown Atlanta became.  I thought it was a little too convenient how quickly he found his family, but when you see where writer Kirkman takes the story it’s obvious why he quickly reunited Rick with his family.  And I’m purposely being vague here on the plot people.  I know there’s gotta be others out there who haven’t read TWD yet and I don’t wanna spoil anything for those people.

All I’ll say is that NO character is safe in the world Kirkman has created.  You’re gonna be addicted to this comic, so make sure you clear your schedule when you sit down to read this.  The plot is fast paced and takes more twists and turns than Space Mountain (I know, I know … pretty gay comparison).  But what really grabs you is how well developed the characters are.  You really come to “know” each and every character and more impressive is that you relate to each one.  So when Kirkman decides to start offing them left and right (oh shut-up; I’m not giving anything away) it’s like a punch to the nards; you really feel as though you lost a family member.  And just wait until the final pages of the Compendium.  There’s a twist (or is it a “curveball”) at the end that as a father almost had me in tears when I read and saw the panels.  You’ll know exactly what I mean when you see it.

This is hands down a “must read” for any horror and zombie fan.  It really shows you that there are still original ideas left in the genre.  For example, the idea that you don’t need to be bitten by a zombie to become one is a very interesting idea that I’m looking forward to Kirkman putting to use in the next Compendium.  It’s a pretty cool element to the story; one of the characters kills themselves and wasn’t bitten by a zombie but still comes back almost immediately as a zombie.  I can feel it in my gut that Kirkman has plans for this plot point!!

Now that I’ve read and kinda caught up with the series I’m stuck waiting for the next Compendium!!  Hopefully I don’t have to wait long because I’ve already chewed down my fingernails and am starting to taste blood!!  I feel like a crackhead waiting for his next fix.  If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading this series, go out immediately and get it.  You’ll thank me!!

My Summary:

Writer:  Robert Kirkman

Artist(s):  Tony Moore (original artist) and Charlie Adlard (from issue #7 onward)

Plot:  5 out of 5 stars

Gore:  9 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  5 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer