San Antonio Comic Con 2018

Went to the San Antonio Comic Con this weekend. Found some great comics (which I couldn't afford), some incredible art (bought a fantastic 'Child's Play' keychain moulded to look like a VHS tape, as well as a fun little art print inspired by 'Popcorn'). Unbelievably crowded, but fun nonetheless. This time around my friend Daniel is getting Robert Englund's signature inked (as you can see in one of the photos below). 

Drive-in Trailers: Anthology Horror

Sometimes you want something besides a full-on horror film. You want a taste of several things. A creepy cornucopia. A vicious variety. A -something something alliteration scary-. That's where anthology horror takes the cake. I've always loved short stories, on the page and on the screen. Hopefully the following trailers (obscure and mainstream) can give you something new to watch this Halloween.

The first trailer isn't a real one, from what I can tell, but anyone who hasn't seen 'Dead of Night' is really doing themselves a disservice. It's one of the best. Also, note that I adore all of the Amicus films, but it'd be a bit boring if I just focused on them alone. Also, reserving any Price-related trailers for a strictly Vincent Price-centric post.

Vintage Comics - Midnight, Issue #1: Bedeviled Puppet, Eternal Struggle, There's a Will and There's a Way (Cover-Pg. 14)

What? I'm alive? You bet your sweet ass I am. And just to let you guys know, when I disappear for several months at a time, I'm probably not dead...undead at best, but I'm sure we all knew something like that was going to happen to me at one point or another. The sacrificial altar in my bedroom and haunted cemetery in the backyard don't help much, really.

In all honesty, I've just been writing a lot of short stories (even completed a few personal novels I will very likely never publish.) The result is of course maybe a little less blog-time, but fear not! October is around the corner, and as always I will be taking part in the horror blog-a-thon as I do every year. So if you've been desperately starved for more vintage comics, possible Hallowholic podcast episodes, trailer compilations, playlists, pretty pictures, and gruesome historical facts...they'll all be flying right at you on October 1st.

Anyway, I thought I'd start up a post this week with a little bit of vintage comics. The first thing that struck me about this one was actually the cover. The richness of the robe against that green backdrop...I can only imagine how incredible this must have looked crisp and new on the shelf.

The first story plays on one of my favorite tropes. Evil dolls/puppets. But...it really does explain every single action. I got the impression the writer for this one hadn't really acquainted himself with the practice of showing rather than telling. It promises something dark, but stops just short as a moral story...sort of...I guess. The second one is again, a moral story. But I did enjoy the little 'twist.' Imagine Final Destination if death pretty much lost in the end, and you get the picture. The third and final story of the entry...could have used more blood, but I doubt they could've gotten away with it at the time. Ultimately, this was one of those 'oh...I promise this is a scary comic' issues, that was really general adventure/moral lessons in disguise.

The cover promised a lot for this comic, and sadly did not deliver, but the art is still worth appreciating on its own.

Book(s) of the Week: Parasyte series

This is not just one book. It is a stunning 10-volume manga series with incredibly surreal monsters and a beautiful exploration of a protagonist ultimately discovering exactly what makes him human. A lot of manga unfortunately falls short of Parasyte in many ways. I'm not saying there aren't a lot of other incredible series out there, but...Parasyte is unique. Because it doesn't stop at general tropes, or over-done plots.

Parasyte is horror in a pure form. It combines psychological and physical fears seamlessly. It's about strange creatures, much like bodysnatchers, descending on the planet and trying to destroy humanity...but more than just traditional bodysnatching, they actually consume whole parts of people. What's more, they can manipulate their bodies in truly horrific ways to accomplish their goals. Shinichi, the main character, has one of these creatures trapped in his arm, and somehow...they manage to befriend each other. I advise you to get a hold of as many issues of this as you can when you begin your journey into the series, because when you finish the first...it will be very difficult to wait to read the next.

Vintage Comics: Midnight, Issue #2: The Needless Night, Fortune or Fate pt. 2, Forever and Ever (Pg. 14 - End )

Sometimes you read a 'horror story', and you realize it's either the first time that writer ever approached the subject, or perhaps they were attaching the word horror just to gain a larger audience. In finishing this issue, I felt there were some sad moments. A bit of death. And an ironic twist. The first story approaches a semi-Faustian deal that ultimately teaches the bad guy a lesson, but there's no real bite or substance. It's like the writer pulled out halfway through and decided he didn't really want a horrific retribution for the devil's bargain. The second story finishing up Fortune or Fate is pretty much the closest to actual horror the whole comic came to. The last story...well, at least I was taken by surprise. I expected one character to be evil, and he ended up just having a bit of bad luck...

Midnight. Reminding us all that the people responsible for getting horror comics banned back in the mid-20th century...probably hadn't read nearly enough comics.