PGHHEAD’S 2022 COMIC ODYSSEY, PART 42
In 2021 I set a goal to post reviews here for 1,000 comics, and finished the year at 1,008 reviews. It was a stretch - - not to read that many comics, because I actually read quite a bit more. The challenge is to find and take the time to write a fair review of what I read - - but I made it. I’m up for a new year, and a new challenge. My goal for 2022 is to read and document 1,200 comics. That’s an average of 100 books per month, easy enough to check and update. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR October 31, 2022 . . . 1000 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 939 comics documented
If you're not familiar with the horror comics of Cullen Bunn and want a reason to begin following him, BLOOD FEUD should not be your starting point. I'm a huge fan of his work, and enjoyed this. It does exhibit some of those Bunn trademarks - - small Southern town, harboring dark secrets - - but doesn't satisfy as much as HARROW COUNTY, BASILISK or other tales.
However, if you're in the mood for a vampire story with a slightly different spin on the genre, then you will probably like this. I can't rate it more than three stars because it just doesn't measure up to Bunn's other work.
Bunn utilizes the classic Hatfields vs McCoys Appalachian family feuds as a means to unleash a horde of vampires upon the small fictional town of Spider Creek, somewhere in the South. In this case the two families are the Stubbs and the Whatleys, two clans that have hated each other for centuries. The Stubbs are rowdy trouble-makers with a streak of ugly running through (perhaps from in-breeding) while the Whatleys are mysterious and equally ugly, rumored to bargain with dark forces. In an effort to rid their land of the Stubbs, the Whatleys make a pact with a demonic presence that goes awry and leads to a vampiric infestation across Spider Creek. There’s also a huge swarm of tarantulas under the influence of the king vampire.
The story in BLOOD FEUD doesn't play to the clan conflict as much as it does to the quartet of characters that escape from the vampires and then do their best to end the threat. These vampires look exactly like those in AMERICAN VAMPIRE, more monstrous in appearance and very long-toothed.
The story builds to a partially happy ending and includes many suspenseful moments along the way. If you're a fan of THE WALKING DEAD tv series, you'll appreciate this more. It has a similar flow. THREE STARS.
The art is not necessarily the best I've seen from artist Szymon Kudranski, but there's not a lot of opportunity to stretch out with bigger panels here. This is a story driven very much by plot and characterization, and the art needs to be more functional in order to accommodate it.
The technique of alternating each page between events in 1972 and beyond with flashbacks to Quarry's 1969 war days as an elite sniper in the Vietnam War can be disrupting to some readers, but it held my attention and kept me turning the pages. I'm not so certain it would have been more effective as alternating chapters in this format.
Most effective is how Collins depicts Quarry's emotional persona from his failed marriage to casual relationships to the deep bonding that is established when a life-threatening situation is shared with another. Quarry's introduction to the hitman business with The Broker is briefly detailed here for new readers and the Vietnam flashback centers on his teaming with a partner on the First Division Sniper Patrol as they pursue a torturous Golden Dragon lady that has been killing U.S. soldiers.
The two stories come together later when Quarry gets a contract to take out his former partner from his Vietnam days and has to make some hard decisions. The ending is conclusive and satisfying.
I'd love to see another graphic novel from Hard Case Crime with this character. I'll definitely be looking for those novels. FOUR STARS.
When the S.A.S. (Special Air Service), the British Government's equivalent of a S.W.A.T. team, are unable to quell a massive prison riot, they call in Sergeant Major William Gravel. At the center of the riot is an imprisoned sorcerer utilizing dark magic to gain immense supernatural powers (with bloody results). Gravel is a combat magician who has no compunctions about collateral damage, especially when it involves inmates.
Ellis' story is blunt, brief and to the point - - wrapping things up in 72 pages. This was previously featured in single monthly issues and is actually the third story to feature Gravel, although this is the first collected edition. Mike Wolfer's blood-soaked black and white art matches the tone of the story.
There's no explanation of how the sorcerer managed the break-out and no background details on the origins of Gravel's magical arts either. None needed. Just a quick, action-packed read. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The story revolves around another wicked sorcerer utilizing muti, a practice of South African witch doctors, where body parts of children are ultilized in making a variety of potions. Hacking off parts of the victims ensures more potent magic. The villain is a white supremacist who intends to use that magic to set off a race riot and burn London to the ground. Fortunately, the mutilation and torture of young black children takes place off panel and is not depicted. No need. The description is disturbing enough.
There's a subtle message under Ellis' story about race relations in England, but this is mainly another B-movie flavored action adventure. Good escapism. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
No comments:
Post a Comment