#769 - #770 IT HAPPENED ON HYDE STREET: DEVOUR one-shot by Maytal Zchut and Leila Leiz (Image Comics/Ghost Machine, October 2024) “In this weight-loss nightmare, killing hunger has many meanings”
Hyde Street is that section (actually, just one street) within the Ghost Machine universe of books that acts as a magnet for the wicked and cruel and then imprisons them within a purgatory they can never leave. Hyde Street cuts through every city avenue and small town lane. One wrong turn, and you are there. With DEVOUR, it also manifests as a single retail shop, a storefront specializing in weight loss. Enter the door and you’re on Hyde Street without realizing it. Leave the store and maybe take a bit of Hyde Street to your innocent home.
Main character Lilly has struggled to lose weight all her life. Now, with her wedding approaching she’s having trouble with the dietary self-control needed to fit into that desirable but too tight-fitting wedding dress. Her mother and grandmother never struggle with weight, in fact they are super-skinny. They give her a chance to get her weight down on her own before sharing their secret with her - - - a little jar of Devour they bought at that shop - - - “you only need one.”
Without peeking ahead to the final pages and the big reveal, I guessed what the secret was behind Devour. I thought it was kind of predictable - - maybe I just read too much horror. I still enjoyed this. It’s about the story-telling and the presentation - - both are engaging. A cautionary tale for those considering current miracle drugs for a fast weight-loss cure. You have to take them the rest of your life, and there are side effects. FOUR STARS.
#771 DC HORROR PRESENTS #1 of 4 (DC Comics, December 2024) Horror tales set within the DC Universe - - can it possibly work? Maybe, depending on the writer. There are two stories here, and it works for one of them but not the other. Also, seems like these tales depend on shock value and/or gore - - don’t know if that’s a formula that will resonate with super-hero readers who may be attracted to this title.
Dollhouse is the featured character in “Love You To Pieces” by David Dastmalchian and Leah Kilpatrick. Dastmalchain does a better job here than he did on DC HORROR PRESENTS THE CREATURE COMMANDOS (ugh) but both tales aren’t up to his usual standards. Wish he’d stick to creator-owned properties, but I understand the attraction of writing for the Big Two publishers.
Dollhouse is apparently the wicked daughter of the Dollmaker (a Superman villain?) and comes knocking on his door when her current boyfriend Max commits suicide by jumping from a high-rise apartment. She wants him to resurrect Max and piece him back together with fresh parts that she supplies. Trick ending, that reveals how insane and nasty she is.
The untitled Wonder Woman story by The Boulet Brothers with art by Butch Mapa was disappointing. There’s some real shock value when the person killing and mutilating residents of Themyscira turns out to be the revived corpse of Wonder Woman’s mother. Imagine having to fight your mother to the death. All that shock value was nullified for me by the twist ending, when it turns out not everything was it appeared. That makes this instantly forgettable.
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The first story saved this from being a rating lower than TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS. One and done for this mini-series.
#772 - #773 THE FEEDING One-Shot by David M. Booker and Drew Zucker (Image Comics, October 2024) There’s a complete story here, a creepy one-and-done that is quite delicious. If I tell too much, it will spoil your appetite for the gourmet treats inside.
Main character Nathan Ward appears to be successful, self-assured and somewhat arrogant - - “a day trader . . . a drinker . . . a womanizer . . .a casual drug user . . .a partier . . . mosty Nathan Ward was haunted." THE FEEDING is the sad story of a young Nathan Ward, haunted by a monster within his home at the age of twelve - - a haunting that has not left him since.
There are a couple twists and surprises that I can’t reveal. This has a real Twilight Zone feel to it. In fact, it would have been a perfect episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. If you like the same kind of stories within the horror genre that I do . . . . then I suggest you find yourself a copy of THE FEEDING. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#774 - #777 INVASIVE graphic novel by Cullen Bunn and Jesus Hervas - - A full review of this was posted to the blog on Sunday, December 8. FOUR STARS.
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