EDITOR'S NOTE: Not a big week for reading comics, but I read more than what I'm reviewing here. Other responsibilities are preventing me from taking the time to write those reviews now, so it will have to wait. And this coming week involves travel, so I'll be back sometime next week.
#425-#426 = DEATH RATTLE, VOLUME 3 #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, October 1995) Digging through my collection, I found another copy of this 20th century effort (1995) to pay homage to the social and psychological horror of the old EC Comics. This debut issue of the third and final volume from Kitchen Sink Press features five diverse and interesting stories.
“The Probability Chamber” by Mark Schultz and Roger Petersen does the best job of recreating the look and feel of old EC. Some gangsters on the run, looking for a place to hide out, break into the lab of a scientist working alone at night.
The scientist is researching the nature of probability, and seems cooperative with the gangsters, until they ask to see his underground probability chamber which turns out to be a gateway to a spiral galaxy.
“The Day I Lost My Head” by Tim Eldred is a story of the Vietnam war, where a soldier escapes a Vietcong ambush and survives a helicopter crash. He has a memory of losing the top part of his head, exposing his brain, but seems well enough when he’s discovered, revived, and checked over by army doctors. But, some hidden potential within him has been unlocked. Unfortunately, no one else can see that.
Brian Bigg’s “Cut-Up” features a strange encounter, all started by a married couple simply reading the morning newspaper and drinking coffee.
“The Alcoholic Janitor” by Zane Campbell is a short text piece with full-page illustrations showing the dangers of old demon alcohol.
My favorite this issue is “The Kiss” by Mark Nelson, a gorgeous detailed story without text or dialogue. A woman wanders into a strange museum and the odd exhibits prompt her to discard some clothing and kiss some fossilized bones of a prehistoric lizard, which creates an exchange of sorts. Chilling. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS overall.
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