The Watcher #1 - Zenescope Entertainment

THE WATCHER No. 1, August 2019

Described by “Zenescope Entertainment” as “Disturbia meets The Conjuring” in its pre-publication release, this supposed “horror thriller” comic penned by Victoria Rau (from a story by Ralph Tedesco) arguably contains far more snores than scares with a narrative that predominantly focuses upon the educational life of Erica as opposed to anything particularly petrifying. Sure, the reader is permitted a fleeting glance into the teenager’s “ongoing bouts with sleep paralysis”, and a grotesque splash-page nightmare scene of a demonic fiend pinning the comic’s young protagonist to her bed. But such insights into her haunting by an evil entity are frustratingly few, and instead this book’s biggest shock is just how much time is spent watching adolescents brazenly talk about boys, girls and sex.

Similarly as snooze-inducing is the “Peek-a-Boo” writer’s insistence on presenting several sedentary sequences featuring the suburban home-life of this tale’s Catholic Deacon and his family. A brief comprehension as to the domestic bliss (or otherwise) of the lead character is debatably a staple ingredient of any successful fright-fest. However, on this occasion these politely-spoken, dialogue-driven disclosures deliver little to advance the plot, and simply slow down an already pedestrian paced thirty-page periodical; especially when amidst the dining room discussions Rau subjects us to a bizarre interlude where the ordained minister spurns his wife’s bedroom advances due to it being “the Feast of Saint Leo after all.” 

Mercifully for those bibliophiles anticipating at least a smidgeon of the Pennsylvania-based publisher’s trademark gore though, a double-helping of gratuitous death does strike towards the very end of this comic, as “two of Erica’s high school friends are brutally murdered”. Yet despite its over-the-top theatrics, and a palpable sense of terror in Stacy Green’s final moments, it is rather hard not to shake the impression that the blood-drenched cliff-hanger has been bolted onto this mini-series’ opening instalment simply to inject it with some otherwise entirely-absent superfluous slaughter.

This particular ‘not for the squeamish’ segment also provides artist Julius Abrera with an excellent opportunity to draw something more dynamic than girls simply wandering around in college uniforms or lounging about a bedroom together eating popcorn and drinking hot chocolate. Eye-wateringly violent and prodigiously pencilled, the suddenness of poor Derek’s demise is only bested in the ‘gruesome stakes category’ by the bodily mutilation which follows…

Story: Ralph Tedesco, Writer: Victoria Rau, and Artwork: Julius Abrera

Dragonsblood #1 - Zenescope Entertainment

DRAGONSBLOOD No. 1, May 2019

Enthrallingly fixed upon the Volsung Clan’s seemingly eternal task of slaying the dragon, Fafnir, Nick Bermel’s storyline for Issue One of “Dragonsblood” contains plenty of sense-shattering, swashbuckling swordplay, whilst simultaneously managing to avoid the age old trap of not making this fantasy comic’s sole protagonist either a super-human fighter or some world-weary, smart-thinking adventurer who is so experienced that their fights are practically over before they’ve even begun. Indeed, Sigurd, “the last of his clan”, is actually portrayed as the least able member of his family, being both a poorer marksman with a bow and physically weaker than his ill-fated older brother; “I hope you are being modest, or else this shall be a bore.”

Equally as engaging as the evident fallibility of his hero, is the “Grimm Tales of Terror” author’s emotionally-charged ‘flashbacks’ to the dragon-slayer’s long-dead relatives and their determination to rid the world of their “terrible foe” so that their loved ones won’t have to face the ancient, all-powerful wyrm. Initiated each time "Siggy" stumbles across either the skeletal corpse or piece of well-worn garment which once belonged to his kinfolk, these wonderfully warming interludes really help demonstrate to this comic’s audience just how much historical heart-break has been heaped upon the shoulders of the young warrior, and provide plenty of relatable rationale as to just why “the last of Sigismund’s line” so hates the legendary creature he is stalking.

These days it is hard not to compare all dragons, talking or otherwise, with that of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm" Smaug, and sadly, the striking similarities between Fafnir and the destroyer of Erebor is debatably this twenty-two page periodical’s sole disappointment. Admittedly, Bermel’s beast has only one good eye and is seemingly ‘protected’ by an array of far smaller, formidably-fanged draconians, but it still rather unimaginatively has a small bare spot in its heavily-scaled underbelly which makes it susceptible to the strike of a well-timed bladed hand-weapon.

Besides its prodigious penmanship, “Zenescope’s newest series” also contains some impressive pencilling by Jason Muhr, whose clean-lined look to the breakdowns makes it abundantly clear just why this book’s writer “bugged Dave (our head editor) to reach out to Jason to see if he would work on it” just as soon as “Dragonsblood” was approved. Sigurd’s all-too brief battle with the dinosaur-like guardians of Fafnir’s inner sanctum proves especially pulse-pounding, as does the breath-taking impact of the wyrm’s bloody blows upon its would-be killer during their cataclysmic confrontation.

The regular cover art of "DRAGONSBLOOD" No. 1 by Martin Coccolo & Ivan Nunes

Hellchild: Blood Money #1 - Zenescope Entertainment

HELLCHILD: BLOOD MONEY No. 1, April 2019

Advertised by “Zenescope Entertainment” as “John Wick meets Jessica Jones”, Ralph Tedesco’s narrative for Issue One of “Hellchild: Blood Money” probably better resembles something Eli Roth or Quentin Tarantino would direct rather than an American web television series based upon a “Marvel Comics” super-heroine. For whilst Angelica Blackstone undoubtedly has special powers, courtesy of being the half-vampire daughter of the Greek god Hades, this twenty-two page periodical’s plot primarily focuses upon the insanely violent tension between Marcus Paulson’s wealthy conglomerate and the somewhat more seedier prostitution racket of “this Tor guy”, rather than the titular character’s supernatural abilities.

Indeed, there isn’t a hint of a magical manifestation within this tome until Hellchild finally intervenes to rescue Jake and Vera from a hit squad at this grisly publication’s cliffhanging conclusion, and faces off against the half-dozen gunman with her signature double-bladed sword; “I have another idea…” Instead, much of the Philadelphia-born writer’s penmanship portrays just how far this comic’s criminal fraternity will go to ensure their cast iron grip upon Los Angeles remains undeniably intact. Whether that be by cold-bloodedly shooting a sex worker straight through the head when she demands an ambulance be called to save the life of her overdosing friend, or the reader being forced to watch am agonised chair-bound captive have his pinkies then head severed with a pair of razor-sharp grass-cutters…

Fortunately however, despite the gratuitous nature of its surprisingly sadistic script, which genuinely must have made any perusing bibliophile momentarily look away in abject horror, this opening instalment to Tedesco’s four-part mini-series is utterly enthralling, and contains at least one surprise which will doubtless serve as a curve-ball for many within its audience. In fact, having firmly set the scene as to who Harry the enforcer is to concentrate upon protecting, Tor’s decision to go looking elsewhere for their gory revenge first is as unsettlingly graphic as the assassin’s heavily fanged clown mask is deeply disturbing.

Quite possibly the only thing therefore which lets this blood-spattered book down is its look, which is largely due to the somewhat wooden(ish) pencilling of Butch Mapa’s figures. The “professional illustrator” from the Philippines can undoubtedly draw, as seen in this publication’s frighteningly tense torture scene which vividly shows the true horror of their predicament in the faces of its victims. But the same cannot debatably be said for the artist’s panels featuring the likes of Angelica or the muscle-brain Stan, which arguably appear rather flat and two dimensional.

Writer: Ralph Tedesco, Artwork: Butch Mapa, and Colors: Dijjo

Grimm Tales Of Terror 2018 Halloween Special - Zenescope Entertainment

GRIMM TALES OF TERROR 2018 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, September 2018

Delivering upon its promise to provide both “shocking twists on classic literature” as well as “brand new takes on modern urban legends” this thirty-six page anthology undoubtedly provided its readers in September 2018 with precisely the sort of spine-chilling shenanigans George A. Romeo so successfully encapsulated with his early Eighties American dark comedy horror movie “Creepshow”. In fact, it’s a sure thing that if the “Godfather of the Dead” was still directing the gruesome franchise, then this comic’s terrifying trilogy of blood-soaked tales and interlinking sub-plot involving Keres, the goddess of death, hosting a “Costume Party”, would surely have been just the sort of pulse-pounding parables the Bronx-born filmmaker would have wanted for his silver screen fright-fest.

Opening this comic compendium is Terry Kavanagh’s historically-based mix of Irish classroom jinks and gory murder most foul. Somewhat cleverly focusing upon the unruly behaviour of a naughty schoolgirl, Geraldine, this Nineteenth Century-based script has the potential to wrong-foot some within its audience as to the identity of Loughlea’s child-killer, and alongside its very clear message that Jack-o’-lanterns definitely do ward off evil spirits, it even manages to intriguingly plug a future edition of the publisher’s title “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not?”

However, the highlight of this book is undoubtedly Erica Heflin’s scary straw-fest entitled “Scarecrow” which follows three greedy modern-day adolescents in their unwise quest for Confederate gold and an alibi. Its artwork suitably scratched by Marcelo Basile, this ‘short’ proves a real shocker as the trio inadvertently kill a hapless “nutso whack job” whilst metal-detecting deep inside a sky-tall cornfield and then discover the dead old woman’s depilated home is inhabited by supposedly inanimate mannequins; “They’re going to come in here and see that this lady was totally off her rocker.”

Finally, before Keres unsympathetically feeds her gullible guests to a room full of sharp-toothed grotesques, knife-wielding zombies and stuffed scarecrows, Ben Meares pens a marvellously macabre yarn involving an elderly, house-bound cripple and the local children’s love of candy. Well-drawn by Eman Casallos, this final fable really should catch its readers off-guard as its plot follows all one’s expectations up until its hair-raising conclusion, which gratuitously reveals both the real cause of the young trick-or-treaters’ vividly-green vomit, as well as just why “Ol’ man Miller” has a semi-portable drip feeding some sort of luminescent fluid directly into his frail, emaciated body.

The variant cover art of "GRIMM TALES OF TERROR 2018 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL by Ceci de la Cruz

Aliens Vs. Zombies #5 - Zenescope Entertainment

ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES No. 5, December 2015

Having already seen to it that this comic’s cast are “surrounded by dozens of zombies” whilst being trapped deep underground amidst the debris of a derelict tube station, Joe Brusha still manages to make his protagonists’ predicament increasingly perilous throughout this concluding instalment of the “Zenescope Entertainment” mini-series. In fact the publishing company’s co-creator makes it decidedly difficult for the reader to ascertain with any confidence whatsoever, which of the heroes is actually going “to survive the zombie apocalypse” until the book’s very last page; “There’s no way through this rubble. We’re going to have to shoot our way out of this.”

This pervading sense of doubt throughout the narrative begins almost straight away as Nova and Raxus’ ‘prickly’ future trying to rebuild their species after it was “wiped out” by “the interstellar virus” is emphatically resolved by the alien captain’s would-be consort rather explosively sacrificing himself after he is bitten on the ankle. Such a dramatic ending to so central a character really raises a question mark as to the fate of all the other survivors, especially when the formidably huge, and seemingly unstoppable Balgar suddenly and rather unexpectedly ‘turns’ and tears one of Tak’s arms off. Indeed the enormous extra-terrestrial’s zombification really can come as a complete surprise if artist Vincenzo Riccardi’s tiny panel depicting the dome-headed behemoth’s scratched calf is missed.

“Seven miles to the Northeast” and Melissa’s destiny seems equally as uncertain as she and her colleagues rather contrivingly take refuge within a large crypt. With Tavon’s freshly dead henchmen on the outside and a party of shambling corpses attacking them on the inside, it really does appear that it is all over for Colt’s love interest. Especially when the burial chamber’s entrance is finally breached and Cromm is seemingly overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers.

Sadly, having endured and enjoyed such a roller coaster of a final ride, Brusha’s “two weeks later” epilogue provides a rather rushed and dissatisfying conclusion to so exciting a five-issue serial. Raxus Prime’s memorial, “even though he is not really buried here”, seems fitting enough, as does the slightly unconvincing nature of Balgar’s “indestructible” genetic makeup. But then in the space of a handful of panels the “spacecraft full of alien scientists” are ‘up and away’, leaving behind a rather wistful-looking Colt who supposedly intends to “help rebuild the planet.”

The regular cover art of "ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES" No. 5 by Jason Metcalf and Victor Bartlett

Aliens Vs. Zombies #4 - Zenescope Entertainment

ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES No. 4, November 2015

Despite some of the narrative’s set pieces, such as the protagonists finding themselves surrounded inside a cemetery or later trapped within a derelict underground tube station, being decidedly clichéd for a horror genre comic book based upon a modern-day zombie apocalypse, Issue Four of “Aliens Vs. Zombies” arguably still provides a somewhat faultless reading experience. For whilst there is still a little character development as Raxus and Nova begin to work out their differences as the last two survivors of their species, and the low-life delinquent Tavon once again demonstrates that he is the real monster of the story, this twenty-four page periodical never wavers from its relentlessly brutal and blood-soaked depiction of a planet being grievously ravaged by the ever-hungry walking dead.

Indeed the action to Joe Brusha’s script simply never lets up throughout the magazine to the point where any perusing bibliophile must surely feel as exhausted as dark-jacketed hero Colt does, having spent the best part of his ‘screen time’ running, jumping and battering zombies with a piece of mangled lead pipe. There truly is no time whatsoever for any of the title’s leads to grab a breath as the Pennsylvania-based publisher ensures the carnivorous horde ruthlessly chase them through a local graveyard, descend upon a deserted school bus the party momentarily hole up in and then finally, rather obstinately pursue the crew of the extra-terrestrial spacecraft through the city’s deadly streets until the book’s concluding cliff-hanger; "We don't have enough firepower to get out of this."

Fortunately however, this seemingly constant endangerment of the “alien scientists tasked with tracking the interstellar virus” and their human companions, isn’t in any way a tedious mindless romp. But is instead actually driven by the insanely selfish desires of aspiring ‘crime boss’ Tavon and his foolhardy belief that providing he has possession of the alien’s satellite dish “the planet don’t need saving” and he’ll “be on top when this is all over.”

Equally as fast-paced as this comic’s plot is the wonderfully dynamic artwork of Vincenzo Riccardi. The penciller’s panel count becomes especially prolific as both the book’s action and suspense increases, and yet the quality of his illustrations don’t drop one iota as a result. In fact it is hard to recall a better drawn magazine which is so packed full of shambling corpses being beaten, slashed and shot to pieces…

The regular cover art of "ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES" No. 4 by Jason Metcalf and Wes Hartman

Aliens Vs. Zombies #3 - Zenescope Entertainment

ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES No. 3, September 2015

Chock full of the Undead, as any good zombie comic book should be, this third instalment of the five-issue mini-series by “Zenescope Entertainment” not only manages to keep its meagre readership happy on account of numerous cadavers stalking the streets looking for flesh to feast upon. But also rather successfully manages to take a leaf out of Robert Kirkman’s magnum opus “The Walking Dead” by having some of the narrative’s humans truly be the real monsters of the magazine.

For although Joe Brusha clearly portrays the carnivorous corpses as this title’s main ever-present threat, especially to the likes of alien navigator Tammy who is trapped and surrounded inside the remains of her crashed spacecraft. It is actually the conniving criminal Tavon, a man willing to do anything for the extra-terrestrial’s “priceless” gear, who perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly turns ‘traitor’ and becomes the Pennsylvania-based publisher’s main villain of the piece. In fact the characterisation of the shotgun-carrying bully is so splendidly written that it’s genuinely hard not to dislike the selfish greedy gang leader even before he betrays the ‘frog-faced’ Cromm and threatens to kill young Destiny, unless Balgar and Tak surrender to him.

Impressively this periodical also manages to find the time within its twenty-three pages to both ‘flesh-out’ a bit more detail behind Captain Nova’s determination to eradicate the universe of the “interstellar [zombie] virus” and provide any “Aliens Vs. Zombies” fans with some pulse-pounding ‘Evel Knievel’ antics as Melissa and Colt ride through a horde of brain-hungry living corpses on motorbikes en route to Center City’s cemetery; “Hey Colt… Follow my lead. And try to keep up.”

All of this action and drama is wonderfully drawn by Vincenzo Riccardi, with the comic artist’s Undead, whether they be white-eyed humans, multiple-armed, squid-headed Martians or fork-tongued lizardmen, proving to be the highlight of the book. Admittedly some of the penciller’s panels are a little disappointingly inconsistent whenever they feature the rather doe-eyed adolescent Destiny. However these minor aberrations are easily forgiveable once the action starts back up and the story’s combatants either bloodily pummel their ghoulish foes to death with baseball bats or gorily eviscerate them with stunningly sharp swords.

The variant cover art of "ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES" No. 3 by Giuseppe Cafaro and Brett Smith

Aliens Vs. Zombies #2 - Zenescope Entertainment

ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES No. 2, August 2015

Selling a depressingly paltry 3,001 copies during August 2015, despite its four frighteningly chilling colourful variant covers, this second instalment of the five-issue “Zombie virus hits Earth” mini-series by “Zenescope Entertainment” still provides plenty of gruesomely gory entertainment for any perusing horror-based fan. In fact Nova’s furious decapitation of an alleyway full of reanimated corpses with a rotating blade is seriously ‘icky stuff’. Especially as the extra-terrestrial “survivor” spends a couple of subsequent panels gasping for breath as her shocked ship-mates survey the scene of dismemberment and mutilation around their enraged captain.

Predominantly however Joe Brusha’s narrative concentrates upon the lamentably bloodless historical plague infestation of the Sarkillian Homeworld Shimera, and the “alien scientists” dialogue-heavy ‘first contact’ with Mankind as the supposed planet’s saviours inadvertently interrupt a group of dislikeable diamond robbers squabbling over whether to simply murder their captive Jeweller’s driver. Even the painful sounding demise of the slightly-built dome-headed space-farer Tammy, as they are presumably eaten alive by three ever-hungry human cadavers within the wreckage, regrettably occurs off-page.

Indeed it is only towards the end of this twenty-page periodical that the crew of the Tiberuis finally start to seek out “the broken pieces of their ship containing [the] vital equipment [needed] in order to save the planet” and then in a somewhat disappointingly contrived piece of plotting by the publisher’s President and Chief Creative Officer, the primary part of the rocket ship Nova needs to get to has coincidentally crash-landed in the middle of the local graveyard; "I may be able to help you get there... But you're probably not going to like what you find when you get there."

Fortunately, such sedentary conversation-obsessed scenes are still imbued with a sense of suspense, tension and earnest dread as a result of Vincenzo Riccardi’s wonderful artwork and Grosieta’s brilliantly vibrant colours. The cartoonist’s pacing is particularly strong, and whether they be the insectoid-like gymnastic Tak clearing his colleagues a path through the zombie hordes or Tammy slowly being stalked by the undead through an air duct, the Italian penciller impressively realises each of the script’s numerous protagonists and easily brings them to animated life.

The regular cover art of "ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES" No. 2 by Jason Metcalf and Ivan Nunes

Aliens Vs. Zombies #1 - Zenescope Entertainment

ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES No. 1, July 2015

Well known for its “full-color action, fantasy and horror titles” this first instalment of an “all-new” five issue mini-series by “Zenescope Entertainment” is a rather enjoyable fast-paced read, and most definitely provides a new twist to the somewhat stale premise of the World being infected by some randomly conceived “Zombie Virus”. Indeed this novel “blend of science fiction, horror and action” actually portrays the rather colourful extra-terrestrial crew of a large spaceship in the role of the planet’s potential saviours… At least up until the point where Air Force One catastrophically collides into the low orbiting alien vessel and forces it to make a crash-landing smack in the middle of the walking dead.

Admittedly the infection’s actual origin, which consists of a fallen meteor overpowering the New Jersey farming locals who first discover it, is at least partially inspired by author H.G. Wells’ novel “The War Of The Worlds”. But company co-founders Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco’s premise that creatures from outer space are routinely patrolling ‘heavily populated planets’ for such ‘signs of contagion’ makes “Aliens Verses Zombies” a refreshingly original narrative, especially when the disciplined well-drilled star-farers appear to represent so many different intergalactic species.

Fortunately the Pennsylvania-based publishers have also taken into account those potential purchasers who may be somewhat sceptical at such a strong science fiction theme pervading the storyline, by also filling this periodical’s twenty-three pages with plenty of gruesomely bloody, brain-feasting Zeds. In fact the magazine’s impressive summarisation of the living corpses taking only a “day to spread to every major population center on the planet” is one of the highlights of this opening edition. As is the depiction of the claustrophobically confined pilots of the President’s plane being swiftly devoured by one of their very own whilst in mid-flight; “Tower is gone. We’re on our own up here.”

Equally as impressive as Brusha’s script is the incredible artwork of Vincenzo Riccardi. The fumettista’s opaque-eyed carnivorous cadavers are both wonderfully animated and ghoulishly ‘alive’ as they relentlessly stalk both the last few remaining survivors on the city streets or ravenously press upon the failing fences of a military base.

The regular cover art of "ALIENS VS. ZOMBIES" No. 1 by Sean Chen and Ivan Nunes