Graphic Novel Review: ARMY OF DARKNESS: ASH GETS HITCHED

Writer Steve Niles (of 30 Days of Night) and artist Nacho Tenorio are the latest to delve into the world of Army of Darkness with the latest mini-series Army of Darkness: Ash Gets Hitched from Dynamite comics.  Ashley J. Williams has not returned to the present day deciding to stay with the love of his life Sheila whom he is planning on marrying.  All is not quiet in the land as Ash unwillingly unleashed The First, who is a faceless demon whose face was used to bind the Necronomicon.  The First brings terror to even the Deadites, who run scarred even from him.  Now Ash and the gang must venture to the dreaded graveyard and find the book before The First can get its hands on it and unleash a new evil to the land unlike anything anyone has ever seen before.

Niles has always been able to jump in and out of any property he tackles and there are no surprises here.  He introduces new mythology into the long running series of stories of which this one is easy to jump right into without having read anything before it (it plays really well as a direct sequel to the film).  He also gets Ash’s voice down really well and it’s great to see Sheila get more into the action.  There is also a great homage to the original Evil Dead 1 & 2 by bringing back Linda, Ash’s original first love, on the eve of his own marriage to Sheila.

I’ve been a longtime fan of the series and its always interesting to see other people’s interpretation with the characters and material especially Niles who is consistently one of the best horror writers out there.  This will not disappoint either Niles’ or Army of Darkness fans.

Graphic Novel Review: BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA VOL. 1

Director John Carpenter returns to one of his cult classic films with the Boom! Studios comic book Big Trouble in Little China Vol. 1.  Carpenter contributes the story with Eric Powell (who is the writer for the comic) to bring the continuing misadventures of Jack Burton and the Pork Chop Express.  This is a direct continuation of the film in which Jack is on his way out of Chinatown after he and Wang Chi saved the world from the evil Lo Pan.  He’s not more than a few feet out of town when he realizes that he has an unwanted passenger, which is Lo Pan’s pet demon which has now attached itself to him since he killed its master. 

He decides to return the demon to Egg but this happens to coincide with Wang and Miao Yin’s wedding day which is further interrupted by an evil disciple of Lo Pan’s by the name of Qiang Wu who wants revenge on those who killed his master.  Now Jack and the gang have a new evil to face in Chinatown and this new adventure will take them beyond the gates of the imagination.

Powell does a great job channeling the Jack Burton character and for fans of the film this will be an eye opening read as Powell delves more into Jack’s past especially his marriages (yes, he’s been married several times) to great comic effect.  The mysticism is here and Egg plays a more active role in the story since Wang is absent for most of this volume due to the fact that he’s a hostage of Qiang Wu who’s ultimate plans are far from revealed in this volume.  This is a much bigger story than the film and the comic medium allows for a lot more freedom than the movie could ever have.

Artwork is by Brian Churilla who at first glance may not have been my first choice but after reading the volume fits the tone and story complimenting Powell’s words nicely.  This book is a great draw for fans of Dynamite’s Army of Darkness series as both Jack and Ash have some of the same “bumbling” hero qualities that have endured them to audiences for so long.  I look forward to seeing what Carpenter and Powell and company come up with next.

Book Review: THE G.O.R.E. SCORE Vol. 2 by Tony Schaab

If you are a fan of all things horror and of zombies specifically than Tony Schaab’s book The G.O.R.E. Score Volume 2 is right up your alley.  If you are already familiar with Schaab and his previous book Volume 1 than you already know what’s in store for you in this volume which continues to review everything zombie related from films to television series and comics and books and music and video games. 

Schaab has a unique way of reviewing (and thus scoring) horror films which makes up a film’s G.O.R.E. score (which is explained in the book) but it should be safe to say that the higher the G.O.R.E. score the more you’ll enjoy the film.  Schaab does an excellent job of reviewing everything in the book on its own merits and highlights the components of what he is reviewing that will most appeal to his readers.  This is especially helpful when the film, overall, doesn’t get a very high cumulative G.O.R.E. score but still has merits it other areas.

Some of the reviews to look out for are those on the films The Serpent & the Rainbow, Pontypool, The Walking Dead: Season 1, and episodes of the TV series Eerie, Indiana and South Park, to name a few.  Some of the books of note are Stephen King’s Cell, David Dunwoody’s Empire, and Craig DiLouie’s The Infection.  Comics on review this volume are graphic novels from the Army of Darkness series, The Mammoth Book of Zombie Comics, and Victorian Undead, to name a few .  Of great notice is Schaab describing his experience as a zombie extra for the live stage version of “Night of the Living Dead.”

There are a lot of great moments in this book as Schaab is a great storyteller and has some interesting outlooks on the things that he is reviewing.  What is missing from this volume are reviews on anything classic zombie or more mainstream.  Schaab’s choice of reviews for this volume is very eclectic but most of the things reviewed are mediocre at best.  There are no great revelations to be had here in this book so it is more designed for fans of zombie films from a zombie fan.  Readers who don’t love zombie related films or entertainment will find very little reason to give this book a chance but zombie fans may find more interest in Schaab’s look at the more indie films and smaller zombie related items that they may have looked over or missed.

Fan Film Review: MARVEL ZOMBIES VS ARMY OF DARKNESS

I must say that I’ve watched a lot a fan films in my time (and produced several myself) but Brian Rosenthal’s short fan film Marvel Zombies VS Army of Darkness is by far one of the most interesting and well produced.  On an alternate Planet Earth a zombie plague has ravaged and killed most everyone including most of the Marvel Universe superheroes.  Peter Parker (Eli David) and his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Meaghan Lehrer) have just recovered a vital artifact that may help them win this new war but Zombie Wolverine shows up and has other plans.  Just when you think things can’t get any worse Ash Williams (David Vonhippchen) appears to throw in his two cents and all hell breaks out…again.

If you’ve enjoyed the Marvel Zombies comic book series and are a fan of the Army of Darkness film (and comic series as well), writer/director Rosenthal has crafted the perfect mash up of the two universes.  His film is action packed, funny, and has the right amount of gore to appease fans of both worlds.  Special FX Makeup artist Keegan Hitchcock and visual FX supervisors Mark Cooper and Rosenthal do an excellent job with getting all the zombies and special visual FX right especially considering that in addition to Zombie Wolverine, a Zombie Iron Man and a Zombie Hulk also make appearances.

Rosenthal also is editor on the film bringing the fight scenes a unique style that is both thrilling and outrageously funny at the same time (how can you not like Ash getting whipped on by a Zombie Wolverine?) and Karl J. Anderson’s original score is the icing on the cake.  This is a great fan film that not only shows how well a fan film can be produced but what a great film making talent Rosenthal and his entire crew are. I can’t wait to see what he and his crew comes up with next.

You can view Marvel Zombies VS Army of Darkness here - http://youtu.be/b3BEZ9cLxKM