Nancy in Hell (Image, 2010) is the story of a woman who died and went to Hell, and discovers a band of people who remember what they were and are able to exist. They battle demons and the Braindeads, who are those who have forgotten their previous lives. It is a little silly and stupid, and once you find out that Nancy is destined to aid Lucifer in escaping from Hell, well, it all seems a little trite. This was, to the best of my knowledge, a four issue run, so may improve as it goes.Free digital issue @ ComiXology
100 Girls (Arcana Studios, 2005) looks like a bit of Kyle XY. It appears there is a secret organization growing super girls in a lab. One or several have escaped, and there is an effort to bring them back to the fold. The art is very cool, and the dialogue is good. Pretty enjoyable for the most part.Free digital preview issue @ ComiXology
Elric: The Balance Lost (Boom!, 2011) is a very good preview of what likely proves to be a strong Tanelorn period Elric story. The art is not my favorite, but they certainly got Elric right in the writing. This preview was a "free comic book day" release, and has a decent introduction to Elric included.Free digital preview issue @ ComiXology
Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom (Arcana Studios, 2010) has the feel of the little kid sucked into the story book standard, but this story book was written by his father; a man driven to madness by the eldritch horrors of the Necronomicon. This being said, it is not an overly kiddie version of Lovecraft, nor a Charles Addams or Edward Gorey rip off. It has a decent, if somewhat standard, Lovecraftian thing going on that is pretty enjoyable.Free digital preview issue @ ComiXology
The Necromancer (Top Cow, 2011) semi-typical story of a mean-girl cheerleader/pastor's daughter who screws around with an ancient tome and brings forth a demon that kills her friends and family before landing her in Hell. Might prove to be a good story, but one issue was not enough for me to tell, though it did entice me to try another, which I may give in to.Free digital issue @ ComiXology
Necronomicon (Boom!, 2008) looks like an old school 1950s comic with a very genuine Lovecraftian feel. The preview doesn't get into the meaty stuff, but we do meet our protagonist, Henry Said, a student from "Arabia" attending Miskatonic University. He originally attended to be an engineer, but found his real talent is for languages. Through an unlikely source he comes in contact with a secret society which will certainly be opening some eldritch doors for him. This one appears to be four issues in all. Story is by comic book veteran, William Messner-Loebs.Free digital preview issue @ ComiXology
Scream Queen (Boom!, 2008) is like the worst teen horror film you ever saw, but with a difference: it is completely unenjoyable.Free digital preview issue @ ComiXology
Banzai Girls (Arcana Studios, 2010) is... well... it's... Hmm. Okay, imagine Jem! written for sexually frustrated males and styled after a mix of anime and J. Scott Campbell. Add a horror element for the Scooby-Doo crowd, and I think you've got Banzai Girls. It is not a horrible comic, and certainly well (if a bit commonly) drawn.Free digital preview issue @ ComiXology
Warlash: Dark Noir (Asylum Press, 2008) is, along with Bomb Queen and Fearless Dawn, my favorite new find. The art is rather unusual, and different stories have different styles. Even though it is a sci-fi/supernatural tale it has a hardboiled aspect to the dialogue which is fairly well done. There are four stories in the first issue, so it has a bit of a Tales from the Crypt thing going for it. Well worth checking out. Frank Forte writes and illustrates most of the stories with artwork on two by guests, including a new favorite of mine, Steve Minnion.Free digital issue @ ComiXology
6 comments:
You have a taste for the darker comics, for sure. But coincidentally, I have been hitting the comic shop and am pretty damn excited myself. But for me, it's for DC's new 52. Can't wait. Hoping to have the same joy and fun as I did 20 + years ago!
I have no middle ground. Either dark and scary or painfully happy. I am surprised I don't read Betty & Veronica. :-)
I have been steering clear of the Coke and Pepsi of comicdom. Been burned by Marvel too often, and I just don't know where to start with DC.
Well, wouldn't DC's new 52 restart be a great place to jump in and try some? They have some darker titles.
I may look into those. I like things without prolonged story arcs. Conan the Barbarian was always the best because he didn't interface with anyone but Red Sonja, and stories were typically 1 issue. At least old school Conan was that way.
I am checking out comiXology. It's reader is clean and functional and I can easily read even the smallest type on the page. It looks pretty cool. I just can't make it out to the shops these days and it's hard to justify the storage space comics take up, but I can't bring myself to toss them out. I've looked at DriveThru Comics, but if I am remembering correctly you won't find Marvel and DC there. This is the closest thing I have seen to a true electronic comic shop. I am very intrigued. Thanks for the introduction.
Regards,
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I am not completely sure how they handle Marvel. They provide the Marvel application, but not sure how much Marvel they offer directly. Oddly, when I tried logging into the Marvel app with my comiXology I'd, it failed, but I believe there were some server issues that day.
Their viewing is quite good, especially the guided view which goes panel by panel, or piece by piece, depending on the page style.
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