The Holiday Challenge Of The Go-Bots!

As I have said many times here at Rotten Ink in the early and mid 80’s robots ruled the world for kids as so many cartoons, toys, comics, video games, model kits and movies showcased them and the young and young at heart could not get enough. For many the King of 80’s cartoon/toy robots are the Transformers followed by Voltron…but for me the top are the Go-Bots! Yeah I know many of you are laughing out loud and saying how in the world could you put the Go-Bots over Transformers, Voltron, Robo Force and the answer is very simple as I liked the fact they were in scale with my G.I. Joe’s and Star Wars figures plus I liked many of the characters like Leader-1, Scooter and Cy-Kill! For me this update is lots of fun to cover and write about as The Go-Bots deserve way more respect than they get from toy collectors and it’s about time they get a proper comic book series! I also want to remind you all that Go-Bots was my # 5 out of 10 for my Should Have Been A Star Comic way back in 2013 and it took till 2018 for IDW to make this happen! So if you’re ready to take a trip down memory lane and chat about the Go-Bots lets get to it!

Go-Bots hit toy shelves in 1983 thanks to Tonka Toys who was able to get molds from a Japanese toy company Popy who had a series called Machine Robo that was going strong there. Tonka wanted to cash in on the Robot-Mania that was going strong in America and taken an unknown toy series and rebranding it for the US market seemed like a quick and easy way to cash in and deliver a cool toy line for kids who would buy them up. And this worked as Go-Bots became a pretty popular toy brand and had a good following with youngsters who enjoyed these simple changing robots who were in scale with their Star Wars and G.I. Joe figures. These guys also ended up getting their own cartoon series in order to help push the toys and give the figures more character. The figures like all good 80’s toys had good guys called Guardians that were lead by Leader-1 who could turn into a jet and the Renegades lead by the motorcycle transformer bot called Cy-Kill and they were bitter enemies who lead their respected sides into battle and every day life. But Go-Bots time at being the most loved changing robot figures was cut short when America was blessed with Transformers both as toys and a cartoon in 1984 and they dominated pretty much ever sense when it came to robot action figures. The figures even though loosing the grip of being must have transforming robot toys for kids survived until 1987 when the final GoBots were released. Tonka sold the Go-Bots to Hasbro in 1991 and that is were the brand is still to this day, even having modern figures that were made for very youngsters. While they might not be as respected nor collected like Transformers the Go-Bots are still a very cool toy and cartoon brand that was spawned in the 80’s! I for one remember using the figures in my toy wars and Leader-1 was always in the planning room with Luke Skywalker, Buck Rogers, Captain Kirk and First Sergeant Duke!

Hanna-Barbera in 1983 to go along side the toys made a cartoon mini series to help push the figures and give the characters a backstory as well as personalities. The main series “Challenge Of The Go-Bots” started in 1984 and lasted 65 episodes with 2 seasons and ended in 1985! The episodes followed the war between the good guys lead by Leader-1 as they try and stop the evil ways of Cy-Kill and his band of evil bots! Each episode ran for 22 minutes and was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions and was a semi popular cartoon for the time. I mostly remember it airing in reruns on USA Cartoon Express on the USA Network, and with this sparked my love for the figures even more! It’s crazy as just like the figures the cartoon is often over looked and forgotten about as it’s our shadowed by Transformers even in the toon world, and while the cartoon is great and I have lots of great memories of watching it…I must admit that the Transformers toon is a better show over all. The cartoon has been released on VHS as well as on DVD and are worth watching if you grew up with the Go-Bots as its are true blast from the past viewing.

A short time after the Challenge Of The Go-Bots ended Hanna-Barbera Productions and Clubhouse Pictures teamed up and made “Go-Bots: Battle Of The Rock Lords” an animated movie that hit theaters in March 21, 1986! The film is about robotic transforming rock people from space who need help from Leader-1 and the Guardians to return to their planet and overthrow the evil Rock Lord Magmar who is killing his own kind to get their power sceptres! And of course Cy-Kill joins the fight and helps Magmar and his evildoers. The film did very poorly at the Box Office here in the US only taken in $1,338,264.00 and worse critics and fans alike also trashed the film as they thought it was a poorly made family flick….not to mention “Transformers: The Movie” was also released that year and once more it out shadowed Go-Bots in another medium…is it just me or do you feel like Transformers was the bully of robot properties in the 80s? GoBots: Battle Of The Rock Lords was released on VHS and has yet to get a proper DVD or Blu-Ray release here in America. While it might be the weakest of the 80’s toy line movies released it still is a flick that entertained fans of the Go-Bots. I can remember renting this movie on VHS and liking it, but it sadly was a shell of a film compared to “He-Man & She-Ra: Secret Of The Sword”, “G.I. Joe: The Movie” and “Transformers: The Movie” all that are amazing watches and captured the mood and feel of the toys and cartoon series that spawned them.

Growing up I had lots of Go-Bots that I would get from stores, garage sales and even trades with fellow kids and they seen lots of play as I really did like them, while I know they are very basic in their transforming features but they held a special place in my toy collection. I had many favorites as Cy-Kill and Turbo were at the top but for me the best figure was Leader-1 as he just was such a cool figure as both robot and jet and he was always a major part in my Toy Wars and always looked after the droids during battle. As I got older many of my toys were donated to my cousins and in that batch was my Leader-1 figure and while I am glad he made them happy and they were able to have adventures with him, he was one figure I missed. But lucky for me while at Mavericks Cards And Comics one day they had a near mint one for very cheap so I was able to get one back and now he sits on a shelf at my job looking over the store. I can remember many of my friends growing up who had Go-Bots always mentioned Leader-1 as one of their favorite figures from the line. So if you grew up with the Go-Bots or still love them to this day leave me a comment and let me know what character was your favorite.

Also besides the toys and cartoon the Go-Bots also spawned lots of cool merchandise over the years for the fans to get their hands on and for them to bring in extra money for the brand. They have and had Halloween costumes, magazines, posters, home media, lunch boxes, shirts, computer game, comic books, books, soundtrack, coloring books, card game, board game and so much more! Over the years I have had many of these items like the cartoon on VHS, a T-Shirt of Leader-1, some of the books, coloring books & magazines and of course I have the comics from IDW as they are the main attraction of this update! So if you are a fan of Go-Bots there is some great stuff out there for you to collect.

I have worked for both a Comic Book store as well as several Media stores and a topic that has came up at many is the Go-Bots or Transformers talk and I have always found it very interesting as in all the talks I have been apart of most have a very weird hatred for GoBots as the fans of the Transformers are very rabid when it comes to the honor of their favorite changing robots, and to be honest besides myself I can only think of one other coworker who would take up for them during these topics. One phrase that is said so much during talks is that Go-Bots were the K-Mart versions of the Transformers, and to me this is a silly statement as while they might not have been as detailed nor as popular they were released before and did bring transforming robots into the minds and hands of the kids to pave the way for the Transformers. Plus most modern mass market Transformers in my opinion are really junky and are bargain basement level toys. So I also need to stress I love Transformers and grew up watching the cartoons, playing with the toys as well as reading the Marvel Comics and they were a major part of my youth, I just want to take up for Go-Bots as they seem to always get the short end of the stick when it comes to respect for them when it came to 80s toys and cartoons. Plus the art below is pretty great and well played to whom ever the artist is!

So as you can see I am a fan of Go-Bots and I know many of you readers are or were a fan at one point and had at least one in your collection. So now lets get to the comic reviews and I want to thank IDW for making them and Mavericks Cards And Comic for stocking them. And for me this is really a great way to start the countdown to Christmas Eve as Go-Bots really does make me flashback to my youth. I want to remind all you readers that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So if you are ready like I am, as I have wanted a comic series based on the world of Go-Bots sense I was a youngster and now its time to finally read one.

GO-BOTS # 1  ***
Released in 2018     Cover Price $3.99     IDW     # 1 of 5

The Go-Bots are leaving among humans now and Leader-1 and human Mark are one secret missions to save prisoners of war. Scooter along with his human friend A.J are hanging around and while she is at classes he is getting paid to drive people around to get extra money for A.J. And the world’s top sport now is racing Go-Bots and Turbo and his human rider Matt Hunter are champions of that sport. And after winning the big race Matt and Turbo are approached by. T. Coriander Banks who takes them to an underground fight arena and the witness Cy-Kill kill other Go-Bots and robots. And Matt and Turbo soon find that Banks has tricked them and wants them to fight with Cy-Kill and they decline and barely escape alive. They return to the site of the arena and everyone is gone besides dead bodies of Go-Bots and Humans! Meanwhile Mark and Leader-1 get a new mission to stop a rouge band of Go-Bots and once found Leader-1 is tricked and all his programing and codes stolen by Cy-Kill who is running the pack of evil Go-Bots as he wants to kill all the humans and rule the world! A.J meanwhile goes to have a quick meal with her teacher Professor Braxis who informs her that he as well has his own Go-Bot and shoves her into his basement were she see’s Vamp who approaches to attack when Scooter busts in and saves her and roughs up the Professor who claims he was just joking. Once outside the world is going crazy as the Go-Bots have turned on humans due to the stolen codes and A.J asks Scooter if he is going to turn on her as he stands with his fist clinched.

This first issue shows that Go-Bots are not just kid’s toys anymore as this issue is filled with murder and death plus does a great job of building this comic universe. The plot of the comic has the Go-Bots being programed to obey humans and work alongside them and for our entertainment and when Cy-Kill the evil robot decides he wants to take over the world he and his followers start a Go-Bot revelation and turn on the humans they once served. And all of this is set in motion when Leader-1 is tricked and defeated and all his secrets and codes stolen. Leader-1 and his human friend Mark are heroes who help our government in secret missions and really is a hero who don’t care to take a human life in order to save those who are in need…that is as long as Mark allows it. Scooter and Turbo as well are good bots that as well have befriended humans and seem to do their best to protect both Matt and A.J who are their pals. This far hands down my favorite good Go-Bot is Leader-1 as I find him to be smart, brutal and yet noble. Cy-Kill is as evil as ever as he does not mind killing his fellow Go-Bots as well as humans and robots and wants nothing better than to kills anyone who opposes him on his quest to take over the world. Very evil Cy-Kill is and the perfect bad guy for this series and really is a baddie that you can fear and I look forward to see just how bad he will get as more issues are released. To be honest I have read lots of IDW comics based on toys/cartoons over the years and I must say that Go-Bots # 1 is the best I have read and really makes me hyped for this series as a whole. The cover I have is very eye catching and showcases Leader-1 who is the true icon of the Go-Bots. The interior art is done by Tom Scioli who also wrote the script and at first I was a little “blah” on the artwork when seen in previews but once reading the full book I must say I really liked it and I feel he captured the look of the characters as well as has a dash of the old school yet has a modern and updated feel. So lets see what issue two has in store for us.

GO-BOTS # 2  ***
Released in 2018     Cover Price $3.99       IDW       # 2 of 5

Cy-Kill listens as Screw Head who tells of how he and a human were working in a dangerous mind that ended up taking the like of the human and leaving the robot hurt showing mankind does not care about the Go-Bots! This sets Cy-Kill off who demands some of his followers to dump Leader-1 in a junkyard as he and his crew cause chaos and damage that will hurt mankind. Meanwhile we find out that Scooter fights the urge to attack and tries to get A.J. to safety and they end up running into Turbo and his driver Matt Hunter and they quickly know that they will have to all stick together as they are found by police Go-Bots who want to break up these do gooders. Meanwhile Leader-1 barely escapes being crushed and kills his captives and is now our for revenge. Scooter and Turbo ditch the police bots and make their way to Tonka as they hope to find a patch that can fix all this and meet a programer and his forklift Go-Bot Spoons and are informed that this has nothing to do with the chip and is all about the fact the Go-Bots are having a revolution! Once outside A.J., Matt, Scooter and Turbo figure out that they must fight to live and find T. Coriander Banks who is dying and admits he is the cause of this all and as he dies the evil GoBots attack Turbo and Scooter who fight for their lives as well as of their human friends. As things look bad for our heroes they are saved from death when Leader-1 and a band of good bots show up to take on Cy-Kill and his renegades as the humans also make their play with the army! As Leader-1 and Cy-Kill have a bloody fight that leaves them both injured its Leader-1 that comes out the winner and he is surrounded by both sides who want them to lead them…one sides wants to get things back the way it was with humans in charge while the other side want to take over…what is Leader-1 to do.

This second issue is fantastic and brings GoBots to a whole new level as the Renegades as cold blooded and enjoy not only killing humans but also fellow robots who are loyal to mankind. The plot of this issue has Cy-Kill leading his Renegades to war with the humans as Turbo and Scooter along with their humans try to survive and almost are killed until the once injured Leader-1 shows up and wins a massive battle that now leaves him with a decision to make on to help mankind or be loyal to his own GoBots who are sick of being used and taken advantage of by man. I love that this issue leaves us on a cliffhanger that leaves the hero Leader-1 with a decision that will change the lives of many and will give him not only power, but will also make him a hated figure as he will not be able to please both sides. Leader-1 in this one is a hero who steps up and becomes the warrior we all know that he is, plus I love that even with his face cut halfway off and bleeding like a stuck pig he never gave up and was able to defeat a well more rested Cy-Kill. Speaking of Cy-Kill he is 100% cold blooded and gets joy out of killing and loves that his followers do so blindly and do whatever he says. Turbo shows that he as well is a fighter and even with the odds against him is willing to fight to save his human friend as well as do what he thinks is right, meanwhile Scooter is kind of a chicken who is by no means a fighter and quickly begs for his life when things go bad. I also love that Tonka is the company who make the GoBots and they through up their hands when things go bad and say well people should have treated them better! And somehow I feel this is a hidden message for toy collectors who always seem to trash GoBots and treat them like they are generic dollar store toys. The cover for this issue is great and showcases Cy-Kill and the interior art is great and done by Tom Scioli, again his style has grown on me. So lets move onto issue three and see what Leader-1 decides and if Cy-Kill will once more rise to cause an issue for humans and robots alike.

GO-BOTS # 3  **1/2
Released in 2019      Cover Price $3.99       IDW       # 3 of 5

On GoBotron the planet of the Go-Bots and under the rule of Leader-1 is being visited by a group of astronauts from Earth who is with space shuttle bot Spay-C and are attacked by Zod a massive dinosaur robot who is the terror of the planet! And before the attack Leader-1 and his followers chase Zod off and take Spay-C prisoner and it’s clear that Leader-1 is running his world with an iron fist as he sets Spay-C to be reprogramed the next day, and the astronauts are lucky enough to escape, and they risk their lives to save him. Leader-1 has a vision and returns to ask Spay-C to help him and his followers and as they start their journey they are attacked by Cy-Kill who once more has followers and has also got Zod as an ally and this causes Leader-1 and his crew to flee to space but the renegades give chase, but are tricked and left behind. Leader-1 and his group hyperspace to the other side of the planet and Leader-1 explains that the item they seek is here, as the enter the inner layer of the planet its clear its not like the above world as this one is covered in rocks and sand and Spay-C runs off only to fall and become injured, he is later found by Turbo and Scooter who share with the astronauts that Leader-1 is not the kind Go-bot he claims to be, and as Spay-C tries to attack Turbo the astronauts run off and find Rocklords as well as that the planet they are on is Earth!

This issue takes place way after the events of issue 1 & 2 and has Leader-1 ruling over the world and is paranoid about his enemies trying to over throw his rule, but while once noble he is now more unfair and has no issues killing those who do not follow as well will brainwash to get allies. And when he meets a Go-Bot from space he thinks that he has the answer of how to bring peace to the worlds, but of course Cy-Kill and the Renegades want to rise to power and will do whatever they can to stop this quest. In this issue Leader-1 really is not a nice robot as he comes off as a crazed paranoid leader who will do whatever it takes to keep his power…and this makes him very dangerous. Cy-Kill is as power crazy as ever and seems like he will not stop until he takes over. Zod who is a massive dinosaur robot that is such a killer that all the Go-Bots fear him, plus once he joins forces with Cy-Kill all bets are off! Spay-C is an interesting character who goes from protecting his human friends to drinking the Kool-Aid that Leader-1 is forcing on him. The true hero of this series is Turbo who really is the one who watches after humas as well as his fellow Go-Bots like Scooter, he really is the most heroic bot of this series this far. I like also how in this issue the Go-Bots under the rule of Leader-1 build their own world GoBotron over Earth causing the world as we know it to be forever changed. The series has taken a real downbeat turn as it’s clear that there are very few heroes left and the world is filled with lots of greys that seem to be only looking out for themselves. The cover for the issue I have is pretty cool and showcases Spay-C and the interior art is great and done by Tom Scioli again. I do also want to say that while I enjoyed this issue it’s story does seem a little disjointed and that hurts it slightly when it comes to the star rating. But while flawed still highly entertaining and I cannot wait to see what issue four has in store for me.

GO-BOTS # 4  ***
Released in 2019     Cover Price $3.99       IDW       # 4 of 5

The astronauts are shocked and sadden by the fact Earth is now a shell that is the underbelly of a world created by the Go-Bots. Turbo meets up with the humans and forces Spay-C to explain what happened to the world and he lets them know that he has been looking out for them as from space he witnessed the destruction and was waiting to wake them from sleep chambers when things got better…but they never did. As Turbo shows the astronauts the remaining humans who have devolved Cy-Kill and the renegades appear and snatch up some humans causing Turbo and Spay-C to spring into action and save some of them. But the Renegades drop Zod who is ready to kill all in his way, and during the drop the ground shakes and Leader-1 has a vision of the Go-Bot God named Courageous and sets his way to find the Lazer Lance a staff he thinks can kill Zod and stop this fighting once and for all. After the explosion Spay-C is down for the count and Leader-1 runs into Turbo and Scooter and tries to call for a truce and asks them to help him find the Lance so they can all defeat their enemies, and Scooter knows the location! So they all climb to a skull cave and even have a run in with some of the Rock Lords, but once in the cave the run into Professor Braxis who is old and crazy and has created an army of Vamps who attack Leader-1, Turbo, Scooter and the rest of the Go-Bots but lucky for everyone during this fight the Lazer Lance is found and the Vamps flee as Leader-1 goes outside with lance in hand just as Zod and Cy-Kill and the rest of the Renegades appear! Just as Leader-1 is about to use the Lazer Lance it’s taken from him by Cy-Kill who breaks it and all looks bad for our heroes until the Rock Lords help them and cause all the Renegades to fall into a pit! Leader-1, Turbo, Scooter and the repaired Spay-C with the astronauts all join forces and use the damaged Lazer Lance to take down Zod once and for all as he explodes and causes a massive earthquake! As they regroup they notice the Go-Bots Command Center approaching and it open fire and many blasts hit Leader-1 and it even beams up Scooter and other Go-Bots…and we learn that Cy-Kill and the Renegades are the ones controlling the massive ship, and Turbo and Spay-C decide to go on a suicide mission to try and get Scooter back as the Go-Bots mourn what looks like the death of Leader-1.

This fourth issue is a great read and one heck of a great chapter in this mini series! This issues plot has Leader-1 still on his vision quest to get a lance that is his only hope to finally stop Zod, but along the way he must face Cy-Kill and his band of evil doers as well as make peace with Turbo, Scooter and the Rock Lords! Leader-1 in this issue comes off a creepy, crazed cult leader who has a vision and makes his followers follow him on a quest blindly. While in this issue Leader-1 starts off a little power crazed, by the end I think he is starting to realize that he has become a monster himself and tries to rebuild a friendship with the likes of Turbo and Scooter. And while Leader-1 was gunned down at the end of this issue and it looks like he is dead…I am going to say he is not and will be back for the 5^th and final issue in the mini series. Turbo once more is the real hero as he looks out for his now dimwitted friend Scooter, is man enough to put his fight with the Go-Bots aside in order to bring down Zod. Cy-Kill is a psychopath who guns down and kills many Go-Bots, tortures humans for his own amusement and is just as power hungry as Leader-1 as he wants to rule the world. Spay-C in the issue comes around and fights on the side of good, glad to see him have a bound with Scooter and Turbo. Oh I also really like that Cop-Tur tries to step up and challenge Leader-1 to become the leader and gets his block knocked off…great stuff! One element I also found very interesting in this issue is the addition of Courageous who is a God like figure for the bots, I also like that the Rock Lords are around and have been created by the “Gods” and they are the more pure versions of the Go-Bots. While the story again jumps oddly in spots it is a great read that is packed with action, drama and even some cool cliffhangers. The cover I have is a little weak and does not do this issue justice. And like before Tom Scioli did the interior art and does a fantastic job. So with that lest see what the final issue in this mini series has in store for us, and most important lets see what the fate of Leader-1 is!

GO-BOTS # 5  ***
Released in 2019     Cover Price $3.99       IDW       # 5 of 5

Spay-C drops Turbo off on the command center that has been taken over by Cy-Kill and his Renegades in order to get his friend Scooter back and bashes and smashes all that get in his way. He finally makes it to the control room and confronts Cy-Kill and gives him a choice fight him and die or let Scooter go and let them leave…Cy-Kill decides to fight and his gunned down. Turbo finds Scooter and the pair try and leave but are found by Crasher who ends up becoming allies with them and both want to end this war that was started by Leader-1 and Cy-Kill! The newly allied Go-Bots return to Earth and Spay-C and some of the Humans are going to try time travel while the others stay and find that the Earth has been under attacked by an army of Vamps being controlled by Professor Braxis and they meet a younger generation of Go-Bots who are now fighting this war, showing that the fighting will never end. The new Go-Bots decide to head to space and make their own world and even take the bodies of Cy-Kill and Leader-1 and rebuild them as one new Go-Bot. While the humans on Earth along with Go-Bots start their own quest to rebuild the planet and in the end Spay-C and some of the some of the astronauts return to the past to warn the world about the uprising of the Go-Bots…but like always those in power do not listen so it as it appears our future is doomed.

This mini series is fantastic and has a surprise connection that I will discuss a little later in this issue review, as it’s a big spoiler. The plot of this issue has Leader-1 dead and Turbo on a quest to save his friend Scooter from the command center that is being controlled by the coldblooded killer Cy-Kill. Once Turbo finds his enemy he kills him and saves his friend only to find that GoBotron has been attacked by Vamps and that the younger Go-Bots have grown in size and have no ties to Earth and want to make their own way on a new planet so they leave. And with that the humans that are left as well as many of the old Go-Bots must find away to rebuild the Earth that has been left in terrible shop after the rise of the Go-Bots. Turbo once more shows that he is the true hero of this series as he does not care about this war that rages on over two Go-Bots egos and just wants to save his friend and respect humans and their lives. I like the fact Turbo don’t want to be in charge and really just want the world to get along and for both humans and Go-Bots to live together. I also like that this series had the guts to kill off both Leader-1 and Cy-Kill who are the franchises two biggest characters, and this move reminds me of how they killed Optimus Prime in the Transformers Movie. I also like how the astronauts decide that they will try and make the best of the new Earth and will help and try and educate the remaining humans who have almost became cavemen again. Plus its so true to life that with major warnings of doom for the world we all share, those who have power choose not to listen as they don’t want to change their lifestyles to make a difference. Now I have to talk about the series main spoilers so if you don’t want to know skip the rest of the review…..Ok I need to stress I think that it’s amazing that the younger Go-Bots will grow to be the Transformers and that the artificial planet GoBotron will become Cybertron! That’s right we get a sneak peek of Optimus Prime who is GoBot Road Ranger as well as Bumblebee and the bodies of Leader-1 and Cy-Kill and are turned into Starscream! I love that finally someone gives Go-Bots the respect they deserve, as they are really the first major changing robot toys! The cover for this issue is cool and yet silly and has Leader-1 holding the body of Cy-Kill and I must also say again the art of Tom Scioli at first was not my cup of tea, but this series made me a fan. Check out the art below to see the style of Scioli.

Go-Bots really do make me think about my youth and Christmas time so this comic mini series was the prefect way to get me into the holiday season! I would love for IDW to do more as I feel that many other stories could be shared about Turbo, Scooter and the rest of the Go-Bots. And for the next update and our countdown to Christmas Eve I will be staying in the world of classic toys turned into comic book heroes as we will be looking at Stretch Armstrong! So until next time readers and friends read a comic or three, watch a Christmas Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a stretching good time.

The Turkey Day Labors Of Hercules!

Happy Thanksgiving friends, family and readers, and thanks for spending a part of your holiday with me here at Rotten Ink once again. As we all are sitting here waiting for the turkey, ham or whatever your main dish choice is to cook and while Football is on the TV, I want to reflect that this year will be the seventh time I have covered the one and only Greek Mythology hero Hercules. With this go round we will be covering a comic that showcases his 12 Labors! The tale of Hercules is one that I have always enjoyed, and I can remember renting many books from the library and even buying some all about Greek Mythology as it has always captured my attention as well helped fuel my creative mind, not to mention the classic Sword And Sandal films were staples of my viewing when I was a youngster. So if you’re ready to go on another Turkey Day Adventure with Hercules and myself, we should start our amazing adventure and see how Herc conquers his 12 labors and delivers another special update.

One of my favorite Hercules films of the 60’s has to be the one called “Hercules Against The Mongols” from 1963 that had Mark Forest play the role of Hercules! The film follows Hercules as he takes on the heirs of the conquerer Genghis Khan and shows why good always beats evil. But while this is a fantastic Sword and Sandal fantasy adventure film that showcases the power and noble was of Hercules, the sad fact of the matter is that this film was not originally a Herc film and was only dubbed one in the USA when distributers thought that the name meant more to movie goers than Maciste, the real hero behind this film as well as many of the Hercules, Samson and Goliath films here in America. The thing I like about this film is that Hercules takes on an army of bloodthirsty warriors who just want to conquer, take over and kill…and they don’t stand a chance against the pride of Olympus. Mark Forest makes a pretty good Hercules, and while he is now Steve Reeves, he captures the cocky hero nature of this demigod hero. This movie can be found on VHS, DVD and even plays on TV Station Comet TV from time to time, so if you love Hercules flicks, make sure to check this one out.

While we are talking about the film Hercules Against The Mongols, we should take a few moments and talk about actor Mark Forest who played the title role. Lou Degni was born on January 6, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York and began his bodybuilding career at the age of 13 as he knew that becoming a strong man was his calling. This lead to him opening his own gym in Long Island so that lifting would always be a part of his life. But during his adult life, he also tried his hand in acting and auditioned to play Tarzan in a film and did not get it but did end up taking a gig in Las Vegas playing one of Mae West’s musclemen and even helped earn his status of strongman by entering and winning weightlifting competitions including Mr. Muscle Beach in California. In 1958, the world of cinema changed when Hercules starring Steve Reeves hit cinemas around the world and the sword and sandal films became big business! And the second American actor approached to travel to Italy and make these films was Mark Forest who made his first film in 1960 with “Goliath And The Dragon” and many more would follow like “Son Of Samson” (1960), “Mole Men Against The Son Of Hercules” (1961), “The Lion Of Thebes” (1964) and “The Terror Of Rome Against The Son Of Hercules” (1964) and many more. During this time of course Lou Degni took on the stage name of Mark Forest, and this was the name he was best known for. Mark would ride the short lived popularity of the Sword and Sandal genre until the end, and afterwards got involved in opera in Italy and later became a vocal coach in California. Mark Forest is one of those classic actors that I hope someday soon Monster Bash Convention brings in so that I can meet him, while long retired from acting and weightlifting, Mark is a true legend of Cinema strongmen.

Remember in our first update about Hercules when we took a look at the DELL Comic and the Steve Reeve movies? Well we also talked about WWF Wrestler Hercules Hernandez during that update, and for this update I want to briefly talk about another Pro Wrestler who went by the ring name Hercules Ayala and was a monster of the squared circle. Hercules Ayala, whose real name is Ruben Cruz, was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico on July 14, 1950 and upon moving to the mainland of the U.S., he meet NWA wrestler Angelo Savoldi at a gym and was trained by him to become a wrestler himself and had a very brief run in the WWWF. He then would go on to wrestle in such federations as Stampede Wrestling for around 8 years and even won the Tag Titles with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart! Also during this run, he worked for smaller Canadian federation Lutte Internationale where he became their Heavyweight Champion beating David Shultz and losing it a month later to Abdullah The Butcher. He would return to Puerto Rico and would join WWC and as well would capture their World Title beating Randy “Macho Man” Savage! He would go on to feud with Carlos Colon and would lose a loser leaves town match in 1989 and was written off from WWC. A few years later, he would show up in AWF and become a World Champion again for a short time. He would go on from there to work sport appearances in Puerto Rico even for WWC again. While he is not a huge name here in America, he does have a big name around the world and his many title wins in many federations show that he made his mark in the world of Pro Wrestling.

So I am sure many of you readers are wondering about the Hercules Comic that I was writing and my friend Jeff Potter was doing the art for that was going to be released by Sparkle Comics as part of the Sword And Sandal Comic line…well sadly the comic has been placed on the back burner for now as the first release in the series Samson was not the mega hit we had hoped for causing some shifts in the production line, and Potter and I worked on bringing back classic superhero Black Jack back to the comic world instead! But while on the backburner for now, it does not mean that this Hercules comic is 100% dead as at some point Jeff and I will return to it and unleash it onto the indie comic reading masses as I am proud of the story I wrote and I know Potter’s art will kill it! So for those of you Hercules comic fans know that we will be releasing this comic soon it was just not in the cards for 2019. Below is some very early concept art that Potter did for the series so you can see the style we were aiming for.

So I think it’s time for this update that we take a look at the graphic novel of Hercules and the 12 labors set before him, and this one is a great pick to showcase Hercules in all his heroic glory. I want to thank Amazon for having this in stock and making this update possible. And as always I want to remind you all that I grade this comic on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head out and see just how Hercules can complete his 12 labors!

Hercules: The Twelve Labors  **1/2
Released In 2007     Cover Price $8.95     Graphic Universe   #1 of 1

Zeus, the King of the Gods, had an affair with a mortal woman that spawned the demigod Hercules who was hated by his stepmother Hera! When Hercules was a youngster the evil Goddess even sent venomous snakes to his crib to kill him, but they were no match for his power. As an adult Hera, masking herself as Zeus, makes Hercules pledge himself to his cousin King Eurystheus who is jealous of his powerful cousin, and with Hera whispering in his ear, they come up with labors for Hercules to do. The first labor has Hercules going to Thebes and killing the man-eating lion with the thick hide with his bare hands, and when he does so, he skins the lion and makes himself a new cloak! His second labor is to go to the swamps of Lernea to take out the Hydra! Once in the swamp Hercules and his nephew figure our how to defeat the Hydra and do so. The third labor is to bring back a golden deer, that King Eurystheus thinks Hercules will kill and bring down the wrath of the gods for killing it…but Hercules is too smart and brings it back alive! After each finished task, King Eurystheus is getting more and more angry at his cousin and Hercules with ease finishes the next that are to kill a massive Boar, clean out multiple stables in a single day, chase off killer birds who are tormenting farmers, steal a angered white bull from a King, later steal a pair of horses that are being abused by a king that are now cruel and man eaters and his ninth labor has Hercules at was with the Amazon Women as he is tasked with getting the queens golden belt! And after each task King Eurystheus grows more frustrated, and Hercules himself gets more disappointed as he does not like being a thief for his greedy cousin. The tenth labor has Hercules stealing cattle from a Monster that he ends up killing. With his eleventh labor he must get a golden apple from a tree that he needs the help of Titan Atlas to do so and must switch places with him holding up the sky for a short time! With his twelfth and final labor, King Eurystheus send Hercules to Hades to bring back the three headed dog Cerberus and with the blessing of Hades, he tames the beast brings it to King Eurystheus and ends his labors!

This graphic novel is a great kid friendly read that brings the legend of Hercules alive for readers. The plot is simple and has Hercules having to do labors that are impossible for most in order to please his greedy cousin who is a King with the hopes that Herc will die as that is what Goddess Hara, who is the one who set this up, wants. Hercules is very prideful, noble and respectful to the demands of the Gods as he does what he is asked even if he disagrees with it. Plus I feel like the Hercules has the feel of Hercules from the old Sword And Sandal films, making it a very fun adventure to read. Hara is the issue’s main villain as she gets joy out of trying her best to kill and ruin Hercules and his legacy. She pushes so much for his downfall that she herself gets outsmarted by Hades who figures out that she is the one who has set this all up. The second baddie has to be King Eurystheus who is just a cruel and jealous man who hates his cousin cause he has the power and respect that he wishes he had! The side killer animals are great as well as who don’t love the Nemean Lion or Cerberus! The pacing of this graphic novel is also very fast and teaches you the story without dwelling on the small details, making it a cool action comics mixed with a little history in folklore. It’s also very cautious of showing any violence as it’s clear this is meant for all ages and to be used as a teaching comic. The cover reminds me of something you would find at a School Book Fair and is eye catching for youngsters, but not so much for adult readers. The interior art is done by Steve Kurth and is good stuff and has a real Marvel/Star Comics appeal. Over all this is a great read and one that could help get kids into Greek Mythology as it delivers a fun time. Check out the art below to see the style of Kurth!

Thanks for spending another Thanksgiving with Hercules and myself here at Rotten Ink, and as always Sword And Sandal comics will always have a home here on this site….but I am sad to say that next year will be the last time, at least for a while, that I will cover Hercules on a Thanksgiving update as I felt I have talked about almost all I can about this iconic mythology hero. Now don’t get too sad as I will continue to do Thanksgiving Day updates as many of you readers seem to enjoy them on this holiday, so next year I will be taking a look at Hercules Unbound from DC Comics and this will wrap up this tradition of Herc on Turkey Day! I hope you enjoyed this update and that you are having (or had) a great Thanksgiving as holidays with loved ones, something you should never take for granted. Our next update will start our countdown to Christmas Eve and we will be taking a look at the GoBots, those underrated changing robot toys from the 80’s! So until next time enjoy your turkey, watch a football game or two and as always cherish your loved ones. See you next update for a robotic good time!

The Incredible Coloring Hulk!

When I was a kid I can remember sitting in my room, at the kitchen table or in front of the fire place with crayons in hand coloring in one of the many coloring books based on a cartoon, comic or movie character. Some of my favorites growing up was ones based on Batman, Inhumanoids, SilverHawks and Masters Of The Universe to name a few, but my all time favorite was an Incredible Hulk one that was released in 1979 that I would color in and give the crudely colored in pictures to my mom as gifts when I was a youngster. For this countdown to Thanksgiving update, I am feeling the need to get into a nostalgic frame of mind so I have chosen to take a look and review three old coloring books that featured original very kid friendly adventures of The Incredible Hulk! So get your Crayola Crayons ready as it’s time to color in a good time on this update.

Growing up the Incredible Hulk and Captain America were my favorite superheroes followed very closely by Spider-Man. And when growing up I had a subscription to all three of those comics at one point as well as Uncanny X-Men and looked forward to reading them as soon as they arrived in the mail…and I need to note that our Waynesville mailman did not listen to the “Do Not Bend” warning on the package and would fold it long wise to fit in our mail box! I can even remember renewing them to get more issues sent, and this is how I got to read such story lines like Cap Wolf and the first appearance of Carnage among many other great arcs. The Marvel Comics Subscription was a wonderful way for me to be able to read modern comics since I had to always wait until we could get to Big Bear to go grocery shopping in order to get the issues I needed to complete a story I had started sometimes even missing issues here and there. The good news is that for modern comic readers who don’t live around a comic shop and dislike digital comics like myself, Marvel Comics still offers the subscription service via their website! I just wanted to briefly talk about how much this helped my comic collection as a kid and how it helped me stay up to date on many of the storylines at that time. Below are some cool ads that used to be in the back of Marvel Comics that would tell you about your savings getting your comics this way. Oh yeah and also notice how two of them feature this update’s hero the Incredible Hulk!

The Hulk has been going strong for Marvel Comics for over 57 years and has had many ups and downs in his publication history and over the decades has turned from having a child like mind to having the mind of a genesis. He has turned from grey to green and back to grey to green again. He has tangled with the Army, The Hulkbusters, Abomination, The Leader and even Dr. Doom in many of his issues. But besides the Marvel Comics, The Hulk has also had many other fights and adventures as he has also graced movie screens with Hulk released in 2003, Incredible Hulk from 2016 as well as all four Avengers films! On CBS The Incredible Hulk became a TV Show that ran from 1977 to 1982 for a total of five seasons and had Bill Bixby playing David Bruce Banner and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk! The TV Show started after a made for TV Film and would also go on to have three more movie specials that were The Return Of The Incredible Hulk (1977), The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), The Trail Of The Incredible Hulk (1989) and The Death Of The Incredible Hulk (1990). He has also had his fair share of adventures in pop-up books, paperback novels, coloring books, video games, recorded audio, comic strips, cartoons and even the weirdest, toilet paper! And let’s be honest, this does not even count Fan Films and even your own adventures you made with your action figures, board games and Colorforms. So as you can see, The Incredible Hulk and his legacy in entertainment goes far beyond the world of Comic Books and has made its way into all types of media given fans even more ways to enjoy their favorite hero.

Did you readers know that in 1983 a game was being made based on The Incredible Hulk for the Atari 2600 that was going to be released by Parker Brothers? Well if not, you know now! The game would have had you play as Bruce Banner with your goal being to get through levels and avoid getting too mad and turning into The Hulk, but the trick was each level would get harder and harder. The game was to be the second in the team up between Marvel Comics and Parker Brothers with the first one being Amazing Spider-Man that was released for Atari 2600 in 1982, but sadly with the video game crash of 1982 came lots of games that never got released to consumers…and sadly The Incredible Hulk was one of those games. It would have also been a two player game meaning you and your sibling or friend could have taken turns playing as Banner and seeing how many points you could rack up. The game did have some press before it was set to be released that included ads and even a cover box design building the hype for gamers and comic readers. Over the years gamers have searched, begged for and hoaxed a prototype for this game and as of this update none have been found leaving the world without at Atari 2600 game based on The Hulk. Will a prototype for this unreleased Incredible Hulk video game ever turn up? This blogger, gamer and comic reader sadly doesn’t think so but if it ever does I for one will buy it on a cart and have an Atari 2600 Challenge update all about it. Below are some of the graphics used in the pre-promotion ads for this game so check them out and try to imagine what could have been.

So way back in the day I was one of the founders of a club called the “Dayton Board Game Society” and on July 11, 2012 at our first meeting we played the board game The Incredible Hulk and The Fantastic Four that was released by Milton Bradley in 1978. At the time we only had a total of three members as it was a private club and besides myself, Stephen Alexander and Josh Weinberg made up the group. I would love to share my thoughts from 2012 with you readers here about this Hulk board game so here is my review from back then: “This one was a surprise for me and I found myself liking the simple yet fun game and this would get my rating of 2.5 out of 4! Growing up I was a huge fan of The Incredible Hulk and this game has you being a member of the Fantastic Four trying to cure the Hulk as he rampages the board! While the game is a basic spinner game, it’s more fun as you the player is also forced to move the Hulk to block and steal other players cards. Very fun game.” At some point I should get the lads back together and play this board game again and see how an older me feels about it. Check out below for some cool pictures from that day.

So as you can see, The Hulk truly is one of Marvel’s most iconic characters and is one that has always captured my imagination as I have always found the character to be interesting and appealed to this Monster Kid as he always had a dash of classic horror to him like a little Frankenstein’s Monster and even some Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So let’s get into the main attraction of this update, three coloring books made by Whitman Publishing that feature original very kid friendly stories centered around The Hulk. I really cannot wait to revisit the one I had as a kid as I have not seen it for well over twenty years at this point! So I want to remind you readers that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. I also want to stress I am going to grade these a little differently than normal comics as the stories in these are going to be really silly and goofy so I will cut them a little slack. So with that grab your green and purple crayons, and let’s get to these coloring books.

Incredible Hulk: At The Circus  *
Released in 1977     Cover Price .49     Whitman/Marvel   # 1 of 3

The Circus is in town and The Incredible Hulk is working for them doing all types of fun things like lifting heavy weights as well as setting up the tents. The owner of the circus is Mr. Barnes and as he is counting the money, a masked baddie named The Stuntman enters and steals it and sets the trailer on fire! The Hulk smells the smoke and sets into action and saves Mr. Barnes, puts out the trailer by throwing it into water and then starts to chase The Stuntman to get the money back! The chase goes all over the circus with The Stuntman always being a few steps ahead, and The Hulk gets a good idea along with fellow circus worker Rubber Man to roll him into a ball and crash into the villain, and it works leaving Hulk saving the day and getting the money back!

The first thing I want to say about this Hulk coloring book adventure is that it’s barely a story and for the most part makes zero sense as the plot is just laughably bad! No joke, the plot is The Hulk working for a circus and loving to entertain people, getting back stolen money from a cheesy masked bad guy. The Hulk in this book is always smiling and seems to be high on life, I mean why in the heck is he working….Hulk just wants to be alone not setting up tents and hanging out with clowns! This is like opposite day Hulk as he just does not seem himself at all. The Stuntman is super lame and is so terrible he even tries to use a child as a hostage in order to get away…this guy is better left out of the comics, and I am glad this is his only appearance as this coloring book adventure should never been spoken of. The cover for this one is also really bad and has The Hulk on a trapeze looking very misshapen, and the interior art is just ok and while looks nothing like the comic art it does have a very kid friendly look. Over all this first coloring book adventure is pretty bad so lets move onto the second and the one I had growing up! Oh yeah check out the art below to see the art style of this one.

Incredible Hulk: Dot To Dot  **
Released in 1979     Cover Price .59     Whitman/Marvel   # 2 of 3

Alien race The Greenies are attacking the planet Big Zero and blow it up and only one of its citizens escaped named 00-6 and he has chosen Earth to hide out. But he makes a mistake and lands at a speedway as a race is going on causing panic as he uses his number blast power to make a racecar disappear as well as a near by tree and the picnic basket of Bruce Banner who was about to enjoy his lunch. This angers Banner who turns into The Hulk who charges 00-6 who uses his number blast and figure eight spaceship to try and escape, but Hulk follows and the pair are soon both captures by the Greenie King who looks like the Hulk! He informs 00-6 and The Hulk that is plan is to steal the color green from Earth and replace it with other colors causing a green out all thanks to the robot that is called Green Machine! Hulk does not like what he hears and is ready to smash both Green Machine and Greenie King and knocks out the King with one punch but is late with Green Machine who is on his way to Earth! 00-6 uses all his life power to make a number three flying machine that Hulk rides and is able to cut off Green Machine in space and knock him out and return to Earth on it. In the end Hulk is happy to be back home taking a nap under a tree.

Dot-To-Dot was a coloring book I loved as a kid and now looking at it as a 40 year old man, I must say this is super cheesy and super simple and really just middle of the road when it comes to a kids comic style adventure. The plot has The Hulk teaming with a number alien against a race of aliens and their robot that want to steal the coloring green from Earth as they use it as energy. The Hulk in this coloring book goes from being ready to smash 00-6 to becoming his friend to being Earth’s protector in a short amount of pages and while he is not fully Hulk of the comics in attitude, he is close enough. 00-6 is a small goofy little alien who uses number to fight against is foes, he is a good guy but also a little goofy when it comes to who he thinks are his enemies as he sees a tree as a threat. I also like how he uses all his numbers in order to save the world and dies for doing so…he is the Earth’s unknown savior. The Greenie King looks like Hulk with a crown and is an ego driven ruler who cares nor for others and only his needs. The Green Machine is a robot man who is into stealing the color green on the word of his King. The story really is super simple and is hard to break down so I will say I enjoy how Hulk goes to space, I like how he rides a space board that looks like the number three, I dig when he drops the name of the Silver Surfer. The cons are that the plot is lame, the villains are no threat and 00-6 is super goofy. The cover is pretty cool and has the Hulk being surrounded by numbers as an Unknown Artist did the interior artwork that is pretty well done. Over all this coloring book I loved as a youngster did not hold up and is pretty cheesy and for Hulk fans only. Check out the art below to see what you get with this 1979 coloring book.

Incredible Hulk: Wisdom Of The Watcher  **1/2
Released in 1980     Cover Price .69     Whitman/Marvel   # 3 of 3

The Hulk is in the desert to get a break from mankind, and while lonely he at least is not being attacked, that is until a small craft appears and uses gas to knock him out! Hulk turns back into Bruce Banner and finds himself on a craft and confronted by his enemy The Leader who places a device on Banners neck that will allow him to take control of The Hulk and use him as a weapon to take over the world and beyond. The Leader after making Banner turn back into The Hulk runs him through some tests to see what his body can withstand and how strong he truly is and once his questions are answered he shares his plan with Hulk that will have him travel to the moon and steal an artifact from The Watcher who makes his home on the moon. The Leader sends Hulk to the moon, and he is greeted by The Watcher who tells him to look around as he will not interfere in his quest all the while The Leader is in Hulk’s head giving orders as old jade jaws is trying to fight off his mind control. The Leader pots a red orb and he knows that is what he needs and to take it Hulk must fight a massive alien who has also shown up to steal the orb! Hulk defeats the alien easily and takes the orb as The Watcher witnesses him vanish back to the lab of The Leader who puts the orb on his head thinking he can learn the knowledge of all the planets and instead it over loads his mind knocking him out and allowing Hulk to free himself from the mind control and wonder away all the while The Watcher knew this is how it all would end.

This final coloring book issue of Incredible Hulk I have from Whitman is a pretty fun read as it’s pure kids comic stuff! The plot is very simple and has The Hulk being tricked and mind controlled by his foe The Leader who wants to use his power and strength in order to travel to the blue side of the moon and steal a powerful orb from The Watcher. And things go bad for The Leader when he finds out some knowledge just can not be learned no matter how smart you are. The Hulk in this issue feels a little off as at some points he is the mad kid like hulking beast and others he is mentally trying to free his mind from the control and comes off super well spoken. It’s like the writer of this coloring book forgot from time to time on what comic character he was writing this story about. But while the writing is a little flawed on how The Hulk acts, it’s still great when he is the Hulk we all know and love and is complaining about mankind. The Leader is as sinister as ever and wants nothing more than to gain power and knowledge and to rule over the whole world…he is such a smart slimy character that is easy to hate as he just oozes ego. The Watcher is as natural as ever and while he could mess people and events up he decides to play by his races rules and just watch, even if people are stealing from him. The Alien thief is big and bad and is no match for the might of The Hulk and gets his butt kicked really quick! One thing I did like about this coloring book is the fact The Watcher stayed true to who he is and just sits back and watches as all the events unfold, when he could have easily sent The Hulk away and then went to Earth and smacked The Leader around. The cover for this book is great and has The Hulk punching an alien in the face as The Watcher watches while space is in the background as well as what I would guess is the moon. The art inside is once more done by the Unknown Artist and is pretty good with sometimes characters looking a little off. Over all this is a fun short and silly Hulk adventure that brought joy to the kids of the 80’s and beyond. Oh and this one only had one small part colored in and that was The Watchers eyes were colored in blue. Check out some pages below to see how this one looked.

While coloring book comic character adventures are not the best written nor drawn stories, they still are part of the character’s history and it was fun to travel back and give them a read for this update. Plus I always enjoy taking some time to chat about The Hulk who I should cover way more often here on my blog. I am not sure if I ever will do another coloring book update based on a classic superhero, but if I choose to do so, I will cover Captain America. For my next update I am thinking I am going to put up the crayons and gear up to once more spend Thanksgiving with the mythology hero Hercules as he does 12 labors of superhuman challenges! So until then, make sure to stay young at heart my readers, and make sure to read a Marvel Comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update for another Turkey Day Herc adventure!

Who Are The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos?

If you grew up reading comic books like I did in the 80’s and 90’s, you remember the big boom that happened for Indie Comic publishers after the massive success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Mirage where companies sprang up like weeds with their own dreams of creating the next fighting animal based hero team. For many, as quickly as they sprang up, they soon found themselves debunked and just a grain of sand in the comic world. And worst of all, when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got their own cartoon and toy line many, companies tried to cash in that was as well, and while some found footing, many of these cash in’s also bit the dust. In fact I have covered some of these copycats here on Rotten Ink like Biker Mice From Mars, Toxic Crusaders, Stone Protectors and Old Age Green Fighting Gerbils over the years of writing this blog. And while searching the comic stores and online outlets, I discovered that one company cranked out more TMNT knock offs then any other indie company going and that was Blackthrone! So for this update, we are going to scrap once more some of the gunk off the bottom of a soggy comic box that is rotting in the basement of a long closed comic shop and cover the TMNT knock off series the Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos! So if you’re ready to dive into the world of knock offs and generic rip offs, let’s see what these slimy green skinned heroes have in store for us.

In modern time comics, I feel like no indie comic series has changed the landscape like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did back in the late 80’s as it made indie creators feel like they could bring the world the next big hit that was not made by DC or Marvel Comics that would be on readers’ pull lists and become a must own series that would spark movies, toys and cartoon. The only thing that comes to mind would be maybe Walking Dead by Image Comics as it helped usher in a rebirth of zombie Horror Comics and made Horror Comic creators feel like they could make a big scary indie comic hit series that would strike a nerve with readers. But to tell you the truth, while Walking Dead is a good series I still feel it has not reached the iconic level of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who have spanned decades of being popular and in all types of media keeping them fresh and popular. Plus I feel that Walking Dead was not a fully original idea series and took lots from zombie comics made by Arrow and Aircel without properly creating them. Keep in mind I do very much enjoy Walking Dead even though I am not a big fan of Robert Kirkman or most of his other writing in comics. So with this update while I am covering a comic series that clearly was cashing in on them, I want to say that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are clear icons of comic books and that they have to be at the top of any list when it comes to the most impactful characters to come out of the world of indie comics.

The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos were created by the team of William Clausen and Michael Kelley in 1986 as a way to parody as well as cash in on the popularity of the TMNT. They first appeared in their self-titled comic series the Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos, and it was a moderate hit for publisher Blackthorne who wanted more and more issues to ride the successes. But while the readers were around and enjoying it and the publisher was happy with the series, it had issue keeping up to release dates and delivering new issues to comic shops, and this caused pressure as well as stress on the series production. In fact, when issues fell behind Blackthorne even created a new one-shot issue series called Rivit about a humanoid frogman to fill the void for radioactive enhanced animal people…and yes, I will cover it at some point here at Rotten Ink. But while Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos was popular for a short time and lasted for five issue, it lost steam in 1987 and was canceled from Blackthorne’s releases. Now while looking up info on why it was canceled I found a number of different theories with one being the title dropped big in sales when readers got sick of the rip off TMNT titles and just stopped buying them. Another reason I heard was that the creators being behind so much and running out of ideas lead to the comic’s doom. And the last reason I found was that publisher Blackthorne was having financial issues and they were forced to cut many titles in order to save money and cut costs. No one will really know the reasons why Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos was cancelled besides those who worked for Blackthorne, but what is known is that they made a mark on indie comics and entertained readers who enjoyed the spawns of the Turtles.

I first discovered the Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos in the mid 90’s thanks to Mavericks Cards And Comics who had some issues in their back issue section for a little over cover price. I ended up getting a copy of the first issue when my parents took my brother and I to the comic shop to get a few issues to read one winter break, and while grabbing some Marvel Comics as well as Horror Comic and Rock N Roll Comics, it was in my stack and I can remember reading it and laughing it off as being very cheesy and never really tracked down the other issues until many years later. Like all kids of the time I was a massive TMNT fan and would watch the cartoon and movies, read the Archie Comic adventures and would get as many of the Playmates figures as I could grab. And while I was annoyed and made fun of all the Turtle knock-off products, I still for some reason also very much enjoyed them and Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos was one of the comic rip-offs that has always stuck out to me. So it’s been really fun to revisit and reread this comic series for this update and see how I feel about them now as an older comic reader. But really this also makes me miss Blackthorne as a comic publisher as they did all type of knock-off books as well as very cool classic reprints and adaptations and media tie ins.

The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos might be a very cheesy fighting animal cash in comic series that never hit the success of the Teenage Turtles, but it did deliver its own tiny legacy to those who bought the issues and enjoyed reading the knock off comics. While writing this I must say I do miss Blackthorne Publishing and wish they would have lasted longer than 1990 as who knows what cool comic one shots and series could have landed in our hands. For this update I want to thank Bell Book And Comic and Lone Star Comics for having all the issues in stock. I want to remind all you readers like a broken record that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s see what these Chameleon Commandos have to offer when it comes to kicking bad guy butt!

Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos # 1  **1/2
Released in 1986     Cover Price $1.75     Blackthorne    # 1 of 5

The US Government has hired scientist Doctor Poindexter to work on a serum that will turn regular lizards into walking, talking, fighting machines and pay him lots of money to do so! His experiments work great, and so the team of the Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos is born with members like Sarge, Rivit, Radion and Nerves all who have their own strengths and abilities. Poindexter ends up looking at these human sized fighting lizards as his own children and they look at him as their father, but one day a group of masked terrorist fighters from the Night Brigade enter the lab and kidnap him and leave our heroes ready to get him back! The Commandos also get a new Doctor to watch after them and help them on their mission to get Poindexter back by the name of Wurmhauser who gets them on a plan and to the location of the Night Brigade. Once at the terrorist base, the Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos face all types of baddies and attempt to save a pair of Ambassadors that have been taken hostage. In the end the Commandos find out that Poindexter is not there, and they must go on another mission to save him as the Night Brigade prepare for war.

I hate to say this, but I found Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos to be a fun and solid TMNT knock off comic that had likable characters and a goof yet classic cheesy storyline. The plot for the first issue has a batch of lizards being injected with an experimental serum that turns them into human sized soldiers who are forced into battle in order to save the Doctor who created them when he is taken by terrorist. Once at the battle zone, they soon find that they are not the only super powered animals in the world as the terrorist group have their own army of them. The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos are a group of three mutated lizards that are skilled fighters and can not only use weapons but can also use their animal abilities. Thus far I think my favorite of the Commandos is Rivit who is a frog and seems like the badass of the group and who can use his tongue and mighty legs in battle. Doctor Poindexter is a skilled scientist who looks at his creations as his own kids, but I for one also get the vibe he is not the super nice caring man they think he is and if I had to guess I would almost be so bold to say that he is working with the terrorist and have created all their animal humanoid fighters. As for Doctor Wurmhauser I am not so sure what his deal is as he is the one feeding the Commando’s plans but also is the one who speed up their serum treatments, makes me wonder if he is as well not what he seems and has dark motives. But the answers to those questions about those doctors I hope will be answered later on in the series. The Night Brigade are a group of terrorist who are very feared, yet I am not 100% sure on what they do to strike terror in the hearts of the world as the only major act of terror they do is beat up and kidnap a doctor and I guess make mutated animal people to be their warriors for terror. The issue moves along at a great pace and delivers some great indie tongue in cheek action and proves that some TMNT Knock Offs can and are entertaining! The cover is eye catching and has that Blackthorne look, and interior art is done by Michael Kelley is well done. So let’s see what issue two has in store for us!

Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos # 2 **
Released in 1986     Cover Price $1.75     Blackthorne      # 2 of 5

The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos are now heroes and the world loves them, as they are now somewhat celebrities! They are being watched by the evil crime boss Overlord who wants them destroyed, and they also get a singing telegram from Doctor Poindexter to meet him in California and get a microchip and our heroes gear up and head out. While in California they are in disguise and run into a street gang who tries to rob them, but the gang soon ends up being slaughtered and left dead in the streets. The Overlord sends a group of Moles to follow The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos to Doctor Poindexter and to bring him the chip. When our heroes find the good old crazy Doctor, he is attacked and killed by the moles as Chameleon Commandos fight the moles and slaughter them all for killing their dear friend. In the end a Government agent shows up and takes the microchip to the President as the Chameleon Commandos find out that the Doctor Poindexter that was killed was an imposter and a man in a rubber mask, and now they want answers.

This second issue is a little sloppy and the plot is paper-thin showing that I think the creators truly did have no major plans for the characters and it really was just a quick cash in to get readers money who enjoyed the TMNT. The issue’s plot has Doctor Poindexter holding a microchip that is needed and the Chameleon Commandos come to get it only for them all be attacked by moles and more mysteries and questions come up! In this issue the Chameleon Commandos are filled with egos as they are being loved by the people of America and think they are the next Superman or Spider-Man, but they also still maintain their killer instinct as they do not show any hesitation when it comes to killing scum that gets in their way. Not sure why but Rivit comes off as the most ego driven Commando in this issue, and it’s a shame cause it plays down his character and makes him feel generic. The Overlord seems to be a man who wants powers and does not want any do-gooders to get in his way! One of the issues mysteries that I cannot wait to see how it plays out is who is the fake Doctor Poindexter and why did the good Doctor send a fake to deliver the microchip? The cover for this issue is good and eye catching, the interior art is done by Michael Kelley, and I must say in many spots comes off very rushed and lacks the charm of the first issue. Over all this is just a so-so issue with no real heart behind it I still cannot wait to read issue three!

Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos # 3  *1/2
Released in 1986     Cover Price $1.75     Blackthorne      # 3 of 5

The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos are upset and want to know what has happened to their dear friend Doctor Poindexter who is like a father to them and they get even more worried when they find that the mask the imposter was wearing was made of human flesh! Chameleon Commandos decide that they think the government and the workers at the lab might be in on this and hack a computer and find the locations of two secret labs and head to the first to see if they can track down Poindexter who they truly think is in danger. Once inside the lab they take out guards and find the prisoners who they set free to help bring down the remaining guards. Once the Chameleon Commandos find Doctor Poindexter in a prison cell they find he has been mutilated and his tormentor has been waiting for him!

This issue feels like a full fledge filler issue that is filled with massive panels and splash pages and it’s clear this comic series was being made part for artistic love and part cause they wanted to make that quick TMNT cash! The plot has the Chameleon Commandos breaking into a lab to save their creator Doctor Poindexter who is being tormented by a bigheaded worker for our very own Government. And that’s pretty much it most of the issue just has the Chameleon Commandos running around and beating up guards while also slightly infighting among themselves as who should be the leader of the group. None of the Chameleon Commandos stand out in this issue and all come off just as generic gun shooting late 80s knock off characters. And it’s a shame as the first issue had so much potential to be a stand out from the pack of other clones, but by this third issue it’s clear they steam ran out after issue 1. The Bigheaded Doctor who is the film’s villain does come off as a true evil madman as he seems to get massive joy in the torture and disfiguring of his prisoners. The action in this issue is one part slapstick and one part brutal as the two different artist bring their own flavor to the rescue fight. The cover is misleading as the Snake Monster on the front is not in the issue, and the interior art is done by both Michael Kelley and William Clausen which also goes for the past issue with one being good and one being not my cup of tea. Over all this is a pretty lack luster issue and there is not much to talk about with it, so let’s move onto issue four.

Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos # 4  *1/2
Released in 1987     Cover Price $1.75     Blackthorne      # 4 of 5

The evil Wurmhauser captures most of the Chameleon Commandos and forces them along with Doctor Poindexter to watch a movie he made that is about taking all of them and mixing their body parts to make an ultimate solider! Meanwhile Nerves is the only member to have escaped the trap and finds himself being held at gun point by an insect that has questions. But the unlikely pair join forces and rush into the lab of Wurmhauser who kills the insect man and uses a chainsaw to remove the arm of nerves! As Nerves lies bleeding on the floor, Wurmhauser moves in for the kill!

Sad to say this is clearly another filler issue as not much goes on and its over packed with the massive panels to use up the page count. The plots is the Chameleon Commandos being captured by Wurmhauser who wants to experiment and create a Frankenstein Monster soldier from their body parts. The groups only hope is a wheelchair bound fly and team member Nerves. I must say that Wurmhauser is truly an evil man and again will do whatever he wants to his captives. The Chameleon Commandos are the same as always with Nerves being the standout as he shows he will do whatever he can to save his brothers in arms. But like before the plot is so paper thing and nothing really at all stands out as its clear that they had a nugget of an idea here that they smashed out to make bigger and longer than what is really presented. The cover is fun and eye catching and the interior art is the same as the last two issues and is a mix of good and so-so. So not much to say about this issue besides the wheelchair fly man is murdered and our heroes are captured and Nerves is very much injured. Let’s see what the final issue has in store for us and if it will wrap up or leave us on a cliffhanger that more than likely will never be resolved.

Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos # 5  ***
Released in 1987     Cover Price $1.75     Blackthorne      # 5 of 5

The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos land in the Swamp Of The Dead and have lost all their weapons in the bad landing and soon find themselves surrounded by zombies who want our heroes dead! As they fight off the dead they are joined by Beastie Fly a voodoo master who uses his powers to blow up the zombies and save the hides of the Chameleon Commandos. They follow him back to his cabin in the swamp and eat a good meal and during the battle they all discover a little about themselves and the fact they also have special powers that can help them in battle. The Overlord however is not happy as he is watching this take place via his monitors and he has set up the wreck and lack of weapons and now he has a plan to bring them down once and for all. While in the swamp our heroes are visited by Hazel The Swamp Witch who is very angry and starts to attack when a ship from the sky falls on her and Dorothy and the Tin Man appear! After the visitors from Oz leave the ship opens and a killer robot comes out sent by The Overlord to kill them! The Chameleon Commandos work together and bring the machine down and turn its body into a ship and fly themselves to a pool to have a relaxing and good time!

Ok this is crazy as this fifth and final issue is the best in the series and while I like it, I also am confused as to why they did a hard reboot to the series and never talk about how they got away from Wurmhauser and how Nerves still has his arm and is alive…I mean I get his arm probably grew back but still a very cheesy way to just start the series over. The plot has the Chameleon Commandos having and accident set up by The Overlord that leaves them in a swamp that has them facing the likes of zombies, a swamp witch and a giant robot in order to survive. This time around the Chameleon Commandos have personalities and each are unique and interesting Nerves while always scared finds his inner strength when he learns he can shoot fire and characters like Rivit is the muscle who has a hothead and is always looking for a fight. What’s odd though is this issue makes zero reference to the events from issue four nor do they even mention Wurmhauser or Doctor Poindexter showing that they really did wipe the series after issue one. Our new hero Beastie Fly is a little cheesy and all we really know about him is that he lives in a cabin in a swamp in Haiti, and to be honest he adds nothing to the story and was just a so-so character…in other words could have done without him. The Overlord is a man who hates the Chameleon Commandos and will do whatever it takes to bring them down and does so while wearing his mouse mask. The issue does a great job of blending both humor and action with a dash of cheese and it works very well! It’s a shame that the series did not find the right formula until this last issue and its also a shame that the series just ended….but at least it ended with a none cliffhanger ending. The cover for this issue is terrible and just showcases the lame Beastie Fly in all his lame glory, the interior art is great and done by Michael Kelley who in my opinion was the best artist on this book. Over all this series was filled with a good first issue a run of three issues that were bad and a final issue that was the best in the series showing why the TMNT Knock Off comics get a very bad name! Check out the artwork of Kelley’s below to see his style in this series and check out The Chameleon Commandos if you love cheesy rip off comics like I do.

So as you can see, The Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos is a comic series that has built a cult following on the facts it has a silly title and cheesy stories and while I am not a super fan of it, I still enjoy it even if many of the issues were below par and had no thought into them. But let’s leave the knock off world behind and lets take a look at one of my favorite comic heroes The Incredible Hulk! But we will not be taking a look at him in comic books, nor the movie and TV version…but we will be looking at him in the world of coloring books! Yeah you heard that right coloring books as Marvel back in the day teamed with companies and made comic like adventures with many of their heroes and I think its time we take a look at them. So until next time read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next time for a Hulk Smash colorful good time!

 

The Large Howl Of The Werewolf On Halloween Night

The moon is full in the sky, and the urge to roam the nearby dark woods takes hold because Rotten Ink has been cursed by a wolf…a Werewolf! Ever since I was a kid, werewolves have been my favorite classic monster and I could not get enough of them in movies, comics, TV, books and video games! I spent many nights pretending to be a werewolf as we would drive home from our grandparents’ house down country roads imagining myself running as fast as the car was moving stalking and hunting for prey. I was obsessed with watching werewolf films on TV with the 1941 Universal Monster classic The Wolf Man being one of my all time favorite films, and I could not get enough of films like An American Werewolf In London, The Howling, Curse Of The Werewolf and Legend Of The Werewolf to name a few. I was also very much into watching the old FOX and later USA show Werewolf! The first shot on video film I ever directed was Werewolf Of Ohio. Not to mention, I have lots of great memories of sitting in my room reading comics like Werewolf By Night, Howl and Werewolf At Large with the latter being the subject of this Halloween update! So dim the lights crack a window to let a cool breeze in and let’s take a creepy look at some spooky stuff!

In 1987 in San Mateo, California a rash of fires began being set by some one who was angry about new homes being built and wanted the land to be left alone. Messages like “No New Homes” and “ Neighbors Revolt” was left at the scene of the crimes painted on walls and for years the case went unsolved. The fire department knew that they had an arsonist on their hands but had no clues to who was guilty and why the picked the targets they did. But in 1990 a father and son had an issue with their truck of Highway 205 and pulled off the road miles away from San Mateo, as the father went to find a phone his son wondered around the side of the road and found an army jacket with heavy metal cassette tapes, a fake skull and a VHS tape all wrapped up inside it and decided to take the tape home to see what was on it. What they found on the tape was a house burning and an eerie voice bragging about setting it and comparing the fire to Hell and babbles like a generic comic book villain complete with an evil laugh! The father was so creeped out by the video that he turned it over to police and the tape floated from town to town until it finally landed at the police department of San Mateo were they were able to link the tape with one of the early arsonist house fires in 1987. On the tape the eerie voice says a name Omar and the police decided to ask the TV Show Unsolved Mysteries for help and they broadcast it on an episode and they where able to get a hit on a group of teenagers who the people of San Mateo are able to pen point as Omar! Omar claims he was not the one who set the fires and gives them the name and address of his friend who was the one that did this evil deed. The new main suspect’s own garage catches fires and after putting it out the cops and fire department are shocked to what they find as dead animal bodies are all around, large knives and even a Freddy Krueger mask and gloves litter the ground. The cops take the 18 year old into custody and while searching his house they found news paper clippings and VHS tapes of broadcasts of the fires as well as Heavy Metal posters and cassettes, items of devil worship and VHS tapes of the young man dressed as werewolves and vampires talking about killing and acting out violent acts on dummys dressed as people. Once all this was discovered the young man admitted to setting the fires as well as to doing sacrifices to Satan via animals, he was sentenced to a mental help facility to get psychological help and after this the fires stopped. I first seen this case on Unsolved Mysteries when I was a kid and the creepy over the top voice of the young man always stuck with me and over the years when it was solved and was shown on shows like Cold Case Files and Forensic Files and the video of him acting out on camera as monsters made me dub him the Werewolf Arsonist!

The odd thing when I was a kid I enjoyed comic books, horror films, video games, Horror Hosts and rock music and I can remember myself being blamed for slashing tires and setting a fire in a trash can at school! Now while I didn’t do any of those things it goes to show you that if your odd you do get blamed for things you didn’t do and this can cause people to act out and become what they are accused of. While these two young men acted out and did things they shouldn’t have like setting fires and killing animals, I turned my love for monsters and things considered weird into comics and shot on video movies and become a very creative person and I really wished these young guys would have done the same, who knows they could have made a low budget horror classic that all us fans would be talking about to this day if they could have taken that raw teen anger and angst energy and turned it into a creative drive. It would have been nice if their parents, friends and teachers could have seen the troubled path these guys were headed down and took the time to redirect that built up energy and anger into something way more positive for them as young youths looking for their place in the world. I am glad that over the years I have had the pleasure of being able to portray many characters in films from The Wolf Man in “Werewolf of Ohio” to a kickass homeless vet named The Beast in “Fun In The Old Town Tonight”, I have created comic characters like Mr. Emo, Benny The Squirrel and Robo-Raccoon and characters like Baron Von Porkchop, King Kryan and The Sadness in TV and Film. I am sure your wondering why I am talking about all this and what is the connection to the Werewolf Arson well its simple I could have easily headed down a bad path as by the time I was a mid teenager I had a chip on my shoulder and was looking for a reason to explode I was mad that I had to move away from my friends in Waynesville in the 9^th Grade, I was mad that my Mom was battling cancer and I was mad that most of my new teachers in Kettering were judgmental buttholes who treated me like trash cause I had long black hair an ear ring and wore metal and horror film shirts, I was mad they branded me a Satanist, Cultist and a Danger to others. But I didn’t go down that path because of people like my parents and my brother Bryan who stuck by me no matter how stubborn I got. Friends like Josh Weinberg, Matt Hoffman, Dave Wean, Rion Neeley, Linda Webb, Sarah Fix, Jason Gilmore, Andrea Seay, Patrick Neely, Mike Ritchie, Rick Martin, Andy Copp, Henrique Couto, Jason Young, Geoff Burkman, Chris Workman, Barry Hobart, Bob Hinton, Jeremy Hoyt and so many others who helped guide my mind away from anger and towards joy and friendship and were the gateway to new lasting friendships. The good teachers and Principles at Kettering like K.B. and Dr. Shangline who kept me focused in school and showed me how to redirect that anger into making art again. Kenny from K&L Video who would give me pep talks when he seen that at times I was in a foul mood. And I should even thank Horror Hosts Dr. Creep, A. Ghastlee Ghoul, Dr. Freak, The Creeper, Rhonda Shear and Joe Bob Briggs for given me an escape from reality when I needed it when their respected shows were on. I am thankful to all these people and many more for keeping me on track and making me a happy person like I am today with a great girlfriend, a fun job, a TV show, a owner of a Comic Company, making shot on video films again, working for one of the best indie wrestling federations around and enough creative energy to fill the galaxy! And Werewolf Arson where every you are I hope that you found great people to surround yourself with and are happy in life and found a creative outlet for all your ideas. Plus over the years I myself have played werewolves in many no budget films like The Wolfman in Werewolf of Ohio, Scars in one of the Bark At The Moon flicks as well as Emo in Wolf Hunter 2 and The Carrier in Wolf Hunter 3.

So lets get to some things that remind me of Halloween I need to share a memory of when I was in first grade and in my class was one of the best games ever, one that had all types of monsters on the cover like a werewolf and Dracula and was a game called Yipes! So on August 23, 2018 I decided to get some of my friends together to play a couple of games of Yipes! so after a long day at work we all meet up to get our classic board game on. The friends I had over for this spooky time was Natalie Claude, Jeremy Hoyt, Theresa Daniels, Josh Weinberg and my cousin Stephen Alexander all whom were playing this game for the first time! The first game was very fast paced and had all of us rushing to get to the lab in order to be the one who turned into the Monster and eat the other players. While it was a close race Jeremy ended up being the monster and ate Natalie, Josh and Theresa with Stephen and me being the only kids to escape! The second game was more intense as for the longest time Natalie and myself were the ones in the lead to become the Monster but sadly we both got knocked back to the start and the first to reach the lab again was Jeremy but so did Theresa who ended up becoming the Monster! And while we all tried to make it out alive….we did not as Theresa controlling the Monster ate us all! This is such a fun and easy to play game and was a blast to hang with friends and have a good flashback to my youth. So if you want a fun and easy spooky kids game to play this Halloween season and can find a copy of Yipes! for sale give it a shot as its one that might add some chills to your spooky holiday. Below is some pictures I took that day and I do want to say thanks to my friends for coming together and helping me relive my youth.

In 2014 in Brazil, a werewolf was on the loose and attacked locals and even was caught on camera lurking around some ones backyard! The video sparked mixed reactions as many people think that its nothing more than a man in a costume walking on all fours while others think it’s the real deal and shows a real werewolf on the loose. And weird enough Brazil over the years seems to be a hot bed for werewolf sightings and this leaves the world wondering if werewolves are real! Lets look at this sighting as a real werewolf spotting and it makes you wonder just why would it be looking around a backyard and why didn’t it attack the owners of the house if it was looking for food or a kill? I think it could be the fact maybe the werewolf was in fact maybe a neighbor and when they transformed they cut across the backyard to head to woods near by…or maybe the werewolf was scoping out that house to see if their was an easy way in to get a quick meal. Now lets look at this as a hoax and why someone would do this, and this is a easy one in this day and age of the internet lots of people are looking for fame and what better way to get attention than to show the world video of a real life werewolf that is just prowling around your backyard late at night. Plus imagine the news coverage that he could get that could sweep across the nation…in other words if a hoax this would have been done for fame and money. Now for my two cents on the Werewolf Of Brazil on if I feel it’s real or fake…and I hate to say I think the footage is fake as the movement of the werewolf seems like a guy in a suit who has watched one to many Horror Movies and thinks jerking his head around equals scary. Do werewolves walk among us, I can not say but one thing is for sure if they do none of us want to run into one as things would go bad very quickly.

While I know this is not Halloween themed I still would like to take a few moments to talk about Iggy Azalea’s newest released “In My Defense” that was released on August 2, 2019 and is here major full album return to the rap game. As I am sure you readers know I am a fan of Iggy and her style of rapping and enjoy her music videos that often take it a humor or overly sexual tone. So after a wait the CD was release and I would like to share my thoughts of the release with you all real quick. I first want to say that I really enjoyed this release from Iggy as this shows that she really is the queen of the rap game…well at least for me! I also want to say that In My Defense is the perfect soundtrack to any and all strip clubs and most nightclubs. I listened to this CD in my car while driving around and I must say that I enjoyed almost every track on it with my favorites being “Started”, “Sally Walker” and “Freak Of The Week”…but I should also say I really dig “Just Wanna” as the track is sexually charged and is just pure Iggy style. Don’t want to spend to much time talking about In My Defense as it’s not very spooky nor fit for Halloween…so to sum it up this is a great release and if you like Iggy’s music from the past give this one a listen. I for one am looking forward to the next Iggy release, as I am sure it will be fantastic like this release.

So I turned 40 years old this year and decided to hold another Horror Movie Marathon to celebrate this time of my life! So we loaded up on some snack food, drinks and some good meals that included Little Caesars Bacon Wrap Pizza, chicken and breakfast casserole and geared up for a good time hanging with my lady Juliet and watching some amazing horrors that these films had to offer. I started out with a pre-show that was on September 7, 2019 starting at 3pm and kicked off with the 1940 Sci-Fi Horror Comedy “The Invisible Woman” that is about a young model that volunteers to be turned invisible who ends up helping a playboy and a scientist against mobsters. Up next was “Dr. Renault’s Secret” a classic black and white Horror Chiller about a strange servant for a Dr. who acts very animal like and protective over the Dr.’s niece. Third up was “Mad Butcher” about a crazed pork butcher who uses human meat for his sausages! The cult classic “I Dismember Mama” was next and is about a crazed young man with mommy issues and his hatred for women and love for the young. “The Love Butcher” was on tap next about a man whose inner struggle has him dealing with rude and crude women he deems unworthy. Short werewolf film “Howl” was next and has a young lady fighting for her life against a werewolf. And to end the pre-show was “Giant Monster Playset” about a kid’s new toy that comes alive and smashes its way through town. What a fun pre-show this was and a selection of some pretty good and different films. Before I get too much into our top and worst picks I would like to say that Caleb from The Love Butcher had the most kills for the night with six kills!

Now for my Golden Turkey I picked “I Dismember Mama” a film that was a major letdown for me as I can remember seeing it on the shelves at video stores and just now I finally was able to watch it and I was underwhelmed, some creepy moments but over all very blah. Juliet picked “Howl” as she liked it and gives them props for trying, it just did nothing for her. My Top Three films of the night goes as follows #1 goes to Dr. Renault’s Secret a fun classic Horror Chiller that was well acted and holds a real early horror charm. My # 2 was The Invisible Woman as I am a sucker for Universal Monster movies even if the Horror is played way down and its more of a goofy comedy, I still enjoyed it. And my # 3 was Giant Monster Playset a cool 10min short film that brings elements of Kaiju and Alien Invasion together for a good time! Juliet’s went as follows #1 Giant Monster Playset, # 2 The Love Butcher and # 3 was Mad Butcher!

My Birthday Horror Movie Marathon Bash started at 7am on September 8, 2019 and I kicked off the morning right with the Universal Monster classic “The Invisible Man Returns” a film that stars Vincent Price and is about a man framed for a murder who must turn invisible to escape jail and find who really did it before he looses his mind. Next was another Universal Horror “The Black Cat” from 1941 starring Bela Lugosi that is about a family who are trapped in their house during a rain storm and some one is killing people off. Third fright flick of the day was “The Vineyard” about a wine maker who uses human blood to stay young forever whose victims become zombies. Shot on video film “Metal Noir” was next that featured a Dark Metal God tormenting a woman in her new house. “Slice” a film about masked killer murdering attractive young ladies was next up. We then watched “Curse Of The Undead” a 1950’s Western/Horror film about a vampire! ScreamTeam Releasing Horror Comedy flick “Dude Bro Party Massacre III” was next and was about frat boys going up against a female masked killer called MotherFace! Indie slasher film “Curse Of The Slasher Nurse” was next, but sadly we had issues with the DVD and did not get to watch it. Sleazy Horror Thriller “Night Killer” about a masking wearing claw using lady-killer was the next horrors on the TV Screen. The next movie was a recent release and mixed a kid show with horror and was “Banana Splits” about kid show characters on a killing rampage on the studio lot. “Critters Attack” the 5^th film in the series has those killer aliens attacking a young woman and the kids she is babysitting. And the final spooky film of the night was the 1946 shocker “The Flying Serpent” about an Aztec lizard bird that kills all those who get too close to ancient treasure.

This was such a blast and was a fun way to spend my 40^th Birthday, as the food was good, the company was great and the films fun and scary! So my Golden Turkey of the main show went to Black Cat, and it breaks my heart to put a Universal Horror film as the turkey but I had to as the terrible humor through out the film ruined the scary nature. Juliet picked Metal Noir as she found it charming and also slightly boring. Now for my Top Three Films I decided that Juliet and I could add a 4^th for my 40^th so this one became our Top 4! My # 1 was Banana Splits as I was surprised on just how fun and bloody the film was and the evil robotic Splits were fantastic. My # 2 was Dude Bro Party Massacre III a Horror Comedy that worked as it was funny and very bloody with a cool killer with MotherFace. Coming in at # 3 for me was Invisible Man Returns as this direct sequel to the classic Invisible Man was pure Universal Monster gold. And finally my # 4 I would give to Critters Attack as I found it to be a great welcoming back to those little space fur balls! And I must also note that Night Killer almost made it as my # 4. Juliet’s top list went as follows # 1 Banana Splits, # 2 Dude Bro Party Massacre III, # 3 Critters Attack and finally # 4 Night Killer and she wanted me to say Black Cat almost made her Top 4 list. What a fun evening and I very much am looking forward to my next Horror Movie Marathon.

And now its time for the Golden Chainsaw Award this group of killers made the event more gruesome and they had the highest body count going well over 15 kills and this killer group is The Banana Splits! My favorite kill is when they rip a man apart and his bloody limbless torso hits the ground hard. So here is to you Banana Splits my your bloody rampage return for a sequel that I hope gets made.

Before we get to the comic reviews of Werewolf At Large by Eternity Comics I want to take a moment to say that when promoting this comic, they did it right as I find the ad that was placed in comics to be very cool and eye catching and would have made this monster kid and horror comic reader very hyped to track down issues when released. Nowadays I think many comic companies have dropped the ball when it comes to making ads for upcoming titles as Marvel, DC, Image and even Dark Horse I feel could do a better job as they just do not have flashy ads in my eyes. Companies like Eibon Press and Rough House Publishing in my opinion are doing it right as when they have future releases coming out, the ads are very eye catching and show care and respect for the title being showcased. Check out one of the Werewolf At Large ads below.

So with it being Halloween, with a chill in the air and all the ghost & goblins roaming the streets looking for treats or tricks, I think it’s time we dive into the comic series of Werewolf At Large, a weird hybrid of Horror and Superhero comics that is clearly inspired by Marvel’s Werewolf By Night. I want to thank Bookie Parlor and Mavericks Cards And Comics for introducing me to this series all those many years ago, and I want to thank Bell, Book And Comic and Lone Star Comics for having these in stock so I could get them back and make this update possible. So if you are ready to howl at this Halloween moon, let’s take a look at this Werewolf who is at large!

Werewolf At Large # 1  **1/2
Released in 1989     Cover Price $2.25    Eternity Comics     #1 of 3

A young girl has been kidnapped and her abductor is a crazed man with a gun who is keeping the youngster at his home that is in the middle of the woods, but lucky for her a werewolf appears and takes out the sicko and saves her and takes her back home. Meanwhile a satanic cult called The Demon Horde has turned on one of their own for being a snitch and talking to a news reporter and after killing him they set their sights on her. While in town that same reporter named Casey Casternak is working another story about an agency that helps people, and while there she meets Martin Cross a worker who helps people in need. After leaving the agency Casey is attacked by some of the Devil Cult thugs and is saved by the werewolf! As Casey runs away she runs into Martin Cross who takes her to a safe home that is his Grandma’s house who is named Marta Monrovch a woman is very much into helping charities. Once inside Casey tells Marta and Martin about the story she is working on and what has made her a target of The Demon Horde and that her informant has been murdered as seen in the paper, and worse Casey lets them know that the story was being cancelled by the paper so the man died for no reason. Betsy O’Donnell who has pushed the group to do human sacrifices runs the cult and is pure evil. When Marta explains to Casey that the werewolf she seen was in fact Martin and that she is a psychic who can see things, the young reporter runs from the house and is quickly kidnapped by the cult who take her to a room and she is selected to be killed by Betsy who transforms into a demon named Asomodeus King of Demons!

Werewolf At Large issue one is just as I remember it as a kid, as I both enjoy it and also disappointed in it all at the same time! I will get into what I mean by that statement right after I talk about the plot that has a satanic cult targeting a female news reporter for digging to deep into their doings as all the while a werewolf is running the streets and is saving the day for people in need. Now what is cool about this comic and the world this issue is building is that Martin Cross the Werewolf is a good guy, an avenger much like Jack Russell from Marvel Comics Werewolf By Night and even Eric Cord from the TV Show Werewolf and that adds a real classic feel. I also dig the fact that our main bad guys are called The Demon Horde who are a satanic cult that is made up of collage kids. But while I do like the idea of a good werewolf I also feel that this also weakens the series as for a Horror Comic this is bloodless and has no chilling moments and I dislike that the werewolf don’t kill and only beats people up and has 100% control over his beast side. Martin Cross as both man and werewolf just kind of lurks around and watches to see when he is needed, while not a stand out character he for sure is one that has room to grow. Marta Monrovch is a woman who not only has money but also has the ability to see visions that can be very helpful in her plane to help save the innocent, pretty cool character and one that could fit fight in place with Marvel Comics Doctor Strange. Betsy and The Demon Horde are pretty bloodthirsty and have no issues with killing and bringing evil out into the world. As I have stated before this issue is pretty much bloodless but does have a murder depicted and the issue brings no scares as the werewolf is clearly in control and don’t want to kill. The cover is pretty great and does kind of warn the readers that this is not a full fledge werewolf Horror Comic, but is very eye catching. The interior art is done by John Ross and is very cool and is top notch Indie Horror stuff! Over this issue was a fun read and while Horror Comic fans might be disappointed fans of Marvel Horror might really enjoy it. So let’s see how issue two stands up to my childhood memories.

Werewolf At Large # 2  **1/2
Released in 1989     Cover Price $2.25    Eternity Comics     #2 of 3

The werewolf tracks down the Demon Horde and right before Asomodeus can take the life of Casey he attacks the demon and is able to would it by using a cross, but he as well is injured by silver daggers as he tells Casey to get back to Marta’s house. As Casey runs for her life members of the cult with knives in hand give chase, but lucky for her one by one they fail with the last one being hit by a taxi cab letting Casey make it safely to Marta’s house. Meanwhile the werewolf is not doing so well as Asomodeus has the upper hand and even removes the beast from the host and the werewolf has a blood thirst that Martin can supply. As the werewolf is about to attack Martin takes control and merges with the werewolf once more and attacks Asomodeus over powering the demon and killing its host Betsy with a neck break. Martin once transformed again grabs his cloths and the cross he used on the demon and heads back to his home where he and his mother Marta talk to Casey about joining them on their quest to save the innocent, she accepts and as she and Martin have some coco in the kitchen Marta’s uses the cross to truly send the spirit of Asomodeus back to hell as it tried once more to get revenge in the body of Betsy that was rotting away.

In this second issue the story has Martin as the werewolf trying his best to kill the evil demon that has spread its hateful message to its followers and is trying to also rid the world of anyone that will expose its plans, and while this is going on poor journalist Casey is being hunted by the cultist who have the orders of killing her and sending her soul straight to the devil! The stakes in this one seem very high as the odds are against both the werewolf and Casey, but with some luck and inner power they both pull through their battles and end the Demon Horde Cult. Marta Monrovch is the clear brains of this paranormal team as she can use her visions to help plan rescues and has the knowledge and guts to tackle some very evil beings. Martin aka The Werewolf is the muscle of the group as his raw beast power makes him be able to stand toe to tow with any human and clearly most demons! Casey Casternak is a good reporter who digs deep into the stories she is given and clearly is a survivor as she fights for her life when its in danger, plus she makes a great new addition to the team! Plus I love that Marta lives in a big house with her grandson Martin and now Casey. I just really like the idea of theme three in the house doing research on missing persons, unsolved crimes and unnatural beings! The Demon Horde is no more and their members that are just a bunch of collage-aged punks got out smarted and out classed by our heroes. Asomodeus King of Demons is one bad creature of darkness that almost is able to pull off the sacrifice and controlling of the werewolf, and even when defeated Asomodeus tries to drag it’s dying body to get revenge! This issue is filled with elements of horror, action and fantasy and is well done even if there is no blood nor gore and the scares are very limited. The cover of this issue is great and very eye catching, the interior art is once more done by John Ross and is well done. Oh I should note one thing about this series is sometimes the time lapse between panels is a little awkward and come off slightly disjointed. This second issue just like the first held up and is just as I remembered, so lets see if the third one still has the charm.

Werewolf At Large # 2  **1/2
Released in 1989     Cover Price $2.25    Eternity Comics     #3 of 3

The Werewolf is roaming around in the woods loving the fact he is a beast and yet his human side Martin is in control and mixed with feelings for his new housemate Casey. Once Martin heads home he over hears Casey talking on the phone about a man named Reed and also how its been living with Marta and Martin. Meanwhile outside the house Reed along with Conibear The Huntsman are watching and have a plan to kidnap and brainwash Casey who Reed says is his wife. Martin and Casey go and run an errand together on the orders of Marta and while out Casey is kidnapped and Martin is injured trying to save her that leaves him with a broken arm. As Casey is dragged to a cabin in the woods Martin goes back home and has his grandmother use her powers to find the whereabouts of Casey and once they find it he is off and transforms into his werewolf self once in the woods. While inside the cabin Casey tries her best to tell The Huntsman that she is in fact not the wife of Reed and she only went on one date with him and he became obsessed with her, but this does not seem to phase the crazed Huntsman who just admits he will break her will and that the truth does not matter. The werewolf shows up to the cabin and after out smarting the Huntsman he is able to save Casey, beat up the Huntsman and drives Reed crazy with fear. Turning back human Martin and Casey go home and so ends the Werewolf At Large series.

This series clearly while entertaining really was lost in what direction it really wanted to go in as it clearly was meant to be a full fledge Horror Comic and by publish time it was more of a superhero title, and while fun I do really think that this brand confusion is what lead to the series having a very short run. This final issue’s plot has The Werewolf coming to the conclusion he is getting a crush on his new co-worker and roommate Casey and must travel to a cabin in the woods to save her from a crazed ex and his hired gun. Casey in this issue is really liking her new job helping Marta and yet still feels a cold vibe from Martin who she thinks don’t like her. She is such a strong character and even when kidnapped she tries her best to talk reason to her captures and even saves their lives when the Werewolf comes calling. Casey is a pretty good character and she had lots of growth that could have happened if the series would have continued. Marta Monrovch is a woman who loves her community as well as the arts and she is very special as she has the ability to have visions that can help find the missing and injured. Pretty cool character and she has a really low key Master Of The Mystic Arts feel to her. Martin aka The Werewolf is a true hero who through out this series tries to save innocent people and will put himself in harms way to do so. While Martin clearly likes being a werewolf he also does not like knowing that people have seen him transform and that’s some of his oddness with Casey. It’s also clear that at times Martin would love to go full Werewolf but his human side stays in control. Reed is a creep who went on one date with Casey and now thinks she is his property and Conibear The Huntsman was a one time loser who now thinks he is a gun for hire and has respect of people. Over all this series was good reads and held up for me on what I read as a youngster and I do find it a shame that it only lasted three issues as I feel the characters had way more adventures and scumbags to bring down. I would have loved to seen this series dive more into the world of Devil Worship and add in such creatures as vampires or even voodoo cults into the weird mix. The cover for this third and final issue is well done like the others and is super eye catching for Horror Comic readers. The interior artwork is once more done by John Ross and is pretty good and holds a really late 80’s and early 90’s indie comic look. While Werewolf At Large is not a full fledge Horror Comic, it has enough of the elements that will make readers enjoy its story and hero Martin The Werewolf. Check out the art below to see the style of John Ross and to see what The Werewolf looks like.

I hope you enjoyed this look at Werewolf At Large and that you have had a great Halloween this year. If you are like me, Halloween is the true kick off for all the great holidays that are coming in the next few months like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I also want to say thank you for spending a part of your Halloween with me here at Rotten Ink and I hope this update added to your spooky day. I also hope it helped sharpened your senses to beware of the full moon as, who knows, there could be werewolves among us! For our next update, we are leaving the world of Horror Comics behind and will be taking a look at another TMNT knockoff comic team called the Cold Blood Chameleon Commandos, yep this is going to be a fun one. So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next time for a rocking chameleon good time.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Fog (2005)

In the 2000’s Hollywood filled the cinema with remakes of iconic Horror Movies of the past.  Many of them were not well received and are still very much snubbed by viewers and fans who wonder why they were even made. One of the films remade was The Fog, a classic 1980 spooky ghost flick that was originally made by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, and the weirdest thing about this one is, rumor has it, they wanted it to be remade! And as you guessed this countdown to Halloween and From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update will be all about the 2005 remake of The Fog as well as the Dark Horse Comic prequel based on it! So if you are ready to brave your way into The Fog, I think we should get started on this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update!

The Fog Ghosts from this 2005 remake are evil spirits who have many ways of killing people, and before we get too deep into this update we need to take a look at their ways of dealing death. The Fog Ghosts come from the sprits of people who were lepers who were sold a patch of land in order to live their lives out, but instead they were tricked and killed by men who robbed them and then killed them all by burning them alive on their ship. And after many years of being dead at sea, the lepers have returned and want revenge on the ancestors of the people who wronged them. The Fog Ghosts travel by sea on their massive ghost ship as well as by turning into a very thick fog that they also do on land in order to stalk and terrify their prey on land. By turning into the fog, the Ghosts are able to get into just about anything from closed doors to inside cars via the vents making them super hard to escape from. The Fog Ghosts’ ways of killing a human are this: they can appear out of nowhere and use objects like knives and such, they can use their powers to explode glass and then use the shards to slash and stab their target. They can spread sickness and cause healthy people to became very ill with leprosy similar to their human lives, not to mention the fact they can melt not only metal but also human flesh causing a person’s skin to melt and rot off their bones! The Fog Ghosts also do not seem to care who they kill or injure as their main goal is revenge and this makes them super dangerous. Another aspect of them is their rotten appearance which, once they get into human form, also terrifies and shock the humans that are to be their victims. Nothing is really known to hurt The Fog Ghosts as they are spirits and things like guns, knives and other weapons have no effect on them. The Fog Ghosts are very powerful and no matter where you run you can’t hide as they will find you!

So as you can see, these Ghosts of the Fog are super deadly and are truly some great movie bad guys…well at least in the original film, they are awesome, and in the remake they are passible. But now that we know about The Fog Ghosts’ killing ways, it’s time now to move onto the remake film that spawned them. The film’s write up, as always, will be taken from our pals at IMDB with the production and my thoughts being written by me. So if you’re brave enough, let’s chat about The Fog from 2005!

The Fog (2005)

“The inhabitants of Antonio Island, off the coast of Oregon, are about to unveil a statue honoring the four men (Castle, Wayne, Williams and Malone) who founded their town in 1871. Nick Castle is one of the descendants of the men, and owns a fishing charter company, using his vessel, the Seagrass, for tourism. When his girlfriend Elizabeth Williams returns to the island after spending six months in New York, a bizarre series of events begin to occur, including several gruesome deaths and the presence of a mysterious fog. When Elizabeth slips in Nick’s boathouse and falls into the sea, she finds an old journal from 1871, written by Patrick Malone, one of the town’s founders. It tells how a man named Blake bought half the island for use as a leper colony. While bringing his people to Antonio Island in their clipper ship, the Elizabeth Dane, Blake is betrayed by Castle, Wayne, Williams and Malone. The four men locked Blake and his people in the vessel, stole their money and possessions.”

The film was made to help cash in on the rise of Horror Films being remade, as many filmgoers were feeling nostalgic for films they grew up watching and the studios thought remakes were better than sequels so they pumped them out. And when John Carpenter and Debra Hill made the mistake of saying they would like to remake The Fog, enter Revolution Studios (Sony) who green-lit the film before a script was even written as they saw the names Carpenter and Hill attached and they wanted to try and cash in on the slight Horror boom. The film was written by Cooper Layne with Rupert Wainwright stepping in to direct and Graeme Revell doing the score. When it came time to cast the film, they brought in Tom Welling who played Nick Castle who was best known for playing Clark Kent in TV Series Smallville and he was joined by Selma Blair, Meggie Grace, DeRay Davis, Kenneth Welsh and Sara Botsford, to name a few. The film shot in Oregon and Canada and actress Selma Blair did her own stunts showing that she is one of the best actresses of my lifetime. The film sadly would also mark one of the last productions that Debra Hill was apart of as she sadly lost her battle with cancer and passed away on March 7, 2005. The film was released on October 14, 2005 as was met with poor reviews from both fans and critics and brought in $29,550,869.00 at the US Box Office for Sony and $16,650,563.00 via Foreign screenings. The film ranked # 92 for the year and beat out other cult films as Doom, Dark Water, Land Of The Dead, Cursed, The Devils Rejects, Wolf Creek, The Cave, Cry Wolf, Alone In The Dark, High Tension, Stay and Venom showing that while hated it did bring in movie goers who wanted to see The Fog Ghosts once more on the big screen. The film also would go onto win the Worst Film award for the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards showing the Horror fans just did not really care for this film and found it not to be scary at all.

The Fog (2005) was one of those films I decided to skip seeing in the cinema and just waited for it to come to DVD as I was very lukewarm on the trailer and I heard terrible things about it from friends. I can remember the day it hit home media, my then girlfriend Jennifer and I headed to Wal-Mart and I bought a copy on DVD, and we made a dinner and a movie at home night out of it. And I can remember the dinner was good as was spending time with Jennifer…the movie we both thought was just okay and nothing special, and I for one did not find it even close to capturing the spooky nature of the original. The film was one that I had only watched once and only for this update did I dust it off and watch again. Even after watching it for a second time, I had the same opinion about it just being okay. The best thing about the film is actress Selma Blair, who played DJ Stevie Wayne as she does a great job with what she is given and as always she is just beautiful on the screen. The other thing that I can praise is the effects of the Fog Ghosts are pretty cool for an early CGI PG-13 Horror Movie, and while in some shots they seem a little off, they still are pretty cool and can deliver some fright to younger viewers. Over all this remake of a classic is unnecessary and adds nothing to the folklore of the characters and only really seems to tame them down. It’s not a terrible movie and not one of the worst remakes, made but it’s up there.

So now that you know about The Ghosts Of The Fog and why & how they kill as well as have chatted about the remake Horror Movie that houses their nightmarish killing spree. Now let’s take a look at this prequel graphic novel that was released by Dark Horse Comics in order to help promote the film. I want to remind you that I grade these comics on a scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, the entertainment value and its art and story. So if you’re ready, let’s find a safe place away from the fog and gather around an old oil lamp and chat about the ghost pirates of The Fog!

The Fog # 1  *1/2
Released in 2005     Cover Price $6.95     Dark Horse   # 1 of 1

A thick fog is rolling in and is worrying the poor and the rich, as it seems like a bad omen for those who live on the island. Richard is the town’s richest man, and his brother Francis is a penniless loser who seems to have a nasty infection on his hand that he claims he got by moving a log in the fireplace. Meanwhile the Chinese workers are being paid very little and are being disrespected by the uneducated white farmers around the town. Richard dislikes his brother, as, after his visit, he finds the same raw rash has now appeared on his shoulder. Francis has kidnapped and murdered a Chinese man as he is a man who is sick in the mind and enjoys the pain death brings. Whatever the skin sickness Francis has starts to spread throughout the island infecting everyone, besides the Chinese who have their own worries as they are upset about their missing loved one that has really been murdered, and worse they are the ones who have brought the fog and the sickness as they have been cursed by a Monk and this curse follows them all over! The Chinese set sail to leave the island as the sickness spreads even more, and Richard, the island’s main authority, is slipping into madness over the stress of the illness and his perfect island society crumbling down all around him! In the end the leader of the Chinese workers is killed when the town is at war with themselves over the pain, and with that the curse stays on the island with the locals as the Chinese workers sail away to San Francisco. Richard and Elizabeth along with the rest of the folks on the island have their skin rotten, and they decide that it’s the island that is making them sick and that they will make a new home on another island.

The Fog is a great story that has some great spooky elements, but sadly this comic prequel is just kind of boring and lackluster and lacks any real chills or thrills. The plot of this Horror Comic is about how a group of Chinese workers who have been cursed land on an American island as cheap labor, but soon the curse of the fog catches up to them and the white people of the island become very ill with a plague that is bringing down their normal ways of life and causing them all to have fits of anger and rage plus it’s slowly and painfully killing them all! The graphic novel’s main stars are Richard and his wife Elizabeth, who are the town’s wealthiest citizens and the ones who have the dream of making this island a perfect home for all who live on it! Richard Blake is a man who had it all and now is facing the fact his skin is rotting off his body and everyone around him is also infected. He is also a visionary who wants to create a perfect place to live for not only himself but for all those infected on the island. Elizabeth Blake is a kind woman who tries to keep peace between her husband and his scumbag brother. She as well is sick and fights through the itchy pain of her sickness. There is one ghost in the comic of the Chinese worker who was killed, as he comes back for his revenge as well as to save his one time wife from drowning…or is it he tries to drown her? But the issue’s main bad guy is Francis Blake, who is a real nut who not only enjoys murder but also hurting himself, plus his act of murder is what unleashes the curse on his fellow islanders! This graphic novel downplays the ghosts of the fog and shows more about how fast a cursed sickness spreads and how it affects all the people in a small island town. The Horror element really is lost here, but I should say you do get some blood, gross skin and even a zombie ghost of a murder victim. The cover of this graphic novel is pretty cool and eye catching; the interior art is done by Todd Herman is pretty great and has that Dark Horse Comics charm. Over all this is nothing groundbreaking when it comes to a Horror Comic based on a movie, it did entertain me and the last few pages of the comic are pretty good. I would say skip this one over all unless you are a mega fan of the 2005 remake of The Fog. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Herman.

So while The Fog remake was neither a great movie nor a great graphic novel, it did make its mark on both mediums. I think that the worst thing about this graphic novel is the fact the pacing is so slow and it doesn’t deliver any real horror. But maybe our next update countdown to Halloween will bring the chills and lots more blood as we take a look at Jeepers Creepers and the Dynamite Comics based on the films. So stay out of the fog, watch out for ghost pirates and be ready for more Horror Comics out next update! Until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next time for a bloody good time with The Creeper!

 

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Rottentail (2018)

Indie Horror Films and Indie Horror Comics go hand in hand, and when companies team up, great things happen! And for this countdown to Halloween and this From Horror Comic To Horror Movie update, we will be taking a look at Rottentail, an indie creature feature about a man who transformers into a killer bunny man. The killer rabbit man has been done many times in the world of Horror, and while some are pretty good, others are not and with this update, it will be the first time I have seen the film as well as read the graphic novel! I have been following this film since it was announced, mostly on websites like Bloody Disgusting, so when the film was announced for a DVD release, I made sure to pre-order it as well as ordered the Graphic Novel that spawned the film from Mavericks. So if you are ready, let’s go down this bloody rabbit’s hole and see what Rottentail has in store for us both in the world of Horror Movie and Horror Comic. I should also note that I am looking forward to this update as this will be my first time seeing the film as well as reading the comic!

So before we chat about the movie Rottentail, let’s take a look at the film’s bunny man! Peter Cotton is a scientist who is bitten by a mutated rabbit and transforms into a mutated Rabbit Man! While he is Peter Cotton, he is a very weak man who is socially awkward and whose only friends are the rabbits that are his test subjects for a sex drug. But as Rottentail, he is a crude wisecracking, super fast, super strong killing machine! His appearance is monstrous as he takes on the look of both man and bunny. Rottentail can use his strength and speed to quickly catch his target and uses his bare hands to dispatch humans very easy with neck breaks being one method. He could also use his finger & toe nails as well as his teeth if he chooses, as they are both super sharp and could easily rip human flesh. He is also very sadistic when he kills and finds gross ways to off people who have crossed him and even uses body waste to torment them before the kill. He can also use his powerful kicks as well as has no issues grabbing items and beating someone to death. He can also use his mutated appearance to scare humans and leave them open for attacks and death blows! But while he is a mutated human animal monster with super speed and strength, he does have weakness as he can be hurt like any living thing with guns, fire, explosions and so on, he also can be distracted by beautiful women and also looses his temper really quick also leaving himself open to be hurt. While he might not be the deadliest monster we have covered in a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic, he is still very dangerous.

So as you can see, this crude rabbit anti-hero knows how to deal with those who get in his way when he is trying to play hero. But next we need to take a look at the film that Rottentail came from, and as always, I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and after I will write a little about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s hop on down the bloody rabbit trail and see what Rottentail is all about.

Rottentail (2018)

“Peter Cotton, a scientist that works on rabbits and infertility, learns that the military wishes to use his work to create superhuman soldiers. Cotton is bitten by an experimental mutant rabbit and changes into the evil Rottentail.”

Rottentail is a 2018 Horror Comedy indie film that was directed by Brian Skiba, who directed such other cult films like Blood Moon Rising, Slaughter Creek and Crushed Velvet to name a few. Once in production, the film cast such actors as Dominique Swain, William McNamara, Lisa Palenica and Corin Nemec as Rottentail, all of whom jumped at the chance to join this over the top film. Oh, I should also state that adult film actress Emily Mena also has a small part. But while there is nothing really special about the film’s production, one interesting fact that some of your readers might not know is that Rottentail was first a Graphic Novel that was written by David C. Hayes and seemed to always be planned to be turned into a film. The film’s original release date was April 12, 2018 and made a minor splash as news of it spread around the Horror circle, as people seemed to compare it to a tame Troma Film. In 2018 the film was released alongside other Indie Horror Movies as Suspiria, Malevolent, Summer Of 84, The House That Jack Built, Mandy, Hellraiser: Judgment and Climax to name a few. While Rottentail has not faired very well when it comes to critics’ and viewers’ ratings, it still has made its mark on the world of Horror.

This is one of those films I discovered while surfing the internet reading about Horror Movies that were coming soon, and once I saw the mutated bunny man, I knew this was one I had to see as I love creature features! And after looking for it on home media and seeing if any local theater in the area was going to screen it and of course none did, I had to give up my search when it was nowhere. So finally on April 26, 2019 it was released on DVD via Ammo Content, and I pre-ordered the DVD from Amazon and finally on July 10^th I got my chance to watch it…and while I enjoyed it in parts like the effects were good, the ladies lovely with adult actress Emily Mena being the standout, I still was not fully sold on this being a good Horror Comedy Film. Many things did not work for me like some of the crude humor fell flat and was just not funny as did Rottentail’s terrible one-liners that are real eye rollers not to mention the fact that Rottentail most of the time got on my nerves and did nothing for long scenes but talk nonsense. The worst sin of the movie is that it feels like it’s trying to be like Wolf Cop and Toxic Avenger and it fails to even be in the same cult theater as them both. While I cannot say I am a fan of this film, I would also say that I didn’t hate it as I feel it had some great moments that are surrounded by lots of bloody marshmallow fluff so I would say check it out if you like Horror Comedies with an annoying mutated rabbit man.

So as you can see, Rottentail is a film that is a silly Horror Comedy that is in the same realm as Troma Entertainment (just not as good) as it’s filled with lots of crude and gory moments. So while I found the movie to be just okay, let’s see how the Graphic Novel fares as this will as well be my first time reading it. I want to thank Mavericks Cards And Comics for getting this Graphic Novel for me and making this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update possible. So if you are ready, let’s see if the GN is better than the film!

Rottentail # 1  **
Released in 2019     Cover Price $6.99     Source Point Press     # 1 of 1

Two guards are wandering around a scientific facility when a noise forces them to check it out, and they both meet their doom at the hands of a mutated rabbit! Meanwhile geeky scientist Peter is having a nightmare when jock Jake in front of Mandy bullied him and killed his pet rabbit Thumper in high school. After the nightmare, Peter goes to work at the lab and is just in time to see the bodies of the guards being wheeled out and is confronted by General Thaddeus Phelps who wants to use Peter’s fertility serum to make more rabbit mutant soldiers for war purposes! And as Peter goes to perfect the serum, the General goes to a secret room and watches as the now captured Rabbit massacres a man they placed in the room with him. Peter perfects his serum and makes his way to the test lab where the mutated rabbit has broken free and bites Peter on the hand holding the serum that transforms him into a mutated rabbit man himself! And after having sex with the General’s lady, Peter goes on a quest to get revenge on those who bullied him in school and after killing a truckload of backwoods friends he heads home to Easter Falls. Jake is now married to Mandy and owns a grocery store that is preparing for the town’s Easter Day Parade as Peter comes to town and starts his murderous rampage that includes Mandy as well as all of Jake’s friends. Anna is the only one in town that has figured out that all the disappearances and murders are being done by Peter and in the end at the parade in front of the town he kills not only Jake but also the comedian guest of honor! Just as he sets his sights on Anna the Air Force shows up and blows him up with a missile. In the end the General’s wife is in a secret lab and gives birth to a mutated baby rabbit as the world seems to not be safe from this experiment gone wild just yet.

This graphic novel was a fun read but also was very disjointed in spots and was an average Horror Comic that pretty much I had the same feeling about that I had for the movie, that it was just okay. The graphic novel and movie have some in common but are also very much different with the film Peter being almost an anti hero while the GN has him as a blood thirsty freak who kills not only for revenge but also just because he can. He also has no link to Mandy in the GN as he kills her brutally while in the movie he falls in love with her. Another change is Jake in the GN is a grocery store owner and in the film he is a TV preacher. The plot of the GN has Peter being used by the government for his serum that in turn when bitten by a mutated bunny turns him into a sex and murder crazed rabbit man who wants revenge on those who tormented him in high school. Peter in the comic as a man is a dork who loves his pet rabbits and is working very hard for Star Labs on a fertility serum. The rest of the characters from General Phelps all the way to Jake are kind of just generic and have no real personalities and are pretty much stereotype cardboard cutouts. As Rottentail, he is a horny, mean spirited mutant who loves nothing more than to rape and murder…in other words he is a total scumbag. The comic has lots of brutal kills and plenty of blood, guts and gore to please fans of Horror Comics. The pacing is fast, and this is part of my issue with it, as at times we jump around the story with many moments coming off rushed and head scratching to why the actions from one panel to another happened and over all the kills mean nothing as Rottentails path is a little unclear. The cover is great and captures the mood and feel of the Graphic Novel as well as the Movie, and the interior art is done by Kurt Belcher and while not my style, is pretty dang good and fitting for Rottentail. Over all this was ok ayand nothing special, and I would say if you like the movie or like over the top horror, I would say check this one out. Check out the art below to see the style used in this Graphic Novel.

So while Rottentail might have been a letdown in both the movie and comic department, it still is an original and silly Horror Comedy that aimed to please fans of Wolf Cop and Troma Flicks. And I need to be clear that while I was not a mega fan of Rottentail, I must say I was entertained by it and would watch a sequel if it was made. For our next update, we are staying in the world of Horror Movies and Comics based on them, as we will be taking a look at “Horror On Party Beach” and the amazing Photo Comic Magazine done by Warren. So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie of two and as always support your local Horror Host! Oh and remember to bring some sunscreen as Party Beach does get some sun…or and I should also warn beware of the monsters!

Fright Flicks Fan Films: Volume 1

Sometimes the world of Horror Cinema Hollywood lets you down when it doesn’t deliver a sequel to your favorite franchises fast enough or at all. I mean look how long we have all waited for new A Nightmare On Elm Street or Friday The 13th films that have yet to grace the big screen and quench our thirst for Freddy Kruger’s and Jason Voorhees’ killing sprees. When this happens some creative fans get an itch and are bitten by the creative bug, they create their own fan films to deliver to fellow fans of the series a new installment or at least their take on the classic horror icons of splatter and frights. There is something to be said about the art of a good fan film, and for the most part for me, they are a great way to kick back and see the great talent of fellow indie horror filmmakers as well as creative minds at work on characters I love who bring their fresh ideas and stories to them, and sometimes their ideas are better than the real Hollywood sequels! Below is just a small amount of the Fan Films in the world but these are ones I own on DVD and have chosen to cover on this first update that celebrates the art of a fan film. I have decided that for these fan films, I am going to grade them on a report card level with A+ being the best and F being terrible, and keep in mind I am not going to judge them as harsh as a Hollywood Film or even a solid bigger budget Indie Film…they will simply be graded on a Fan Film level. And this update will be the first of many about Horror Fan Films if you readers and friends enjoy this one, as this is a fun subject for me to write about as well as doing this one was a blast as seeing some of these films for the first time was a real treat. So with that let’s get to this update and see what fans of Horror have to offer the world of Indie Cinema.

Many of you long time readers know that I use to make Shot On Video Horror films and even have produced and acted in many Indie Horror Movies, but what many of you might not know is that my old company Independent B Movie was going to make some fan films of our own! I have written about “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Return Of The Saw” that followed a beauty queen and her camera man being hunted by the Sawyer family on a back road of Texas while a bounty hunter was on their track to get revenge for a past victim. It would have been released in 2001/2002 and would have been a bloody good fan flick. But here are a few Horror Movie Fan Films that both my companies Independent B Movie and Bloodline Video were going to make or even had in production at one time, as well as what I can remember about them! “Night Of The Zombi” was to be based on the worm headed zombie from the Lucio Fulci film Zombi 2 and had a young woman home alone on the island as the dead were rising outside and old worm eye zombie had his sights set on getting the woman in the house. The film was going to be written, directed by me, and I was also slated to play the zombie with my friend Lauryn playing the woman in danger! This was an idea we both came up with while hanging out…would have been a fun one to film for sure, but was lost in the shuffle as Lauryn and I would go on to make the yet to be released “It’s In The Crawlspace” film. We were going to film at her fathers house as well as use Caesars Creek for the water locations. The film would have also been very bloody complete with lots of gut munching. Back in 1999 I also wrote a script for a Phantom Of The Opera fan film that was called “The Phantom Of The Woods” and it took place right after the events of the 1922 silent film! The film was suppose to have The Phantom escaping from the water and into the woods where he falls in love with a woman who is set to be married to another man. The film was written alongside many other scripts like Werewolf Of Ohio 2 and a Hercules script. The script was never got into production and was quickly forgotten about. I honestly do not remember who was going to be cast in what parts, but this is one that could someday get the Blood Scream Comics treatment. And the last time a Horror Fan film was talked about being made was in 2018 and is one that still might see the light of day as I have talked about doing one based on the 1973 Jess Franco film Female Vampire! But to be honest, I did film two fan films called “Hellraiser Warehouse” and “Hellraiser Warehouse II” that showcases Pinhead and Chatter tormenting workers at a deadbeat furniture warehouse…the films were made around 2006/2007 and the first film even played at a local cinema during an indie film showcase. Both of these short films I wrote and directed and even had a cameo in as a goofy shopper at the warehouse. Starring in the film was Stephen Alexander as Pinhead in both films and Josh Weinberg played The Creeper in both who was the bringer of the bad omens. James Courtney played the doomed manager in the first film and Matt Hoffman played the second doomed Manager in part 2. Mike Ritchie is shown as the warehouse owner in the second short and Thomas Blurton played Chatter in the second film. These are classic and fun films that both seemed to be a hit with those who watched them. Below is a picture from Hellraiser: Warehouse and, who knows if I ever will get the bug to film a fan film in the future!

But now let’s get onto these Fright Films and let’s see what some of these up and coming directors, writers, actors and producers can do with some of cinemas most loved Horror Icons and series. So sit back grab some popcorn and your favorite beverage, and let’s talk Fan Films! Oh and I want to thank my brother Bryan and my friend Matt Joseph for getting me many of these fan films and also want to thank some of the conventions that I attended that also had many of these in stock. But most importantly, I want to thank every single person involved in making any of these movies as they truly made this update possible and delivered entertainment to the masses.

The Blair Witch Legacy
Starring – Samantha Marie Cook & Cody Epling     Directed by Jason Hawkins
Released in 2018     Runtime: 1hr 38min       Not Rated

Plot: Filmmakers Sam, Cody and Jason are making a documentary about the film The Blair Witch Project and its legacy on the world of cinema and travel to Burkittsville, Maryland to showcase the films real stories used in the movie. When in town they start to look into the town and soon find that the townspeople are very quite and secretive about the Blair Witch and weird as well is the towns rash of disappearing kids over the years. Sam starts to become obsessed with the project and an old diary she got that has dirt on the town and uses it to bum rush residents that she is making enemies of. Cody and Jason are getting more and more frustrated with Sam as she pushes more and more on info on the missing kids. And to their bad luck, a kid they interviewed goes missing and they join the search and end up getting lost in the woods themselves as Sam is now missing and Cody and Jason are finding clues that they might be getting played for fools as things might not be what they seem. As they wander the woods to find their missing friend and a way out, they keep ending up at the same ripped up tent every night, and Jason seems to be losing his mind. In the end, the friends come face to face with the real Blair Witch who has teaches them a real lesson as do the townspeople.

Thoughts: This film is a found footage film and really tries to capture that magic of The Blair Witch Project and brings an “it’s real” atmosphere to the whole legacy and story. What works for the film is the whole missing kids story and the odd behavior of the townies who clearly are afraid of the curse of the Blair Witch who they all know is real and has caused terror for decades…as well as their hatred for the rabid fans of the films. I also like how the townspeople are working with the Blair Witch to teach outsiders a lesson in respect and to not mess with what they do not understand. The acting is pretty good for a fan film and each character in the film plays a part that helps further the script. The downside is that in some spots it drags as we go for a long stroll in the woods with Cody and Jason who scream for their missing friend as well as just grumble about being in the woods. And the main crime of the film in my opinion is not staying with the scares when they finally start…instead, we cut to the next day and have Jason once more flipping out covered in ash and mud. Clearly Jason Hawkins is a big fan of The Blair Witch Project and it shows in this fan film that I would say is pretty cool and fits very well in that universe. While this film is not for everyone and is a slow burn, I am sure fans of the Blair Witch will get some enjoyment and will fill the void until a new movie is made.

 Grade: B-

Dracula A.D. 2015
Starring – Xander Pretorius & Bessie Nellis     Directed by Joshua Kennedy
Released in 2015   Runtime: 59min     Not Rated

Plot: Jennifer is a student at Pace University in New York and is taking a class on myths plus folklore and in class they talk about Count Dracula! And one night she is pressured into having a séance with her friends in the basement of the college and by accident they bring Count Dracula back to life! Dracula is now wandering the hallways of the college as well as the streets of New York choosing victims to drink their blood and young Jennifer has become his target and obsession. Dracula along with his newly turned helpers turn and kill as many students that they can in order for Dracula to get to Jennifer. When bitten, Jennifer’s only hope is her boyfriend and her professor brother who are willing to fight the vampires to save her soul. Dracula and his minions put up a great fight until the end when The Count must face his would-be bride’s saviors that leaves him dead by sunlight.

Thoughts: It’s really cool to see a filmmaker paying tribute to Hammer Horror and its Dracula series and actor Christopher Lee with a modern fan film. And man do those who made this film really try its best to keep faithful to the feel and spooky nature of Hammer Horror, which made for a great watch on a late night. The acting is part stage and part over the top, and it works and never comes off super cheesy or too hammy with each actor doing a great job. Plus all the actresses in the film are super cute and fall in the mold of Hammer Starlets minus the massive cleavage. Xander Pretorius plays Count Dracula and does a solid job. While he looks young, he tries his best to bring out his inner Christopher Lee when it’s needed. I must also say that Kat Kennedy, who plays Jennifer and Hannah Rose Ammon, who plays Caroline, are fantastic in their roles and are very easy on the eyes, and I would love to see them both in more Horror Movies of all sorts of budgets. The film also does a great job of using score music from the Hammer Horror movies, and their use of lighting and locations are top notch. The film also does have a little blood, and while tame, it’s very fitting. I really did enjoy this fan film and found it to be a fun classic movie monster watch, and I would like to see these guys also tackle Hammer’s Frankenstein or even Plague Of The Zombies in a future fan film. I should also note that Joshua Kennedy is a known film director who makes classic style b-movies that have many being released by Alpha Video on DVD over the years…if you like this movie make sure to check them out as well.

Grade: A-

Float
Starring – Farzam Mir & Mason Coburn     Directed by Aidan Bova
Released in 2017     Runtime: 25min     Not Rated

Plot: A group of friends are enjoying their lives in a small town hanging out, eating pizza, riding bikes and playing video games. But things change when kids in town go missing, and they become the next target for the sewer living clown creature Pennywise. And while out to play football Pennywise attacks the teens in the woods, and one by one they fall prey to his wicked ways and become his lunch.

Thoughts: This fan fright flick based on the Stephen King novel and blockbuster movie IT does its best to deliver some good scares with child killer and demonic being Pennywise The Dancing Clown. Scares are mostly done with cheap jump scares, but for this style of film based on this character it’s very fitting. The film has a little bit of blood but nothing major, and the effects are your standard mirco-indie stuff with most costumes and effects being store bought items. Now as far as Pennywise himself goes, the actor does his best to try and make himself scary and also tries really hard to try and capture the speech and attitude of the character, and while in spots he is really good…other times he comes off as a teenager cosplaying as his favorite horror baddie. Plus some moments in this fan film Pennywise comes off like a slasher film villain and not trickster creature he really is. The over all production values of this short are well done and it’s clear that those who made it really do love Stephen King’s IT. It also shows these guys have a love for filmmaking and this is great to see as these guys could be this next big faces in Horror Cinema. If they do another Horror Fan Film in the future, I would like to see them tackle something like Happy Death Day or Hell Fest and see what they can do with having to add in a little more blood and guts.

 Grade: B

Freddy vs. The Ghostbusters
Starring – Bradley Roddy & Jason Cook     Directed by Hank Braxtan
Released in 2004     Runtime: 34min     Not Rated

Plot: Stalker of dreams Freddy Kruger is using his razor sharp glove to kill any and all the kids who fall asleep. Neil is sick of being tormented in his dreams by Freddy and decides to hire the Ghostbusters to help him with his deadly issue…well he gets the friends and family members of the Ghostbusters to help and finds himself a member of the team now. The Ghostbusters find that Freddy must be plaguing the used mattress he just bought as the nightmares started once he got it. And when Freddy kills Neil’s roommate and traps his love interest Nancy in the dream world, they go in after her and bring Freddy to our world where they use their proton packs and ghost traps to bust him once and for all. Not bad for a bunch of ghost busting rookies!

Thoughts: This fan film is a blend of horror and comedy and brings the world of Ghostbusters and A Nightmare On Elm Street together, and for the most part does it pretty well. The only down side that doesn’t fit the mood of either film is some of the weird cruder humor. The plot works very well as having rookie Ghostbusters being forced to tangle with one of the worst supernatural slasher killers in history and trying to capture him with proton packs is a pretty dang cool idea. The film does not use blood and is played more for laughs and off screen kills, and this works as clearly the Ghostbusters are the stars of the film and Freddy is just around to be busted. Bradley Roddy plays Freddy Kruger and does a pretty great job of delivering the one-liners and showing off his kill glove. Plus it’s cool that we get cameos from green ghost Slimer and Jason Voorhees! The proton pack stream effects are well done as is the make up of Freddy. In fact for 2004, the digital effects this fan film looks pretty dang good. The runtime is prefect as it does not wear out its welcome and moves at a good pace to build to the final showdown, and speaking of that showdown it’s a little bit of a letdown as it goes by way to fast and Freddy don’t stand a chance against three proton packs and the ghost trap. Over all a fun classic goofy fan film that brings together two film franchises that just seem to work well with each other. The film’s score is also made up of music taken from both franchises as well as cues from popular pop music. Oh and I should also note that almost all copies I have seen of this film from the DVD I own to the ones on YouTube all seem to be low resolution making for dark scenes and fast movement to look a little blocky.

Grade: B-

Freddy’s Return: A Nightmare Reborn
Starring – Ronin Booker & Jennifer Farr     Directed by Jason Korsiak
Released in 2009     Runtime: 2hr       Not Rated

Plot: Freddy Kruger is stuck in limbo and is haunting the dreams of Kevin Marks whose father took part in his vigilante style execution many years back. Even as a kid Kevin was attacked by Freddy who has been the young man’s tormentor causing him lots of mental issues over the years. Now Freddy is infecting his dreams again as well as those of his closest friends in order to gain power and return to his dream killer glory, but he cannot harm Kevin as the teen seems to be protected. One by one the teens of Elm Street meet their bloody end by the glove of Freddy who is becoming stronger. And now Kevin along with his crush Ashleigh Asoa must fight for their lives in order to stop Freddy and also discover the truth about their own parents and their sins that has caused all this death and help create the demon slasher that is Freddy Kruger. In the end Kevin armed with dream catchers and the will to save Ashleigh who is being held prisoner in the nightmare world, and comes face to face with Freddy that leads to a final showdown…or does it!?

Thoughts: This fan film is suppose to take place after the events of A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and has Freddy stuck in his own nightmarish limbo world and as well follows Kevin Marks who is the key to Freddy’s return to kill the teens of Elm Street. This fan film has lots of both pros and cons. Let’s start with the good as the film’s production is well done and the acting is pretty great for a film of this level. The Freddy look is also well done, and while it’s just store bought masks and such, it looks good in this film. The film also has some pretty good micro indie horror effects, and they do allow the blood to flow. Plus they added in Amanda Kruger, and it was a nice way to try and tie in the past films with her acting as a helper to Kevin. The deaths are all well done and thought out, plus a funny death is when the girl-crazy teen is sucked into a TV world with hot women and one turns into Freddy and pokes his eyes out! Now the downsides are as follows: first and foremost the film is just way too long running a little over two hours it’s just drags in spots. While Freddy Kruger looks good sometimes, the actor’s line delivery is off and he loses the Kruger sound. They also change Freddy’s background as in this film he worked as an ice cream man who would abduct the kids while driving the truck, which seems a little off. While flawed mostly by the long runtime, this fan film is still worth watching and was clearly done by fans that put thought into their script and cared about their film. If you enjoy the A Nightmare On Elm Street series and like the dream killing ways of Freddy Kruger, then make sure to check this one out.

 Grade: C+

Friday The 13^th: Halloween Night
Starring – Chris Seaver & Zach Allen       Directed by Chris Seaver
Released in 1994       Runtime: 34min       Not Rated

Plot: A survivor from a Michael Myers attack makes the mistake of going to Camp Crystal Lake and digging up the hockey mask of Jason Voorhees. When he puts it on, he is possessed by the spirit of Jason! Meanwhile Rodger and his friends are planning a massive Halloween Party even though Rodger is not sold on going to the party because he witnessed a murder done by Michael Myers many years back. While all this is going on, both Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are on the loose and are killing teens around the town including Rodger’s own friends! In the end Rodger runs for his life from both masked killers until he figures out a plan to trick them both that sends them both to hell and even saves the life of the man who is possessed by Jason’s spirit. While in Hell, Jason and Michael are greeted by Freddy Kruger who uses the puzzle box to bring the killers back and build a killer team.

Thoughts: This fan film is the first one I ever owned on VHS as well as was the first film I had ever seen of New York filmmaker Chris Seaver! The film is a fun mix of Horror and Comedy and blends together both icons of splatter Jason Voorhees of Friday The 13^th and Michael Myers of Halloween in a slugfest that leaves both icons of fright at the gates of hell and in the hands of Freddy Kruger. The acting is super over the top and cheesy, and the kills are pure backyard effect gold with blood splattering from cups and spraying from tubs. Chris Seaver is one of my favorite indie micro budget filmmakers, and after seeing this film for the first time, we became friends after I contacted him. The look of Jason and Michael are nothing more than store bought Halloween masks with Jason’s looking like it came from Goes To Hell and Michael’s looks like a generic off brand one. Over all this film is pure Shot On Video gold that brings a great look at not only Fan Films from that time but also backyard epics. While flawed and silly, this film will always have a special place in my heart as it’s truly one that helped inspire me to keep making SOV films.

 Grade: B

Friday The 31^st
Starring – Airon Armstrong & Richard Myles     Directed by Chris Notarile
Released in 2005     Runtime: 22min   Not Rated

Plot: John Tate, the son of Laurie Strode, is leaving his past behind after his mother’s death and along with his girlfriend Sara is on a road trip to a new life, but following is the masked killer Michael Myers. The traveling pair stop for gas in Camp Crystal Lake as Tommy Jarvis and his friend Sharon are running for their life from Jason Voorhees. And when John and Sara make the mistake of stopping at the house Tommy and Sharon are at, they become the target of Jason just as they all also become the intended victims of Michael. With Sharon and Tommy taken down, the pair of masked killers go one on one as our frightened heroes watch, and with Tommy injured badly, it’s up to John to save the day as well as the life of his lady Sara. In the end John knocks both Jason and Michael into a lake ending the fight…for now.

Thoughts: This fan made film from Blinky Productions pits Friday The 13^th slasher Jason Voorhees against Halloween’s Michael Myers with poor John Tate his girlfriend Sara and Tommy Jarvis stuck in the middle of it. The film’s time building up both John and Tommy as well as their female love interests goes by really quickly, and the brutal fight between Jason and Michael is well played and done with the film showing both killers respect as well as trying to keep each film’s fans happy with adding heroes from both franchises as the leads. Plus the actors who play Jason and Michael do a great job of mimicking their movements, and you can tell they want to do the characters right. The atmosphere in the film is also well done, and while watching it, you feel like you’re in a place where help is nowhere in sight, and that really does play into the horror of the film. The film is also well shot, and the scripting keeps it all interesting as you want to see what is going to happen next. One thing that I wish is that the film was longer as I could have done with more of the fight between Jason and Michael as well as could have done with lots more of actress Niki Rubin aka Niki Notarile on the screen as I think she, like many in these fan films, could and should be in more horror films. Over all this is a solid fan film and shows why for decades Blinky Productions was considered the best of the best in that genre.

Grade: B+

Godzilla: Battle Royale
Starring – Billy Dubose & Vicka Xalka     Directed by Billy Dubose
Released in 2014     Runtime: 1hr 33min   Not Rated

Plot: Godzilla and other Kaiju (like Anguirus, Varan and Ebirah to name a few) are attacking Chicago unprovoked and are smashing and killing with no remorse and without reason and are crushing the city. The army sends in Matt “Razor Shark” Kennedy with his super charged aircraft to help the army to stop this Kaiju attack, and once he arrives at the site, he is visited by the pixies who inform him that Mothra and Gfantis are on their way to help mankind in this battle, and Japan is sending Mechagodzilla to help as well. But when the good guys are able to get a small victory when they find out that an Evil Alien Queen in her UFO is controlling the monsters and are able to take out her control over Godzilla, Anguirus, Varan and Manda who now are mad and wanting to fight Ebirah who is now joined by the likes of Gigan, Hedorah, Rhiahn, Orga, Zirgra, Biollante, Mechagodzilla (who is now being controlled by the aliens) as well as a zombie King Kong! Things look bad for the humans and good Kaiju as they are out numbered and are taking a beating, that is till Godzilla gets a little help from Mothra and super charges up and is able to turn the tables and along with the humans help is able to take back control of Mechagodzilla as well as blow up the UFO. Once defeated, the Alien Queen in a fit of anger turns herself into Queen Ghidorah and it takes all of the combined powers of the good Kaiju and the humans to bring her down. In the end Godzilla, Anguirus, Varan and Manda return to Monster Island and Mothra and Gfantis return to space as all the bad Kaiju are left defeated as the humans celebrate that Chicago is safe once more.

Thoughts: Wow, this is a great fan film that delivers lots of giant monsters fighting in an American city and delivers nonstop fighting and action as the humans are more the side characters and the monsters are the stars of the film. The costumes in this film range from cheesy to amazing, and I need to stress even the cheesy ones are pretty badass! Also used in shots are action figures of the characters that are wisely used to bring more detail and life to some of the Kaiju. They used the familiar Godzilla roars and soundtrack, and this gave it a really classic Toho feel. Plus making the aliens over act also felt right for a Godzilla film. While watching it, I really liked the plot of the aliens bringing back King Kong from the dead in order to once more do battle with Godzilla to show who the real King of the Monsters is, and for big parts of this battle royal fight, Godzilla and Zombie Kong duke it out. The fights in this film take place in front of a green screen but they also built sets for the actors to stomp around, and both come off pretty great for a fan film. You can tell that director Billy Dubose really does love Godzilla and his pals and made this film out of his love for them and even manages to get a cameo from actor Akira Takarada who was in many of the classic Toho films. Plus model Vicka Xaika looks great as the Alien Queen, and Billy himself is over the top fun as Razor Shark. Over all if you enjoy Godzilla and or King Kong films and enjoy a layer of cheese on your indie fan films, this one is for you.

Grade: A-

Gremlins Recall
Starring – Katherine Rodriguez & Randy Irwin       Directed by Ryan Patrick
Released in 2017       Runtime: 11min       Not Rated

Plot: WING is a company that is engineering Mogwais to be safe for the world to have as pets! But when Clara, a waitress at a small diner, meets a truck driver who is hauling Mogwais and has a white furred one named Trink, she becomes a fan of the little creatures, but makes a mistake when she shares a cherry from a milkshake with one that has not been treated and now the small diner is covered with Gremlins that are killing people and have stolen the WING truck and are ready for a rampage. Clara, the truck driver and Trink now must gear up and head out to stop this rampage.

Thoughts: While we wait for a Gremlins 3 from Hollywood, fan and indie filmmaker Ryan Patrick decided to take matters into his own hands and create a short fan film to fill that will fill the empty void Warner Brothers has left in our horror loving souls. And the first thing when watching this film that blew me away was just how amazing the Gremlins and Mogwai looked! I mean these things are big budget Hollywood looking creatures and really brought the feel of Gremlins alive. I like the fact that, in this film, the Gremlins are treated as scary horror characters and the humor is played down making it feel more like the original and less like Gremlins 2. The film’s acting is also really well done and there is not a weak link at all. Katherine Rodriguez who plays Clara is a likable character who could be the series next Billy. The only downsize to this fan film is that it ends before we get a full ending as we don’t see if Clara and her new friends stop the runaway Gremlins, and in 11 minutes I just didn’t get enough! This, no joke, is a great fan short film, and I wish that these guys would get money to make a full length fan film as the world needs it.

Grade: A

Jason vs. Leatherface
Starring – E.H. Jenkins & Lynda Huyck     Directed by Matt Spease
Released in 2003     Runtime: 26 min   Not Rated

Plot: Jason Voorhees is tricked by Freddy Kruger, who is acting as the voice of Mrs. Voorhees, to go to Texas in order to help Leatherface who is always being abused by his crazy family and is ordered to kill the Sawyer family if things do not go well. Once in Texas, Jason runs into W.E. Sawyer who takes the masked killer home to meet the family. All the while a couple in Texas become the targets of the Sawyers who want to make meals from them! In the end Jason snaps and kills Dirk Sawyer, Annabelle Sawyer as well as W.E., and this sparks Leatherface to go crazy and the pair of killers square off with finally Jason coming out the winner when he cuts the head off of Leatheface. But as Jason starts his walk back to Camp Crystal Lake, he finds himself being stalked by Michael Myers, and thus ends this fright flick.

Thoughts: This shot on video fan film was done by Evil On Queens Street director Matt Spease who also stars in the film as Jason Voorhees and Dirk Sawyer and shows that he is a fan of both the Friday the 13^th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series as well as a fan of the Topps Comic mini series that pitted the two against each other. The film’s plot moves along at a good pace and dose not allow itself to drag. The effects are few and far and both costumes for Jason and Leatherface are the common store bought masks, but they are used well to showcase the characters and get the job done. The acting in the film is your typical no budget style with the cast trying their best to deliver believable lines in-between smiling. Plus it’s cool to see an early acting from not only Spease but also Lynda Huyck who was a lead in Evil On Queens Street. The battle between Jason and Leatherface is fun to watch and even at one point they pick up each other’s weapons to duel, so Jason swings a chainsaw as Leatherface uses a machete to try and kill the other. I also like how this film does not pull any punches and allows Jason to win the fight by truly killing Leatherface and setting up the sequel that would have Jason taking on Michael Myers from Halloween. The film also uses lots of modern (for the time) rock music as well as score cues from Friday The 13^th films making it sound like a film from the era. Over all this is a fun and very cheesy little fan film that might have been left in the dust when it comes to Fan Films about both characters but did leave its mark on the genre as it’s one of the first ones I ever bought on DVD way back when. I would recommend this fan film for those who love shot on video films like myself or those who like fan films of either character as it delivers a quick and fun watch.

Grade: C+

King Kong
Starring – Sylvana Boonstra & Brett Charles   Directed by Jack Buchanan
Released In 2016     Runtime: 2hrs 35min   Not Rated

Plot: Film Maker Carl Denham teams with an oil hungry worker and have a mysterious map that leads to the island called Skull Island that is said to not only house a mythical creature perfect for a movie but also lots of raw oil! The pair of greedy men hire Captain Jack Driscoll and his crew to take them to it, and when a female reporter stowaway is found, she becomes the star of Denham’s film! But once at Skull Island, they are attacked by natives who kidnap and give Anne to their god, a giant gorilla they call King Kong, and Jack along with the ships crew must travel deep into the jungle and battle dinosaurs and giant insects to get her back. But Driscoll soon has other plans when the oil on the island is not good and the film is lost when the camera is destroyed, so he decides to knock out the giant gorilla King Kong and take him back to New York to become an attraction for the oil company and will make them both rich and famous. But once in New York, King Kong escapes when he thinks Anne is in danger and this leads to him dying to protect her as the army gun him down on the Empire State Building and he falls to his death, but not before making many of his attackers and kidnapers pay for their crimes.

Thoughts: This King Kong fan film has lots of heart and is clearly made by fans of the character who did their best to do it all justice even though they did not have the budget to pull off the special effects. But what they lacked in budget for effects, they made due with costumes, Claymation and digital effects that all came together for a fun and cheesy watch. The acting of course is amateurish, but I must say that everyone involved took their roles serious and gave it their all. Sylvana Boonstra, who play the part of Anne Darrow, does her best to act on a green screen and a giant plush hand that grabs her and make it seem legit. I really do think this is one of the most ambitious fan films I have ever seen done by people of this age ,and what sets it really apart as I said before is that everyone involved seemed to really believe in the project and director Jack Buchanan clearly is a massive Kong fan and was able to not only get his friends and family to help but also wrote a script that brings together elements of the King Kong films from 1933, 1976 and 2005 as well as add his own twists and plot changes and yet still respects the source material. What he does with the Carl Denham character in the film was a nice change of pace, and for those that want to watch this flick, I will not ruin it for you. King Kong himself is played by actor Bradley Dunn and is nothing more than a human in a gorilla suit placed into scenes with the help of a green screen and computer effects, but I will say they did a great job using different masks to express the emotions of Kong. Over all, this is a fun little watch that brings a new vision of Kong to the world of micro budget cinema.

Grade: B+

Night Of The Maniac
Starring – Eric Yoder & Tegan Moritz         Directed by Eric Yoder
Released in 2018     Runtime: 11min     Not Rated

Plot: Frank Zito is getting his murder tools ready as the TV news is reporting on his crimes that go unsolved. And once ready, he hits the streets and selects a cute blonde who has just gotten home as his target. The young woman goes about her business as Frank cuts stalks and waits to attack, and when he does, he chokes her until she passes out and then takes her to her bedroom where he ties her up and talks to her as if she is his mom who abused him and left him alone as a child. Frank snaps and with his knife he stabs and scalps the young woman and places it on a mannequin. And we end with him once more walking the streets.

Thoughts: Maniac is one of my favorite 80’s horror movies and when hearing about this fan film I had to check it out…and I was not disappointed in it, besides the fact I wish it was longer. The film builds up Frank Zito getting his tools of murder together in order to find a lone female to murder and the payout has him getting what he came for her scalp. The atmosphere of this short film is spot on and does showcase the gritty feel and nasty nature of the William Lustig film. The makeup effects done by Eric Yoder to make himself look like actor Joe Spinell are great and makes it feel like a deleted scene from the original film, and the blood effects are also affective. The film is well acted even if it has very little dialogue, and they make great use of the film’s score here as well. So if you enjoy Maniac from 1980 and like solid creepy short Horror Movies based on it, give this one a watch. Eric Yoder, I want to also say, is a name we might all want to watch out for as he could became a name in the world of Horror.

Grade: A

A Nightmare On Elm Street: Trial By Fire
Starring – Elspeth Summers & Ellie Nestaval       Directed by James Coleman II
Released in 2015     Runtime: 55min      Not Rated

Plot: Marilyn is a teenage girl living on Elm Street, and in her nightmare one night she witnesses the attack of her neighbor and friend by the one and only Freddy Kruger! After this Marilyn is haunted by visions of young kids warning her that Freddy is coming back for them all! Now poor Marilyn is plagued with terrible dreams and death is surrounding her, and she is slowly slipping into madness, as she cannot sleep in fear of her nightmares. The parents know that the sin of their past is back to kill their children or some think it’s a copycat killer, while others know that he could be back as something nonhuman. Marilyn wants to stop the killings and even goes to Nancy Thomas for help as she is the only known survivor of his nightmare slash attacks. In the end it looks like Marilyn might be the new key for Freddy to once more be at full power, and he uses her to get revenge on her father who was his lawyer on the night he was set on fire.

Thoughts: This is another A Nightmare On Elm Street fan film that was done by fans that love the series and wanted to add their own tale to the legend. This film once more follows Freddy Kruger as he slaughters and kills teenagers who live on Elm Street, the only change this time is that it looks like the teens don’t stand a chance against Freddy and evil wins with this round. And I kind of like that as most of the Nightmare On Elm Street Fan Films I have covered have all had Kruger on the losing end, and this one spiced it up a little. The film is shot really well, and I only noticed a few weird audio moments making the over all production pretty good. The acting is also well done with Elspeth Summers who plays Marilyn being the standout, and the un-credited actor who takes on the role of Freddy Kruger also does a great job. Plus with the quick looks we get of Freddy, the makeup looks pretty good help adding to the mood of the film. The short film does have some blood and pretty standard kills, it’s the use of CGI blood that takes away from many of the kill moments. Over all this is a pretty standard and entertaining fan film based on the mega hit film A Nightmare On Elm Street, and if you are tired of waiting for a new film in the series, maybe give this short a watch to help tide you over. I want to also note that this film was written by Jason Korsiak who directed “Freddy’s Return: A Nightmare Reborn”.

Grade: B

Predator: Dark Ages
Starring – Adrian Bouchet & Philip Lane       Directed by James Bushe
Released in 2015     Runtime: 27min     Not Rated

Plot: A village has hired the church for help to hunt a monster that has been killing their people, and the church sends in a group of Templar Knights and a Muslim scholar into the woods after it. The monster is a Predator, and one by one he hunts and kills the knights leaving only one left as well as the scholar who flees for his life when the lone knight decides to have a showdown with The Predator. In the end, the knight tries his best to defeat it but must get the help of scholar in the end who makes a deal with the Predator saving not only the knights life but his own.

Thoughts: This short film is amazing and has a fantastic story that brings the time of the crusades together with the world of science fiction horror. First thing I need to point out is the film is well shot and feels like a real horror flick that you could watch on cable on a late night and director James Bushe knows his stuff when it comes to filming as well as the folklore of Predator. I like the idea of Templar Knights armed with swords, shields, bows and crossbows up against the universe’s most talented hunting killing machine, as I am a big fan of the history of the Templar Knights and really enjoy the hell out of the Predator films…so this mash up was perfect for me. The costume for the Predator looks great as does the armor for the knights, and the effects of the gore are pretty cool and mix practical and digital. The film’s runtime goes really fast and it really does feel like you are watching a film in the Predator series as all the formula that makes those films great are in this short, the only one complaint I do have is that I wish that at some point in the short The Predator would have removed his metal mask and we would have gotten a good look at his ugly mug…but over all its just a minor complaint. This film also uses bits of the iconic score theme from the series but also ads its own touch, and it’s solid. Over all if you’re a fan of Predator, give this one a watch as its really cool and well done.

Grade: A

Return Of The Witch
Starring – Brandon Tabatto & Shanna Ammons       Directed by Brandon Tabatto
Released in 2018     Runtime: 26min     Not Rated

Plot: After the tragic events of 1982 that lead to the deaths of millions of small kids who wore their Silver Shamrock masks on Halloween night a cursed commercial played. And the hero of the event is Dr. Daniel Challis, who has written a book about the cult he battled and the lives he did and didn’t save from Conal Cochran, the owner of Silver Shamrock the warlock and leader of the cult. Now in 2018 Silver Shamrock is gearing up for a comeback with Connor Cochran as the owner, and he wants to clear his family’s name and become the leader once more of high end Halloween masks. The news is having a field day with this return and is asking people how they feel about this company coming back and making masks with the world being split with many wanting them gone forever. The night of their big return, Silver Shamrock plans a big give away commercial that will not only be on TV but also all over social media! Roger is the grandson of Daniel Challis and is wanting to expose Silver Shamrock once and for all and is now kidnapped and forced to wear a mask and watch the commercial and meet his maker. As the commercial is about to air, people all over wear their masks and soon find themselves dead as Connor wins and millions more die for their cause. And this time around Daniel Challis loses not only innocent lives, but also his own grandson.

Thoughts: Since it s release in 1982, Halloween III: Season Of The Witch has gained a pretty loyal cult following, and it comes to no shock that in 2018 it got its very own fan made sequel to give watchers a nice follow up to the events. And it’s a nice touch to add the Conal Cochran’s grandson as the short film’s villain and Dr. Daniel Challis as the hero once more showing that these two families all these years have a game of cat and mouse to play still. I also like how they added Challis’s grandson in the fold and for a split second, you think he will be the film’s hero….and nope he dies horribly! The film uses footage and sound clips of actor Tom Atkins from other films in order to make it seem like he is part of the film, and I must say it works pretty well for this style of film. The acting is cheesy and over the top for the most part and I feel as a viewer they spend way too much of the runtime on News Broadcasts that are the cheesiest parts of the short film. The plot is pretty cool, and I like how the world is split on the return of a company that was accused of killing many kids back in the 80’s. While this is a pretty good fan film I think for me the overuse of the Silver Shamrock commercial and jingle as well as the over long News stuff left me wanting more of something a little different. Clearly made by fans of Halloween III and highly skilled makers, this one just is kind of okay in my book and I hope they do more fan HIII films in the future so I can see if Connor gets what’s coming to him. Oh I should also note that this film also uses the masks from Halloween III so you get to see the Skeleton, Pumpkin and Witch back in action…well remolds of them any way.

Grade: C

Sally’s Escape From Hell
Starring – Jennie Yates & Roderick Klimek      Directed by Gus Trapani
Released in 2016     Runtime: 9min     Not Rated

Plot: Sally Hardesty wakes up a prisoner in the home of the Sawyer family and is greeted by the sinister Hitchhiker and his brother Leatherface who torment her as she is tied up in their basement. Sally is able to break free and escape the house but behind her is the Hitchhiker who slashes her with his razor and Leatherface with his chainsaw each wanting to end the young ladies life. Even a passer by with a gun meets his end by the blade of the Hitchhiker who also ends up shooting his murderer dead! In the end Sally is able to escape in the back of a pickup truck as Leatherface swings his chainsaw in the middle of the road.

Thoughts: This fan film is really just a short reimagine of the original 1974 films ending and removes the iconic dinner scene for a more torture in the a basement scene. The film’s production looks great and the appearance of Leatherface captures the original film’s style making it feel like it could very well been a deleted scene. The actors all do a great job in their roles and actress Jennie Yates who played Sally had to scream her head off in the role, and I am surprised she did not lose her voice! They also did a pretty great job hiding the fact they shot this in modern times and masked elements that would have given away the decade really well. The downside for me about this fan film is that it did not really feel like a short film and just kind of felt like a scene, and this just left me slightly underwhelmed and just wanting more…but keep in mind this is still a really fantastic well made fan fright flick. Not much else to say besides fans of Texas Chainsaw Massacre should really enjoy this one.

Grade: B-

Sawyer
Starring – Shanna Ammons & Kage Walker     Directed by Brandon Tobatto
Released in 2018     Runtime: 18min     Not Rated

Plot: A couple are making a documentary about the Sawyer family and the crime spree they did that was dubbed the Texas Chainsaw Massacre by the media. They give a small history of the terrible events that survivor Sally Hardesty went through as well as a little about the Sawyer family who committed the crimes. All the while they are showing the locations that the events took place at. And finally the pair decided to visit the last known location of the Sawyer family that is an abandoned trailer park, and they are attacked by Leatherface who is the only living member of the family left as Drayton has just died and been buried behind the rundown trailer. After killing the male, the female is able to get away and Leatherface does the chainsaw dance.

Thoughts: This Texas Chainsaw Massacre fan film has a good storyline, but just is not really executed very well and leaves you wondering slightly why it was made. This fan film acts as if all the sequels did not happen and that the Sawyer family have been on the run sense the events of 1973. And it’s really a great idea to have thrill seeking fame seekers to visit the places these crimes took place in order to make a video. I also like the idea that all the other family members passed away and now Leatherface who is living in a small rundown trailer in an abandoned park is the only one left. Now the cons of this short are they spend way to much of the short runtime having actress Shanna Ammons telling us the story of the first film as well as the new history of the trailer park being their last known location…while all good, we just spend way to much time on it. I also scratch my head at some of the dumb actions of our two leads who don’t run when they should and who also talk loud when Leatherface is inches away about the smell of her perfume. Another small thing that bothered me is the fact the actor who plays Leatherface has tattoos all over his arms making it seem out of place…like how did he get them? I doubt Leatherface could walk into a tattoo parlor and demand tats! Plus the film is bloodless and even the one death in the film comes off lackluster and kind of boring. Over all this was an okay fan film but not the best TCM fan film…in fact not even in the ballpark of any of the other Leatherface films on this list. Oh and I should note that Leatherface has about three different looks in this film and that as well is a nice touch.

Grade: C-

Scream
Starring – Natalie Ryan & Gretchen Sailer         Directed by William Guanzon
Released in 2017?   Runtime: 1hr     Not Rated

Plot: A couple home for the night are attacked and killed by a masked killer causing fear and terror to run all around town. And when the bodies start pilling up, Sidney who’s mother was the start of the murders and her friends gather for a party that is crashed by the masked killer who also targets the town’s deputy and top news reporter Gail Weathers all to get to Sidney who is the main target of this murder spree. In the end Sidney must come face to face with her attacker or attackers and find out the truth about her mother as well as fight to survive.

Thoughts: Scream was the movie in the 1990’s that brought horror back to being box office hits and inspired a whole new generation of horror fans to create films of all types of budgets again. And filmmaker William Guanzon was so inspired by Scream and its sequels that he decided to remake the original film with his friends and add in his own twists and extra characters. The film for the post part follows the original story pretty closely and many of the films quotable lines are used, but what is different is who the killer or killers are in his fan reimagining. And the fact they do spice up who or whom the killer(s) are brings a new level of watch-ability to the film and helps make it feel like a familiar yet new experience viewing. The only downside for me is that Ghostface does not show up as much as I feel he should, and when on screen he seems to come and go very fast leaving you wanting more and not in a great way. The film does have some pretty cool kills that shows some cool indie style effects. The runaway actress in this film is Natalie Ryan who plays Sidney as I feel she does a good job in her part and I would like to see her do more horror movies in the future. Over this Scream remake fan film is a fun watch and is a nice way to pass the time as we all wait for a Scream 5 or a reboot to that series.

Grade: B-

TCM: The Last Round Up Rollin’ Grill
Starring – Marie M. & Ali Gustafson         Directed by Justin Saenz
Released in 2018       Runtime: 25min     Not Rated

Plot: Terri and Greg are driving through Texas to make it to a wedding when they pick up beautiful hitchhiker Caroline who is on her way to Austin to stay with her sister. While together the couple befriends Caroline and decide to just drop her off before they go to the wedding at her destination even if it’s a few miles out of their way. But while on this trip, they come across a man who has been gravely injured and they stop to help only for them to become the targets of Leatherface and his evil brother The Hitchhiker! One by one Leatherface kills the travelers with his chainsaw and trusty hammer and with her new friends dead Caroline must do what she can to stay alive against the Sawyer family.

Thoughts: This fan film acts as a prequel to the 1974 classic and shows how The Hitchhiker got his camera and how Leatherface got his makeup done face, not to mention it really does kind of feel like it could take place in the cinematic universe of the TCM film series. The film captures the gritty and downbeat nature of Leatherface and his family and shows that they kill for not pleasure (though I am sure they do take some joy in it) but for food as they eat who they kill. The film does a great job also bringing the blood and meat of a slasher film but this also does not follow the almost bloodless original film that this event is supposed to pre-date. The look of Leatherface is good and the mask and his gear look fantastic and it’s clear these items are a step above most store bought masks. The Hitchhiker is a little off and not just in his appearance but mostly in his line delivery and over all attitude presentation. The victims are all likable with Marie M. who played Caroline being the stand out as she is a great scream queen and is hypnotically beautiful. I also like the use of old country music as well as music taken from the score from the original film making it feel right. Over all if you’re a fan of TCM and enjoy retro style fan films, I would say check this one out as its very enjoyable and delivers a very close Chainsaw experience as we wait for the next installment from Legendary Pictures.

Grade: A-

The Thing: Who Goes There?
Starring – Shawn Ronzio & Dan Miller       Directed by Eric Yoder
Released in 2017      Runtime: 11min       Not Rated

Plot: A group of men in the arctic are all at odds with themselves as something has been affecting them and turning them into monsters. One member with a gun is holding the other hostage and is forcing them to all give blood and test it with fire as the thing hates fire. One by one he tests the blood until one of the man exposes himself to be The Thing, and it transformers and attacks and kills all those near it. In the end only the man with the gun is left and he must face his fear as he is left alone with The Thing in a cold cruel world far from any help. Can this man survive or will he also fall to the grip of The Thing.

Thoughts: The Thing remake is a film that for many has surpassed the original it was based on, and in fact the remake even spawned a sequel and is almost always on people’s top Horror Movie lists. And when fan and effect artist Eric Yoder decided he was going to make a fan film of The Thing, many fans were happy as sadly the last film was made in 2011 and only a rumor has been spreading about another sequel being in the works in Hollywood. Yoder in his short fan film captures the mood and atmosphere of John Carpenter’s The Thing as well as it’s “who is infected” paranoia that spreads not only for the characters in the movie but to us the viewer as well. This short film makes you also feel very claustrophobic as it takes place in a small base in the middle of the arctic with snow all around. This helps set the mood in your mind of what would you do in this scenario. The acting is well done and each takes their roles very seriously and come off believable as coworkers who have turned on each other over fear. The effects in this short film are hands down the best in any of the other fan films we are covering on this update and look like they could be in a true Hollywood sequel. The only downside is that the runtime is very short and leaves you as the viewer wanting more and wishing this was at least 20-25 minutes longer. Fans of The Thing should check this one out as I think you will have a blast watching it.

Grade: A-

Welcome To Fright Night
Starring – Eric Yoder & Lucio Fernandez       Directed by Brandon Medina
Released in 2016     Runtime: 37min       Not Rated

Plot: Charlie is a man who is having relationship issues with his girlfriend Amy, and worse notices his new neighbor is a little strange and is named Jerry who clearly has a dark side and is by all accounts a vampire! Charlie takes notes from his favorite show Fright Night hosted by Peter Vincent and tries to get the help of his friend Evil Ed to come up with a plan…but all he really does is get the attention of Jerry who is pissed off and shows he truly is a vampire and not to be messed with. Charlie after a run in with Jerry meets Horror Host Jerry Vincent at a public signing and is as well laughed at and thrown out where he meets up with Evil and Amy who in turn gets Peter Vincent to meet with Charlie to meet with Jerry and he finds that he is in fact a vampire. Jerry that night turns Evil into a vampire and uses his charm to kidnap and turn Amy as well. Now Charlie and Peter must team up and get Amy back and to do so they must battle not only Evil Ed but also the vampire Jerry!

Thoughts: This Fright Night fan flick does a good job of remaking the original film into a short and adding it’s own flare and touches. The acting is pretty well done and each take their roles very seriously and deliver good performances. The directing is well done and shows that Brandon Medina has talent and a love for Fright Night. The downside to the film is at times the editing and sound mix is a little odd and this can be distracting. The films score is taken from the original film so it offers a nice touch and helps hide some of the sound flaws. The film’s vampire effects are really cool and come off scary when they need to be and some of the “gore” effects as well are well done and shows talent once more…I am sure they were done by the talented Eric Yoder who truly should be working on bigger budget horror films. The film’s story movies at a fast pace and many characters from the film have been removed to move it along and keep it tighter, and while this is a great idea it also loses some moments that are needed like the death of Jerry’s butler sidekick who has been removed from the short all together. Over all this is a fun fan film that will please fans of Fright Night.

Grade: B-

Wow, many of these films were fantastic and many of them are surely ones that I look forward to watching again and hope many of you will also give them a watch on YouTube, DVD or however you can get your hands on a copy! For me the best films that I gave the highest grades would be in no order “Predator: Dark Ages”, “Night Of The Maniac” and “Gremlins Recall” with many others like “Dracula A.D. 2015”, “King Kong (2015)” and “Godzilla: Battle Royal” being must watches! And while some of the films were not ground breaking, even those deserve to be watched and given a chance. I hope you enjoyed this update that showcased these Horror Fan Films and for our next update we will be going back to comics and will be taking a look at the Horror Movie Jennifer’s Body and the Graphic Novel based on it….plus I will be turning Rotten Ink over to my dear friend Natalie Claude for this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update as this is one of her favorite Horror Films and one that means something to her. So until next time, read a comic of three, watch a fan film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. So be ready soon for Natalie to talk Jennifer’s Body!

Marvel Horror Showcase – The Golem

In the 1970’s Marvel Comics unleashed a batch of Horror themed characters on readers as the comic code was loosening their grip on previously strict rules allowing horror and monsters to enter the inked pages of comics once more. They had such ghouls and creatures as Dracula, Man-Thing, Ghost Rider, Daimon Hellstrom, Frankenstein’s Monster, Living Mummy, Godzilla, Jack Russell the Werewolf by Night, Zombie and Golem to name a few, and while many of them had long lives in the pages of Marvel Comics, some of them only lasted a small handful and have faded away from the comic spotlight. Today for this update we are going to take a look at one of their Horror themed short lived characters, and I have chosen Golem as I think this hero monster needs his time in the sun and for a new generation of Marvel Horror Comic readers to discover or even think about once more. In fact I am thinking that this will be the start of a new themed update series I will call “Marvel Horror Showcase” and will allow me to breakdown a classic Marvel Horror character and share my connection to them as well as share some history about the character. So if you’re ready to be spooked by Marvel Comics, let’s take a macabre journey with the thing that walks like a man called The Golem.

The Golem’s origin in the Marvel Universe is as follows: in the city of Prague, the people were being oppressed by evil tyrants and wise man Judan Loew Ben Bezalel created a massive man shaped statue out of rock, clay and blood. The Golem was used to avenge the people and did just that. After his work was done for the people of Prague, The Golem wandered around helping the innocent against evil people. Once the massive creature did what he could for mankind, it walked its way into the desert and allowed the sand to cover him up hiding away from mankind. And once he is uncovered in modern times The Golem once more becomes a protector for innocent mankind and binds itself to the family who uncovered it and has awoken it from its long slumber. The Golem is mostly a protector, but in the wrong hands he can also be used for pure evil as it is a creature of emotions of those it’s bound to. While The Golem might not be a true icon of Marvel Horror, he has made his small mark in the Marvel Universe.

When I was a youngster some of the first Horror Comics, I ever read were the Marvel Horror books as well as a few of the Gold Key titles, and I would say Marvel was my introduction to Horror Comics over all and that is where I discovered the comic series Strange Tales and in those pages I discovered Golem. The Golem was one of those characters I can remember reading his adventures and wondering why he was not a fully fledged monster on a rampage, but learned to really enjoy his superhero adventures. One thing I always liked about Golem was that he always seemed one step away from going fully fledged rampaging monster as he can be controlled, and if the demons got ahold of him he would have become full evil and really scare mankind. I also have heard that The Golem has become a member of the monster team S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Howling Commandos alongside The Living Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster and Zombie to name a few. Plus over his comic book run he even took on The Thing from the Fantastic Four!

I really owe a lot of my love for Horror Comics to the Marvel Horror as they were the first ones I read and can even say that I collected as I was obsessed with getting my hands on issues of Werewolf By Night, Godzilla and Tomb Of Dracula. But enough gushing about Marvel Horror, let’s get into looking at the Strange Tales issues that The Golem appeared in as well as the issue of Marvel Two-In-One he appeared in. I want to also remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So let’s take a look at the first Marvel Horror character I have chosen, the one and only The Golem!

Strange Tales # 174  ***
Released in 1974   Cover Price .25     Marvel Comics    #174 of 188

Professor Abraham Adamson along with his nephew Jason, niece Rebecca and his helper Wayne Logan are searching in the desert for a mythical creature called The Golem that is said to have been buried in the sand many decades back. And as Wayne and Rebecca are digging, they find the massive body of The Golem and with some chains and digging equipment they are able to bring it to the surface once again! But while they are happy to have found their discovery, a few miles away a war wages on and man is killing man all in the name of land. The next day Colonel Omar and his men ask to refresh at the camp of Professor Adamson who grants them shelter and a place to rest. But The Colonel and his men show their true colors as they are at the camp to loot it as they are deserters of the war and during the looting Professor Adamson is shot and killed. The rest are taken as prisoners, but the war criminals made a mistake as the soul of Professor Adamson finds its way into The Golem who once more comes alive. The Golem finds the soldiers and makes quick work of them ending their lives with ease and once done he finds Colonel Omar who has a gun to Rebecca’s head, and with speed The Golem crushes the gun and kills Colonel Omar as Rebecca, Jason and Wayne all notice a look in the creature’s eye that reminds them of Professor Adamson.

Strange Tales # 174 does a fantastic job of bring comic readers into the myth and horror world of the character The Golem! Our creepy tale has a Professor being murdered and his loved ones kidnapped and with his dying breath is able to call on the living statue The Golem who was created to fight evil to avenge him and save his family, and that’s what happens. Professor Abraham Adamson is a good man who loves the history of The Golem and has spent many years of his life to learn of the legend as well as find its location. But while he is super smart, he is a little too trusting as he allows soldiers to stay at his camp and they end up being the ones to end his life. Rebecca, Jason and Wayne are good people who are a part of Professor Adamson’s team to find The Golem and get a shock of a lifetime when they watch as the Professor is gun downed and The Golem walks and kills. Colonel Omar and his men are cutthroats who steal what they need and have no issues with killing as long as they are not caught. The Golem is a silent avenger who reacts and takes action when danger to the innocent is around, and it’s clear he only walks the Earth again due to the tear of the dying Professor. This comic has the Marvel Horror feel as it has deaths and a monster but does downplay the violence as the kills of The Golem are hidden in all panels. The story was written by Len Wein and edited by Roy Thomas, and to me that’s a great pairing for 70’s Horror Comics. The cover is great and eye catching for those who love the creature runs amok flare as it showcases The Golem smashing a jeep and reaching for a woman. The interior art is done by John Buscema, and all his work is fantastic. While the Horror for this character is downplayed, the macabre aspect is not, and this issue is a fantastic read for those of us who love classic monsters of myth and legend.

Strange Tales # 176  **1/2
Released in 1974   Cover Price .25     Marvel Comics   #176 of 188

Rebecca, Jason and Wayne look at The Golem in shock as the dead bodies of the soldiers are all around them, and decide that they need to get The Golem back to the University in Florida as that was their uncle’s wish. As they are loading The Golem onto a ship, they are visited by more soldiers who want to keep the statue in their country but they are attacked by The Golem who is about to kill them as well until Rebecca orders it to stop…and it does! As the soldiers run off, the Adamson family and The Golem hit the high seas set to return to America. Evil wizard Kaballa The Unclean and his winged demons has set their sights on The Golem as Kaballa thinks he can control the creature who can help him on his conquest to conquer the world and sends his wing demons to attack the ship and bring him The Golem. The wing demons attack, and The Golem once more comes to life and along with Wayne saves Jason who has heavy barrels fall on him, and Kaballa learns that The Golem needs to be on land to get his power, but when things get super bad The Golem powers up and tackles all the demons into the water and as they die one of them fires a bolt and blows up the ship and The Golem is forced to swim or sink and as he paddles by Rebecca, Jason and Wayne jumps on his back as they all end up on an island.

This second macabre tale has The Golem on his way to America on a ship, and we find out that a demonic wizard has his eye on controlling him and sends some demons to attack him and see what he is made off. In this issue we also learn a little more about The Golem as he understands English and can take orders from those it cares about. Plus we learn that it needs to be on land in order to have its full power and strength. We also learn that The Golem does not care and will kill if he feels that innocent people are in danger and in a rage almost kills more soldiers who really didn’t do much besides get upset that Americans are taking more of their culture away. Wayne Logan in this issue also shows he is a hero as he does what he can to try and bring down the flying demons and risks his own life trying his best to help The Golem. Jason is useless and causes The Golem to use up some of his strength in order to save him as when the demons attack he is in the way. Rebecca in this issue is kind of in the background but it is shown she can control The Golem as it listens to her. Our issue’s bad guy is Kaballa The Unclean who controls an army of demons and for some reason thinks that The Golem will make him more unstoppable, and all he really does is watch as his demon minions get their butts kicked. This issue brings in supernatural elements to the Horror and Superhero atmosphere this story has already delivered. I like the idea of The Golem being a killing machine that now must fight demons in order to protect its human friends, plus I feel that he is now facing baddies that are a challenge…but also I feel that adding the demons in also takes away the classic feel of The Golem myth and just turns it into a cheesy Doctor Strange style story. The cover for this issue has a classic 70’s Marvel look and is eye catching for readers like me. The interior art is done by Tony DeZuniga and has a more Horror Comic look. Over all this is a good issue that just took the story in a more cheesy supernatural mystic Marvel way. Let’s see what the third part of our story has in store for us and let’s see what island our heroes are on.

Strange Tales # 177  **1/2
Released in 1974   Cover Price .25     Marvel Comics   #177 of 188

Kaballa The Unclean is upset that his winged demons have failed him and decides that he will next send Fire Demons after The Golem as he really does think that with his power he will be able to conquer the world! Meanwhile at the University of Florida, a Dr. Yeates does not believe that The Golem is real even after his assistant Saudia Yamal shows her tests that prove The Golem is alive! Rebecca, Jason and Wayne all try to prove that The Golem is alive, and yet Yeates does not want to hear it and when he gets the chance he decides that he is going to use a blow torch and melt the monster just in case he is proven wrong and The Golem is alive and he is not able to fill the seat at the University left behind by Professor Adamson. But when he turns on the torch, he is greeted by the fire demons whose appearance makes The Golem come alive to protect Yeates as well as Rebecca and Wayne who mistakenly shown up at the lab. The fire demons are powerful and hurt The Golem with their extreme heat, but before The Golem goes down, he gets his second wind when he thinks about how much he loves his new human friends and with his bare hands he takes down the fire demons. And defeated again, Kaballa sits back on his throne and thinks of his next attack plan.

In his final appearance in the pages of Strange Tales our monster hero The Golem once more battles demons in order to protect humans from being killed and wronged and finds more about his own powers as it’s not only the land that fuels his power but also love. The Golem in this issue also shows that he is starting to share a mind link with Rebecca and Wayne as they can hear little of its thoughts. The Golem is also starting to learn who and what is a threat and when he should attack and when he should just remain solid like a statue. Dr. Yeates on the other hand is kind of a scumbag as he would rather destroy the creature instead of being wrong on his prediction that it’s all a hoax, as he does not care about The Golem nor the history of it; all he wants is to move up at the University. Jason, Rebecca and Wayne all kind of take a back seat in this issue as they are more just around at the university and are the ones who delivered The Golem there and are the ones it wants to protect. The Fire Demons are powerful and are good fighters as they almost bring down our living clay creature, and Kaballa once more just watches the battle and is evil and ate up with craving power. Once more this issue plays up on the mystic supernatural aspects and mixes in Horror slightly as it’s clear that comics like Doctor Strange was popular at the time for Marvel and they wanted to add it into this simple plotted Horror Comic. The cover for this issue is okay but does lose the Horror and is clearly more mystic looking. The interior art is done by Tony DeZuniga and is good and fitting for the direction of this series. In the letters section of this comic they talk about the fate of The Golem and the people of Marvel say that they could not figure out what to do with The Golem so they pulled the plug on him and his story in the pages of Strange Tales and decided to turn the comic over to featuring Adam Warlock instead. And we would have to wait a little time to get an end to The Golem’s tale and it would come in the pages of Marvel Two In One and that’s what we will take a look at next.

Marvel Two-In-One # 11  **1/2
Released in 1975     Cover Price .25     Marvel Comics   # 11 of 100

The Thing and his girlfriend Alicia Masters are rushing to the train station so they can get to Disney World in Florida for their vacation, and everything seems to be working against them as the cab driver who took them to the station argued with The Thing for a short time and even the train almost left without them! And once on the train the other passengers treat The Thing like he is a monster and even all sit away from him and Alicia. Meanwhile at Sam Pedro University in Florida’s Ancient Cultures Department, a small group is meeting next to the Golem with Professor Yeates who is arguing with Jason Adamson about if the stone statue can indeed come to life and fight, and this spins the wheels of both who view the Golem differently as Jason knows it is a protector against evil and believes his uncle’s spirit is inside the stone statue. Meanwhile Kaballa The Unclean has figured out that he can take control of The Golem by separating him from Rebecca and Jason and allowing his own evil will to be what guides him. Kaballa also uses the weather to his advantage and uses water to separate the kids from The Golem and unlucky for The Thing, he must tangle with The Golem who is more powerful and more brutal than the Fantastic Four member and is able to knock the hero around. As The Thing tangles with Golem, it gets flashes in his mind that his foe is sending him and risks it all to build a bridge to the college so that Rebecca and Jason can be near Golem and try and get him back under their control. As The Thing builds the bridge our of cars, poles and what ever he can get his mighty hands on he must also fight off demons who are attacking trying to keep him from his goal as Kaballa only needs a few more minutes before he takes over totally! The Thing is able to build the bridge and Rebecca and Jason rush to their monster friend and as they try and get Golem under control Kaballa attacks them and this forces the Golem to use his powers and vanquish Kaballa! In the end The Golem is now frozen in place as Jason and Rebecca plan on watching over it and The Thing and Alicia can now start their vacation.

The Golem in his final appearance in a classic Marvel Comic has our monster going on a rampage as well as once more being brought in by the power of love form his human friends. In this issue Kaballa The Unclean almost gets full control of The Golem and uses weather and demons as his defense to try and keep his control for the time that’s needed to become it’s full master, but what he didn’t count on was that The Thing of super team the Fantastic Four being in town and helping the Adamson family regain control. In this issue Jason and Rebecca are helpless to help The Golem and spend most of the issue arguing with Professor Yeates and being stuck at the college and watching as their friend and protector is being possessed and going on a massive rampage! The Thing is a hero that is lucky or unlucky depending on how you look at it to be in the area as this is going on as his power is what saves the day for the world as if Kaballa would have gained total control everyone would be in some serious trouble. Kaballa The Unclean is as sinister as ever and in this issue before he is defeated is so close to getting what he wants and starting his take over of the world, but as always his ego and self titled nature lead to his defeat. The Golem in this issue starts out being the stone protector the world needs to being a rampaging monster that Horror Comic readers want, to ending up a frozen statue that is stuck in the middle of Florida. This final story in the classic arch of Golem seems a little rushed and to be honest The Thing and him really don’t fight as much as they should, showing Marvel really just wanted to end Golem and his comic run. In fact Golem really brings down Kaballa pretty easy and it would have been great if they decided to have Golem be a ramping monster by the end of the story and not just a good guy statue frozen until a later date. I mean as a bad guy it would have been great to see him tangle with Man-Thing who is also set in Florida or even do battle with The Hulk, Thor, Werewolf By Night and Luke Cage to name a few. While after this appearance Golem would go on to make cameos in a few other issues this really does mark the end of his comic star. The cover for this issue is fantastic and captured my attention when I seen it as a kid, and the interior art is top notch and done by Bob Brown and has that Marvel flare. Over all I would have loved to seen more of the Golem in comics and really wish they would have left him bad for awhile to allow the above mentioned battles before having Rebecca and Jason once more get him under control. If you like Marvel Supernatural Horror, then I would say give this a read, as it’s a fun one. Check out the art below to see some of the styles used for this series.

So as you can see, Golem was and is a pretty cool Marvel Horror monster that had a short run that delivered some scares but mostly supernatural action. While Marvel seemed to really give up on the character and never allowed him to fully live up to his potential of becoming a good Horror Comic character, he still was able to leave his bloodstain mark on it no matter how small it was. And while writing this I also thinking about the next character I would like to cover for next Marvel Horror Showcase and I am happy to say that I have chosen IT The Living Colossus to be the next Horror subject! But enough of talking about a future update, let’s talk about the next one as I will be taking a look at Horror Hosts Iris & Retina from Mondo Smash A’GO-GO! So until next time, read a Marvel Horror Comic or three, watch a classic Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. Join me next update as it will be a blast talking about these Dayton, Ohio Hosts!

Another Night Of The Living Monster Bash Vacation (2019)

It’s that time of the year again when Juliet and I pack our bags and put them into the old Mazda 3 and head to Cranberry Township to enjoy yet another Monster Bash Convention and some relaxing days in Cranberry Township taking in all the local stores, sights and restaurants the area has to offer. As always, I was very much looking forward to getting some time away from work, comic book making and filming and being able to sit back and relax and spend some time with Juliet as well as all the classic monsters at Monster Bash! This year’s theme was very heavy on Hammer Horror as guests like Martine Beswicke, Veronica Carlson and Christopher Neame were all on hand while other guests included Ricou Browning, Tom Savini, John Russo and Horror Host Son Of Ghoul! So if you are ready, grab a snack pack, jump on in and let’s have some fun as we celebrate the best Horror Con in the world and all of cool wonders around it!

We started our quest on June 20^th and hit the road at around 11:30am after eating a breakfast that Juliet from Dorothy Lane Market. Once on the road we chatted about wrestling, comics and goofy stuff! We also talked about our plans for the night and made a stop at our normal Ruby Tuesdays where I had a meal of Bourbon Salmon, Loaded Baked Potato and Dirty Rice and as always it was a good meal that helped give me energy for the road. At around 5:30pm, we made it to our hotel that was yet another new one for us to stay at as both of the ones we stayed at before were filled so we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, and I must say that first impression was it was nice and the staff was friendly! After relaxing for a few minutes, we headed out to go to New Dimension Comics so I could pick up a few good reads for the weekend. As always I found some cool comics that included issues of Thor, Uncanny Tales From The Grave, Tower Of Shadows and Comet Man from Marvel. From DC, I got issues of Batman, The Comet and Super Friends. And finally I also got some indie comics like Ex-Mutants, The New Krofft Supershow, Escape To The Stars and Radical Dreamer. For dinner we decided to have Eat’n Park and I had a Hot Turkey Sandwich with Mashed Potatoes and a Baked Potato! For the rest of the night I read some comics, watched some TV, chatted with Juliet and geared up for the first day of Monster Bash! Oh and I should note that the day was filled with lots of rain and muggy weather…making it a perfect day to hang out in the hotel and read and write.

On June 21^st marked the first day of Monster Bash and sadly the convention did not open until 3pm so in the morning we got up around 9am and after eating a quick breakfast from Starbucks, we headed out and our first place to visit was The Living Dead Museum in Evans City as its been a while since we got to visit it and when in the Pittsburgh area you have to spend time with the living dead! I really like The Living Dead Museum as it celebrates the rich history of the Romero Zombie films as well as zombies in Horror Movies in general. And when we arrived, Juliet and I were happy to see our friend and Nashville Horror Host Dr. Gangrene also waiting to enter the museum and even better he was going to be at Monster Bash and the area all weekend! The Museum was as great as always and after walking around and taking some pictures, we bought a t-shirt and a pin and headed back toward the hotel to gear up for Monster Bash. And after a meal at Max & Erma’s, we headed to The Bash!

As Juliet and I made our way to Monster Bash I wondered what statues would greet us and what cool car would be parked up front…if I had to make a guess on car I would say once more the Dragula from The Munsters, and as far as statues, I would guess Hammer Horror as it seemed like the theme of this year. And as we made it to the front of the hotel we noticed no car was in place yet and the wait to get tickets was not too bad. The dealer room was packed with people, and it was great to see so many people enjoying the world of classic movie monsters, and what was nice this year was I saw some younger kids in the crowd enjoying the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster. After walking around to all the dealer tables and making several purchases (more on that later) we also took time to chat with our Horror Host friends Janet Decay and Grimm Gorri about Horror Hosting and cool classic local TV! Much like last year, some of the people looking around were kind of rude and would step in front of you while you looked, would stand really close and sometimes just stand in the way of items as they looked off into space or at their phone…while annoying, I have been to Horror Conventions where this behavior is a lot worse. As we were leaving, we ran into indie filmmaker and friend David “The Rock” Nelson and we chatted for awhile about the production of his newest film Howl Of The Werewolf. It’s always a blast to see David. Over all a very cool first day of Monster Bash that once more showcases why this is my favorite show. Oh and as for the statues, this year they did have Hammer’s Frankenstein’s Monster as played by Christopher Lee many of them were based on classic Universal Monsters as well as a few Silent Horror Icons and even one of Bela Lugosi from White Zombie!

So I am sure you are wondering what the first day’s haul was like…well it was really good! I picked up a Universal Mummy bendy toy by JusToys for $8.00, Masters Of The Universe He-Man drinking glass for $10.00, Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell Wooden Plaque for $25.00, The Werewolf from Sungold Monsters for $15.00, Two Knock-Off Mini Figures of Phantom Of the Opera and Yeti from a series called “Un Mundo De Figuras” for $10.00 each, Eerie Greatest Hits Graphic Novel for $5.00, The Tomb Of Dracula # 37 comic for $5.00, The Creation Of King Kong Novel for $4.00, Predator Movie Adaptation Novel for $3.00, The Adult Version Of Jekyll & Hide DVD for $7.00, two episodes of The Son Of Ghoul Show that has him hosting The Hideous Sun Demon & Lady Frankenstein for $10.00 each and what would Monster Bash be without me buying David “The Rock” Nelson movies as I got Mummy A.D. 1993 for only $20.00 and Howl Of The Werewolf for $25.00! So as you can see, this was a pretty amazing day 1 of Monster Bash goodies!

So for the first night we wanted to have Dinner and a Movie at the hotel so we chose to eat our favorite restaurant in this area, Wing Kings where I had Garlic Wings and Cheese Fries with a Coke to drink. The night’s film was Howl Of The Werewolf, the newest no budget monster movie classic from David Nelson. The film was over 3hrs and 30min long and was pure classic Rock stuff complete with Detective Rock eating and random attacks by the film’s monster. And I will give all you readers a little info on something very cool….Sparkle Comics will be doing some comic books based on David “The Rock” Nelson films and Howl Of The Werewolf will be the first one released in 2020! The script will be written by Juliet, and the art will be done by Don Stephenson. So keep your eyes open for more news soon on this comic release. Over all a great night of good food and a super fun film and this ended the first night of Monster Bash!

On the second day of Monster Bash we woke up early and had popped into Monster Bash really quick before heading to Pig Iron for an amazing breakfast! Once done we headed back to Monster Bash and soaked in all the amazing sights of classic monsters! This year I noticed that more vendors had DVD’s and Blu-Rays and people were buying like crazy showing physical media is alive and well. Juliet and I also were able to look around a little better as while packed again people seemed to be aware of others around them and this allowed us to shop for not only ourselves but also our friends. We then chatted some more with Janet Decay and Grimm Gorri and once walking around and buying some more we headed out of the Bash and into the world of Cranberry!

The second day of Monster Bash goodies was also great pick ups as I got a Phantom Of The Paradise Wood Plaque for $25.00, Two more Un Mundo De Figuras of Dracula and Werewolf for $12.00 each. A Scary Monsters Magazine Vampire Detection Kit for FREE and lastly I got two episodes of Gunga Jim of him hosting Revenge Of Dr. X and Assignment Terror on DVD for only $5.00 each! So while this time around I did not buy as much, they still are some great finds.

After Monster Bash we headed back to New Dimension Comics as they had a massive store sale so we loaded up on some comic books as I got issues of Silver Surfer, Roger Rabbit, Ex-Mutants and G.I. Joe all for only .30 each! After that we relaxed for a few minutes and then headed back out and ended up at Barnes & Nobles and looked around at books, magazines and POP figures all before we headed to get a tasty treat at TCBY Yogurt that is always a must for Juliet when we come to Monster Bash. The traffic on this day was terrible but at least the weather was nice and sunny with a high of only 73 degrees. Once back at the hotel we watched The Mummy Returns on SyFy and later for dinner Juliet wanted to have Moe’s and as always I had a Chicken Burrito, and as always it was a good meal and made us both miss Moe’s being in Dayton.

After dinner we ended the night with a Horror Host feature as we watched Son Of Ghoul hosting Lady Frankenstein! The art of Horror Hosting to me goes hand and hand with classic monsters, and I wish Monster Bash would do a massive Horror Host gathering at one of the conventions as this year was pretty great as on hand was Janet Decay, Grimm Gorri, Drac, Countess Carita, Son Of Ghoul, Gunga Jim and even Dr. Gangrene around! Always a fun time to end a Saturday Night with a Horror Host and why not do so with one from Ohio!

June 23^rd not only marked the final day of Monster Bash 2019 but also was the birthday of the late great Dr. Creep who was a great friend and a true icon in the world of Horror Hosting. For the last day we walked around for a few minutes and enjoyed the classic monster atmosphere as well as ran back into Dr. Gangrene and we chatted about classic amusement parks and roadside attractions. And after one more sweep through to pick up some last minute goodies we left Monster Bash for the last time in 2019 and looking back I truly feel that this is an event that if you love classic monsters should make the trip to as it’s a great and is filled with good times, great guests, top notch vendors and spooky monsters.

The final days Monster Bash Goodies was very small but pretty dang cool as I had to buy four more Un Mundo De Figuras figure and this time I got The Mummy, The Fly, Jack The Ripper and Swamp Creature for $10.00 each. These little things are amazing and I feel now I need to collect the whole set. And lastly I bought the double feature DVD of The Beast Within and The Bat People and the main movie I wanted on this set was Bat People and I paid $20.00 for this out of print MGM release. Another great year of pick up’s, as Monster Bash has never let me down!

After we left Monster Bash, we headed to a little amusement park called Conneaut Lake Park as they have a classic Horror Ride called “The Devil’s Den” and we heard about it thanks to Dr. Gangrene. It was around an hour away from Monster Bash, and the ride to it was nice and filled with some small towns and really beautiful landscapes, and when we arrived at the theme park it was everything we ever wanted and more! After parking in a field, we walked to the main gates and found that we had to buy the wristbands from a stand that is in the middle, and walking to the stand we saw many of the classic style rides like Tumble Bugs, Paratrooper, Music Express, Bumper Cars, Carousel and Blue Streak an amazing wooden roller coaster…and no joke people who grew up in the Dayton, Ohio area will know what I mean when I say my first feeling was “Wow, this has a Fantasy Farm and Americana Amusement Park feel”! And after a short line to get our admission wristband we headed straight to The Devil’s Den as this was the main attraction for us, and man I have lots to say so we will get to it shortly. The rides were also connected to a water park as well as a lake and all around us were families and couples having fun and this helped added to the great atmosphere of the park. Not to mention all of the park workers seemed very nice and helpful. After Juliet and I rode The Devil’s Den, she rode The Blue Streak and had a blast and from there we went and rode the train that went around Blue Streak and the park all the while we would pass wooden cutouts of famous cartoon characters. From there, Juliet rode the Tumble Bugs and after we ate some loaded fries and funnel cake from one of the food stands and just soaked in the park. After leaving Juliet and I both agreed that we will come back to Conneaut Lake Park as it was a very fun time!

The Devil’s Den was everything in a classic Horror Ride I could ever want! We got at the park right at open so the ride had no line and Juliet and I were able to walk right up. Sadly the cars were tiny and we had to ride separately and as the worker pushed my cart into the track, the spooky ride started! Now keep in mind I loved the cart and while it would have been fun to ride with Juliet, it also was an amazing ride to experience alone. And Devil’s Den was filled with creepy paintings, spooky sounds, flashing lights, darkness, a gum caked wall and the Devil and his minions. This made me flashback to the old Horror Ride that was at Fantasy Farm and I had a massive smile on my face the whole ride as each dark turn made me come face to face with another monster. The highlight for me is when I got to see The Devil that looked just one straight from a B-Horror Movie. The ride had some great old school scare moments like string hanging down to touch your face in dark rooms and had lots of twists and turns. This was a fantastic way to feel like a kid again as I enjoyed every moment of this ride and I think that if you are in the Pittsburgh area, you need to take a trip to Conneaut Lake Park and pay the $10.00 entrance fee and do yourself a favor and take a ride on The Devil’s Den and after doing so soak up all the amazing attractions of a true indie amusement park. The pictures below come from the rides official Facebook page at CLP Devils Den so make sure to check it out and give it a like. No joke, this was a perfect attraction for Juliet and I to spend a good part of our day at….and oh yeah I also bought myself a Devil’s Den T-Shirt!

After Conneaut Lake Park we headed toward The Snowman as I needed a good old Yeti Shake and to my shock and sadness, the horses were gone! While I was sad not to see the horses again, the shake was fantastic as always! Later in the day we ate dinner at a restaurant called Burgatory and it was fantastic and I made a custom chicken burger that was one of the best I have ever had! The waitress we had was super nice and the restaurant itself was very welcoming and had a cool look. We ended the evening once more watching an episode of Son Of Ghoul that had him hosting The Hideous Sun Demon as I figured what better way to end the final day of Monster Bash than with a Horror Host program.

June 24, 2019 marked the first day of after Monster Bash blues, but marked the first full day of lets go do cool stuff in Cranberry! We started out morning with a breakfast from Einstein Bros Bagels and then made our way to see the remake of Child’s Play at Cranberry Cinema, as I have said before this is a great indie ran theater that has a great feel and no joke I also really enjoyed Child’s Play! From there Juliet and I had lunch at Moe’s and just like last time the meal was really good. After lunch we headed back to Evans City and visited the Cemetery, as it’s a must every time we are in PA. The drive to the cemetery is so peaceful and once there we soaked up the sun, nature and just the over all creative vibe you get when there. The cemetery was filled with chipmunks again and besides the caretaker, no one else was around and made for a very peaceful visit. After enjoying the wonders that is Evans City Cemetery we headed back to the hotel and waited for dinner…that was Wing Kings of course and then we watched WWE Raw on the USA Network.

June 25 marked our last day in Pennsylvania and on this day we started out by going to Target to pick up some road snacks. We then headed to Mars and had some coffee from Mars Brew House and walked around the small town for a few moments. Juliet and I chatted about our time at Monster Bash as well as talked about Horror Hosting and even about Rotten Ink. We then went and filmed the UFO in downtown Mars to send to my pal Victor for a project for Rockstar Pro Wrestling. But this was just the start of our journey back to home as I wanted to make a stop that was very important to me…and that was to visit the grave of a true wrestling legend.

Before we made the long drive back to Dayton we stopped at Christ Our Redeemer Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh so I could pay my respects to WWE Legend and Wrestling Icon Bruno Sammartino. For those who don’t know who Bruno was, I first want to say shame on you, as he is the longest WWE Champion in history and was one of the world’s most popular wrestlers in the 60s-80s and hands down is one of the best in the business. And after paying my respects Juliet and I walked around the massive cemetery and we talked about how important Bruno was and still is to the legacy of the WWE as much like Hulk Hogan he was what kept them in business for decades. And I am making a promise to all you readers that when Inverse Press finishes the comic series based on Bruno Sammartino I will cover it here on Rotten Ink and truly talk about this icon of the squared circle. Once we left the cemetery we headed back to Ohio, but not before stopping again at Ruby Tuesdays for a quick meal.

Once we ended up back home I had to deliver copies of the Sparkle Comics release of Spring Heeled Jack # 2 to local shops as well as spent some time with family and friends and even went to the theater to see Annabelle Comes Home! I also ended up filming a one off cheesy Horror Host show with my pal Damien…more on that in the future. But on June 29, 2019 we decided to have a Horror Movie Marathon that would be packed with some great Horror, Science Fiction and Thriller films. We started the marathon at 8am and started with the Universal Horror film “The Thing That Couldn’t Die!” that is about a cursed head tormenting a group of people on an isolated ranch. The second film was “Zarkorr! The Invader” about a massive space monster on a rampage to test earthlings that must be saved by a postal worker. We then watched “Golem” from 2018 that brings the silent film and classic Jewish folklore and is about a woman that brings to life a Golem to protect her village. The 1995 thriller “Mommy” starting Patty McCormack was next and was about an evil woman who will kill those who get in her young daughters way…and more so her own. Our fifth film was the Sc-Fi classic “Target Earth” about a group of strangers that wake up in a city alone during a mechanical alien invasion! “The 27 Club” is about a musician who sells her soul to the devil to get fame, but it comes with a price on her 27^th birthday. The shot on video film “Masked Mutilator” was next and is about a group of kids in a halfway house that are being killed by a crazed masked pro wrestler. Indie Horror Movie “Close Calls” starring the lovely Jordan Phipps is about a young woman who is battling drug addiction being grounded as strange and deadly things are going down at her home. Our 9^th film of the marathon was “Leprechaun Returns” the newest sequel in the long running series that has him coming back again to claim his gold and torments a group of sorority girls. And the final film was the 1975 fright flick starring Peter Cushing “The Ghoul” about a mansion that holds a terrible secret and a murderous thing in the attic.

This was another great Horror Movie Marathon filled with some great flicks and amazing food and snacks! After we watched the films, as always Juliet and I sat and talked about them and picked our best three as well as our Golden Turkey. For Juliet she selected Masked Mutilator as her Golden Turkey as she did not hate the film she just felt it dragged in spots, and I choose Zarkorr! The Invader as I found it to be a little to slow with a so-so hero and a lackluster final battle. My Top Films went as following # 1 went to Golem as I found this to be a very fun and bloody way to bring this classic horror icon back to modern viewers, plus it was well acted, well shot and the blood effects were really good. # 2 for me was Leprechaun Returns as I felt this was a fantastically silly and fun sequel and washed the bad taste of Leprechaun Origins out of my mouth, plus the film was way more gore in it than I expected. And my pick for # 3 was The Ghoul as I found it to be a fun spooky atmospheric classic style Horror Flick that once more showed why Peter Cushing is one of the best actors in Horror ever. And for me Close Calls was a runner up as I found myself still thinking about the film way after it ended as it left me thinking about what the ending meant. Juliet’s picks were as follows # 1 The Golem, # 2 The Ghoul and # 3 went to Target Earth, but she wanted to let you all know that the film The Thing That Wouldn’t Die almost made it on her list and was her runner up. So as you can see, another great Marathon and a great way to end my Monster Bash 2019 vacation!

This Marathon’s Golden Chainsaw Award for most kills goes to Golem as he had about 13 on screen kills and a ton of off screen! While he looked like a child this creatures was brutal and ruthless when it came to murdering those who crossed him or his creator. The Golem’s best kill for me is when he would make peoples heads explode into a mess of bloody goo filled with chunks of brains! So thanks Golem for not only being the best movie of the Marathon but for also making it a little bloodier!

It’s crazy to think that the world lost George A. Romero over two years ago. I mean the man delivered some of the most iconic zombie films of all time with titles like Night Of The Living Dead, Dawn Of The Dead, Day Of The Dead, Land Of The Dead, Diary Of The Dead and Survival Of The Dead, all amazing films in their own right. But many others love his none-zombie horror work like Season Of The Witch, The Crazies, Martin, Knightriders, Creepshow, Monkey Shines, Two Evil Eyes, The Dark Half and Bruiser all films that delivered chills and entertainment to viewers. They just don’t make filmmakers like Romero anymore who had a vision and brought a group of creative minds together like he did in the Pittsburgh area. While George might be gone and no one can make zombie films like him no matter how they try, his legacy will live on forever not only in his work but also in all those film creators who he inspired.

George A. Romero’s masterpiece of zombie horror cinema Night Of The Living Dead is truly a film that has inspired and has been imitated by so many filmmakers and media creators. I mean NOTLD is even a film that has been hosted by so many Horror Hosts around the world, and I would even bet that it’s the most hosted movie of all time! And oddly enough, beside the official sequels like Dawn of The Dead, Day Of The Dead and Land Of The Dead to name a few it has also spawned a remake from effects master Tom Savini and a ton of unofficial sequels that all branding the name Night Of The Living Dead….now I am sure your wondering how this is so, right? Well the film has fallen into the public domain and this allows creative minds to do what they want with the title and the film itself and this is how these “sequels” and “ different takes” are able to be made and viewed by Horror Movie viewers world wide. So let’s take a moment and talk about some of these films that cashed in and continued the legacy of NOTLD. And let’s talk about what we will call The Good, The Bad, The Ugly And The Turkey as I will pick what one I find to be the best, the so-so, the worst and the golden turkey! So be ready as they are coming to get you readers! They’re coming for you….look here comes the rip offs now!

The first film in these unofficial sequels is “Night Of The Living Dead 3D” that was released in 2006 and stars the likes of Sid Haig and Brianna Brown and follows Barb and college student Ben as they try and survive a zombie horde while finding shelter in the farmhouse of the Cooper family. But when the zombies arrive, things get bad for the survivors, as they cannot stop the living dead! Next up is “Night Of The Living Dead Re-Animation 3D” that was released in 2012 and is a prequel to the above mentioned film and stars Jeffrey Combs and Denice Duff and follows a mortician who foolishly exposes dead bodies to medical toxic waste that brings them back and hungry for the living. “Night Of The Living Dead Resurrection” was as well released in 2012 and stars Sule Rimi and Kathy Saxondale and is about a group of humans hiding in a farmhouse as the dead rise and they drama inside the house seems to be worse than the horrors outside. And lastly is “Night Of The Living Dead Darkest Dawn” that was released in 2015 and stars Danielle Harris and Tony Todd and is an animated fright flick that changes the location to New York as humans hide out in an apartment building as the dead try and get them! So these are the dirty undead four, and man all of them are the same and yet all so different! I would say The Good For me would be Night Of The Living Dead Darkest Dawn as it’s a weird take and the voice acting from some of the greats of the horror world was a nice addition. The Bad, who is not terrible but average, would go to Night Of The Living Dead 3D as it is cheesy and bad but Sid Haig is solid in it. The Ugly that is bad but not the worst would go to Night Of The Living Dead Re-Animation 3D, an underwhelming sequel to NOTLD 3D and is just nothing special and an average lower budget zombie film. And the Golden Turkey is Night Of The Living Dead Resurrection as it’s just very, very boring and is clearly a cash in on the namesake of NOLD. So there you have it, a quick rundown of the knock off films of Night Of The Living Dead…and if you want to see a good zombie film just watch the original or even the remake as they both are leaps and bounds better than all the films mentioned above.

While we took a look at the films that cashed in on the legacy of NOTLD, I also want to take a brief moment to talk about a cool tribute short movie called “Flowers For The DEAD” that was released in 2013 and is directed by Joe Barbarisi who clearly loved the classic work of Romero and even shot parts of the film in the Evan City Cemetery that the original film shot in. The films plot is about Linda a woman whose parents have passed away who finds herself in the cemetery during a zombie outbreak and to make things worse she is being stalked all through the massive cemetery by zombies who want to make her their dinner and she has no signs of help. Now Lisa must fight for her life and find a way to out step the dead and get back to her car! Does she make it out alive…or does she become another meal for the living dead…watch this film on YouTube and find out for yourself! This short film is well shot and making it black and white was a very nice touch as it helps make it feel right at home with NOTLD. The zombies as well are well done for an indie film with some being make-up and others wearing masks, and again this added to the vibe and feel of the film. I want to also say that I really dug the films score as it fit the film perfectly, and to be honest I would love to have it on CD! I love indie horror, and this was a fun one that someday I would love to show at an Indie Horror Showcase event that is put on by Horrorama Dayton and Blood Scream Comics! So I want to just say good work to Joe Barbarisi and his cast and crew for making such a fun and classically spooky Horror Short film.

So now that we have traveled to the land of the living dead once more and had a great time at Monsterbash, I think we should see what the second series based on Night Of The Living Dead by Fantaco has in store for us! So before we find a good crypt to hide in, I should remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. I also want to thank a vendor at Cinema Wasteland many years back for having these comics in stock. So if you’re ready to once more walk with the Living Dead, let’s see what this Fantaco mini series has in store for us.

Night Of The Living Dead # 0  **
Released in 1994       Cover Price $1.95     Fantaco     # 0 of 3

Actress Kate Koresh is taking a vacation in Haiti and becomes the target for a voodoo cult who wants to sacrifice her to zombies of the sea, and unlucky for her, they kidnap her and take her to the beach to do the ceremony. Meanwhile zombie hunter Randy Von Richtofen is also on a getaway in Haiti as he is staying at the hut of Papa Shaka while he is away, and Randy is lucky when he meets Amber and Bianca two beautiful women who are the trainees of Shaka. While relaxing in the hot tub, Randy hears the drums on the beach and rushes off and he and the ladies end up saving Kate from being eaten by zombies and they kill not only the undead but also the voodoo cult! In the end Randy and the ladies return to the hut as Kate returns to America never wanting to see a zombie again! We end with the government talking about a satellite in space and hope that this time around it does not start another zombie outbreak.

This quick read is an odd one as it was a fun read and really does capture the indie zombie horror comic feel of the 90’s from that time…but it also has a weird very cheesy over the top nature that is nothing like the spirit of Night Of The Living Dead as it all just seems a little off! The plot follows two people on vacation, one being an actress and the other being a zombie hunter who cross paths when a cult wants to feed and please the undead from the ocean. Our main hero is the sleazy and overly gun happy undead basher Randy Von Richtofen who is a man who has seen and done so much to rid the world of the zombies that have infested it. We know he loves the ladies, and he loves to blow away zombies. Bianca and Amber are two hot women who are loyal to their teacher the voodoo master Papa Shaka and who are very handy with guns and taking down zombies. Our would-be victim, the snooty actress Kate Koresh, is also a survivor as she as well fights for her own life and takes on cult members as well as zombies to escape. The Cult, who are the issue’s baddies, are silly and love bikinis and want to please the zombies of the ocean that are divers, swimmers and seamen and are no major threat as they are taken out with ease. The comic, while horror, also has a dash of comedy to it, as the over all feel really is cheesy as well as comic indie action moments. Thus far as well I am not 100% sold on Randy and am more cheering for Amber and Bianca who seem more like the heroes of the book and are not just into killing zombies to be macho and brag about it. I do like the nice addition of the government once more making a mistake in space and this could spark another zombie upraise and spell doom for mankind. The cover for this issue 0 is not all that eye catching and besides the name does not make one think of NOTLD! The interior art is done by Rik Rawling and is pretty standard indie horror stuff. Over all this is an average comic that offers some blood and kills but is not scary and was worth the read. Let’s see what this story arc has in store for us with issue # 1.

Night Of The Living Dead # 1  **
Released in 1994       Cover Price $3.50     Fantaco     # 1 of 3

The Government’s Star Wars satellite is set to be used in a foreign land in order to test if it can do mind control when the machine decides to choose another target and hits in California and hits the set of Kate Koresh’s TV show killing many of the crew as well as infects others to become zombies! Para-gliders Phil and Phred land and find that zombies are all around and want to eat some human flesh, and as they flee the beach they come across Kate Koresh who has returned from Haiti and finds herself as well being attacked by zombies and the two dudes with attitudes try and save her! After the pair kill the zombies attacking her the trio rush off to a house in the hills to wait out the outbreak! Meanwhile the Government is in damage mode and realize that they once more have created a undead uprising again and set to come up with a plan to neutralize it. Meanwhile the safe house for Kate, Phred and Phil is being swarmed by zombies, and the guns they are using to protect themselves are running out of bullets when they remember an ad in the newspaper and call Randy Von Richtofen who shows up and kicks some undead butt! They all team up and trick the infected townspeople into entering a meat factor and fill it with gas blowing it up and containing the outbreak in California, but the satellite has fired again this time in Florida!

The first issue in the series as well lacks the true charm of Night Of The Living Dead and once more is a little too sleazy/cheesy and not so scary, making me a little puzzled why they moved away from their first style of NOTLD comics and went for more of a The Dead and the original Walking Dead mood and feel. The plot has the satellite firing in California causing a zombie outbreak that once more poor actress Kate Koresh is stuck in, but she is lucky enough that two goofy dudes are around to protect her and that once more zombie killer Randy Von Richtofen is back in town as well! This issues main heroes are Phil and Phred who are a pair of beach bums who enjoy chicks and paragliding, but while goofy when the dead start to rise and crave human flesh these two step up save a life and protect themselves and others. Kate Koresh can not win to lose as she returns from vacation were she was attacked by zombies only to once more find herself on the menu for lunch, but just like before she defends herself well and has the survival instinct. Randy Von Richtofen is still the same as the last issue and is a butt-kicking machine with no real personality. The Zombies in this issue attack in hordes and are hungry for human meat and flesh, not much else to say about them besides they are lined up to be slaughtered by our heroes in gory fashion. The real bad guys of this issue are the Government as they with their Star Wars program are what has caused all this chaos, seems they learned nothing from the outbreak they causes in 1968! The issue has some great bloody and gory kills and the pacing is good keeping my attention throughout. The cover is eye catching for fans of zombie comics and the art by Rik Rawling is ok. Over all another average and entertaining zombie book that is an odd direction for one based on such an iconic film.

Night Of The Living Dead # 2  **
Released in 1994       Cover Price $3.50     Fantaco     # 2 of 3

The amusement park McKie Moose World in Florida is hit by the laser from the Star Wars Satellite next and this causing employees to turn into flesh eating zombies! Randy Von Richtofen sees the reports on the news and calls in a favor to Papa Shaka and his two trainees Amber & Bianca for help to rid the park of the undead. Meanwhile at the park, the President’s Daughter is enjoying here time when the zombies attack and she is stuck with a Secret Service who is scared and offers her no protection! Meanwhile when out zombie hunter group lead by Randy shows up they use the voodoo skill of Papa Shaka to flood the park and kill off the zombies who infested it. Meanwhile the Government tries to destroy the satellite and fail as now it begins to fire randomly all over the planet!

This second issue is a mix of horror, comedy and sleaze and comes together pretty well and is an entertaining read. The plot follows once more Randy as he takes care of a zombie outbreak that this time takes place at an amusement park. And he brings in voodoo master Papa Shaka and his lovely ladies to help! I really love the idea of a zombie outbreak taking place in an amusement park all the while the President’s daughter is stuck inside as the Government and a group of zombie hunters are the only hope for those stuck inside…and while this sounds fantastic right, the issue never offers any real moments of danger as they are easily killed and are wiped out by water! The zombies in this issue are not scary or a threat, the Government this time around come off more like fools and not major baddies leaving a void for any serious threat. Randy Von Richtofen shows slightly more of a personality when he knows that he is out numbered and needs help to take out the zombies that was eating people in Florida, a cool generic badass hero character that so far just doesn’t do much for me. Papa Shaka shows that he doesn’t need a gun as the man’s voodoo skills are great, and he wipes the floor with the zombies. Amber & Bianca are very much downplayed in this issue and are more eye candy than zombie fighters, very disappointing as they could be very cool characters. Again the setting for this issue is great, the feel and mode are off, the comedy didn’t work for me and the horror is very slight. The cover is great and eye catching for fans of 90’s Horror Comics and the interior art done by Rik Rawling is the same level as the other issues. Over all this issue was slightly better than the previous two and was worth reading, let’s see what the final issue has in store for us.

Night Of The Living Dead # 3  **
Released in 1994       Cover Price $3.50     Fantaco      # 3 of 3

Outbreaks are taking place all over the world as the Star Wars Satellite has gone crazy and fired its ray all over creating zombies everywhere! The American President knows that things are bad and that under his watch this terrible thing has happened so he calls Randy Von Richtofen to help give pointers to S.C.U.D (Specialist In Cannibal Undead Destruction) a team that is government based and are ready to save the world. Randy agrees to give them some pointers and is shocked when he finds that actress Kate Koresh is one of the team’s leaders and he soon finds that he is being forced to join her group of soldiers as they head to Germany to ride the area of zombies that are breeding! The team is made up of Jane Redhawk, Jimmy Woo, Waylon Creole and Lunk. Once there they find out that the zombies are way more powerful and that this mission is going to be very hard tor pull off and survive. Kate takes Randy and Redhawk on a recon mission and they pair soon finds that they are at odds with each other as both have different ideas on how to deal with the zombies all around them, as those who are left behind at the base camp must fend off a wave of zombies. Once they make it to a massive tower made of dead humans that is acting as the base for the zombies, they find that the undead are reproducing at a fast pass and the only way to bring them down is to get into the tower and blow it up! Once back at camp Randy leaves the group behind as he thinks this is nothing more than a suicide mission, and Kate gets super mad and leads her team on the mission and to her horror one by one they are taken out by the zombies! Kate starts to lose her mind and shuts down as Redhawk is able to get them both to the center of the tower and as the zombies close in Randy appears again with his zombie bashing car and saves Kate as Redhawk sets off a bomb killing herself and also bringing down the tower and the zombie horde around it. In the end Randy and Kate stand at the graves of her fallen soldiers and pitches the idea of her and Randy becoming a team as he gives a none committed answer.

This final issue in this mini series goes out as average as it started as the story wraps up with no major impact nor does it have horror in sight. The plot of this issue has Randy joining Kate as she leads a rag tag team into the heart of a major zombie outbreak in Germany that is the worlds last defense to truly get this undead emergency under control. And I must say that the stakes in this final issue are bigger and it does feel as if the dead could truly win the final battle as they are all over and ready to kill and eat our heroes. And this is refreshing as through out this mini series I never found the zombies to be a threat nor dangerous as they were easily taken down and barely killed any one who could see. Our series main hero is Randy Von Richtofen, who is a man who enjoys killing zombies and has no real personality at all, and while I did not hate this character, I also had no real connection to him as he also just felt to dang generic. Our second main hero would be Kate Koresh as she grows as a character and goes from cheesy actress to leader of a military team! She is way more interesting of a character she just lacks the major will to kill like Randy does. The side characters in this series are pretty good and I would say my favorites would be Jane Redhawk, Amber & Bianca as they all had potential and all could have been better used in this series. As you long time readers know, I am a major Horror Comic reader and have always enjoyed a good zombie comic and love Night Of The Living Dead and its legacy and I think would have enjoyed this series a little more if it did not carry the NOTLD name as the comics holds none of the spirit of that film and again really comes off as a clone of other dark indie zombie comics that came out before it. The series does have some great moments of carnage and bloodshed, but does not get too overboard. The cover for this issue is just okay and is nothing special, the interior artwork is again is good normal indie style done by Rik Rawling. The best way to sum up this comic mini series is that it’s entertaining and also very disappointing. If you like dark horror comedy comics this might be one you will want to check out, if you’re a pure NOTLD fan you might find yourself finding this one a little of a letdown as even the zombies just feel all wrong. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Rawling used in this series.

So while this Fantaco NOTLD comic series has not the best zombie comics I have ever read, it still delivered an entertaining read for this update. It’s odd that no comic company is making comics based on Night Of The Living Dead as it just lends itself to be an amazing comic series. I want to also stress that if you love classic movie monsters, comics books and cool old toys you need to do yourself a favor and go to one of the Monster Bash Conventions as they are great events that deliver a spooky good time. So to keep up my love for classic monsters I think our next update we will be taking a look at the Marvel Horror character The Golem! So until next time read a Horror Comic or three, watch a classic monster movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update for my first Marvel Horror Showcase.