This week in TONY'S TIPS at Tales of Wonder...I am giddy with delight as I talk about nine huge books of great comics!
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
RAWHIDE KID WEDNESDAY 94
The Rawhide Kid is my favorite western comics character and one of my favorite comics characters period. Something about the short of stature (but big on courage and fighting skills) Johnny Clay spoke to the short of stature (but big on comics-reading skills) teenage Tony Isabella. After rereading the Kid’s earliest adventures when Marvel Comics reprinted them in a pair of Marvel Masterworks and an Essential Rawhide Kid volume, I wanted to reacquire every Rawhide Kid comic, reread them and write about them in this bloggy thing of mine. This is the 94th installment in that series.
The Rawhide Kid #108 [February, 1973] has a new cover pencilled by Larry Lieber and, based on examination of the original art by the eagle-eyed Nick Caputo, inked by Herb Trimpe. Inside, the 14-page “Desert Fury!” was written and penciled by Lieber, inked and most likely colored by George Roussos, lettered by June Braverman, and edited by Roy Thomas. As you will see, I have some serious problems with this story.
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
This grim, plot-heavy story opens with the Rawhide Kid riding into a town where he thinks he can rest for a spell. The opening caption describes it:
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
This grim, plot-heavy story opens with the Rawhide Kid riding into a town where he thinks he can rest for a spell. The opening caption describes it:
If you’re a fugitive on the run, you pick your places to rest carefully! You choose small remote towns beyond the reach of the law! Towns like this one!
Alas, the Kid is lured into an alley on the pretext of stopping a man from beating a dog and clubbed from behind. When he wakes up, he’s been handcuffed by a bounty hunter.
Captor and captive board a stagecoach, much to the dismay of the extremely judgmental passengers. One calls Rawhide a cheap gunslick who’s going to get what he deserves. Another opines that will come at the end of the rope.
Miles pass until one of the passengers spots someone stranded near the road. It’s a blonde woman with a baby:
She’s wearin’ Injun duds--but she’s white!
The woman is Sarah Evans. Captured by the Apaches two years prior, she has finally escaped. She had been forced to marry one of her kidnappers. The baby?
This is our son--a child that will never be raised among those savages!
Sarah’s family was killed when she was captured. She has no home. The passengers say they will help her get settled. Hiding nearby, the Apaches watch them and report the situation to Grey Eagle, the father of Sarah’s child.
His fellow braves tell Grey Eagle to forget the woman. He’s a bit too possessive for that:
No! The woman and the child are mine! I will not give them up!
If you think you are beginning to see why I have problems with the story, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
The Apaches attack the stagecoach. The drivers head for a secluded way station where they will make their stand. They get inside the station as the Apaches attack anew. The bounty hunter uncuffs the Kid. They need every gun they can get.
The passengers are not feeling as charitable towards Sarah as they had been. They want to turn the woman over to “the redskins.” But Rawhide won’t hear of it and tells everyone to grab a gun.
The bounty hunter is shot dead. The passengers are in a panic. The Apaches take the stagecoach.
The Apaches don’t attack. They want the passengers to sweat before they finish this. It gives them a psychological edge.
Almost out of ammo, the passengers really want to hand Sarah over to the Apaches. Only Rawhide stands in their way.
RAWHIDE: I don’t know about you folks...but I don’t hanker to spend the rest of my days knowin’ I sacrificed a woman and child to save my own neck!
MALE PASSENGER: That’s might noble considerin’ yore an outlaw and fugitive!
Rawhide spots a sandstorm blowing up in the desert. He sees it as their chance to escape:
We’ll cross the desert! The Apaches won’t be able to see us in the sandstorm...or follow us later because the blowing sand will cover our tracks!
The passengers aren’t keen on the plan. Water will be scarce in the desert. They still want to give Sarah to her kidnappers. But, what with the Kid having his two Colts and all, they don’t really have a choice at this point.
Rawhide and the others set out into the desert. When the sandstorm subsides, Grey Eagle realizes:
The white-eyes have escaped! They were clever! They fled into the storm! But it will avail them nothing...for I will follow my wife and child to the ends of the earth!
Meanwhile, the white-eyes aren’t doing so well. The thirst and the sun are unbearable. Rawhide shares his canteen with Sarah and the baby. The others are becoming hostile towards Sarah, calling her “a blamed squaw” and saying that living with the Apaches makes Sarah a savage as well.
The passengers turn on each other. One man tries to steal another man’s canteen until Rawhide clobbers him.
Yet another man pulls his gun when the Kid stops him from drinking poisoned water. Rawhide has to shoot the gun out of the man’s hand, which leads the Apaches right to them.
The men are ready to turn Sarah and the baby over to the Apaches. Rawhide challenges Grey Eagle to battle for her.
Grey Eagle leaps from his horse and knocks Rawhide to the ground. The Apache pulls his knife on the Kid. Rawhide gets the knife away from the brave. Here comes more problems for me.
RAWHIDE: There! Now I’ve got the knife!
GREY EAGLE: Then use it! Kill me! I would rather die than live without the woman I love and the child that is mine!
SARAH: Stop! Stop the fight! Get to your feet! Grey Eagle...never before have you spoken to me of love! Never!
GREY EAGLE: Such words to not come easy to a savage!
SARAH: A man who loves is no savage! And a woman who has love needs nothing more! I will return with you and remain by your side!
There are eight panels on this, the final page of the story, but I don’t think eight dozen panels could have made this story palatable to me. Just to state the obvious...
Alas, the Kid is lured into an alley on the pretext of stopping a man from beating a dog and clubbed from behind. When he wakes up, he’s been handcuffed by a bounty hunter.
Captor and captive board a stagecoach, much to the dismay of the extremely judgmental passengers. One calls Rawhide a cheap gunslick who’s going to get what he deserves. Another opines that will come at the end of the rope.
Miles pass until one of the passengers spots someone stranded near the road. It’s a blonde woman with a baby:
She’s wearin’ Injun duds--but she’s white!
The woman is Sarah Evans. Captured by the Apaches two years prior, she has finally escaped. She had been forced to marry one of her kidnappers. The baby?
This is our son--a child that will never be raised among those savages!
Sarah’s family was killed when she was captured. She has no home. The passengers say they will help her get settled. Hiding nearby, the Apaches watch them and report the situation to Grey Eagle, the father of Sarah’s child.
His fellow braves tell Grey Eagle to forget the woman. He’s a bit too possessive for that:
No! The woman and the child are mine! I will not give them up!
If you think you are beginning to see why I have problems with the story, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
The Apaches attack the stagecoach. The drivers head for a secluded way station where they will make their stand. They get inside the station as the Apaches attack anew. The bounty hunter uncuffs the Kid. They need every gun they can get.
The passengers are not feeling as charitable towards Sarah as they had been. They want to turn the woman over to “the redskins.” But Rawhide won’t hear of it and tells everyone to grab a gun.
The bounty hunter is shot dead. The passengers are in a panic. The Apaches take the stagecoach.
The Apaches don’t attack. They want the passengers to sweat before they finish this. It gives them a psychological edge.
Almost out of ammo, the passengers really want to hand Sarah over to the Apaches. Only Rawhide stands in their way.
RAWHIDE: I don’t know about you folks...but I don’t hanker to spend the rest of my days knowin’ I sacrificed a woman and child to save my own neck!
MALE PASSENGER: That’s might noble considerin’ yore an outlaw and fugitive!
Rawhide spots a sandstorm blowing up in the desert. He sees it as their chance to escape:
We’ll cross the desert! The Apaches won’t be able to see us in the sandstorm...or follow us later because the blowing sand will cover our tracks!
The passengers aren’t keen on the plan. Water will be scarce in the desert. They still want to give Sarah to her kidnappers. But, what with the Kid having his two Colts and all, they don’t really have a choice at this point.
Rawhide and the others set out into the desert. When the sandstorm subsides, Grey Eagle realizes:
The white-eyes have escaped! They were clever! They fled into the storm! But it will avail them nothing...for I will follow my wife and child to the ends of the earth!
Meanwhile, the white-eyes aren’t doing so well. The thirst and the sun are unbearable. Rawhide shares his canteen with Sarah and the baby. The others are becoming hostile towards Sarah, calling her “a blamed squaw” and saying that living with the Apaches makes Sarah a savage as well.
The passengers turn on each other. One man tries to steal another man’s canteen until Rawhide clobbers him.
Yet another man pulls his gun when the Kid stops him from drinking poisoned water. Rawhide has to shoot the gun out of the man’s hand, which leads the Apaches right to them.
The men are ready to turn Sarah and the baby over to the Apaches. Rawhide challenges Grey Eagle to battle for her.
Grey Eagle leaps from his horse and knocks Rawhide to the ground. The Apache pulls his knife on the Kid. Rawhide gets the knife away from the brave. Here comes more problems for me.
RAWHIDE: There! Now I’ve got the knife!
GREY EAGLE: Then use it! Kill me! I would rather die than live without the woman I love and the child that is mine!
SARAH: Stop! Stop the fight! Get to your feet! Grey Eagle...never before have you spoken to me of love! Never!
GREY EAGLE: Such words to not come easy to a savage!
SARAH: A man who loves is no savage! And a woman who has love needs nothing more! I will return with you and remain by your side!
There are eight panels on this, the final page of the story, but I don’t think eight dozen panels could have made this story palatable to me. Just to state the obvious...
Sarah was kidnapped and forced to become Grey Eagle’s wife. Which sure sounds like rape to me.
The bounty hunter and at least a few Apache warriors die. And then she goes back to her rapist.
As an Apache and a woman, this really offends me. Okay, I’m neither an Apache or a woman, but I’m still offended.
Grey Eagle departs, but not before giving the "white-eyes" water and horses for their safe journey. What a swell guy.
The moral of the story?
MALE WHITE-EYES: I don’t get it...her choosing’ to go back and live among the savages!
RAWHIDE KID: To her, they’re not the savages! The savages are her people, who wanted to abandon a woman and baby ro save themselves!
MALE WHITE-EYES: Yeh, I reckon yore right! This is a day we’ll never be proud of!
FEMALE WHITE-EYES: All except for one amongst us...a man who knows right from wrong...and never forgot which to choose!
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
In all fairness to my friend Larry, there’s no doubt in my mind he was trying to contrast the knee-jerk assumption that these Apaches were savages with the actual savagery of the stagecoach passengers. But the kidnapping and the raping sort of diluted that message in this story. And, honestly, I’m a lot more cognizant of such things today than I would have been in 1972.
Would six more pages have given Lieber enough room to somehow make this story work? Maybe, maybe not. There was historical precedent for the seizing of women in the Old West, but Sarah’s acceptance of her life with her kidnapper just makes me queasy. As much as I love Larry’s Rawhide Kid stories, this one is just wrong.
One note before we move on. As of this ish, Marvel isn’t including page numbers on the new stories in their comics. It’s to disguise the steady reduction in page counts.
This month's Marvel Bullpen Bulletins page was decidedly less senses-shattering than usual. “Stan’s Lee’s Soapbox” had a chairperson of the Northern Educational Service Coordinating Committee at the University of Massachusetts talking about how comic books installed a willingness to read in sub-standard readers.
The lead item reported that neo-editor Roy Thomas was commissioning fill-in issues to help Marvel meet its deadline. Two examples were Johnny Romita and Gerry Conway reworking the Spider-Man story from the Spectacular Spider-Man magazine...and Thomas and Ross Andru doing an issue of Fantastic Four.
That was followed by mini-items: Billy Graham as M.C. of a comedy show at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village...Andru becoming the regular artist of Shanna the She-Devil...Chic Stone inking the new Red Wolf series...Bill Everett returning to Sub-Mariner...various Marvel writers visiting California...and new titles Thongor of Lost Lemuria and War of the Worlds.
The “Mighty Marvel Checklist” listed 29 issues. Some highlights: The Human Torch and Quicksilver duking it out in the land of the Inhumans; H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man in Supernatural Thrillers; and new reprint titles Vault of Evil and S.H.I.E.L.D.
The issue’s second story was “When the Harpers Rode” (6 pages) by Stan Lee and Syd Shores. It was reprinted from Western Outlaws #15 [June 1956]. The cover shown above was penciled and inked by Carl Burgos, who drew or otherwise worked on dozens of Marvel covers in the 1950s. Burgos is better known as the creator of the original android Human Torch.
This isn’t much of a story, so much so that I’m not going to bother with any spoiler warning. The Harpers are bad guys. They terrorize towns with lawmen. Two strangers, one a temporary state marshal and the other his sidekick, ride into town. They deputize most of the town. The Harpers cave when they see the size of the posse arrayed against them. But the marshal and his sidekick will be moving on to other towns.
MARSHAL: We have other towns to take care of! We wanted to show yuh that when enough decent folks band together, no owlhoots can take over.
SIDEKICK: Now yuh all just elect yourself a sheriff and deputies! When things get too tough for ‘em...form another posse like this one!
It’s a good message in an otherwise uninspiring story.
The “Ridin’ the Trail with Rawhide” letters page had three letters from readers. Jeffrey Jensen of Northville, New York wanted to know what types of guns were used by the Rawhide Kid and Kid Colt. He also requests a personal response. The Marvel letter-answerer says the kids both used the Colt .45 pistol. He or she adds that Marvel is now publishing 42 titles a month, which prohibits them from responding personally to fan letters. However, all fan letters are read and that’s what’s important.
Larry Morgan of Dix, Illinois thinks too many of Marvel’s westerns are reprints. The letter-answerer claims most readers enjoy seeing the older tales. Speaking as someone who bought all those comics, I would have preferred all-new material. Of course, as someone who hoped to write comics myself, I had an ulterior motive in wanting Marvel to need more writers.
Pierre Champagne of New Orleans, Louisiana has many complaints. He doesn’t like Herb Trimpe’s covers. He decries lousy reproduction on the reprints (and he wasn’t wrong there). He is not at all a fan of Roussos inking Lieber’s pencils, suggesting he be replaced by Syd Shores (a good choice) or Vince Colletta (not a good choice). Me, I thought my friend George did a fine job bringing out the power of my friend Larry’s pencils...and I can tell you from my time sharing an office with George that they loved working together.
That’s it for this installment of “Rawhide Kid Wednesday.” I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT
Welcome, girls and boys, to Tony Isabella’s War on Christmas 2016. Oh, don’t worry, I love Christmas as much as anyone. But it’s not lost on me that there are an awful lot of Christmas-themed horror movies and, by the crimson beak of Rudolph, I am going to view and review as many of them as I can before that guy who’s been watching you all year long comes creeping into your house.
Silent Night, Deadly Night [1984] is best known for the outrage it generated from critics, people who would have never gone to see any horror movie, and a surprisingly petulant Mickey Rooney. I’ll have more on Mickey in a bit. Most of the outrage seemed to center on an advertising campaign that emphasized an axe-wielding Santa Claus. Unmentioned at the time were two earlier films featuring murderous Santas: Tales from the Crypt (1974) and Christmas Evil (1980).
Though not a classic, Silent Night, Deadly Night deserves better than to be remembered only for the controversy. During its opening weekend, it out-grossed A Nightmare on Elm Street, which opened on the same weekend. But the initial outrage spiraled out of control as angry PTA members protested outside theaters. The distributor pulled all advertising for the movie six days after its release and the film itself was pulled from theaters shortly thereafter.
Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr., SNDN is a perfectly watchable slasher flick. Written by Paul Caimi and Michael Hickey, the film has some sympathetic characters. Even the killer, violent though he may be, is not a soulless murderer. He’s a tragic young man twisted by childhood trauma and the abuse he suffered while growing up in a Catholic orphanage. There are three true sociopaths in this movie and one of them is the orphanage’s brutal Mother Superior. Here’s the Internet Movie Database synopsis:
After his parents are murdered, a tormented teenager goes on a murderous rampage dressed as Santa, due to his stay at an orphanage where he was abused by the Mother Superior.
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
The first sociopath is Billy’s grandfather. Non-responsive until he is alone with Billy at a nursing home, Gramps comes to long enough to scare the crap out of the youngster with his screed on how Santa punishes any child who was naughty even once during the year. Billy is visibly shaken.
The second sociopath is a robber wearing a Santa Claus costume who murders a convenience store clerk for thirty bucks. His car breaks down and he flags down Billy’s family. Though Billy begs his folks not to stop, his dad pulls over. Santa pulls a gun and shoots Dad when he tries to drive away. The car crashes.
Santa then tries to rape Mom, before slitting her throat when she fights back. Billy hides in the woods while his infant brother is left screaming in the now-wrecked car. Both boys will end up in the orphanage.
Christmas is a terrifying time for Billy, but the Mother Superior abuses him all the more. He’s not the only one she abuses. At one point, she beats the crap out of two horny teenagers with a belt. Between his fear of Santa and his first exposure to the perils of sex, Billy has deadly issues. Despite all that trauma, he actually grows up to be a likeable if shy young man.
When he turns 18 and leaves the orphanage, the sympathetic Sister Margaret [wonderfully played by Gilmer McCormick] gets him a job at a local toy store. He works hard and, when the store’s Santa Claus is injured in an accident, he agrees to help his boss out by being Santa on Christmas Eve. Billy struggles with his issues, but they are too great for him to overcome.
Billy’s triggers fall into place quickly. An unruly child sitting on his knee. A dickish co-worker fornicating in the back storeroom during the store Christmas part. Saying “punish,” Billy dispatches the fornicators, his boss and one other co-worker before heading out to deal with more naughty folks.
Death #5 is the most interesting. Billy impales a horny babysitter [Linnea Quigley} on the antlers of a mounted deer. He then throws her boyfriend through a window and decapitates a young bully who’d stolen a younger kid’s sled.
Sister Margaret has contacted the police, but the cops can’t find Billy. Two of them draw their guns on a father dressed as Santa to surprise his daughter. It’s the perceptive nun who figures out Billy is heading to the orphanage to settle scores with Mother Superior [Lilyan Chauvin]. But there will be collateral damage as the cops head for the place.
The first cop on the scene shoots a deaf priest dressed as Santa. When he checks the grounds, Billy gives him an axe to the gut. The orphanage doors are locked, but a young boy, seeing Santa through the glass doors, lets Billy in. It looks like Mother Superior will finally be punished for her sins. But Sister Margaret and the lead detective arrive in time for the latter to pump Billy full of lead.
Some very cool stuff in the final minutes. Mother Superior doesn’t flinch and berates Billy. A dying Billy tells the frightened kids they don’t have to be scared because Santa’s gone.
The most chilling moment comes when Tommy, Billy’s young brother, stares at Mother Superior and says one word:
“Naughty.”
Sequel, anyone?
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
Earlier I wrote Silent Night, Deadly Night was a watchable slasher film. The more I thought and wrote about it, the more I realized I wasn’t giving the movie its due. It’s a pretty good slasher movie. Its lead is a sympathetic monster whose ultimate fate is as tragic as those of his victims. The story flows well. It doesn’t linger on the blood and gore. Even the nudity isn’t gratuitous because it’s part of the protagonist’s childhood trauma. The acting ranges from okay to exceptional. This is a movie that got a bad rap.
The critics were merciless. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert condemned the film with Siskel taking being an ass to a new level by reading the names of the movie’s production crew in a feckless attempt to shame them. He stopped just short of suggesting the townspeople grab pitchforks and torches. It was not his finest moment.
Mickey Rooney was vocal in his dislike of the movie, suggesting the “scum” who made it should be “run of town.” Rooney would appear as the title character in 1991's Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker. During the film, Rooney’s murderous toy maker is dressed as Santa Claus. It’s been said Rooney didn’t know the movie was part of the series while it was being filmed. I’m not buying that for a second. As with the commercialism of Christmas, morality goes out the window when there’s a buck to be made.
On my just-thought-it-up scale of zero to forty-one whacks, I give Silent Night, Deadly Night 32 whacks. It’s worth watching at least once and perhaps even more than once.
Okay, I got a tad long-winded today which is why you only get the one movie review. But I’ll return in a day or three with more of my cinematic War on Christmas. In the meantime, come back tomorrow for “Rawhide Kid Wednesday,” followed by more of my Halloween ComicFest reviews on Thursday.
I’m your real nightmare before Christmas, kiddies.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
Silent Night, Deadly Night [1984] is best known for the outrage it generated from critics, people who would have never gone to see any horror movie, and a surprisingly petulant Mickey Rooney. I’ll have more on Mickey in a bit. Most of the outrage seemed to center on an advertising campaign that emphasized an axe-wielding Santa Claus. Unmentioned at the time were two earlier films featuring murderous Santas: Tales from the Crypt (1974) and Christmas Evil (1980).
Though not a classic, Silent Night, Deadly Night deserves better than to be remembered only for the controversy. During its opening weekend, it out-grossed A Nightmare on Elm Street, which opened on the same weekend. But the initial outrage spiraled out of control as angry PTA members protested outside theaters. The distributor pulled all advertising for the movie six days after its release and the film itself was pulled from theaters shortly thereafter.
Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr., SNDN is a perfectly watchable slasher flick. Written by Paul Caimi and Michael Hickey, the film has some sympathetic characters. Even the killer, violent though he may be, is not a soulless murderer. He’s a tragic young man twisted by childhood trauma and the abuse he suffered while growing up in a Catholic orphanage. There are three true sociopaths in this movie and one of them is the orphanage’s brutal Mother Superior. Here’s the Internet Movie Database synopsis:
After his parents are murdered, a tormented teenager goes on a murderous rampage dressed as Santa, due to his stay at an orphanage where he was abused by the Mother Superior.
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
The first sociopath is Billy’s grandfather. Non-responsive until he is alone with Billy at a nursing home, Gramps comes to long enough to scare the crap out of the youngster with his screed on how Santa punishes any child who was naughty even once during the year. Billy is visibly shaken.
The second sociopath is a robber wearing a Santa Claus costume who murders a convenience store clerk for thirty bucks. His car breaks down and he flags down Billy’s family. Though Billy begs his folks not to stop, his dad pulls over. Santa pulls a gun and shoots Dad when he tries to drive away. The car crashes.
Santa then tries to rape Mom, before slitting her throat when she fights back. Billy hides in the woods while his infant brother is left screaming in the now-wrecked car. Both boys will end up in the orphanage.
Christmas is a terrifying time for Billy, but the Mother Superior abuses him all the more. He’s not the only one she abuses. At one point, she beats the crap out of two horny teenagers with a belt. Between his fear of Santa and his first exposure to the perils of sex, Billy has deadly issues. Despite all that trauma, he actually grows up to be a likeable if shy young man.
When he turns 18 and leaves the orphanage, the sympathetic Sister Margaret [wonderfully played by Gilmer McCormick] gets him a job at a local toy store. He works hard and, when the store’s Santa Claus is injured in an accident, he agrees to help his boss out by being Santa on Christmas Eve. Billy struggles with his issues, but they are too great for him to overcome.
Billy’s triggers fall into place quickly. An unruly child sitting on his knee. A dickish co-worker fornicating in the back storeroom during the store Christmas part. Saying “punish,” Billy dispatches the fornicators, his boss and one other co-worker before heading out to deal with more naughty folks.
Death #5 is the most interesting. Billy impales a horny babysitter [Linnea Quigley} on the antlers of a mounted deer. He then throws her boyfriend through a window and decapitates a young bully who’d stolen a younger kid’s sled.
Sister Margaret has contacted the police, but the cops can’t find Billy. Two of them draw their guns on a father dressed as Santa to surprise his daughter. It’s the perceptive nun who figures out Billy is heading to the orphanage to settle scores with Mother Superior [Lilyan Chauvin]. But there will be collateral damage as the cops head for the place.
The first cop on the scene shoots a deaf priest dressed as Santa. When he checks the grounds, Billy gives him an axe to the gut. The orphanage doors are locked, but a young boy, seeing Santa through the glass doors, lets Billy in. It looks like Mother Superior will finally be punished for her sins. But Sister Margaret and the lead detective arrive in time for the latter to pump Billy full of lead.
Some very cool stuff in the final minutes. Mother Superior doesn’t flinch and berates Billy. A dying Billy tells the frightened kids they don’t have to be scared because Santa’s gone.
The most chilling moment comes when Tommy, Billy’s young brother, stares at Mother Superior and says one word:
“Naughty.”
Sequel, anyone?
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
Earlier I wrote Silent Night, Deadly Night was a watchable slasher film. The more I thought and wrote about it, the more I realized I wasn’t giving the movie its due. It’s a pretty good slasher movie. Its lead is a sympathetic monster whose ultimate fate is as tragic as those of his victims. The story flows well. It doesn’t linger on the blood and gore. Even the nudity isn’t gratuitous because it’s part of the protagonist’s childhood trauma. The acting ranges from okay to exceptional. This is a movie that got a bad rap.
The critics were merciless. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert condemned the film with Siskel taking being an ass to a new level by reading the names of the movie’s production crew in a feckless attempt to shame them. He stopped just short of suggesting the townspeople grab pitchforks and torches. It was not his finest moment.
Mickey Rooney was vocal in his dislike of the movie, suggesting the “scum” who made it should be “run of town.” Rooney would appear as the title character in 1991's Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker. During the film, Rooney’s murderous toy maker is dressed as Santa Claus. It’s been said Rooney didn’t know the movie was part of the series while it was being filmed. I’m not buying that for a second. As with the commercialism of Christmas, morality goes out the window when there’s a buck to be made.
On my just-thought-it-up scale of zero to forty-one whacks, I give Silent Night, Deadly Night 32 whacks. It’s worth watching at least once and perhaps even more than once.
Okay, I got a tad long-winded today which is why you only get the one movie review. But I’ll return in a day or three with more of my cinematic War on Christmas. In the meantime, come back tomorrow for “Rawhide Kid Wednesday,” followed by more of my Halloween ComicFest reviews on Thursday.
I’m your real nightmare before Christmas, kiddies.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
Monday, December 12, 2016
HALLOWEEN COMICFEST: PART FOUR
Previously in Tony Isabella’s Bloggy Thing...
Halloween ComicFest is a smaller and spookier version of Free Comic Book Day. My pals at Stormwatch Comics sent me full-sized and mini-sized comics from the event. I’m attempting to read and review all of them before the end of the year.
I look for certain things when I review Halloween ComicFest items. Is the material in the comic well-written and well-drawn? Does it present a good enough chunk of the comic or graphic novel to entice a reader into buying the comic? Is it reader-friendly enough to welcome rather than confuse a new reader?
The Halloween ComicFest Challenge continues...
Disney’s Great Parodies “Mickey’s Inferno” Halloween ComicFest Vol. 1, No. 1 [Papercutz] is one of my favorites of these free comics. The mini-sized issue presents a 12-page excerpt of an exceedingly weird Mickey Mouse adventure. Written by Guido Martina and drawn by Angelo Bioletti with an all-new script adaptation by the versatile Stefan Petrucha, this tale finds Mickey and Goofy hypnotized into believing they are characters from Dante’s Inferno and apparently transported into that literary world.
My experience with Dante’s Inferno is limited. I know I read huge chunks of it in Latin because studying that dead language was what we did in a Catholic high school. I read chunks of it in English as well. If I were to list the five or six languages I would like to master, Latin would not be on that list.
Anyway, the excerpt is delightful. I’m not sure it will appeal to younger Mickey Mouse fans, but it’s got me eager to read the full version. Heck, I’m even thinking of buying Dante’s Inferno for my Kindle. I just need to figure out which version to get. I’ll take suggestions from my bloggy readers.
RATING: Excellent. Editor-in-chief Jim Salicrup sets up the story nicely in his inside front cover editorial. The material itself is terrific. If this free comic finds its way into the hands of older Disney readers, especially those who have enjoyed IDW’s reprinting of European Disney comics, I think they’ll want the full comic book as much as I do.
Papercutz published a second mini-sized Halloween ComicFest comic as well: Lunch Witch “Knee-Deep in Niceness” Halloween ComicFest Vol. 1, No. 1. It features a 12-page excerpt from the second Lunch Witch graphic novel by Deb Lucke. Grunhilda the Black Heart is a witch by trade, but circumstances find her working as a lunch lady at Salem Elementary.
Though I enjoyed the first Lunch Witch graphic novel, these pages from the second one left me cold. In the first GN, Grunhilda made a charming connection with one of the Salem students. That touch of humanity isn’t seen in this excerpt. I hope it’s visible elsewhere in the second GN, because it’s a vital element.
RATING: Good. Salicrup writes another inside-front-cover editorial that will bring new readers up to speed quickly. Both the writing and the quirky art are okay, but, as noted above they lack a vital element. I’ll have more to say when I read and review that second graphic novel.
THIS JUST IN: Kate McKinnon of Ghostbusters will star as Grunhilda in the live-action Lunch Witch movie. The film will be directed by Clay Kaytis, the co-director of the Angry Birds movie.
Disney’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas [Tokyo Pop] is a mini-sized comic book with 16 pages of a manga adaptation of the movie. I’ve never seen the movie, but this lively adaptation by Jun Asuka piques my interest in both the film and the full-length manga volume. I’ll add both to my list of things to watch and/or read in the new year.
RATING: Very Good. There aren’t any editorial comments to give the new reader a leg up, one can make the argument the source material is so well-known that such comments are unnecessary. The material is well-written and well-drawn. There’s an inside back cover house ad for the complete hardcover adaptation and also one for an Alice in Wonderland manga adaptation.
Halloween ComicFest is a smaller and spookier version of Free Comic Book Day. My pals at Stormwatch Comics sent me full-sized and mini-sized comics from the event. I’m attempting to read and review all of them before the end of the year.
I look for certain things when I review Halloween ComicFest items. Is the material in the comic well-written and well-drawn? Does it present a good enough chunk of the comic or graphic novel to entice a reader into buying the comic? Is it reader-friendly enough to welcome rather than confuse a new reader?
The Halloween ComicFest Challenge continues...
Disney’s Great Parodies “Mickey’s Inferno” Halloween ComicFest Vol. 1, No. 1 [Papercutz] is one of my favorites of these free comics. The mini-sized issue presents a 12-page excerpt of an exceedingly weird Mickey Mouse adventure. Written by Guido Martina and drawn by Angelo Bioletti with an all-new script adaptation by the versatile Stefan Petrucha, this tale finds Mickey and Goofy hypnotized into believing they are characters from Dante’s Inferno and apparently transported into that literary world.
My experience with Dante’s Inferno is limited. I know I read huge chunks of it in Latin because studying that dead language was what we did in a Catholic high school. I read chunks of it in English as well. If I were to list the five or six languages I would like to master, Latin would not be on that list.
Anyway, the excerpt is delightful. I’m not sure it will appeal to younger Mickey Mouse fans, but it’s got me eager to read the full version. Heck, I’m even thinking of buying Dante’s Inferno for my Kindle. I just need to figure out which version to get. I’ll take suggestions from my bloggy readers.
RATING: Excellent. Editor-in-chief Jim Salicrup sets up the story nicely in his inside front cover editorial. The material itself is terrific. If this free comic finds its way into the hands of older Disney readers, especially those who have enjoyed IDW’s reprinting of European Disney comics, I think they’ll want the full comic book as much as I do.
Papercutz published a second mini-sized Halloween ComicFest comic as well: Lunch Witch “Knee-Deep in Niceness” Halloween ComicFest Vol. 1, No. 1. It features a 12-page excerpt from the second Lunch Witch graphic novel by Deb Lucke. Grunhilda the Black Heart is a witch by trade, but circumstances find her working as a lunch lady at Salem Elementary.
Though I enjoyed the first Lunch Witch graphic novel, these pages from the second one left me cold. In the first GN, Grunhilda made a charming connection with one of the Salem students. That touch of humanity isn’t seen in this excerpt. I hope it’s visible elsewhere in the second GN, because it’s a vital element.
RATING: Good. Salicrup writes another inside-front-cover editorial that will bring new readers up to speed quickly. Both the writing and the quirky art are okay, but, as noted above they lack a vital element. I’ll have more to say when I read and review that second graphic novel.
THIS JUST IN: Kate McKinnon of Ghostbusters will star as Grunhilda in the live-action Lunch Witch movie. The film will be directed by Clay Kaytis, the co-director of the Angry Birds movie.
Disney’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas [Tokyo Pop] is a mini-sized comic book with 16 pages of a manga adaptation of the movie. I’ve never seen the movie, but this lively adaptation by Jun Asuka piques my interest in both the film and the full-length manga volume. I’ll add both to my list of things to watch and/or read in the new year.
RATING: Very Good. There aren’t any editorial comments to give the new reader a leg up, one can make the argument the source material is so well-known that such comments are unnecessary. The material is well-written and well-drawn. There’s an inside back cover house ad for the complete hardcover adaptation and also one for an Alice in Wonderland manga adaptation.
Wraithborn HCF 2016 Vol. 1 Issue #1 [Benitez Productions] reprints the first issue of the series in a full-size comic book. Written by Marcia Chen, the story was co-created and penciled by Joe Benitez, inked by Joe Weems and colored by Studio F/Mike Garcia. The story and art are solidly professional on all counts.
Wraithborn is described as “an epic urban fantasy,” which might be a little excess for a story with so many familiar elements. There are demons doing their demon-things among us, opposed by a secret brotherhood of warriors. There’s one weapon - the Wraithborn - that can keep the demons at bay. Though inconvenient fate, that weapon ends up in the hands of a shy, untrained high school girl. Pretty sure we’ve seen all of this before. However...
Wraithborn is described as “an epic urban fantasy,” which might be a little excess for a story with so many familiar elements. There are demons doing their demon-things among us, opposed by a secret brotherhood of warriors. There’s one weapon - the Wraithborn - that can keep the demons at bay. Though inconvenient fate, that weapon ends up in the hands of a shy, untrained high school girl. Pretty sure we’ve seen all of this before. However...
This is a solid first issue. The 26-page story has everything the new reader needs to know. It has a likeable lead character in high-schooler Melanie. It was entertaining. It’s probably not something I would buy on a regular basis, but I will request the Wraithborn trade paperback from my library system.
RATING: Very Good. The material is accessible and entertaining. If someone is more into this type of story than I am, I think they’d want to check out on the ongoing comic book.
Tomie Halloween Comic Fest 2016 Edition “Mansion” [Viz Media] is a full-sized comic book reprinting one of the stories from creator Junji Ito’s debut series. The title character is a mysterious woman who, according to Wikipedia, has the power to make men fall in love with her. The individual stories are complete unto themselves, but some characters have returned in later stories.
The 33-page “Mansion” does a decent job introducing Tomie, but it doesn’t clearly reveal the nature of the weird series. Fortunately, the issue’s back cover copy helps:
Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.
RATING: Excellent. “Mansion” is solid, very creepy chunk of story. The inside back cover is a house ad for the deluxe hardcover book. Since 1999, Tomei has been adapted into eight movies and a three-episode TV series. The manga should appeal to fans of horror comics and movies. I’ll be requesting the hardcover from my local library system and, if it’s as good as this story, I’ll start tracking down the movies as well.
Darth Vader: Doctor Aphra No. 1 Halloween Comic Fest 2016 [Marvel] reprints the 20-page story that introduced Aphra to the Star Wars comics universe. Sort of a “weapons archeologist,” Aphra searches for dangerous tech on behalf of various employers...until she meets and is recruited by Vader. She tells him, “You’re what I’ve been looking for all my life.”
Aphra became such a fan-favorite that she’s getting her own spin-off series, the first Star Wars character from the comic books to be given that honor. I’m not surprised. From this introductory tale by writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca, this character had “star” written all over her.
RATING: Very good. If I were just looking at the material, I would have given this a higher score. If I were considering all the house ads for Marvel’s Star Wars collections, I would have given this a higher score. But those house ads run every two or three pages and they quickly become annoying. Worse...there’s no house ad for the new Doctor Aphra comic book, which should be a really easy sell to readers discovering her through this free comic book.
I’ll be back tomorrow with the first of my “War on Christmas” movie reviews. That’ll be followed by another “Rawhide Kid Wednesday” and that’ll be followed by another “Halloween ComicFest bloggy. I hope you’ll stop by to check them out.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
Sunday, December 11, 2016
THE SHADOW #103: THE ROMANOFF JEWELS
The Master of Darkness confronts international intrigue in a pair of thrilling espionage novels. That’s what you can expect from The Shadow #103: The Romanoff Jewels and Crime Under Cover [January 2016; $14.95]. Both of the novels are by Walter B. Gibson, writing as Maxwell Grant.
The Romanoff Jewels hails from The Shadow Magazine dated December 1, 1932 issue:
The Shadow journeys to Moscow and Paris to undermine a Bolshevik conspiracy to seize The Romanoff Jewels in one of Walter Gibson’s most acclaimed novels!
Crime Under Cover is from The Shadow Magazine for June 1, 1941:
The Dark Avenger is summoned to Washington to prevent a hidden spy master from acquiring the Neutralizer, the ultimate weapon of war.
Sanctum Books publisher Anthony Tollin has packed this volume with spycraft-related extras. In “The Shadow’s Impossible Mission,” he explores the uncanny similarities between these Shadow novels and TV’s Mission: Impossible.
“Interlude” by Will Murray is another of the author and historian’s informative essays giving the background of the reprinted novels. Career counterintelligence officer Tim King writes on “Spycraft and the Shadow.” There’s also a short bio of Gibson.
The front cover art is by George Rozen. Back cover art is by Rozen and Graves Gladney. Interior illustrations are by Tom Lovell, Paul Orban, Edd Cartier and Michael Wm. Kaluta. As always, Sanctum Books gives you big bang for your bucks.
ISBN 978-1-60877-198-1
Keep reading the bloggy thing for more information on Sanctum Books publications.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
The Romanoff Jewels hails from The Shadow Magazine dated December 1, 1932 issue:
The Shadow journeys to Moscow and Paris to undermine a Bolshevik conspiracy to seize The Romanoff Jewels in one of Walter Gibson’s most acclaimed novels!
Crime Under Cover is from The Shadow Magazine for June 1, 1941:
The Dark Avenger is summoned to Washington to prevent a hidden spy master from acquiring the Neutralizer, the ultimate weapon of war.
Sanctum Books publisher Anthony Tollin has packed this volume with spycraft-related extras. In “The Shadow’s Impossible Mission,” he explores the uncanny similarities between these Shadow novels and TV’s Mission: Impossible.
“Interlude” by Will Murray is another of the author and historian’s informative essays giving the background of the reprinted novels. Career counterintelligence officer Tim King writes on “Spycraft and the Shadow.” There’s also a short bio of Gibson.
The front cover art is by George Rozen. Back cover art is by Rozen and Graves Gladney. Interior illustrations are by Tom Lovell, Paul Orban, Edd Cartier and Michael Wm. Kaluta. As always, Sanctum Books gives you big bang for your bucks.
ISBN 978-1-60877-198-1
Keep reading the bloggy thing for more information on Sanctum Books publications.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
Friday, December 9, 2016
FRIDAY TRIPLE FEATURE
Get yourself a big bowl of popcorn and your beverage of choice. We have three movies to talk about today.
The Legend of Tarzan [2016] might just be my favorite Tarzan movie of all time. My pal Anthony Tollin kept urging me to see it on the big screen and, foolishly, I never got around to it. I wish I had made the time because, even watching the film on a library-obtained Blu-ray was a breathtaking experience. The Internet Movie Database offers this short-form synopsis:
Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.
Let’s see if I can manage some SPOILERS FREE commentary. The movie stars Alexander Skarsgård as John Clayton/Tarzan and the actor does a great job portraying both personas and, best of all, makes both of them valid examinations of the legendary figure.
Margot Robbie is the beautiful and fierce Jane Clayton. You can’t take your eyes off her when she’s on screen.
Samuel L. Jackson is George Washington Williams. His character is an American entrepreneur as well as a veteran of the American Civil War and other not-so-righteous conflicts. He’s great fun to watch, but he also brings the weight of history to the proceedings.
Christoph Waltz is Captain Léon Rom, the kind of merciless villain you love to hate. He is masterfully slimy.
Djimon Hounsou plays Chief Mbonga, who seeks revenge on Tarzan for a reason I’ll not mention here.
The movie is set in 1885 or thereabouts. The European powers have divided Africa between them with Belgium getting the Congo. Minor spoiler: its intentions are not honorable.
Taking the Tarzan stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs as their starting point, writers Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer have crafted an exciting story that feels like ERB and yet addresses modern sensibilities. There is great respect shown for the African characters, including those who are enemies of Tarzan. The action sequences, both those that take place in the jungle and those that take place in a city, are stunning. The human sequences, including those involving apes, are powerful and relatable. I love the writing of this film.
Kudos to director David Yates for pulling together a great cast and a great script. I’m going to do my best to see his Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them while it’s still in the theaters.
After you’ve seen the movie, which I highly recommend you do, check out the trivia at the film’s IMDb page. It’s fascinating stuff and will give you an even greater appreciation of this wonderful movie.
My other favorite Tarzan films? Disney’s Tarzan [1999] is right up there. Tarzan's New York Adventure [1942] is a childhood favorite, as is another Johnny Weissmuller movie whose name I can not recall. It ends with Tarzan taunting a Nazi agent - “Here, Nazi, Nazi” - as he leads the villain to his jungle doom.
On my silly scale of great apes, I give The Legend of Tarzan...the Full Monkey!
The Legend of Tarzan [2016] might just be my favorite Tarzan movie of all time. My pal Anthony Tollin kept urging me to see it on the big screen and, foolishly, I never got around to it. I wish I had made the time because, even watching the film on a library-obtained Blu-ray was a breathtaking experience. The Internet Movie Database offers this short-form synopsis:
Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.
Let’s see if I can manage some SPOILERS FREE commentary. The movie stars Alexander Skarsgård as John Clayton/Tarzan and the actor does a great job portraying both personas and, best of all, makes both of them valid examinations of the legendary figure.
Margot Robbie is the beautiful and fierce Jane Clayton. You can’t take your eyes off her when she’s on screen.
Samuel L. Jackson is George Washington Williams. His character is an American entrepreneur as well as a veteran of the American Civil War and other not-so-righteous conflicts. He’s great fun to watch, but he also brings the weight of history to the proceedings.
Christoph Waltz is Captain Léon Rom, the kind of merciless villain you love to hate. He is masterfully slimy.
Djimon Hounsou plays Chief Mbonga, who seeks revenge on Tarzan for a reason I’ll not mention here.
The movie is set in 1885 or thereabouts. The European powers have divided Africa between them with Belgium getting the Congo. Minor spoiler: its intentions are not honorable.
Taking the Tarzan stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs as their starting point, writers Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer have crafted an exciting story that feels like ERB and yet addresses modern sensibilities. There is great respect shown for the African characters, including those who are enemies of Tarzan. The action sequences, both those that take place in the jungle and those that take place in a city, are stunning. The human sequences, including those involving apes, are powerful and relatable. I love the writing of this film.
Kudos to director David Yates for pulling together a great cast and a great script. I’m going to do my best to see his Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them while it’s still in the theaters.
After you’ve seen the movie, which I highly recommend you do, check out the trivia at the film’s IMDb page. It’s fascinating stuff and will give you an even greater appreciation of this wonderful movie.
My other favorite Tarzan films? Disney’s Tarzan [1999] is right up there. Tarzan's New York Adventure [1942] is a childhood favorite, as is another Johnny Weissmuller movie whose name I can not recall. It ends with Tarzan taunting a Nazi agent - “Here, Nazi, Nazi” - as he leads the villain to his jungle doom.
On my silly scale of great apes, I give The Legend of Tarzan...the Full Monkey!
Latitude Zero [1969] was a movie I’d heard of for years, but never saw until this month when I bought the double-disc special edition of it. I opted to watch the original Japanese version of the movie. Here’s the quicky synopsis from IMDb:
A journalist is saved by a giant submarine captained by a 200 year old man who takes him to an underwater paradise city where no one ages. That's when monsters and mutants sent by the captain's rival, a 200 year old scientist, attack.
That synopsis leaves out the two Japanese scientists also rescued by the 200-year-old man, the beautiful American who lives in that undersea paradise, the evil scientist’s wife and a totally bad-ass female Japanese submarine captain who gets...maybe I better leave that for after the spoiler warnings.
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
Joseph Cotton plays Captain Craig McKenzie, the leader of Latitude Zero. His city is constantly making scientific breakthroughs which they secretly share with the world. His super-submarine Alpha has has many cool devices as TV’s Batman of the 1960s. His rival, Doc Malic of Blood Rock, is played by Cesar Romero with an eye-popping exuberance that makes Romero’s Joker look sedate. Patricia Medina, the star of The Beast of Hollow Mountain, plays Malic’s beautiful, mature wife. The couple drink at the drop of a body, laugh a lot and look like they would “do it” right then and there if this were not a joint Japanese/American production. Even a kiss is something of a rarity in the Toho films of this era.
Akira Takarada is one of the scientists rescued with just-slightly slimy journalist Perry Lawton [Richard Jaeckel]. Linda Haynes plays Dr. Anne Barton. The scientists are quite taken with Latitude Zero and its mission of recruiting scientists who want to do their work free of corporate and government concerns. When Malic kidnaps one such scientist and his daughter, McKenzie and his new pals mount a rescue.
The most intriguing character is Captain Kuroi Ga [Hikaru Kuroki], commander of the Black Shark, Malic’s own super-submarine. She is also Malic’s mistress, a “bonus” of which Mrs. Malic is aware and willing to go along with until Kuroi keeps failing to destroy the Alpha. Kuroi’s fate is to have her brain removed and put in the body of a giant griffin created by Malic.
Latitude Zero is fast-paced with submarine action and deadly traps action and artificial bat-men action. It’s got a sense of wonder as Perry and the scientists see the incredible scientific advances of the underwater city. It’s even got a sense of humor, most often at the expense of the ambitious, avaricious journalist.
The struggle against Malik ends in a most satisfying manner. Those Japanese scientists opt to remain in Latitude Zero with their new girlfriends, Doc Barton and the rescued scientist’s daughter. Even Lawton gets a bizarre happy ending.
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
SPOILERS OVER
Latitude Zero was directed by Ishiro Honda (Godzilla and so many other incredible movies) and written by Ted Sherdeman, based on his radio serial of the same name. The film’s special effects are not always as convincing as they could be, but the often-quirky story and the terrific acting makes for a movie that’s great fun. I have no doubt I will watch it again.
On my scale of zero to five Batman references, Latitude Zero gets three “nana nana nanas” and a “Holy Romero, Batman!” I recommend it to all my Toho-loving cronies.
MegaFault is a disaster movie from The Asylum, which made its SyFy Channel premiere on October 10, 2009. It was written by Paul Balas and directed by David Michael Latt. Here’s the brief synopsis from the film’s IMDb entry:
When miner Charley “Boomer” Baxter sets off a series of massive mining detonations in West Virginia, a gigantic earthquake is soon rocking the North Atlantic, exposing a deep seismic fault that runs the length of the North American continent. Joining forces with government seismology expert Dr. Amy Lane, Boomer must now race against time to stop the chasm that is threatening to tear America and the entire world in half.
The movie stars Brittany Murphy as Lane, Eriq La Salle as Boomer, Bruce Davison as Dr. Mark Rhodes, Justin Hartley as Lane’s husband Dan, Paul Logan as Major Boyd Grayson and Miranda Schwein as Lane’s young daughter Miranda. I’m going to dispense with spoiler warnings for this one. The synopsis is sufficient, though I will mention the script notes that the earthquake isn’t actually caused by Boomer’s detonations. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
MegaFault is what you expect. It’s 90 minutes of action interlaced with human drama. The extinction-level sense of menace adds to the intensity of every scene. The special effects aren’t award-winning quality - they look cartoon-ish in a few places - but they convey that menace well.
The acting is good to very good, especially La Salle. Sadly, this was Murphy’s last movie as she died a few weeks after its premiere.
Davison has solid sci-fi and super-hero chops. Hartley was Oliver Queen in Smallville. Logan would shine in Mega Piranha and will be appearing in the eagerly-awaited CobraGator. Schwein hasn’t been in any other movies, but, as young as she was, she did a good job in this one.
I was entertained by MegaFault. It’s not a great movie, but it’s a good one. Which is all I ask from SyFy original movies. On my scale of zero to five seismic events, I give it a shake, a rattle, and a roll. I can look at you, ‘til you don't love me no more.
I'm taking the weekend off, but I’ll be back on Monday with more stuff.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
Thursday, December 8, 2016
HALLOWEEN COMICFEST: PART THREE
Previously in Tony Isabella’s Bloggy Thing...
Halloween ComicFest is a smaller and spookier version of Free Comic Book Day. My pals at Stormwatch Comics sent me full-sized and mini-sized comics from the event. I’m attempting to read and review all of them before the end of the year.
I look for certain things when I review Halloween ComicFest items. Is the material in the comic well-written and well-drawn? Does it present a good enough chunk of the comic or graphic novel to entice a reader into buying the comic? Is it reader-friendly enough to welcome rather than confuse a new reader?
The Halloween ComicFest Challenge continues...
Black-Eyed Kids #1 Black & White Halloween Special [AfterShock] reprints the first issue of the horror series by creator/writer Joe Pruett and artist Szymon Kudranski. According to Wikipedia:
Black-eyed children (or black-eyed kids) are an urban legend of supposed paranormal creatures that resemble children between the ages of 6 and 16, with pale skin and black eyes, who are reportedly seen hitchhiking or panhandling, or are encountered on doorsteps of residential homes. Tales of black-eyed children have appeared in pop culture since the late 1990s.
The subject has inspired a couple of movies, episodes of TV shows, and some documentaries of sorts. The AfterShock series doesn’t seem to be related to them. From the publisher’s website...
It’s dark. You’re alone. Then there’s a knock. You open the door to find two seemingly normal kids. They ask to come in, to borrow your phone to call for a ride. You find yourself overcome with an intense fear that you can’t explain.
And then you notice their eyes...black...SOLID black. You want to run, but now they’re inside. It’s too late. They have you.
The reason I giving you so much prelude to my comments is...I like this first issue a lot. I don’t know where it’s going. I do know it creeps me out in a good way. Based on what I’ve seen here, I’ll be buying the collection of the first five issues.
In addition to the 20-page title story, this full-size comic book has house ads for other AfterShock titles: Super Zero, Replica, Dreaming Eagles, Insexts, Anomosity, Alters, Shipwreck, Captain Kid and Rough Riders. It’s an extremely impressive line-up of creators and concepts. I’ll get around to all of them.
RATING: Excellent. The lead story hooked me. Based on the quality of that story and the creators involved with the other AfterShock titles, I’ll be checking out all of them. That’s as solid a win as a free comic book can achieve. Well done.
Halloween ComicFest is a smaller and spookier version of Free Comic Book Day. My pals at Stormwatch Comics sent me full-sized and mini-sized comics from the event. I’m attempting to read and review all of them before the end of the year.
I look for certain things when I review Halloween ComicFest items. Is the material in the comic well-written and well-drawn? Does it present a good enough chunk of the comic or graphic novel to entice a reader into buying the comic? Is it reader-friendly enough to welcome rather than confuse a new reader?
The Halloween ComicFest Challenge continues...
Black-Eyed Kids #1 Black & White Halloween Special [AfterShock] reprints the first issue of the horror series by creator/writer Joe Pruett and artist Szymon Kudranski. According to Wikipedia:
Black-eyed children (or black-eyed kids) are an urban legend of supposed paranormal creatures that resemble children between the ages of 6 and 16, with pale skin and black eyes, who are reportedly seen hitchhiking or panhandling, or are encountered on doorsteps of residential homes. Tales of black-eyed children have appeared in pop culture since the late 1990s.
The subject has inspired a couple of movies, episodes of TV shows, and some documentaries of sorts. The AfterShock series doesn’t seem to be related to them. From the publisher’s website...
It’s dark. You’re alone. Then there’s a knock. You open the door to find two seemingly normal kids. They ask to come in, to borrow your phone to call for a ride. You find yourself overcome with an intense fear that you can’t explain.
And then you notice their eyes...black...SOLID black. You want to run, but now they’re inside. It’s too late. They have you.
The reason I giving you so much prelude to my comments is...I like this first issue a lot. I don’t know where it’s going. I do know it creeps me out in a good way. Based on what I’ve seen here, I’ll be buying the collection of the first five issues.
In addition to the 20-page title story, this full-size comic book has house ads for other AfterShock titles: Super Zero, Replica, Dreaming Eagles, Insexts, Anomosity, Alters, Shipwreck, Captain Kid and Rough Riders. It’s an extremely impressive line-up of creators and concepts. I’ll get around to all of them.
RATING: Excellent. The lead story hooked me. Based on the quality of that story and the creators involved with the other AfterShock titles, I’ll be checking out all of them. That’s as solid a win as a free comic book can achieve. Well done.
DC Super Hero Girls Halloween Fest Special Edition #1 presents 18 pages of the DC Super Hero Girls: Hits and Myths original graphic novel by Shea Fontana with artist Yancey Labat and colorist Monica Kubina. I have loved this concept since I first saw the full-length special on Cartoon Network. That led me to the YouTube videos and the young adult novels and the comic books.
This full-sized comic book captures all the delight of the series. Unless you’re hung up on a singular continuity, you’ll be charmed by these teen versions of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Bumblebee and the rest. You’ll also get a kick out of this book’s takes on super-villains like Lionmane and its use of other DC characters as faculty. In this issue, Etrigan the Demon teaches “Intro to Myth” and does so in rhyme.
The issue also features fact sheets on several of the hero girls, a Harley Quinn maze, a Bumblebee spelling bee game, a Crazy Quilt costume design challenge and house ads for related stuff. It might be my favorite of the Halloween ComicFest offerings.
RATING: Excellent. Solid story and art with lots of extra features. Completely accessible to a new reader. If I weren’t already buying the DC Super Hero Girls books, this issue would have convinced me to start. This is fun stuff.
Rated Teen+, Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn Vol. 1, No. 1 [Space Goat Productions] seems to be a continuation of the Ash/Evil Dead movies. The 20-page story by writer Frank Hannan with pencils art by Barnaby Begenda and Oscar Bazaldua and colors by Chris Summers does a decent job of bringing a new reader - like yours truly - up to speed on the basics of the Evil Dead universe. But, for whatever reason, it just didn’t float my boat. I can’t and won’t fault the writing or the art. Both are fine. This full-size comic book just didn’t do it for me.
True confession. I have never seen any of the Evil Dead movies or the new Ash TV series. This is despite my sincere belief that every one on the planet should see anything and everything which features actor Bruce Campbell. Because he’s that cool.
RATING: Great...if you’re an Evil Dead fan. Good...if you’ve never seen or read any Evil Dead stuff. For my penance, I think I should watch anything and everything with Bruce Campbell between now and this time next year.
Where DC Super Hero Girls is a clever new take on those characters in stories appealing to younger readers, Spidey #1 Halloween Comic Fest 2016 [Marvel] is just another Spider-Man comic book and not a particularly good one at that. Apparently, this title features the earliest adventures of Spider-Man, something done much better by Kurt Busiek and Pat Olliffe with Untold Tales of Spider-Man, which made its debut in 1995 and ran for slightly over two dozen issues. This Spidey #1 just doesn’t measure up.
Digression. Spider-Man is clearly in a different place in current Marvel comic books. Last I checked in with his titles, he was the head of an international company that was giving Tony Stark a run for his money and then some. Those current issues are interesting, but classic Spider-Man they are not.
I don’t know if there is an actual need for an entry-level Spider-Man comic book. The basics of the character and his history are well known. Even if one considers the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko run to be too dated for today’s younger readers, their stories and the situations are still viable today. Why not have writers and artists take those classic adventures and update them as if they are taking place now? That’s the formula for the successful Spider-Man movies and cartoons.
Yes, there would be outrage among the fans of my generation. If we can’t be twelve any more, we can sure act like we are. But I think Stan Lee would be more than okay with his and Steve Ditko’s issues being re-created for a new generation. Stan has always looked ahead and not behind. End of digression.
In addition to the 20-page Spidey story, this full-size comic book has house ads for several Marvel collections and titles. The house ad run every three pages, which is annoying when you’re trying to read this issue’s story, but they are well-designed and could get readers to sample a few other Marvel titles.
RATING: So-so. The story lacks the zing which could send a reader running to the comic-book shop to get more issues of Spidey. Which makes it harder to get him or her to run to the comic-book shop to try the titles touted in the house ads. Marvel should rethink what they did here before next year’s Free Comic Book Day and Halloween ComicFest. Always forward.
More Halloween ComicFest to come in a couple days. In the meantime, I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
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