From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Alien 3 (1992)

Posted on April 2, 2026 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. For this update we are going to travel to the outreaches of space and where no one can hear you scream and the terrors of Xenomorphs are all around you! And for this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update we will be talking about Alien 3 and the adaptation comic series done by Dark Horse Comics who did a great job of delivering great comics based around the Alien series as well as many other movies when they had the licenses. To be honest, I was really torn on what Alien film to choose to cover for this update as I could have gone with Heavy Metal’s graphic novel adaptation of the original 1979 film, or the Aliens adaptation done by a Turkish publisher or lastly Alien: Resurrection that of course Dark Horse Released…but I chose Alien 3 as this was the one series I had when I was younger so it holds a special place with me. So if you are ready, get into your space suit and let’s head out to see what terrors and chaos this Xenomorph has in store for us.

Let’s start by taking a look at the Xenomorph (also called Dragon) from this film and its way of dealing death to those who cross its path. This Xenomorph was born when a face hugger attached itself to a Rottweiler dog on a planet that is filled with prisoners who have turned religious, but some are truly still bad people. This alien takes on the characteristics of the dog host the birthed it and walks on all fours and moves very fast when charging at its prey. This Xenomorph is also very stealthy and can hide in the shadows as well as small places in order to sneak up on its prey. Let’s not forget about its strange and monstrous appearance that can frighten a person to death as its blackish, grey in color has a skeleton looking endoskin, long fingers and a small mouth that extends from his normal mouth that it can used to puncture the skin of a person putting a whole right through them. This Xenomorph also has sharp teeth that, if it chooses, could bite and rip flesh, and it will use them and its claws to shred a person like a wild animal. It also has a long tail that it can uses to impale a person as well as can whip it around causing injury. The Xenomorph can also spit acid and its blood is also made of acid and this will burn the flesh of humans straight through and will also burn through metal. The Xenomorph is also very strong and can lift a person up into the air very easily and it can also climb on walls and ceilings. It can also make weird hissing noises and when attacking sometimes will go into a frenzy slashing and biting its human prey. But while this dog Xenomorph is very dangerous and deadly, it is still a living thing and that means it can be hurt and killed with being shot being a big way to end its life, you can also drop boiling hot lead onto it and then cold water as this will cause it to explode. But while it can die, this Xenomorph is very dangerous as if it is able to breed and create more of its kind worlds could truly end and become overrun with its species.

So now that we looked at this canine infused Xenomorph, I think that it’s time we took a look at the film that spawned him and that of course is Alien 3 that was released in 1992 from Fox. Like always, I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s run around this isolated planet and see if we can stay one step ahead of this Alien.

Alien 3 (1992)

“Ellen Ripley is the only survivor when she crash lands on Fiorina 161, a bleak wasteland inhabited by former inmates of the planet’s maximum security prison. Once again, Ripley must face skepticism and the alien as it hunts down the prisoners and guards. Without weapons or modern technology of any kind, Ripley leads the men into battle against the terrifying creature.”

20^th Century Fox was very much behind making more sequels to the 1979 hit Alien and with the 1986 film Aliens being a big hit for them a third film in the series was put into motion, but that was after going through a ton of scripts and ideas as they could not find the right one they felt would take the story to a new place and not just repeat the actions of the previous two films. Some of the ideas pitched would have had the Xenomorphs being used as weapons to keep people in line by the Weyland Corporation with Ripley and Hicks having to fight them in a epic battle. Another idea would have the Aliens invading Earth with another being that it would take place on a prison world…the latter is what Fox ended up choosing. So with many rewrites and drama, the film’s screenplay would be written by many writers that include David Giler, Larry Ferguson and Walter Hill ,and after a big search and rehires the directors chair ended up going to David Fincher, who was a music video director. The casting would see Sigourney Weaver and Lance Henriksen return to play Ellen Ripley and Bishop and new names to the cast included Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Pete Postlethwaite, Tom Woodruff Jr. and Holt McCallany to name a few. Fox would give the film a budget of $60 million and would be shot in England, and the film had a stressful shooting schedule and time, but once done Elliot Goldenthal would do the film’s score and it would be released in theaters on May 22, 1992 and would do well for Fox as the worldwide box office bringing in $159.8 million and would end up being #28 for the year out of 200 films. The film was meet with very mixed reviews from critics and movie goers and it would gain its following over the years, mostly thanks to home media releases. In 1992 Alien 3 was released alongside such other horror films as Army Of Darkness, Candyman, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Dr. Giggles, Demonic Toys, The Lawnmower Man, Hellraiser III, Dust Devil, Mindwarp, Tale Of A Vampire, RAAT, Critters 4, Waxwork II, Severed Ties, Stepfather III, Split Second, The Vagrant and Buffy The Vampire Slayer to name a few. Alien 3 is a film that still gets some hate over all these years but has found its fan base as well and is worth a watch if you enjoy the Alien film franchise.

I am going to start off by saying that I am a fan of Alien 3 and have never understood the hate that the film would get from critics and viewers who trashed the more dark tones and complained about the downbeat mood of the film. I do understand one complaint about the film and that’s the death of Hicks and Newt in such a lackluster off screen way from the start, as we all would have liked to seen them continue on, but instead we got to watch Ripley once more be the hero she is and help a group of prisoners try and survive as well as sacrifice herself in order to kill the baby alien that was growing inside her. The film also gives us one more scene with android Bishop played masterfully by Lance Henriksen who also appears briefly as Michael Bishop Weyland, a man who clams to have been the creator of the androids. But one thing that I noticed that stands out like a sore thumb in this film is many of the digital effects look bad, and I mean really bad now as sometimes the alien looks like clip art made into a gif and placed in the film. But while the digital effects are questionable, the practical effects look really good and the Xenomorph looks as scary as ever. Speaking of the Xenomorph, I really like that they hint that the alien takes on much of its hosts traits and in this case a dog as the alien behaves at times like a wild dog! One thing that kind of stinks is that the film’s own director David Fincher is said to hate this film as do many of the past cast who think Fox did the whole series dirty with this one mostly by killing off the characters from the second film early all with off screen deaths. I saw the film when released on home media and at this point had already played and beat the Sega Genesis game based around it, read the adaptation novel and had talked about the Alien films with family and friends all the time…and after seeing it the first time, I really enjoyed it, a feeling I still have about the film to this day. While I get that the film is not as scary as Alien nor as epic as Aliens, it was a nice follow up that pushed the story forward and try something new with Ripley and the universe this series was building. Don’t just follow the trends of hating on films before you even see them, and check this one out and make up your own mind as you might just find yourself enjoying it.

So now that we have taken a look at the Xenomorph as well as the film Alien 3, we should get to the adaptation comic of the film that was released by Dark Horse Comics who for many years made some very cool comics based on films and shows as besides Alien they had comics based on Predator, Godzilla, Starship Troopers, The Terminator, The Thing, Gamera, Pumpkinhead and Darkness Falls to name a few. I would like to thank Bell Book And Comic for having these issues in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to 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 if you are ready, let’s walk around the passage ways of the foundry located on Fiorina and see if we can stay out of the reach of the alien lurking around in the shadows.

Alien 3 # 1 **1/2
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.50 Dark Horse # 1 of 3

A spaceship floating through space crash lands on the prison planet called Fiorina 161 with Ellen Ripley being the only survivor as Corporal Hick and Newt died, but an alien has also arrived on the planet via the crash. Mr. Andrews runs the prison planet and is not happy that a woman has arrived on the planet and order Doctor Clemens to keep her in the sick bay and not let he roam among the prisoners. A group of prisoners are sent out to retrieve the bodies and the wrecked ship, and their pet dog acts strange after making some noises. When Ripley wakes up, she finds out about the deaths of her friends and has Clemens take her to the ships wreckage and then learns that there are only 25 prisoners and one dog on the planet and they just work maintenance at the Weylend factory they all live in. Ripley asks Clemens to perform an autopsy on Newt as she tells him that it’s cause she wanted to make sure of the cause of death claiming it could have been from a sickness, but really she fears that the young girl could have an alien inside her as the wrecked ship had marks of acid blood being split. After the autopsy she finds that Newt really did pass away from the wreck and Andrews allows the Doctor to cremate the bodies and all the prisoners attend with one named Dillon saying the prayer. But while they all pay respects to the dead, the pet dog is sick and an alien is born from its torn apart body! Ripley shaves her head and finds that the prisoners really do not want her around as many of them in the past were killers and sexual predators of females, and she also has a bond with Clemens who is called out to look at a body of a prisoner that was knocked into a giant fan by the Xenomorph who spit acid in his face unknown to all of them. As Ripley goes to the scrapyard to find the body of android Bishop who would have the flight recorder of the crashed ship three prisoners on repair duty are attacked by the Xenomorph and only one is able to make a escape.

This adaptation comic from Dark Horse Comics starts pretty strong as it does a good job of staying true this far to the films plot and yet speeding up some of it in order to not only fit the film into three issues but also to keep it a little faster paced. The plot for the first issue to sum it up has Ellen Ripley waking up in a prison planet after the ship she was on wrecked and killed her friends, now she is stuck there with convicted killers and attackers who have now turned religious. But unknown to her the convicts are not the only threats that she has to worry about as a Xenomorph that was born inside a dog has also arrived and is looking to kill. While Ellen Ripley is tough, she is around some very dangerous men who nearly all have a history of violence towards women, so she really needs to be on her toes. Doctor Clemens is clearly a prisoner as well who seems to have changed his ways, but is not yet ready to share his dirty little secrets with Ellen who he has been treating. Clemens also seems to be respected by the fellow prisoners but also is on the annoyed side of Andrews who seems to not be filled in on all the goingson in the prison. And while Dillon is a dangerous man, it’s clear that he is trying to stay very loyal to his religious oath, and while he don’t like Ellen being there, he clearly has no want to hurt her. The Dog Xenomorph is very mean and quick and in this issue claims three lives that we see with one getting acid spit into his face! The issue does have some blood being spilt and violence making it a fun spooky read. The cover is really cool and eye-catching as it showcases a Xenomorph, and the interior art is done by artist Christopher Taylor and is good stuff and truly has that 90’s Dark Horse Comics look, and I have to praise his ability to draw the Xenomorph…and for those wondering the characters do not look like the actors who played them. A good issue for sure and is your average horror comic read based on a film, so if you are ready, let’s head to issue two and see what scares await us.

Alien 3 # 2 **1/2
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.50 Dark Horse # 2 of 3

Ripley heads to the junk pile and finds the body of Bishop, but before she can get it back to the medical bay, she is attacked by some of the prisoners who are looking for a good time…but she is saved by Dillon, who beats up his fellow inmates with a crowbar and sends Ripley out of the area. Meanwhile Clemons is getting yelled at by Andrews for spending to much time with Ripley and not sharing any information with him as they have gotten a call that members of a very powerful corporation are on their way to get her. While at the medical bay Ripley learns from Bishop that a alien was on board the ship when they crashed and that all this information as been sent to the Weyland Corporation, he then has her terminate his life. The surviving prisoner of the Xenomorph attack is blamed for the murders of his fellow inmates and Ripley tries to warn Andrews and his assistant Aaron of the horrors that is roaming their prisoner factory, only for her to be mocked and ignored, as Andrews does not respect her at all and can not wait for the Weyland company to get her. Ripley goes back to Clemons and he comes clean to her that he was a drug addict doctor for years and that is what landed him there, but out of nowhere the Xenomorph attacks knocking Clemons’ head off and Ripley runs away to the mess hall where Andrews is holding a prisoner meeting and is his grabbed up into the ceiling by the Xenomorph. Ripley takes control and gets all the prisoners to set up a trap tat will seal the Xenomorph away from them all, and during this time she also learns that she has an Alien Queen in her chest! And also the crazed prisoner is free and thinks the Xenomorph is his friend.

The second issue has Ripley being attacked by some of the prisoners, being hated by the warden, finding out that a Xenomorph is in the prison factory, finds out that a company has interest in her, she is feeling sick and she watches as her only friend on the planet gets his head knocked off…so in other words she is having a very bad time on this planet! While Ripley is having a rough time, she is also a fighter as she does what she can to survive as well as try and warn the others of what kind of terror could be waiting for them around every dark corner. The one bad thing is that she also learns that the planet does not have any weapons as they do not want the prisoners to get ahold of them, leaving her pretty much defenseless against the alien. And when things get really bad Ripley also steps up and becomes the “leader” of the prisoners when they have to find a way to bring down the Xenomorph. Speaking of the Xenomorph, this alien is on a killing spree and is taking down the prisoners one by one and is doing so in such bloody ways, as that’s right this issue brings the blood and violence with the best kill being Clemons getting his head knocked off. The Prisoners seem very lost when their warden and boss Andrews is killed, and while some are for following Ripley others are not, but when Dillon puts his foot down that she is the one with leadership skills they all fall in line. The issue ends on a cliffhanger as Ripley discovers that she has an Alien Queen growing inside her, not to even mention that the Xenomorph is now on the attack causing panic with the prisoners. The cover for this issue is my favorite of the series as it really is a great cover that features the comic/movies monster. And like the last issue the interior art was done by Christopher Taylor, and again is good stuff if you like that Dark Horse Comics art style of the 90’s. And like before this, comic does a good job of staying close to the source material of the film and has some changes that makes it seem like a slightly new experience in that film’s universe. With that, let’s get to the third and final issue in this adaptation comic mini series.

Alien 3 # 3 **1/2
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.50 Dark Horse # 3 of 3

Ripley discovers a message from the Weyland Company that alerts that they want the Xenomorph alive, and worse the Xenomorph has been captured but is set free by the crazed blamed prisoner who gets himself as well as another prisoner killed! The remaining prisoners all rush to the cell block and talk if they want to try and fight the Alien or just hide for the next 10 hours until the rescue ship arrives. Ripley meanwhile finds the Xenomorph and learns that it will not kill her cause of the Queen growing inside her, she makes a deal with Dillon that when they kill the alien he will in turn kill her to end this things bloodline…he agrees. After some harsh words with the fellow prisoners they come up with a idea that would have them trap the Xenomorph again and this time drop molten lead on it! The plan starts off smooth but soon goes into chaos as the Xenomorph starts catching and killing the prisoners until only Ripley, Dillon and one other are left alive…they are able to trap the alien and drop the lead on him, but during this time it is able to kill Dillon. The team from Weyland show up just in time to see Ripley drop water onto the melting Xenomorph and it explodes! And as the Weyland people try to convince Ripley to follow them to the ship so they can help her, she does not trust them and as the Queen in being born she leaps into the molten lead ending her life as well as the new Queens.

The saga of Ripley comes to an end…well at least until the next film and comic based on that film was released. In this issue’s plot Ripley and the remaining prisoners come up with an idea to kill the Xenomorph before the rescue team can arrive as they all know that the company wants to save the aliens life to use it as a weapon in wars. And while most of them all die they are able to kill the creature and Ripley is able to end her own life and destroy the Queen that was being born, ending the terror for now. Ripley really does want to die in this issue as she fears what will happen if any of the aliens are taken to Earth and knows that her death is the only thing that can stop it from happening as if they get their hands on the Queen growing inside her they could have an armor of them in no time. Dillon becomes a hero for sure as through this series he is the one who stops the other prisoners attack on Ripley, gives his life to try and bring down the Xenomorph and seems to truly be one of the prisoners who have found religion. The Weyland people are very much liars as they even send the creator of the android Bishop in order to try and get Ripley to follow them to their ship to “save” her and get ride of the alien baby…its clear they do not care about the people on the prison planet and really just want the power of the Xenomorph. And speaking of the Alien it really is a killing machine as it makes quick and bloody work out of many of the prisoners and while it is very dangerous it dies a painful death as hot lead and cold water don’t mix! The comic stays pretty close to the film and does change Dillon’s death as here he is dragged into the molten lead as in the film he is trapped with the alien and demands they drop the lead to try and kill the alien. The issue has lots of blood and kills and this helps add to the Horror of the comic, but to be honest lots of the scares comes from the dark mood and atmosphere. Like before artist Christopher Taylor does the interior art and its good stuff and the cover like before as well is really cool and eye-catching. Over all if you like the film Alien 3 or just the Alien films and comics in general, you should check this one out. Take a look at the artwork below to see the style used by Christopher Taylor in this comic mini series.

Alien 3 really is one of those films that you either love of hate, with much more being very negative about it…but if you like a more dark mood outing for the Aliens, then this is one I think you will enjoy. Plus once more I have to stress that I miss the days of Dark Horse Comics when they would make some amazing comics based on horror films, they seem to be lacking in that department lately. But with all that said our time with Alien 3 is coming to an end so I think that before we head our separate ways I would like to tell you that the next update of course will keep us in the world of horror films as we will be talking about the 1965 film Two On A Guillotine and the Dell Comic adaptation of the film. So until next time, read a horror comic of three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next time for a evil magic show in a haunted house!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: I Come In Peace (1990)

Posted on February 12, 2026 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update as this one we will be taking a look at the 1990 hybrid genre film I Come In Peace, a film that for some reason kids I know and myself were obsessed with when it was released. We will also be taking a look at the indie comic adaptation of the film that most horror comic readers didn’t even know existed. And it’s very cool that this film got the comic book treatment as I feel that so many classic horror and sci-fi films over the years that should have never did so its nice when some of these cult b-films do. So if you are ready, let’s dive into I Come In Peace aka Dark Angel and see if the comics are as entertaining as the film.

Let’s start off by taking a look at Talec, a massive 6’5” alien who likes to kill and steal the endorphins of his victims to sell as a street drug on his planet only after he pumps them full of drugs to overdose them to make his task easier. Talec besides being very tall has long blonde hair, blue milky eyes, wears all black and has a straight forward intimidating face making his appearance alone scare the hell out of the humans he is tracking as he is not like any other person on Earth. Talec is super strong and can kill with his bare hands if he choose to and is skilled in hand-to-hand fighting. It takes a lot to hurt Talec as he is built for fighting and has a strong pain threshold. He is a fast runner as well and does not run out of energy making him a threat to any person he has set his sights on. He also can speak as he can say “I Come In Peace” with a raspy voice, he also growls and snarls when angry and this as well can scare your basic human. He also has many tools of dealing death at hand as he first has a rapid firing gun that when bullets hit things they explode and the gun itself has levels you can turn up for more impact, he has a arm gadget that fires off blades that are attracted to humans and will cut and kill very fast as it can jump from person to person in a room, he has a tube that fires from his wrist gadget that enters the chest of his victim and injects them with a drug to induce a overdose and lastly he has a knife like object that he rams into the skull of his victim to steal their bodies endorphins! He is very cold and does not care about the lives he takes and almost gets joy out of the killing. He as well is a drug dealer on his planet and a wanted criminal. While Talec is one mean mother from outer space, he can be injured and killed like any living thing as it seems being shot, blown up and impaled will truly stop Talec once and for all and make his white chunky blood flow. He also becomes very sloppy and fights with anger if you mess with his drug supply and this leaves him open for attacks and to make mistakes. Talec is a truly deadly alien and looks to get his drug supplies for his planet by taking the lives of people on Earth.

So as you can see, Talec is a very dangerous alien who truly knows how to deal death to any human that he chooses. And I am sure we all agree that if a massive 6’5” alien with white eyes and an arm blade was coming after us it would be a pretty scary and crappy day! But now I think that it’s time we take a look at the film he is from I Come In Peace! And like before I will be taking the film’s plot from our pals at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production and then will write about my thoughts of the film. So if you are ready, let’s see why this alien truly didn’t visit Earth in peace.

I Come In Peace (1990)

“A Renegade Cop is forced to work with an FBI Agent in order to bring down a group of Drug Dealers with sinister plans.”

I Come In Peace, or Dark Angel as it is known outside of America, is a film that was written by David Koepp and Jonathan Tydor that was released by Triumph Releasing Corporation that was slated to be a big sci-i, horror and action film hit. It was directed by Craig R. Baxley who was just coming off filming Action Jackson and would go on to direct such other films as Stone Cold (1991), Storm Of The Century (1999), Rose Red (2002) and The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer to name a few. When casting the film such actors as Dolph Lundgren, Matthias Hues, Betsy Brantley, Brian Benben, David Ackroyd and Sherman Howard who horror fans would know as Bub from Day Of The Dead. When filming it would go over two weeks beyond the filming schedule that took place in Texas with a $7 million budget and was supposed to be called Dark Angel but the production company for the American release didn’t like the name so it was changed. Jan Hammer was brought on to score the film and it would get a theatrical release on September 28, 1990 and would do very poorly only doing a little over $4 million. The film when first released was panned by the critics as well as fans and would not build its cult following until after it was released on home media and aired on cable. The film would be released in 1990 alongside such other horror films as Arachnophobia, Tremors, Nightbreed, The Exorcist III, Child’s Play 2, Predator 2, Blood Salvage, Maniac Cop 2 and Silent Night Deadly Night 4 to name a few.

I Come In Peace is one of those weird hybrid movies that does a entertaining job of blending sci-fi horror with action and every kid I knew who saw the film all quoted the lines “I Come In Peace” “And You Go In Pieces Asshole” as I can remember my cousin Norman saying it all the time after he saw the film…what a fun memory. And at the time of this release Dolph Lundgren was a big action film star and he had already done the films Rocky IV, Masters Of The Universe and The Punisher so of course the youth of the time wanted to see I Come In Peace! Really it was odd as when this film was released it kind of was like “A Nightmare On Elm Street” as kids on the playground would brag if they had seen it. Matthias Hues who plays the alien drug dealer Talec was prefect in the role as he was creepy looking and he as well already had many roles under his belt that made him a favorite of the youth at the time like No Retreat No Surrender 2, Big Top Pee-Wee and Cage. I first saw the film thanks to it airing on HBO or Cinemax as my parents had no interest in seeing it on the big screen and cause of its R rating they would not allow us to go on our own. Think about this, the main baddie in the film was a drug dealer from outer space who came to earth to sell his deadly goods…all the while a space cop is also on the case to try and bust him…weird and delightful. While the film is very cheesy and not for everyone, if you enjoy some action in your horror you should check this one out as you might find a new favorite cult classic for your collection. Oh and on a side note for several years a sequel had been spoke about by actor Matthias Hues, but it never was made.

So now that we have chatted about that intergalactic drug pusher Talec and the film he is from I Come In Peace (Dark Angel) I think that it is time that we take a look at the comic book based on them…and to be honest in 1991 when this comic was made I had zero clue about it and it would be many several years before I found out about it. I would like to thank both Lone Star Comics and an Ebay Seller for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. I would like 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 if you are ready, let’s see if this alien really does come in peace or if he is just one mean dark angel.

I Come In Peace # 1 **1/2
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.50 Greater Mercury # 1 of 2

Evil alien and drug dealer Talec arrives on Earth looking to harvest his raw materials for his drugs and wanders around the big city looking for it. Meanwhile members of a drug ring called White Boys ran by Victor Manning have gotten into a police station and stolen lots of drugs and even killed a few cops and even set off a bomb injuring many others. Detective Jack Caine and his partner later are trying to set up Manning by booking a meeting with him to try and buy, but as Caine is listening in via his partner’s wire he also has to stop a store robbery and is late to save his partner who is discovered to be a cop and is killed by Manning’s men who are in turned killed by Talec who uses a metal flying disc to slaughter most of them and then steals the drugs, and later he also attacks a shop owner and kills him in his own business. Caine is in trouble with his boss and is forced to take a vacation but is quickly back on active duty when he is paired with Agent Smith of the FBI in order to crack this case and find Manning as well as who killed many of his men. And after shaking down a criminal at a strip club he Caine finds out that Manning thinks that he is the one that killed his men and stole his drugs, and Caine and Smith even return to the scene of the crime and find the disc stuff in a stereo speaker. We also learn that Caine is dating the city coroner Diane Pallone and the two have a very rocky relationship due to Caine’s obsession with his job and busting criminals. Also arriving on Earth is Azeck, an alien police officer who is hunting down Talec to arrest him and bring him back home to face the punishment for his crimes. Talec continues his killing ways and ends up running into Caine at one of the scene of the crime and they two start fighting in a dark ally with Talec getting the upper hand.

This comic adaptation of I Come In Peace is awesome but also very much a big mess as the story is kind of all over the place and nothing links the change of “scenes” together as things almost seem to be randomly happening. The comic also starts off with a very weird fight on a alien planet where Azeck and his father have a small and quick chat, its weird and really is out of place. The plot has a drug dealing alien coming to Earth and killing people to get supplies for his drugs and is being hunted down by both a alien police officer as well as a tough as hell earthling and his FBI Agent partner. Detective Caine is a officer who truly wants to bring down crime and even breaks the rules to do so as he goes outside the box to crackdown on them and that even includes killing them. He is also very skilled not just with his gun but also in fighting as it’s clear he knows martial arts and that the crime world hates him. Agent Smith is a young agent for the FBI who is trying to do everything by the book, and seems to be taken back by the antics and ways of Caine. Diane Pallone the city coroner and lady of Caine is the one who has to be the one who is seeing the bodies of the victims of Talec and figures out that some one is stabbing into their brains as well as making them overdose on heroin. Drug lord Manning and his goons are a major annoyance and are causing issues for the city as well as the cops, but are also in the path of Talec and that means death could be coming their way. Talec is a very massive and dangerous alien who says “I Come In Peace” as he is murdering you, he does not care who he kills as long as he gets the supplies he needs for his drugs that he will sell on his home planet…and here is a spoiler, the supplies come from his human victims! He also does not care if the people he kills are good or bad and nor does he seemed bothered that he is being hunted down by the police of his home world as well as Earth. The fight between our hero Cain and drug pusher Talec thus far is very one sided as the cop is out powered by the massive alien, but you have to give him credit as he is still fighting back. The comic has some blood and the horror comes from Talec wandering around the city and massacring people as a massive alien with a sharp blade object on his arm is pretty scary! The cover is very cheesy and yet eye-catching and shows Detective Caine, Agent Smith and Talec letting you see the main cast of characters. The comics interior art is done by Darryl Cobbs and is very odd as it looks very much like a indie comic from the late 80’s and early 90’s and the characters look nothing like the actors who play them and I am sure his style will not be for everyone. Over all a entertaining first issue even though its confusing and sloppily put together, so let’s see what the second issue has in store for us and how Caine escapes the attack of Talec as they leave us on a true cliffhanger.

I Come In Peace # 2 **1/2
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.50 Greater Mercury # 2 of 2

As Talec is choking the life out of Detective Caine, our hero seems powerless against this massive alien and his life is saved by Azeck who arrives and has a shoot out with his bounty and the two run off into the night just as Agent Smith shows up confused by everything as he notices a hand print around the neck of Caine. Once they are both safe Caine explains to Smith that he thinks that they are up against an alien drug dealer and that another alien is there to help stop his path of death and destruction, but when talking to the Chief about getting extra help Smith does not stand by his partner and Caine is told he has to take a long overdue vacation. That night Talec attacks again killing people inside a store and Azeck shows up once more and the pair have another exchange of gunfire, but Azeck is shot and injured badly. The crime scene is cut off from the police as Secret Agents are looking around and will not let Caine nor his girlfriend and city coroner Diane Pallone enter, and this causes Caine to embrace the vacation idea and he tells Pallone to go home quit her job and get ready for a long vacation…as she leaves Caine and Smith get into it over being bad partners and as they enter their car Azeck is in the back seat dying and passes his gun to Caine as well as tells him who Talec is and warns them that they must kill him before he leaves the planet, and with that Azeck dies and even explodes as he fades away. Smith ends up taking the gun and turning it over to his boss at the FBI who is corrupt as he is going to kill Smith and later Cain as they want to save the alien to learn from him! But Caine saves Smith when he shoots his boss and the pair then head off to do the right thing and that’s track down and take down Talec and when they track him down they are also joined by members of The White Boys we are taken out really fast by Talec, and in the end after a dangerous fight Caine uses the alien gun to blow up Talec with a single shot and then heads out to start his vacation with his lady.

In this final issue of the adaptation of I Come In Peace, the plot has Caine and Smith finally being on the same page and heading on a great manhunt to bring down the alien drug lord before he can return home and turn Earth into a bloody battlefield as his drug selling buddies would come here to harvest people to make their drugs. And they have to do so alone as the police force does not believe the story of aliens and the FBI are wanting to collect the alien in order to study and learn from it. Detective Cain is truly a hard ass who plays by his own rules in order to get things done and bring done the criminal filth that plagues his city, he is also while at times it does not seem it very loyal to his girlfriend and partners as his harsh demeanor causes those around him to think he is a total jerk. But when he push comes to shove, he is the kind of friend you would want on your side. Agent Smith is very loyal to his job and bosses at the FBI and at times clearly plays everything to by the book, but when he finds that sometimes you need to think outside the box in order to save lives and bring bad guys down. Poor Diane Pallone is around and is caught up in this alien invasion and it’s clear all she really wants to do is spend some time with Caine. Azeck does his best to save the earthlings from being killed and turned into street drugs on a alien planet, but his best was not good enough as he finds himself dying from a gunshot wound and has to trust two earthlings to save the planet. Talec is cold blooded and truly just wants to kill people to get their endorphins to sell on his home planet, and all he can say is “I Come In Peace” as he murders people very violently. But while he is a massive alien with raw power and lots of tools to deal death, he as well ends up meeting his maker by a well placed gunshot. The comic does a pretty good job of staying true to the film with some changes being in the pacing as well as the cut back panels of Azeck’s home planet and these changes do make the read seem like a new experience based around the story we the fans of this film all know. The comic’s horror elements come from Talec and his killing ways and the issues does have some blood being spilt, but noting to major. The cover is pretty cool as it shows Talec and Caine and the interior artwork done by artist Darryl Cobbs and is pretty good stuff, but keep in mind it is very indie in style and the characters look nothing like the actors who played them in the film. Over all this is a enjoyable adaptation that I would say is not for everyone but if you are a fan of the film I would say make sure to track it down and give it a read. Checkout the artwork below to see the style used by Cobb in this comic series.

I Come In Peace really is a cult classic film and many people never knew that it got the comic book adaptation treatment, and while the comic might not have been perfect, it was a fun read and if you’re a fan of the film, it might be something that you would want to checkout as it is very weird and does make some slight changes to the film’s plot. So with that our time with Talec has come to an end and it’s clear he did not come in peace as almost all those he said that to ended up in a body bag. But don’t worry, we will be staying in the world of horror and our next update will have us looking at The Fallen that come during the end of days as we will be talking about the 2014 faith based horror film The Remaining. So until next time, read a horror comic of three, watch a horror film of two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update for a scary good time!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)

Posted on September 23, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. Our countdown to Halloween 2025 continues! Horror films come in all types of sub-genres, and one that is often over looked and not talked about is the horror musical. One of the best hands down for me was the 1986 film “Little Shop Of Horrors” that truly set the bar for all those that followed. And of course this film was base off the Off-Broadway musical that was based off the Roger Corman film from 1960! And as you noticed, this is another PG-13 film and ends our updates for September. And with that I think it’s time that we start this long overdue “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update that is all about that mean green mother from outer space named Audrey II, and the Little Shop Of Horrors he’s hiding out in.

So let’s start off by taking a look at the killer plant from this film named Audrey II and it’s ways of dealing death to mankind. Audrey II is an alien from outer space. When it first lands on our planet during a total eclipse of the sun, it is very small in size, but grows in size when it gets fresh blood and human meat to eat. The more blood it eats, the bigger it can grow and it can grow to be Kaiju size as well as can sprout more of its kind. Audrey II when small is cute and can draw people into its trap, but as it grows the more frightful it looks and can truly shock the weak. Audrey II as well has a mind of its own and is super smart and can use it to plot out evil plans, it can also talk and sing and can uses its words to get one simple minded florist to do its bidding of bringing him blood and people to eat with the promise of fame and fortune. Audrey II has razor sharp teeth that can rip apart flesh, vines that can grab and pull plus grow smaller heads with teeth and a mouth big enough to eat a person in one or two chomps. Audrey II also has a very mean temper and a wicked attitude and has goals of taking over our planet and does not care how many humans it has to eat to complete this goal. But while Audrey II is a big green mother from outer space that is bad, it can be hurt and even killed as it needs blood to live and without it will shrivel up and die, you can also crush it, burn it and possible chop it up into little pieces but that is only before it grows to Kaiju size. The main way to destroy Audrey II is use high voltage electricity, as this will cause the alien plant to explode, and end its reign of terror. Audrey II is a truly dangerous alien plant from outer space and if not put in check his species could easily take over the planet.

Now that we see just how dangerous that Audrey II is and just how easily it could take over the world and make every human dinner, I think we should take a few moments and talk about the film its from and that of course is the 1986 Musical Horror Film Little Shop Of Horrors that was a remake of a cheesy 1960 fright film. And I would like to remind you that I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production and then my thoughts on the film. So with that, let’s avoid becoming plant food and head to this little shop of terrors.

Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)

“A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.”

David Geffen was a music executive that was producing a off-Broadway musical show based on the 1960 Roger Corman film Little Shop Of Horrors and he had the want to turn the stage show into a big production musical film to release in theaters and even at one point in time had big names like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and John Landis attached to the film, and this was causing it to have a big buzz around it. But the film stalled for a while due to Charles B. Griffith, the original film’s script writer and voice of Audrey Jr. tried to sue Geffen in a failed attempt. And once the lawsuit ended, Frank Oz was hired to be the director and he even helped writer Howard Ashman with the script to bring the Broadway show to the big screen and this meant adding and subtracting some of the songs to make it have that big theater event film feel. When casting the film, Rick Moranis was hired to play Seymour Krelborn with Levi Stubbs from the musical group The Four Tops being the voice of Audrey II. Other names attached to the film in supporting as well as cameo roles include Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia, Jim Belushi, John Candy, Bill Murray, Christopher Guest, Vincent Wong and the trio of Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Michelle Weeks acted as the singing chorus who act as the stories guides. When it came to casting Audrey, it was given to Ellen Greene who had played the part for the stage, but the roll was also offered to pop singer Cyndi Lauper and even rumored to Barbra Streisand. The film’s main villain Audrey II took many puppeteers to control and filming would take place in England at the 007 Stage. The film was given a $25million budget with Warner Brothers stepping in to distribute the film in theaters and home media. The film’s ending had to be re-shot after the test screens did not like the original downbeat ending of Audrey II growing to giant size and taking over the Earth as Seymour Krelborn failed in the final fight and was killed. The film would be released on December 19, 1986 and would bring in $39 million and was well loved by fans as well as critics and would become an even bigger hit for Warner Brothers when it was released on video. The film was released along side such other Horror Films as Class Of Nuke’Em High, Demons 2, Friday The 13^th Part VI: Jason Lives, The Hitcher, Maximum Overdrive, Night Of The Creeps, Psycho III, Rawhead Rex and Trick Or Treat to name a few.

Little Shop Of Horrors is a film that was a big part of my childhood as it was one I watched all the time and I knew almost all the songs by heart as they are just so damn catchy. I can remember seeing the film’s TV spots for coming to the theaters and also remember the poster being printed in the newspaper and really wanted to go to the theater to see it. My parents did not take me but to hold me over till it came out on home media, they did buy me the trading cards and candy based around the film. And when I finally did get to see the film, I was a fan as the acting, songs, special effects and monster were all fantastic and helped draw me in as a viewer. The film’s star Rick Moranis was a big star of the 1980’s and 1990’s as most people know him for his roles like Bob McKenzie from Strange Brew (1983), Louis Tully from Ghostbusters (1984), Dark Helmet in Spaceballs (1987), Wayne Szalinski from Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989), Barney Rubble from The Flintsones (1994) and the voice of Rutt in the Brother Bear franchise to name a very few. As you can see, Rick Moranis was a big star for kids of that time and was one of the big draws for the young Monster Kids of 1986 to want to see Little Shop Of Horrors. The puppet used for Audrey II is amazing and the puppeteers who controlled it are masters of their craft as he really does seem like a living thing! I should also note that Levi Stubbs, the voice actor and singer for Audrey II is known of course for being the lead vocalist for the group Four Tops but I also should point out that he was the voice for Mother Brain for the cartoon “Captain N: The Game Master” that ran from 1989-1991. And this is the movie that made me have a crush on Tisha Campbell that would continue when she was also on the sitcom Martin were she played Gina, and in fact she is still a very beautiful woman to this day and one talented actress. If you have not seen this film, I really thank that you should not only for the great songs, a top-notch lead cast, amazing special effects but also for all the cameos from some of the top comedians going at that time. And really this is one of my favorite films and is one I have watched so many times over the years and of course own on home media. And over the years the film has been slated for a remake that never gets out of the talking stage, and I for one say if they cast it they should have Lady Gaga play Audrey, Rami Malek as Seymour, Jared Leto as Orin Scrivello DDS, John Leguizamo as Mr. Mushnik, Poppy, Mya and Charli XCX as the Chore Ladies and lastly Bruno Mars as Audrey II…just saying.

Little Shop Of Horrors was slated to be a big film and with that when released lots of cool merchandise was made to promote it before, during and after the film’s release as cool items are still being made based around it to this day. When the film first came out, you could buy the soundtrack on CD or cassette, trading cards from Topps, DC Comic adaptation, a paperback adaptation, posters and a very cool candy dispenser of Audrey II, and I had many of these things with my favorite being the Audrey II candy holder. After the release and through the decades the film has also gotten shirts, art prints, buttons, cups, bed covering, Funko Pops and so much more as this film’s popularity is still very strong and it has a huge cult following. So if you are a fan of Little Shop Of Horrors, there are lots of cool things for you to collect and add to your collection.

So as you can see, Audrey II is a very dangerous plant from another planet and the film it’s from Little Shop Of Horrors was an awesome film that spawned some great merchandise and was a big part of so many kids lives in the late 1980’s and also showed that Musicals and Horror can really mix! And I am really happy that DC Comics gave this film the comic book treatment as you readers know I always say that comics make great promo items for films, and I wish more companies would see this and make more in these modern times. I would also like to thank Mavericks Comics and Cards for having this comic in stock those many, many years ago to make this update possible. I would also like to remind you 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 head into Mushnik Florist and see what that strange and unusual plant in the window is all about.

Little Shop Of Horrors # 1 ***
Released in 1987 Cover Price $2.00 DC Comics # 1 of 1

Seymour lives and works at Mushnik Florist owned by the grumpy Mr. Mushnik who also employs Audrey who comes to work late this day and is sporting a black eye that he boyfriend gave her, and after Seymour trips and breaks some flower pots and its now 6pm and they have not seen a customer all day Mushnik threatens to close the shop down for good. But Seymour and Audrey have a plan and that is to put some strange plants in the widow to attract new customers and Seymour brings up a flytrap of sorts that he calls Audrey II and once in the window a customer comes in asking about it and Seymour tells the story of how he bought it after it mysteriously appeared at a sidewalk plant shop after a total eclipse of the sun. And Audrey II does its job as more customers keep coming in asking about it and before they leave they are buy flowers and plants causing the shop to make some money! But after the store closes and Audrey and Mr. Mushnik leaves for the night Seymour has to stay behind as Audrey II is sick and that is when he learns that the plant needs human blood to feed in order to grow. A week later Seymour and Audrey II are a guest on a local radio show in order to promote the shop, and at the shop Audrey and Mr. Mushnik listen as it’s clear that her boyfriend once more beat her up. Once back home Audrey thinks about a life she could have if only she would be dating Seymour. Days pass and Seymour is tried as he has to keep feeding Audrey II his blood, and while the shop is packed and the money is coming in Seymour just cannot build up the nerve to ask out Audrey. Meanwhile her boyfriend the motorcycle-driving dentist Orin Scrivello who torments his patients and huffs the nitrous oxide as he enjoys causing living things pain, and that night he heads to the shop to pick up Audrey for a date and Seymour witnesses how bad he treats her. That night Seymour sits next to Audrey II all sad about Audrey being treated bad when he learns that Audrey II can talk and needs fresh blood, and promises Seymour fame and the two decide that Orin will be the victim after they see him smack Audrey after their date. And when Seymour goes to the office of Orin Scrivello to kill him the dentist dies from an overdose of nitrous oxide gas and Seymour drags his body to the shop and chops it up to feed to Audrey II but unknown to Seymour his boss Mr. Mushnik witnesses him chopping up the body! The next day Audrey finds out her boyfriend is missing and she and Seymour bond as they both let their feeling for one another be known, but once Seymour gets back to the shop he is confronted by Mr. Mushnik who in turn is eaten alive by Audrey II. The days that follow lots of pressure falls on Seymour and he buckles under it all as in order to keep up the fame that means he needs to get more blood for the now massive planet, but when he finds out that Audrey would still love him even if he was broke he comes up with an idea to marry her that night and for them both to run away. Later Seymour heads to the butcher shop to get Audrey II some bloody meat, but while he is away Audrey II uses the phone to call Audrey into the shop with the idea of eating her…Seymour arrives just in time to save her and then knows what has to be done Audrey II must be destroyed. Seymour goes inside the shop and tries using a gun first and it does nothing but make Audrey II mad and he brings down the walls but this exposes an electrical wire that Seymour uses to zap and fry Audrey II killing the man eating plant. In the end Seymour and Audrey get married and but a little house together…but unknown to them another Audrey II is in their very flower garden.

The comic adaptation of the 1986 Musical Horror film Little Shop Of Horrors is a very fun read but it does lack something that makes it amazing and that is well the musical numbers as all the songs as well as many characters are missing from this comic and the changes are very noticeable. And for me the biggest missing element from this comic is the characters of Crystal, Chiffon and Ronette as they are not around to move the story forward nor are they even around to interact with the characters…they are just gone. But while this is just one of several changes the comic is still a fun read and captures the story of the film with out the musical numbers. The plot is this a man working and living on skid row has a crush on his co-worker and after finding a strange plant after a total eclipse of the sun his life turns hectic but also more positive as fame and money start coming his way, but he soon finds out that the plant is really an alien who eats blood and human meat and grows and has world conquest on its mind! When it comes to the hero of this comic you would have to give that role to Seymour who is the one in the end that stops the alien plant, but to be fair he is also the one who ended up given it the human blood and meat it needed to grow into the super dangerous creature all because of fame and wanting to try and get the attention of his crush. Audrey is a sweet woman who sadly has poor taste in men who abuse her, but her sweetness and caring nature is what helps Seymour stand up and finally defeat Audrey II who of course is the evil alien plant who was sent to Earth with the idea of taking over once he can get large enough as well as sprout offspring. Audrey II is very smart as well as manipulative as he can use his words in order to get Seymour to do what he wants him to do and that includes feeding him the dead body of Audrey’s boyfriend! And when Audrey II gets big enough and finds out that his hold over Seymour is weakened he decides to kill him and start his quest to take over the world! This film has some blood but nothing major and it of course has death as several characters find themselves plant food. The cover for this comic is pretty dang cool and has the main cast around a baby Audrey II with the interior art being done by Gene Colan being great stuff, but I also have to say that the characters sadly do not look like the actors who play them. This is a pretty great comic adaptation and while there is big changes the spooky and fun nature of the core of the film are here and make for a great read for fans of the film as well as Horror Comic readers in general. Checkout the artwork below to see the style Colan used in this comic, and I have to say make sure to grab yourself a copy of this comic for your collection.

The 1986 Horror Musical version of Little Shop Of Horrors was a very odd choice when you think about it to be turned into a comic book as the musical songs just could never be done well on the pages of a comic, but somehow DC Comics made it work here. And it’s a shame that DC did not do more comics based on Horror Films that their parent company Warner Brothers was making at the time like it would have been great to get comics based on such films as Deadly Friend, The Lost Boys, A Return To Salem’s Lot, It’s Alive III: Island Of The Alive to name a few from 1986-1987 from them and all would have made for some very cool and creepy comics. While our time at this little shop of horror has come to an end, we will be staying in the world of horror as our next update we will be taking a look at Horror Host Jeepers the host of Jeepers Creepers Theatre out of California. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we spend time with a true icon of Horror Hosting.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Predator 2 (1990)

Posted on March 12, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update as this is one that has been on my list to cover for a while now as it is a film that I grew up a fan of and even had these comics shortly after it was released in my collection. The topic is Predator 2, the cool sequel that takes our alien hunter out of the jungle and into the concrete jungle of a big city! And in this one he takes on a strong willed cop and not a mercenary. Predator 2 is one of those films that got a comic that could have also been covered on a “Alien Invasion” update, but I feel it’s more fitting for a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” on as this film brings on the kills, blood and scares as The Predator stalks the streets and makes anyone armed the prey, and that means good guys and not just the bad guys! So if you are ready, let’s head out into the city heat and not only avoid the everyday criminals but also one that has came from outer space and wants to collect skulls as trophies.

Let’s take a look at The Predator from Predator 2 ,and his ways of dealing death to those he is hunting! The Predator is a massive alien from outer space who is using the city of LA, California as his hunting ground and he has the means and weapons to make many people dead. First he has the ability to cloak and become invisible to the human eye, making it possible for him to stalk and kill you without even seeing him. And when you do see him, his massive monstrous appearance strikes fear into the hearts of those unlucky to lay eyes on him as he is one ugly creature. He also is very smart and wears armor and a helmet with the helmet making him able to see body heat, bright lights as well as mimic the voices of humans, making his helmet a very important part of his arsenal. The weapons he has are his arm blades, two razor sharp blades that are on his wrist that can shred human skin and cut through bone, Combistick a spear with a blade at the end of it, Netgun a gun that fires a net at high speed that can capture as well as kill as it cuts through skin, Energy Flechette a missile that he can fire from his wrist, Smart Disc a circle blade weapon that he can throw and it finds its target can cut a person in half, Self-Destruct Device that he wears on his write that once activated and goes off is like a mini nuclear bomb, and finally he also has his Plasmacaster a shoulder cannon that locks on a target and can blow a massive hole through them. As you can see, his weapons are all tools to kill and can make short work out of almost all he comes across. The Predator stands well over 7 feet tall and is also very strong as he can kill a person with his bare hands in seconds; he is also skilled at hunting and messing with his prey in other words The Predator is one mean killing machine who if he wants you dead…you are. While the Predator is an alien, he can be hurt and killed like any other living being as guns, sharp objects, extreme cold and falls can kill or injure him and make his green blood spill. His pride in hunting can also do him in as even when hurt his passion to keep going kicks in and can cause him to make some mistakes that could lead to his death. But while he has weaknesses luck is the only thing that will help you if you come face to face with The Predator as he is one dangerous killer and is one of the more dangerous killers we have showcased on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update.

So now that we looked at The Predator from the second film in the series, I think it’s now time that we take a look at the film itself. I would like to remind you that I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and then will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts. So let’s try and avoid being hunted and chat about Predator 2.

Predator 2 (1990)

“LAPD lieutenant Mike Harrigan and his cocky detective partner Jerry Lambert (soon realize that what seemed a bloody feud between voodoo high priest King Willie’s Jamaican gangs and Ramon Vega’s Colombian drug gang is actually the work of a scary third party. Peter Keyes’s federal team shields the crime scene even for the LAPD, but after forensics proves it must be an alien, who keeps making victims, the chase brings them all together.”

The 1987 film Predator was a big hit for 20^th Century Fox and this sparked them having interest in doing a sequel and had screenwriters Jim & John Thomas to come up with ideas and after many failed pitches it was the idea of having The Predator hunting in a urban setting that got the green light. The producer of the film was Joel Silver and his first action was to bring Stephen Hopkins to direct, and he worked closely with the Thomas Brothers to try and get the film as epic as they could, and Hopkins was no stranger to horror as in 1989 he was the director for “A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” and he was a good choice to helm this film. When casting the lead role of Lieutenant Mike Harrigan names like Steven Seagal and Patrick Swayze was brought up but Danny Glover ended up with the role, others actors brought in for key parts included Gary Busey, Bill Paxton, Maria Conchita Alonso, Adam Baldwin, Ruben Blades and Robert Davi and Kevin Peter Hall returned to play The Predator and in small cameo rolls was TV talk show host Morton Downey Jr. and adult film actress Teri Weigel. And while Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to return as Dutch, a pay dispute seen him leaving the film but Elpidia Carrillo returned in a very small cameo as Anna Gonsalves from the first film. The look and suit of The Predator had some minor changes and they even made the decision to have a skull from a Xenomorph as s set piece. The film has a normal stressful production and was released in theaters on November 21, 1990 and did well at the box office in American brining in $30,669,413.00 on a budget of around $20 million, placing in at # 38 for the year and beat out such other Horror Films as Child’s Play 2, Jacob’s Ladder, The Exorcist III, The First Power, The Guardian, Tales From The Darkside The Movie and Tremors. The film was also scored by Alan Silvestri and is a great follow up to the original and over the years has built up a cult following.

I am going to say this first thing I am a fan of Predator 2 and have been since it was released and behind the original film, it is my second favorite in the series! I had not only the film on VHS but also had the comic adaptation, the novel adaptation and had the video game for the Sega Genesis and I have never understood why this film over the years has gotten so much hate from critics and fans of the series. The film has an amazing cast with Danny Glover being fantastic as the badass cop Lieutenant Harrigan who is a great hero for as he really goes after and takes the fight to the Predator. I also like his fellow officers and team Danny Boy, Leona and Jerry as they all make such a great team and are played by some topnotch actors Ruben Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso and Bill Paxton. Plus it stars Gary Busey who was an actor I liked at the time and before he truly became all crazy and touchy to female fans at Horror and Comic Conventions. Plus I really liked that the second film took The Predator out of the jungle and dropped him into a big city and having it take place during a heat wave was a smart move as the hot climate mirrored the jungle, and doing like this made it not seem like a rehash of the first film. I also think that the film had some really cool and impactful kills as the deaths of both Jerry and Danny Boy are sad and the brutal killings of the drug pushers have you cheering as the Predator shows no mercy. Also the film is very quotable as I cannot count how many times I have done the speech given by one of King Willies men to one of their victims about voodoo and taking souls. It’s truly a great line, and I have also done the “Want Some Candy” line with a robotic sounding voice. The film when released as well I can remember the TV ads, the poster in the paper for screening times at the local theaters as well as it being on the cover and covered in Fangoria Magazine. Again to sum it up, I am a fan of Predator 2 and do not understand the hate the film gets and I think that if you are one of those who hate it and have not watched it in awhile, go back and re-watch it and remove the “its not like the first film” from your mind and I think you just might enjoy it.

So now that we have talked about The Predator as well as the film Predator 2, I think we are now at the point of this update that we review the comic based around said film! And to be honest, this is one that I have had on the list of comics that I wanted to do an update about and it has taken me way too long to get to it so I am really glad that the time has come for me to do so. I want to thank Mavericks Cards And Comics for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. 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, their entertainment value and their art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head to L.A. as I hear they are having a bad heat wave and that The Predator has returned as he really has developed a taste for fresh beef straight out of the slaughterhouse here on Earth.

Predator 2 # 1 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.50 Dark Horse # 1 of 2

The year is 1997 and with the temperature reaching 109 degrees, a shoot out between the cops and some of the El Scorpios drug gang has broken out in the street leaving a cop bleeding to death and both sides exchanging gunfire. But when Lieutenant Harrigan shows up he is able to use his own car as a battering ram and gets the officers a chance to save the dying officer as well as take out a few of the gangs members. But Harrigan and his team that consists of Danny Boy and Leona are told to stay out of the building that the rest of the gang is hiding in as a special unit team has been called in, but Harrigan and his men don’t listen and go in and end up finding the bodies of many of the gangsters as they have been slaughtered and one member even falls from the roof to his death after seeing the outline of The Predator who was in the building and killed all the gang members. Back at the station Harrigan and his men are in trouble for disobeying orders, learns that a Federal Task Force has been called in to tackle the drug war and it will be run by an Agent Peter Keyes and he also gets a new part of his team with Jerry Lambert. Later that night the Predator attacks a group of the rival gangs member that are lead by King Willie who is a voodoo priest, and once more Harrigan and his men don’t listen to orders and get in big trouble when after Danny Boy is killed while looking into the murder scene. And Keyes and his men threaten Harrigan if he keeps interfering in their crime scenes. But after Danny’s funeral, Harrigan is on a personal mission to find the killer and even lets Keye’s know that his words mean nothing to him as Leona and Jerry stay with Harrigan and come up with a plan to find out who Keyes really is, what he knows about this killer on the loose and to find and track said killer to pay him back for taking out their fellow officer and friend. Later that night Harrigan meets with the drug lord King Willie to find out if he knows who this killer of his men as well as all the others is, and Willie tells him that the killer is from the other side before they part ways. The Predator then comes for Willie and ends the voodoo man’s life.

This is really a fun read, and if you are a fan of Predator 2 like I am this comic adaptation does the film justice as well as adds its own touch to the story as it takes away element from the film in order to speed up the story and make it fit into two issues. Like while much of the violence is around it is not as bloody as the film, the comic also has the events pretty much taken from the side of Harrigan as he acts as the narrator and moves the story along and moments that are cut from the panels are showcased in his words. The one part that I wish that was not cut from the story so much was Jerry Lambert joining the team as in the film it’s a really cool scene as they all kind of bust his balls, but in the comic he just kind of joins. The plot is very simple and has the city of L.A. in big trouble as a drug war is going on and the temperature is so high that tempers are out of control, and worse the cops are now having to find a killer who is killing people on all sides and that means the drug dealers as well as the officers…and things get worse when the government send a team in to take control and they are full of secrets and are hiding the truth from the cops. Lieutenant Harrigan is the hero of our story and is a cop who does not take crap from anyone, he breaks the rules all the time but it cause he wants to bring down the bad guys and do his job right and that is to serve and protect the innocent as well as watch the backs of his fellow officers. He is super skilled when it comes to shooting and his never back down attitude is what makes him the target of The Predator as he see’s Harrigan as the ultimate hunt in L.A. and he ain’t wrong. Harrigan’s team are much like him great cops who break the rules but get the job done and they are all very great characters and make a great team as Danny Boy, Leona and Jerry are the kind of partners you would want on your side if you were a cop. Keyes and his team are slimey as they threaten and use intimidation to try and get people to fall in line to what they want them to do. And while the feuding drug pushers are around they are a non-factor once The Predator enters the city as he makes quick work of them all including King Willie, who is a very powerful boss as well as a voodoo priest. I do wish that the comic was a little more bloody but I do think fans of the red stuff will not be let down by this comic. The cover is pretty cool and is a still from the movie and shows The Predator in all his glory, and the interior artwork is done by Dan Barry and is great stuff as he was working on many of Dark Horse Comics Predator series around this time. This is a great read and leaves us on the cliffhanger of King Willie being killed by the alien hunter, and makes me want to see what the second issue has in store.

Predator 2 # 2 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.50 Dark Horse # 2 of 2

Lieutenant Harrigan is visiting the grave of his friend Danny Boy when he finds apart of his friends necklace hanging from the tree and he knows that the killer is playing games with him. Once back at the station Harrigan meets up with Leona and Jerry who he tells to take the subway towards the slaughterhouse as a tip found on the body of Danny Boy leads them to the killer might be using it as a hideout and at one point Jerry confirms that while tracking Keyes he lost him around that area. But while on the train the Predator attacks and kills many of the civilians as well as kills Jerry and steals his skull as a trophy. And the Predator only let Leona live because she was pregnant, but when Harrigan arrives on the scene he see’s the Predator and gives chase for the alien through the streets of L.A. but losses him. As Harrigan keeps tracking The Predator he runs into Keyes and his men who finally inform the officer that the killer he is looking for is an alien who is the ultimate hunter and he is killing people in the city due to the high heat and the high crime rate as this is the perfect hunting ground for him. Harrigan then watches and Keyes and some of his men head into the slaughter house with the idea to capture the Predator in order to study its technology…they fail and are all killed by him. But Harrigan once more goes after the Predator and even is able to cut off one of the aliens hands! Harrigan tracks the Predator to his own ship and the two have a final showdown and Harrigan is able to kill it with his own Smart Disc, and as the Predator dies more of his kind appear on the ship and take their fallen friend away as one gives Harrigan a dueling pistol and allows him to leave the ship alive. The Predator’s ship takes off back to space as Harrigan looks to the sky and knows that they will return someday.

The second issue in this adaptation of Predator 2 does the film justice as well and is a great read for fans of the film as the plot of this second issue has Harrigan and the remaining members of his team going on the hunt for the one who killed their friend only for them to be the ones being hunted and Harrigan must come face to face with The Predator and have a showdown that will leave only one of them alive and the alien hunter learns he messed with the wrong cop! Lieutenant Harrigan in this issue has had enough as he totally goes against orders and even stands up to Keyes and his men letting them know that they don’t scare him and that he will do what he has to do to bring down the killer, and he does just that as even after finding out the killer is a massive alien he still goes after it full force and is able to cut the alien down to size using the hunters own weapon to end it’s life! Poor Jerry ends up getting killed in this issue and his skull and spine removed as Leona is left alive but is very much left in shock on what she has seen. The Predator himself is very skilled and also a little cruel as he seems to enjoy trying to bait and anger Harrigan throughout as he leaves Danny Boy’s necklace for Harrigan to find as well as removes Jerry’s skull right in front of him, but while The Predator is skilled I think he was also a little to cocky and that is why he ends up getting taken down in the end. Keyes and his men as well are way to cocky and think that they can just freeze and capture the Predator and they learn very quickly they are out skilled and out smarted and are left as dead as the meat hanging in the slaughterhouse! The second issue has some blood and cool kills and I have to say both human and alien blood is spilled. The cover for this issue as well is a still from the movie and is pretty great as its one of the most iconic images from the film, and like before Dan Barry is the interior artist and his work is great stuff and has the early Dark Horse Comics style and those who grew up reading such comics as Terminator, Pumpkinhead and Aliens from them will know what I mean. This is a very cool adaptation and while as I said moments from the film are missing or are condensed down it still is a very solid read and one I enjoyed back then and still do now. Checkout the artwork below to see they style of Dan Barry as I really do like the way he draws The Predator. Oh and I should also say for those wondering, the characters in the comic do not look like the actors from the film so those wanting to see Danny Glover, Gary Busey and Bill Paxton might be a little disappointed.

The film Predator 2 made for a great comic adaptation as the film is filled with lots of action and some great kills that are just perfect for pages in a comic book. The one thing is the first film from 1987 never did get the comic book treatment and that’s crazy as it really should have, as imagine seeing a drawn Dutch doing battle against the Predator in the jungle…that would have been awesome. And what is cool for fans of the Predator films is that over the years many different comic series have been made featuring them, and while Dark Horse Comics has the most released, even Marvel Comics more recently has released some issues. But as you can see, this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update has come to an end as we have survived the heat as well as the Predator, and I think that it’s time for me to tell you that our next update will take us to the Rotten Ink Arena as we take a look at another Indie Luchador File! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as this Luchador was a true legend on the indies and really likes the color Blue!

Horror Host Icon: The Night Watchman (WGN)

Posted on June 23, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! I am wondering how many of your readers out there remember Movie Underground, a hosted movie show that featured The Night Watchman bringing viewers some of the best films he could find in the film vaults he was hired to protect? This short-lived Host and his show are the topic for this Horror Host Icon update as I feel that all hosts should be remembered! Plus this show was on a big station out of Chicago, Illinois and had a pretty loyal and large following as Illinois is also another state that has a rich history of late night Horror Hosts. But we are not here to talk about the others as we are here to celebrate the career of The Night Watchman and go on his rounds as he protects the film vault and shares a movie with us.

The Night Watchman is the host of Movie Underground and is the night guard at the Fortress Of Television and is also very much into movies and wants to delver the best he can offer to the viewers. He is a super goofy and is a fun loving, jokey kind of guy who looks like actor and comedian Drew Carey in a guard outfit. He also seems to love to chat about the night’s film given facts as well as joking about parts of the film and sometimes playing off what characters say. His jokes are silly and have a “Dad” quality to them and that is part of his charm that built up his connection with the viewers as he seems like he is watching the film along with you, and most of the time he has his trusty popcorn ready for a snack while he watches. He is good friends with his co-worker and co-host The Nightie Watchman and loves joking with her about the night’s film. While he is not the zaniest nor flashiest of Hosts he is a good one who entertained his viewers with his antics and jokes show after show. Marc Chase was the actor who played The Night Watchman who had a background in Radio and worked for Tribune Media.

WGN Movie Underground was a weekly show that would air on WGN America on Friday Nights at 8pm and would have host The Night Watchman and his co-host Nightie Watchman hosting a single movie and they would fill the time with facts, trivia and jokes. The set was an area outside the vault that had a big comfy chairs, table with a bucket of popcorn, a lava lamp and movie posters hanging on the walls behind them. The show had a good fan following and the hosts were well liked by viewers who also would participate in the Swap Shop segments of the show that would have viewers try and trade for an item that the hosts had up for grabs most of the time props from the show. Movie Underground would start in 2008 and sadly by 2010 it was off the air as WGN decided to renew it for another season. Most of the shows segments was written by Michael Walter and they were produced and directed by Paul Crossey. While the show was short lived it was well loved by its viewers and still has a cult following on tape trade lists to this day.

The Nightie Watchman is the beautiful co-host of Movie Underground and she as well wears her guard outfit and loves to chat about the movie that they host, and by all accounts she as well is the more knowledgeable about the movies and is the better at hosting between the two when it comes to that. Her name is Henrietta or Henrie but she goes by Nightie Watchman and she was one of the most popular parts of the show, not just cause her stunning good looks but because of her personality and fun nature. The shows official website use to even have a Nightie Watchman photo gallery for fans to bask in her beauty. Nightie Watchman was played by model April Rose Maydock who was also an actress as well as a MAXIM Magazine lady. She is a great co-host who at times really did outshine the shows main.

WGN was a station that I can remember watching when I was a kid as it was a station we could pick up from time to time and they would always be airing weird movies and shows in reruns. I am not sure when this happened but at some point our Ohio cable provider dropped WGN from the lineup so in 2008 when Movie Underground was airing I had no clue about it as I would have watched the show and would have really enjoyed it as it has a great vibe and a host who was silly and goofy and added his own touch on the art of hosting, plus lets be honest Nightie Watchman was very eye catching with her beauty. Plus I must say that it’s great when a host and a co-host have great chemistry on the screen and I feel that these two have that magic. I wish that more major broadcast stations would do this type of show and that is why we fans of Horror Hosting should be grateful for METV for airing Svengoolie!

The Night Watchman and Nightie Watchman are a great team when it comes to being Movie Hosts who could also be called Horror Hosts as they have hosted their fair share of Horror, Comedies and Sci-Fi films over their run. And I would like to thank Horror Host Dr. Pureblood for getting me episodes of this show and making this update possible as well as B-Videos 101, I also want to thank our friends at IMDB for the movies write ups. So if you are ready it looks like The Night Watchman is about to start his patrol and that’s our cue to tag along for the zany ride. Oh and before we start our movie watching and protecting patrol I want to also remind you that I do not rate or grade the episodes and I do write about the zany antics of the host. So lets get patrolling.

Movie Underground: Alien
Starring – Sigourney Weaver & John Hurt R 1979

Host: Night Watchman and Nightie are sitting on the station couch and give a few fun facts about the night’s film and Watchman even lets water pour from his mouth as Nightie continues on looking a little disturbed, and then the usher us into the first part of the movie. When then rejoin them as they talk about how profitable the film was for 20^th Century Fox at the box office before once more taking us back into the film. Still chilling on the couch they cut a quick joke about the fate of one of the characters before we head back to the movie. We next see them as Nightie tells us not to try this at home as we see a scene from the movie of the acid blood eating through the floor and Night Watchman acts as if he has a face hugger on his face. We then are treated to the SwapShop segment that has them putting up a double drink holder hat up for trade and tell the viewers to send it what they are willing to trade for it, they then go back to the movie. We next see them and Nightie is asking him to draw a picture of a creature that attaches itself to a person and the Night Watchman is drawing and when he turns the board around it’s a picture of actress and singer Miley Cyrus, then back to the movie. Next time we see them Night Watchman is messing up the classic Phrase used to promote the film Alien as Nightie alerts the viewers how to send the show an email by given out the address and then its back to the movie. In the end Night Watchman hits a glowing read button that will not allow the alien to escape as Nightie questions him about sequels and then they say they will see us next week as smoke and the siren goes off.

Movie: In the distant future, the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo are on their way home when they pick up a distress call from a distant moon. The crew are under obligation to investigate and the spaceship descends on the moon afterwards. After a rough landing, three crewmembers leave the spaceship to explore the area on the moon. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship’s computer deciphers the message to be a warning, not a distress call. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew realizes that they are not alone on the spaceship and they must deal with the consequences.

Movie Underground: Bill & Ted
Starring – Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter PG 1989

Host: Night Watchman and Nightie Watchman welcome the viewers to the show and they talk briefly about the nights movie as Night Watchman makes a fool of himself acting like he is talking in the lingo of Bill and Ted before he go to the movie. We next join them as they talk about musician and actor Clarence Clemons and they fake play instruments before we go back to the film. Night Watchman has ice on is eye as the idea of the phone booth saying reach out and touch someone backfired as Nightie punched him in the eye for touching her. Next time we join them they are goofing on how a Twinkie is what tricked Genghis Khan into the phone booth, they then make a joke about playing doctor with each other before back to the movie. Next they are holding a contest to win a red bra if you email the first name of The Night Watchman and get it correct, then back to the movie. The they make a joke about the size of a man’s corndog and head back to the film. In the end Night Watchman says Nightie should be respected for her beauty and her punches, and she then uses a wireless phone to zap them out of the vault ending their segments of the show.

Movie: Two seemingly dumb teens set off on a quest to prepare the ultimate historical presentation with the help of a time machine.

Movie Underground: Brothers Grimm
Starring – Matt Damon & Heath Ledger PG-13 2005

Host: The shows opens with The Night Watchman holding the film can for Brothers Grimm and pokes fun of it as he explains all the stuff it has in store for us before ushering us into the film. We next join him as he makes a poop joke and then we see some commercials, and once back he is cramming cold pizza into his mouth and then back to the movie. Once more when we join Night Watchman he pokes fun at the film and it’s lack of Oscar wins, and then claims he is going to show people how to do the Popcorn trick during the next break. The Popcorn trick is Night Watchman shoving the remaining popcorn into his mouth and then back to the movie. Once back Night Watchman makes a fart joke about beans and then makes a joke about a werewolf before its back to the movie time. And after a few more really bad jokes The Night Watchman reads a fan letter and then ends the show.

Movie: Will and Jake Grimm are traveling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires true courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.

Movie Underground: Gremlins
Starring – Zach Galligan & Phoebe Cates PG 1984

Host: Night Watchman and Nightie are very happy to bring you the nights film as they are even using Gremlin toys to showcase this, and they want the parents at home to pop some popcorn for the kids and to sit back and have a great family movie night with this film, Nightie also keeps saying “Screaming” as she moves her Stripe bobble-head around, before they usher in the movie. We join them back on the couch and they talk about a fun fact that Phoebe Cates and Judge Reinhold also starred in “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” before this film, and then its back to the move. Next The Night Watchman soaks the camera with a water gun to see if the viewers will multiple like the Gremlins do, as Nightie uses an umbrella to block the water before they go back to the movie. Next is a trivia question on who voiced the character Gizmo in the film. Night Watchman next alerts that they need to call housekeeping do to the men’s bathroom being so bad. The end the show saying sorry for scaring the kid viewers with this film and Nightie gives the camera a kiss as the show ends.

Movie: A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Movie Underground: King Kong
Starring – Jeff Bridges & Jessica Lange PG 1976

Host: Night Watchman and Nightie start the episode off by playing charades and Nightie has to guess the nights film, and after some silly back and fourth its clear the film is the 1976 remake version of King Kong. We next join them as they chat about how the critics hated Jessica Lange and her performance in the film, and then Nightie is in a towel and Night Watchman asks if he can use it to get the popcorn butter off his fingers, the answer is no and to the movie we go. Next they are both hiding behind the couch and make fun of a photo camera one of the cast is using as it uses film still. Then they make fun of some of the flubs of the film like the trees not being knocked down in scenes before its back to the film. We next briefly join them as Night Watchman is tied up and gaged as Nightie shakes her head. They then answer a fan question about the nights film and after the answer Night Watchman of course delivers a cheesy joke. Next the make fun of the mechanical Kong that was used in the film as a bad idea. In the end Night Watchman falls from the ceiling as he was monkeying around and Nightie says she will watch over him and that they will see everyone next week.

Movie: When a research ship is sent to explore an island thought to be rich in oil, paleontologist Jack Prescott sneaks aboard, having heard strange rumors about the island. En route, the crew rescues Dwan, the sole survivor of a shipwreck. When they arrive, they find native people living in fear of a monster called Kong. The natives kidnap Dwan and sacrifice her to what turns out to be an enormous ape. Dwan is eventually rescued, and the ape captured for a gala exhibit.

Movie Underground: The Mummy
Starring – Brendan Fraser & Rachel Weisz PG-13 1999

Host: The Night Watchman is playing with toilet paper and asks Nightie what it reminder her of and she says a crappy movie? And he alerts her that the film tonight is The Mummy and then flings the TP as she runs away. We next join them as Night Watchman has wrapped himself in the toilet paper so that he looks like a Mummy as Nightie ushers us back to the movie. Next still wrapped up Night Watchmen tells a terrible Mummy dad joke and Nightie gets us back into the movie, but when we see him next he once more makes a bad joke this time about the toe of a camel. Next segment they both use puns in order to get us back to the movie, and Nightie does mention the original 1932 film. Next up Night Watchman has a camera and is taking pictures of Nightie and the plug her photo gallery on the WGN website. Nightie next tells us about the special effects of the movie and how George Lucas’s company is who handled it. They end the show by talking about how successful The Mummy was for Universal and how it spawned sequels, roller coaster and even spin –offs.

Movie: At an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Hamunaptra, an American serving in the French Foreign Legion accidentally awakens a mummy who begins to wreak havoc as he searches for the reincarnation of his long-lost love.

Movie Underground: Three Amigos
Starring – Steve Martin & Chevy Chase PG 1986

Host: The pair are relaxing and having popcorn when they chat a little about the nights film and Night Watchman confuses the film with “Three Men and A Baby” before Nightie corrects him and takes us to the first part of the movie. We next join them as they are wearing sombreros and are dancing around and send us back to the film. Next Night Watchman is taking a nap and Nightie takes us back to the film and Night wakes up and is mad as he feels she took his lines! Next Night Watchman does a big promo of watching College Football on WGN and talks about teams and games that are coming up, and before he get back to the movie Night Watchman is asking if they have anymore chip dip. The next few breaks they bring us in and out of the film and commercial breaks. Night Watchman makes a joke about the character Dusty Bottoms and Nightie just shakes her head, and they end the show with Night Watchman having a stomachache and running to the restroom and Nightie says she will see us next week.

Movie: Three out of work silent movie actors are accidentally drawn to a Mexican village that is being harassed by a gang of outlaws. The three, ‘Ned’, ‘Lucky Day’ and ‘Dusty Bottoms’ play ‘Lone Ranger’ types in their movies, but must play their parts for real now.

WGN Movie Underground and it’s hosts Night Watchman and Nightie are really solid and made their mark on Horror Hosting and is a show that I feel still could be on TV today and WGN should bring them back as these types of movie hosting shows are lacking on broadcast TV. And I truly do thank that Night Watchman and Nightie made a great duo and did a fantastic job of not only entertaining the viewers but also educating them on the films. But our time with The Night Watchman has came to an end as his shift is over, but before we end this Icon update I would like to tell you that our next update will be the July 4^th update and will feature a comic book American Hero as it will be about the youngest elected President in America Prez! 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 update for a firework in the sky good time.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Man From Planet X (1951)

Posted on June 13, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink where today we will be taking a look at the sci-fi horror film The Man From Planet X and the comic adaptation made about it! This classic film was released in the 1950’s and was during the big alien invasion boom that filled cinemas and packed drive-in theaters across America. And even back then both comic companies and moviemakers knew that comics was a great way to promote the film. The Man From Planet X is a one of those B-Movies that has gained a cult following, and the first comic book version was released by Fawcett and worth a pretty penny, so we will be reading and reviewing the reprint that was released by Planet X comics. So let’s get out of this fog and try and avoid this alien from Planet X as I heard he is not such a nice guy! It’s time for From Horror Movie To Horror Comic The Man From Planet X.

Let’s take a look at The Man From Planet X Alien and his way of dealing death to the Earthlings that get in his way of leading an invasion of our planet. The Man From Planet X is from Planet X, a planet that is dying due to super cold temperatures, and he has been sent to Earth to check it out to see if his people could live there or even maybe get help from the Earthlings…but while friendly at first, his attitude changes when he is attacked and now he is out for revenge. The Man From Planet X speaks in a musical tone and this can confuse his victims and his odd appearance of strange humanlike face, bowl over head and alien clothes can also cause major fear in his human targets. He also has a ray that allows him to take control over the minds of humans that he can shine it on, these mindless slaves will do whatever the alien asks and that includes doing hard work but more importantly he can have them attack fellow humans and capture them in order for him to mind control them as well, in other words he could build an army of mindless Earthlings that would work for his cause of taking over The Earth. The Man From Planet X is also very smart and can uses his mind to come up with strategies for his cause and even uses such natural Earth things like fog to his advantage to sneak and attack humans. He also has a starship that allows him to enter and exit space and its appearance as well can cause fear and cause terror to those who see it. The Man From Planet X’s main tool to deal out death is his ray gun that with one blast will kill a human dead. But while The Man From Planet X has tools and the brains to be a bringer of death to mankind, he can be defeated like any living thing. The Man From Planet X’s main weakness is that he cannot breath our air and if you take out his gas tank he will die from suffocation. He can also be shot or blown up, and this will also end his life. He also while can be dangerous seems to not have a full killer instinct unless he is pushed and feels threatened and this could also lead to him being attacked and killed if someone can set him up. He is also not very big and this causes him to be over powered very easily, and he is not skilled in a hand to hand fight. The Man From Planet X might not be the most dangerous of aliens, but when push comes to shove he can kill with ease.

So as you can see, The Man From Planet X is a true alien on a mission to either get help from the Earth or take it over! So I think that it’s now time for us to take a look at the film as it is what spawned him and like always I will be taking the film’s write up from IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s take a walk on the foggy moors and see if we run across The Man From Planet X.

The Man From Planet X (1951)

“To study a rogue planet heading for a near-miss with Earth, Prof. Elliot sets up an observatory on the foggy moors of a remote Scottish island, with his pretty daughter and Dr. Mears, a former student with a shady past. Soon after arrival of reporter John Lawrence, a ship from Planet X just happens to land near the observatory. Is the visitor (who actually looks alien) benevolent? What are Mears’ real motives for trying to communicate with it?”

The Man From Planet X was a cheaply made sci-fi horror film that was produced by Jack Pollexfen and Audrey Wisberg and was written by the pair as well who had a history of making cheap films in different genres. Audrey produced such films as Hercules In New York (1970)”, “Son Of Sinbad (1955)” and “Captain Kidd And The Slave Girl (1954)” with Jack working on such films as “Indestructible Man (1956)” and “The Neanderthal Man (1953)” showing that the pair knew how to make fun cheaply made films. They would bring in Edgar G. Ulmer to direct the film, who was himself a veteran of making horror and sci-fi films including for Universal as in 1934 he directed the film The Black Cat that starred Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and John Carradine. Actors hired for this film included Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Roy Engel, Raymond Bond and Charles Davis to name a few. The film started filming on December 13, 1950 at Hal Roach Studios out of California and they would reuse the sets from the film Joan Of Arc that was filmed in 1948 by Ingrid Bergman and would wrap filming in only six day’s as the budget was only around $51 thousand. The film would be scored by Charles Koff and distributed by United Artists and would be released in theaters in 1951 and would make around $1.2 million dollars at the box office. The film was met with pretty positive reviews from critics as well as fans and has gone on to gain a big cult following and would later be released on home media to entertaining a new generation of viewers. The film in 1951 was released with such other films as The Thing, The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Strange Door, Abbot And Costello Meet The Invisible Man, Bride Of The Gorilla and Two Lost Worlds to name a few.

In the 1950’s the horror films were pretty much sci-fi films as that was what was popular at the time and bringing viewers into the cinemas and drive-in theaters as the Space Race was in this decade and the thought of man walking on the moon and stepping foot on other planets filled the minds of everyone. Not to mention, people were also scared of the unknown from space like aliens and UFO’s. And of course cheaper Hollywood producers cashed in on this trend and cranked out spooky Alien invasions films and The Man From Planet X was one of those cheapies that was made during this time but was one of the more entertaining ones made on that lower level. And I want to say the first time I ever saw the film was on either TBS or TNT when I was a youngster and it might have been on a classic MonsterVision episode that would have been hosted by The Moon and Narrator. I remember always thinking that the Planet X Alien was very cool looking and the use of the fog in the film gave it a very spooky feel. And the plot of the film had that already very familiar feel for this era of Sci-Fi Horror. But sadly I think that while it had a cult following, it was ultimately lost in the shuffle as the year it hit theaters the films The Thing and The Day The Earth Stood Still were released and it took a back seat to those at being some of that decade’s best films in the genres of horror. And of course when this film was released on DVD I made sure to get it for my collection and if you have not seen this film make sure to check it out.

So as you can see, The Man From Planet X is a very entertaining film and the Planet X Alien is pretty dangerous! And I have to once more stress that this film is lots of fun and deserves the cult classic status it has. And it is really cool that Plant X Comics did this cool reprint of the Fawcett Comic adaptation of this film as the original comic sells for hundreds of dollars with the reprint selling for a few dollars. I would like to thank Bell Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I also want to remind you 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 with that if you are ready, let’s grab some pitchforks to keep Earth safe as the Alien from Planet X has landed and he doesn’t look happy!

The Man From Planet X # 1 ***
Released in 1987 Cover Price NA Planet X # 1 of 1

Newspaper reporter John Lawrence is with astronomer Dr. Blaine, and they are talking about a new planet called Planet X that is heading towards Earth. John has a message from Professor Elliot, the man who discovered Planet X to come meet with him on a fog covered island near Scotland, and John does just that and is picked up by Professor Elliot’s daughter Enid Elliot and quickly gets a crush on her. When at Prof. Elliot’s lab John learns that Planet X is getting even closer to Earth and it looks like there are living beings on it! John also learns that the creepy and conman Dr. Mears is helping Prof. Elliot on his research of Planet X, and when on a late night walk with Enid the pair find a strange device sent from Planet X to test our planet’s atmosphere and all take a look at this light weight metal and wonder what is next. Enid then drives John into town and once coming back home she gets a flight tire and also sees a spaceship with a strange Planet X Alien inside it, and when Prof. Elliot goes to investigate and learns that The Man From Planet X has a ray that can control the minds of humans and if Enid did not guide her father away who knows what his fate would have been. The next day John and Prof. Elliot have another run in with The Man From Planet X and at first it goes terrible as the alien pulls a gun on them but after they save his life when his breaking tube for his helmet is leaking the alien becomes friendly and follows them home. While back at the lab The Man From Planet X tries to talk to them but is language is like that of music and Dr. Mears thinks that his math skills might be able to break down a sort of dialogue between the two. As Prof. Elliot falls ill all of a sudden, John heads to town for medicine as Enid stays by her fathers side. Away from the others, Dr. Mears attacks The Man Of Planet X and turns off his breathing gas knocking him out and this causes The Man From Planet X when he is awake again to think all humans are bad, and he kidnaps Enid back to his ship as John forces Dr. Mears to go along with him to get her back, but things get out of hand when The Man From Planet X uses his mind control ray on Enid, Dr. Mears, Prof. Elliot as well as others from town to be his mindless slaves as John is forced to get the police and military to the island to prepare for war as the alien is about to send a message to his home planet to start the invasion. Before the military bombs the alien ship to end the terror, John is able to sneak to the ship and save the lives of all of the humans under control and even fist fights and knocks down The Man From Planet X! Dr. Mears regains his senses and rushes to the alien who in turn shoots and kills him just as the military bombs the ship and kills The Man From Planet X and this also stops the invasion. And in the end as John and Prof. Eliot watch the ship burn they talk that they learned that Planet X was dying and all they wanted to do is find place to stay…and Dr. Mears ruined the peace with his greed and aggression.

This is a really fun comic that does a great job of bringing the film alive on these pages and while the comic can be a little wordy in spots the over all spooky and fun nature comes through. The plot is very simple and has an alien from another planet come to Earth only to find that all humans are not nice and one mans actions causes what could be the war of the worlds, and only a newspaper reporter, an old scientist and his daughter can save the Earth from the invasion. Let’s first start off talking about Dr. Mears, a true scumbag who even when at college was being looked at for shady doings and for some reason Professor Elliot trusts this man and his math skills to help him look into Planet X as well as The Man From Planet X and of course his shifty ways causes major issues as he attacks the alien and has ideas to use him to force respect, power and to gain an advantage in the world of science… Dr. Mears is truly the bad guy of this comic as well as film. Plus the comic has The Man From Planet X kill Mears when in the film it’s the military that seals the doctor’s fate. Professor Elliot is super smart and is the one who noticed the approaching planet and is the one trying to figure out why and at what coast it will have on Earth, his lovely daughter Enid Elliot is very sweet and nice and is doing what she can to help her father in his research as well as finds herself falling in love with John. Speaking of John Lawrence he is a good reporter who is the true hero of the day even more so than the cops and military as all they want to do is use bombs to stop the alien, while John wants to save all the innocent human lives that are under mind control and he does just that! The Man From Planet X is sent to Earth in order in order to try and get help to save his planet that is turning to ice and is willing at first to trade science secrets with us for help, but after being attacked he turns bad and now is going to send word that Earth needs to be invaded and even takes over the minds of Earthlings to do his bidding. The comic does not feature blood just like the movie don’t and only has two kills and that is Dr. Mears being shot and The Man From Planet X being blown up. While by today’s horror standards, this comic would not be scary, but in the 1950’s when original released I am sure it was spooky stuff! The cover for this reprint comic is pretty cool and features elements of the film’s poster as well as uses bright yellow that makes it eye catching. The interior art is done by…well that is the thing many different artists over the years have been given credit for it but we will say Unknown Artist and is fantastic stuff and I really dig how they draw The Man From Planet X! This is such a great read and does the source it’s based off of justice and is well worth a read for fans of the film or those who like classic Sci-Fi Alien Invasion stories. I do also want to say that the comic does change some elements in order to keep the comic a fast read and fit in the page count given. Checkout the artwork below to see the art style used in this issue.

You have to love those old 50’s low budget B-Movie sci-fi horror films as there was something so special about many of them from that time. And I think that The Man From Planet X is a very underrated film that should be looked back on just as fondly as many of the other films from that time. Plus I love those old horror films that were shot on sets and have that eerie creepy feel to them that they mask the limitations of the studio set by the use of fog machines. And I really do have to say a big THANK YOU to Planet X Comics who back in the late 1980’s made this reprint edition of the comic as finding an original copy is super heard and expensive. But as you can see, this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update has came to an end and before we part ways I would like to let you readers know that our next update will take us to the world of Horror Hosting as we chat about The Night Watchman, the host of WGN Movie Underground! 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 update as this will surely be a fun one as The Night Watchman is so zany.

Top Horror Games Countdown: Atari 2600

Posted on May 2, 2023 by bloodlinematt

The Atari 2600 was released in North America in September 1977, and the world of home gaming was forever changed as it quickly became a must-have system for every gamer at the time who wanted to play arcade ports as well as new games, all in the comfort of their very own home. Plus the system would have a very long life as it would go from 1977-1990 with the system finally coming to a full end in 1992 showing just iconic of a console it was for its time, and yes I know that the Nintendo Entertainment System is considered the gold standard for home consoles. Plus the 2600 was simple to play as your controller was a joystick with only one red button and this kept the games from being too complex for young players and those who were new to video games in general. With the Atari 2600 also came the first wave of console horror games and that is another reason why the 2600 is so important to the world of gaming for many as it paved the way for PS5, X-Box Series X and Nintendo Switch horror games. Growing up I did not own an Atari 2600 and I would not get one of my own until I was in my 30’s, but that does not mean that I did not have one in my life as my grandparents on my father’s side had one and as a kid my across the street neighbor did as well and this allowed me to play so many of the classic titles, and later my brother had ROMs of many titles and we would play them on the computer from time to time. When I got my own system I found myself loving it and went on a quest to buy all the classic titles and of course all the horror games I could get my hands on!

I have 16 horror games for the Atari 2600 (including home brew and hacks) and that makes them the Unlucky 16, as I will rank them from worst to best! Now I am not going to give them a star rating or even a letter grade, I am just going to let their standing speak for itself. I am also going to chat a little about the game as well as my thoughts, and of course I will also tell when it was released, what company put it out, what it was rated as well as if I beat it. The thing with Atari 2600 is that many of the games do not have a true ending as they are mostly point based games, but for games that are beatable, I will say if I have finished them. And keep in mind the games I am ranking all have to be in my collection and on the original format so no digital rom games will be on here, as all that I am ranking are on the classic cart. I will be ranking them mostly on my personal opinion and of course elements like game play, spookiness, graphics, sound, music, replay value, villain(s), story, characters and presentation will all play factors in the ranking as well. So if you are ready, let’s dust off the old Atari 2600 and bust out the old carts and see what horror titles on the system brought the scares to this gamer.

# 16

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Released in 1983 System: 2600 Company: Wizard Rated: NA Beat: No

Let’s start with the unlucky 16th game on this list; in last place is the Wizard Video game The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that has you play as Leatherface. Your goal is to have your chainsaw ready to kill and you have to dodge skulls, wheelchairs and other obstacles while you chase your female victim around the farm…but watch out, your chainsaw can also run out of gas and with that it’s game over as your victim will give you a kick in the butt. This is a very simple and point driven game that marks the first time Leatherface was in a video game and also was one of the first horror games that parents protested, causing it to be sold only behind counters and making it rare even when released. When I bought my 2600, one of the first games I bought off Ebay was Texas Chainsaw Massacre as for years I had heard about it and I had to own and play it, and as you can see, it did not live up to my expectations as I found it to be boring and bland. Once the appeal of playing a 8-Bit version of Leatherface wore off, it is really a bad game from the terrible uninspired plot, to the overly simple game play to the cheesy ending of the butt kick, this was just not good and that is why it finds itself in last place. But I want to also say that while the game is bad, I still do enjoy it for all its cheesy goodness.

# 15

Dawn Of The Dead
Released in 2004 System: 2600 Company: Home Brew Rated: NA Beat: No

In this Home Brew game you are a survivor during the zombie apocalypse, and in your van you must dodge tombstones as well as fight off the zombies who want to eat your flesh! To fight back against them, you must fire weapons from your van as well as make sure to get gas that is along the road. This is a fun game and is very simple to play, and while it is just a hack of the game “Worm War I” the changes make it feel like a new game and even adds the stress of the undead on the attack as well as all the obstacles in your way causing you to lose fuel and possibly be stranded on the road. The game was one of the first home brew hack games I got for my Atari 2600, and while I do enjoy it, I feel that other original, and even one other home brew, games deserve to be ranked higher. I will say that for the age of 2600, the game could be considered scary to some gamers due to the stress of it all.

# 14

Rampage
Released in 1986 System: 2600 Company: Activision Rated: NA Beat: No

Cities are under attack by the likes of giant wolf Ralph, big gorilla George and mega lizard Lizzie, and your goal in this game is to pick one of the giant monsters and wreck the city while also fighting off the army! This of course is a port of the classic Arcade game, and while the graphics and some elements are downplayed, the basics are all still here. While the game is fun, it does lack that charm that even the Nintendo port had and is a little too basic and barebones to really be the outstanding game it could have been. This was another game I picked up a little over a decade ago and wanted to see how the 2600 game stacked up against the Nintendo version that I grew up playing, and I would say that it did not deliver the same punch as that version, but I did find myself praising if for having Ralph as a playable character, something the NES version does not. Over all if you like Rampage and only have an Atari 2600 to play video games on, then give this one a shot, if you have other game consoles that have this game I would say choose to buy that version over this one. While it sounds like I hate this version of the game, I want to stress I do not. The low ranking is due to the to simplified gameplay and the fact also that all aspects of giant monster horror are kind of lacking here.

# 13

King Kong
Released in 1982 System: 2600 Company: Tiger Rated: NA Beat: No

King Kong has taken a woman prisoner on top of a building and is throwing bombs down. Your goal is to jump over the bombs and do your best to get past Kong who just watches you dodge his bombs and rescue the woman in this clear Donkey Kong clone game. The game, while in the horror genre due to it being about King Kong, is not scary at all though it could be considered challenging and I guess spooky to some younger players due to Kong being a giant monster who is stomping around and throwing bombs after kidnapping a woman. There’s not much to say about this one besides it’s kind of a fun game and adds its own spin on the Donkey Kong gameplay to make it stand out, and while its challenging, it’s not frustratingly hard like some of the other games for the Atari 2600. I got this game early on when I bought my system and have played it off and on for many years now, and while it’s not an amazing game, keep in mind it is still one of the earliest games based on Kong so that has to mean something for players.

# 12

Ghost Manor
Released in 1983 System: 2600 Company: Xonox Rated: NA Beat: Yes

In this chilling game you play as a boy or girl and enter a creepy castle in order to save each other all the while having to fight and get past monsters that are on a mission to make you dead. As the character you choose, you must enter the castle by first chasing a ghost around the graveyard and then dodging an axe swinging mummy as well as skulls before getting inside and making your way up stairs to finally come face to face with Dracula. Once you trap Dracula, you save the other and make it out of the castle and then you win the game. You also have to do all this in four minutes, and also must collect spears and crosses to help on your quest. This is a fun and quick game that adds in some classic monsters and scares and the simple gameplay makes Ghost Manor a game that feels like it’s for all ages and is very fun and cheesy and that is what makes it entertaining. This was a game that I ended up buying in 2022 as it was one that was on my radar for many years, and while it was not great, I will say that it’s good and I am glad I have it in my collection now. If you like Dracula games, make sure to check this one out and if you like games based on haunted castles, this one is also for you.

# 11

Revenge Of The Beefsteak Tomatoes
Released in 1983 System: 2600 Company: Fox Rated: NA Beat: No

Angry Tomatoes are attacking and the only hope is The Tomato Sprayer who must use its wits to collect the floating bricks to build brick walls in order to keep the tomatoes in check. But the Tomatoes also will be fighting back as the plants below are firing at you as well as some of the vines will grow to break down your walls and a mean tomato will also be passing back and fourth looking to get you. This game is clearly inspired somewhat by the cult film “Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes” and while horror themed in nature, the game is not that scary, but is very challenging and you must think fast at times in order to build your walls to keep the tomatoes out as well as get your points. While this could be one of the less spooky games on this countdown, it is one that I think you should check out as it’s a fun play and who knows, maybe the mean looking tomato will send a shiver down your spine! I can remember playing this game a decade back for the first time and being confused what to do, but once I got down how to play it, I enjoyed it.

# 10

Alien
Released in 1982 System: 2600 Company: Fox Rated: NA Beat: No

The first ever video games based on the Alien film series was for the Atari 2600 and was a maze runner game much like Pac-Man, that was the world’s most popular game at the time. This game has you playing as a crew member of a ship that has been overrun by the Xenomorphs who have laid eggs in the hallways. Armed with a flamethrower and random pulsars, you must destroy the eggs all the while dodging the three Xenomorphs that want you dead! And once you clear a stage, you have to run up the screen through a bunch of Xenomorphs in order to start the next maze. Alien brings the gaming elements of Pac-Man and Frogger together to deliver a creepy intense game that is stressful as the Aliens chase you around the maze that is your ship, and all the while you find yourself filled with anxiety as one wrong move can leave you dead and GAME OVER! While this is not a groundbreaking game when it comes to game play, it is a cool horror themed game that lets you know that no one can hear you scream when you are playing Alien for the 2600 and a Xenomorph is on your tail. Over all if you love video games based on the Alien film series, make sure to check this one out and give it a play.

# 9

Phantasm
Released in 2009 System: 2600 Company: Home Brew Rated: NA Beat: No

Did you readers and gamers know that the Atari 2600 has new games being made for it to this day? The new games are being made by fans and are called home brew games and in 2008/2009, a very cool one was made based on the Phantasm movie series that puts you in the sights of Tall Man and his killer dwarf henchmen in a first person maze style game that has your shotgun as the only chance for survival. This is really cool and is creepy in that classic Atari style. From the classic music opening the game to the Tall Man appearing and saying “Boy” to you, this is one that surely will chill your bones and send a shiver down your spine when playing it late at night as it’s as spooky as a 2600 game can be. It took me a bit to find a copy of this game on cart, and when I did I played the hell out of it trying to figure out the maze as well as survive the attack by the Tall Man and his henchmen, and while it was a little pricey I feel it was worth the price. Cool concept and I love the home brew community for making games like this possible.

# 8

Ghostbusters
Released in 1984 System: 2600 Company: Activision Rated: NA Beat: Yes

Ghostbusters has to rank high on the list when it comes to horror comedies. Lke all great blockbuster films, it got the video game treatment, and the Atari 2600 got a version of the game that entertained fans of the film as well as added a challenge to gamers who played this paranormal game in the early 80’s. The game has you play as a Ghostbuster, and you must drive around town and to the scene of a haunting and then bust some ghosts and update and stock your equipment before trying to defeat Gozer by dodging a jumping Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! This game is lots of fun and is very simple as one part is moving around a map, another has you driving the Ecto-1 and the other has two Ghostbusters using their proton pack and traps to capture the likes of Slimer. The game features lots of ghost that do look the same as well as the giant Stay Puft adding to the chills and thrills of the game. And unlike many Atari 2600 games, this one has an end level making beating it possible. I can remember playing this game as a kid at my Grandparents house and later on as an adult, and while I do think the Nintendo version is better, this one does have a simple fun factor to it and also added to the legacy of Ghostbusters in video games as well as added another horror themed game to the Atari 2600 library.

# 7

The Alligator People
Released in 1983 System: 2600 Company: Fox Rated: NA Beat: No

Alligator People was a game based on the 1959 film that was to be released by Fox, but for some reason it was shelved and never released until the prototype was found and it was released via the reproduction market. This was one that I had to have as I liked the movie lots and playing a video game based on it was a must. In this maze style game, you play as Jane Marvin and you must shoot your friends and husband with a serum in order to stop their transformations into Alligator People! And all the while Jane must also watch out for the horrors of the swamps like hungry alligators. It’s shocking that this never got an official release because it’s lots of fun and even has some Atari spooky moments with the atmosphere and even the alligators delivering some chills. I wish Fox would have stuck with making video games based on their horror and sci-fi films as gamers in the 80’s could have had some very cool games to play. Check this one out if you can find it on a cart as it’s worth being in your collection.

# 6

The Earth Dies Screaming
Released in 1983 System: 2600 Company: Fox Rated: NA Beat: No

In this game based on the 1964 film, you play as a brave pilot of a Space Destroyer who is going around space and shooting down fighters and satellites launched by the Trillians who want to destroy the Earth. I you allow too many satellites to crash to Earth and if the Trillian Fighters hit your ship too much, the Earth will fall and the aliens will win. This is a very fun space shooter game that is pretty much only based on the movie in namesake. But the game adds a level of stress and horror as you have to act quickly in order to survive and save the Earth and everyone is counting on just you to bring the end to the Alien assault. This is a really fun game and is challenging as it gets harder and harder the longer you play and the further you get. Plus I love the idea of a video games based on a film that was relatively unknown. This is one of those games I can remember playing at work when it was traded in, but for some reason I never bought it myself and finally did in 2022 in order to make sure that could take its place on this list. This is very fun game and proves that Atari 2600 knew how to make good space shooter games.

# 5

Gremlins
Released in 1984 System: 2600 Company: Atari Rated: NA Beat: No

In this movie tie-in game you play as Billy Peltzer and you have to run around and catch falling Mogwai and if you miss them, they will eat a hamburger and turn into Gremlins that will cause you to have to fight them off by shooting them as they come down the screen after you! This game has only two screens: one that has you darting back and fourth catching and one that has you going back and fourth shooting, and yet some how this simple and limited game just works. While it’s not super scary, it could be spooky for younger gamers as the Gremlins are pretty threatening and their attacks can be very stressful. This is another game that I first played at a neighbor’s house and can remember loving it, and of course I had to track down my own copy decades later when I bought my own 2600. The game has elements of “Space Invaders” and “Kaboom!” and adds its own touch to their game play styles. A fun and challenging game the further you get makes this a must play game for horror gamers who like their scares on the lighter side. The game is semi rare and can be hard to get.

# 4

Frankenstein’s Monster
Released in 1983 System: 2600 Company: Data Age Rated: NA Beat: No

Doctor Frankenstein is building a monster, and you enter his castle to stop him. Frankenstein uses the electricity he is collecting from the probes to bring his new Monster to life, and to stop the monster’s return, you must brick him in and jump over pits of acid, holes and dodge bats in order to seal him in and save your village. This game is really fun and builds the tension as The Monster is coming alive and you must move fast in order to get the bricks to seal him in and must do this a total of six time to stop his creation. And if you fail, The Monster will turn green and rampage and walk towards the player until he fills the screen. This game has a very classic horror game feel and its very cool to see Frankenstein’s Monster in one of his early home game console appearances. The game is also one that I feel is very underrated when it comes to horror games on the 2600 and is highly entertaining and for the most part is often looked back on very fondly by old school gamers who grew up playing this game. When I was able to track down and get this game from a local game shop in Ohio, I was really excited to play it and it lived up to the fun spooky factor I was looking for. If you have an Atari 2600 or a 7800 and have not played this one make sure to do so.

# 3

Halloween
Released in 1983 System: 2600 Company: Wizard Rated: NA Beat: No

In this game you play as the Babysitter who must rescue five kids on each level from Michael Myers who chases you around the house with a knife. If he gets you, he cuts your head off and he also will kill the kids! The kids must be brought to the end of the house for safety and when Michael appears, the Halloween theme plays giving it that extra spooky touch. The game is all about points and continues on until the Babysitter loses all three of her lives. For its time, the game was very controversial like Texas Chainsaw Massacre as parents were upset about the violence and this made the game very rare and hard to get. The game’s legacy of being bloody as well as the fact it was based on the classic 1978 slasher film masterpiece helps add to its spooky factor! This was a game that for decades I had heard about and wanted so badly to play and when I finally got a copy, it lived up to what I wanted and what I heard it was like. And while it’s not a perfect game, it is one that is enjoyable even though very repetitive in nature.

# 2

Space Invaders
Released in 1980 System: 2600 Company: Atari Rated: NA Beat: No

What is more scary than a good old alien invasion? Well, the second best Atari 2600 horror game in my opinion is Space Invaders that was an arcade port to the home system and has that classic sci-fi horror flare from the 1950’s drive-in screens. In this game you play as the operator of a laser cannon that must fire into the sky as aliens and U.F.O’s try to invade the earth, and as a player your goal is to survive from level to level as well as collect as much points as possible. While the Atari 2600 version is not as good as the arcade version, it still was a fun homeport that captured the thrills and chills of trying to fight off the invaders from space. Over the decades I have found myself playing Space Invaders from the 2600, not only at home but also even have played it while at work when testing systems as I find it to be one of the better ports for that system. And this almost was my # 1 game as I do find it to be lots of fun and it truly one of the world’s classic games. Space Invaders is also very simple to play but as the stages are cleared it becomes more and more challenging and this adds to the already mounting stress of the aliens coming down from the sky as obstacles and the aliens speeding up really does add pressure of trying to save the Earth.

# 1

Haunted House
Released in 1982 System: 2600 Company: Atari Rated: NA Beat: Yes

I had to go with this classic game as my # 1 as it really was one of the first horror games I can remember playing thanks Brad Burns who lived across the street and had this game for his Atari 2600. Later I would play it all the time at my Grandparent’s house as well as at my own house once I got an Atari as it was one of the first games I bought for the system. The game has you play as a man who is inside the haunted mansion of Zachary Graves and must find a key and three pieces of an urn in order to escape, but he must also stay clear of the spiders, bats and the ghost of Zachary Graves and all you have are matches to light the room. Super simple and super fun, this is truly a classic game in the survival horror genre and could even be considered the one that started it all for horror gamers. For me Haunted House really is a simple and spooky game that makes good use of the limitations of the Atari 2600 and even uses a sound cue from the Twilight Zone TV show during gameplay.. So in other words, this game is a pure classic. This game should be reimagined for modern systems and should have lots of time put into it as we all would love to see the ghost of Zachary Graves once more rise to haunt his mansion and you must use your wits to escape it. On a side note, a home brew hack game was made based on the film “The Blair Witch Project” using Haunted House that has you playing as Heather in the Blair Witch’s run down home, and for those wondering, yes, I have it on cart as well.

So as you can see, the Atari 2600 had its fair share of great horror games with many laying the groundwork for the modern survival horror genre as well as introducing the licensed horror games to the market. It was a system that brought us games based on Alien, Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre and was the first system that made kids really want to have home gaming consoles and is even what brought friends together to play a game they all could have fun with (and yes it is also the system that caused the video game crash of 1983 as it flooded the market with poorly made games). Speaking of fun, this was lots of fun to deep dive into my Atari 2600 horror game collection to do this countdown and many of you readers have always told me you enjoy these style of updates as my “Top 10 Should Have Been In The Star Comics World”, “Rotten Pixels”, “Rotten Pixels 2”, “Best Dayton Fried Chicken”, “Best Active MLB Mascots” and the “Top 60 Luchadors” countdowns have always seemed to bring readers entertainment. And with that I am going to say that I will be doing more of these horror video game countdowns in the coming years and will do so for such systems such as Playstation, Nintendo, Commodore 64, Genesis and many of the others that I own! And with that, let’s turn off the Atari 2600 as it’s time for me to tell you what the next update will be. It’s a DC horror character and one that I have been a fan of since I was a kid, and that’s Man-Bat! So until next time, read a comic or three, play a horror video game or two, and as always support, your local Horror Host! See you next update for some Man-Bat Adventures, and yes I am sure Batman will also make an appearance.

Man Of Steel vs. The Mole Men!

Posted on December 5, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. For this update we will be chatting about something very cool, “Superman And The Mole Men,” the first film to feature the Man Of Steel and starred George Reeves as Superman who would go on to play the character in the awesome TV series from the 50’s! The thing about Superman is that the character is truly iconic and is a big part of Pop Culture in America and when thinking about topics that needed to be covered for Rotten Ink’s 10 Year Celebration, I knew that Superman had to be one of the topics as growing up the character was a. part of my childhood as I not only watched the George Reeves show but also read the comics, played the video games, had the toys, wore the shirts, watched the cartoons and even loved the films that have been released. And what is really cool about this Superman update is that I get to talk about the movie that started it all for many young fans in the 1950’s who loved Superman already from comics, radio show and even the movie serials, and soon after the movie’s release they got to see him every week in action on the TV show. So hold onto your seats as we are going for a quick update adventure ride with the one and only Superman as played by George Reeves.

Let’s first start off by taking a look at the film that the Photo Comic Graphic Novel we will be covering is based on, the first film to feature Superman. I want to remind you readers that the film’s write up will be taken from our friends at IMDB and that I will be writing about the film’s production, legacy and my thoughts. So let’s dive in and talk about Superman and his run in with the Mole Men.

Superman And The Mole Men (1951)

“Reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane arrive in the small town of Silsby to witness the drilling of the world’s deepest oil well. The drill, however, has penetrated the underground home of a race of small, furry people who then come to the surface at night to look around. The fact that they glow in the dark scares the townfolk, who form a mob, led by the vicious Luke Benson, intent on killing the strange people. Only Superman has a chance to prevent this tragedy.”

Superman was one of the most popular superheroes and most read comics of the time. This meant that other media was in his future like radio and movie serials, and in 1951 he made his way to the silver screen with his first full fledged movie! The film was written by Richard Fielding and was distributed by Lippert Pictures and was a quick and cheap production as they really wanted to cash in on the popularity of Superman with young comic book readers. Lee Sholem, who before this film had directed “Tobor The Great” as well as two Tarzan films with “Tarzan’s Magic Fountain” and “Tarzan And The Slave Girl,” was selected as he knew how to make kid friendly Adventure Fantasy films. The film’s plot was based on the Red Scare that was gripping America at the time and even has elements of classic Universal Monster Sci-Fi films thrown in to a comic book feel. When casting the film they casted George Reeves as Clark Kent aka Superman, Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane and Billy Curtis and Jerry Maren as two of the Mole-Men. The film was shot in only 12 days at RKO-Pathe Studios in California and survived a double purpose as they wanted to have a hit that would bring kids to the cinema and it was also used to try and see if people had interest in Superman so that a TV Show could be made. And it did both of that as the film was well loved by kids in the early 1950’s and later in 1951 “The Adventures Of Superman” hit TV screens as a syndicated show. The film was scored by Darrell Calker and later the film was cut into a two part episode with changes when the show was released. The movie over the years has been released on VHS, Laserdisc as well as DVD so if you want to see Superman’s first movie adventure it is out in the world for you to be able to do so. And for those of you wonder in 1951 this film was joined by such other Sci-Fi and Horror Classics in the theater and dive-in screens as “The Day The Earth Stood Still”, “The Thing From Another World”, “The Man From Planet X”, “Abbott And Costello Meet The Invisible Man”, “The Son of Dr. Jekyll” and “Bride Of The Gorilla”.

Growing up I was a big fan of George Reeves as Superman as the old classic TV Show would air all the time in reruns on “Nick At Night/TV Land” and I would watch and as a kid I do remember wondering where Lex Luthor, Braniac or Mister Mxyzptlk were, but somehow it never bothered me enough as I was always looking forward to watching Superman bring down the bad guys and save the day. I saw the movie “Superman And The Mole Men” after I had already been a fan of the show as I remember some local area TV Station aired it some Sunday afternoon and my brother and I were glued to the TV and enjoyed every cheesy moment. I mean how can you go wrong with Mole Men running wild in a small town and Superman must save them from an unruly mob who wants them dead cause they look different and have been accused of crimes they did not do all out of fear. The one thing that annoyed me for the longest time is how long this film took to get a proper DVD release that was not just an extra on another Superman release, and even the one that is out now is by Cheezy Movies so it has no extras of its own. And while this film is not the best Superman film made, it is a good one and I would have loved to have seen this film in the theater in 1951 as I could imagine just how awesome that must have been for the youth at the time.

The Mole-Men who live under the Earth are the “Bad” guys of this first Superman movie but are they really all that bad as they are brought to the up to the surface world due to the actions of mankind who affected their world with their quest for oil and gas. And because they feel they are being attacked they go on the attack and come above ground with their weapons and are looking for answers when one of their own is shot and injured by a mob of humans who hate them because they look different. The Mole Men also have their skin glows in the dark and they are short in height. The Mole Men in the film are played by actors Billy Curtis, John T. Bambury, Jerry Maren and Johnny Roventini all who do a great job in the role and while Mole People might not be the meanest or deadliest foes Superman has fought in the movies they sure are strange and interesting ones.

George Reeves was born on January 5, 1914 in Woolstock, Iowa and had it semi rough growing up as his father left the family almost after his birth and he and his mother moved around and stayed in Kentucky as well as Illinois. And finally they settled in California and that is when Frank Bessolo entered their life and he married George’s mother and adopted him at the age of 13, and after 15 years of marriage the two separated and his mother would lie to him and say that Frank committed suicide…when in fact he was alive and well and would pass away many years later and George was unaware of this fact for many years. And starting around 1939 is when George Reeves started his acting career and even landed a small role in the film “Gone With The Wind” and through the 1940’s would be in many films including titles like “The Fighting 69^th”, “Torrid Zone”, “Dead Men Tell”, “Jungle Goddess”, “Samson And Delilah” and “The Good Humor Man” to name a very small few, as while he was never a main leading man he had that star quality. And in 1951 his luck changed when he was casted as Superman in both the film “Superman And The Mole Men” as well as the TV Show “The Adventures Of Superman” that would last 6 seasons and a total of 104 episodes and was a super popular show among kids and adults and George Reeves was Superman in the publics eyes. And this big role would also be a curse while he would get some small work during and after his run a Superman much of his roles had him playing the superhero such as his 1957 appearance on “I Love Lucy” on the episode Lucy And Superman. But in is personal life Reeves was said to be depressed over the typecasting of the Superman role and on June 16, 1959 it is said that George Reeves committed suicide by gunshot, while other do think that he was murdered and it was cover-up. George Reeves is one of the best actors to ever play Superman and is for me on par with Christopher Reeve as I think both of them embodied the heroic nature and character. While George Reeves was gone from this world way to soon his work lives on and his biggest cursed role is why he is still a well-loved actor to this day.

The tragic death of George Reeves was really a bummer to his fans and sadly for some has tainted the joy his portrayal of Superman brought them as it’s been rumored that that role is what drove him to depression, but please do not allow this tragic event to ruin your love for the show as it really is a fun and wholesome entertainment that is still enjoyed to this day. And now we are at the part of the update that we will be reviewing this Photo Comic Graphic Novel that was released by Fanzine and thanks to Amazon for having this graphic novel in stock and making this update possible. I also would like to remind you 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. Now if your are ready lets look up to the sky as is that a bird? A plan? Or is it just Superman done as a Photo Comic?

Superman And The Mole Men GN **1/2
Released in 2020 Cover Price $13.00 Fanzine # 1 of 1

Lois Lane and Clark Kent travel to the small town of Silsby to write about the worlds deepest oil well, but when they arrive to cover it they are shocked when they are told by foreman Mr. Corrigan that the well has been shutdown and word had come down from the top of the company to do so. As Clark and Lois are about to leave he notices that all of the workmen’s tools are thrown into a hole and this intrigues him. When the Oil company puts them up in a motel for the night and keys the a company car Lois and Clark decide to visit the Oil Well again and head toward it, meanwhile at the well three little Mole Men come out of the ground and scare the old night man to death! And when Lois and Clark show up and find the body, Lois spots the Mole Men and freaks out and the sheriff is called up and she has to tell him what she has seen and that she thinks the Mole Men she spotted is who killed the watch man, and when the Doctor shows up he rules the death a heart attack. And while Lois heads back to the hotel Clark stays with Mr. Corrigan to wait for the Undertaker and when everyone is gone Clark gets the truth out of Corrigan about the well closing and that they found possible radiation, living organisms as well as that the center of the Earth is hollow! And things get worse when the townspeople find out about the creatures Luke Benson feeds them all fear and creates mobs in order to kill the visitors as they all now think that they are dangerous because the stuff they touch starts glowing. And when the Mole Men make the mistake of trying to befriend a young girl who’s mother freaks out, the townspeople are filled with rage and go on the hunt, and even when Clark sneaks away to turn into Superman he can not get them to calm down as Luke is the issue as he keeps winding people up. Luke and his mob end up shooting one of the Mole Men that Superman has to rush to the hospital, and they think they burn the other alive in a shed who by luck escapes and goes back down the oil well. As Luke and his mob head toward the hospital when the find out the wounded Mole Man is there as they want to kill him Superman runs them off just as more Mole Men appear with a laser gun in order to get their wounded friend back, and Superman is able to return the would Mole Man to his people as well as save Luke from a laser blast and in the end Superman and Lois watch as the Mole Men blow up the entrance to their world as they just want to be left alone.

What a fun and simple Photo Comic GN that does a good job of bringing the film to the pages and feels like a quick read and is truly a wholesome Superman adventure. As the plot is very simple and has Superman trying to teach a small town that just because someone is different does not mean you should hurt them. Superman does his best to try and keep law and order as a town goes wild and crazed and mob rule is the mindset all do to one mans hate filled words. Superman also does a great job of saving the Mole Men and the town people from being killed and shows that he hates bullies as well as the miss use of guns as at one point he takes all of them from the mob when someone almost shoots Lois Lane by accident. Luke Benson is a total idiot who hates to hate and over takes the town by making every one afraid of the unknown and they even over take the law as they over power and lock up the sheriff! And even after being a scum bag to everyone and causing injuries Superman still saves Luke from taking a laser blast to the chest. The Mole Men are not bad at all and are just discovering the upper world and mean zero harm, and because of their strange look they are hated and hunted and one is injured badly and his own people are forced to try and rescue him and when they do so they blowup the entrance to their world as they want nothing to do with mankind. This Photo Comic also took a black and white film and took stills and added color to them and oddly it works in a charming way, as the colors are basic but some how it adds to the fun nature of this story. And once more I have to stress this comics plot just like the movie is very simple and yet now in days has that classic feel of being good and understanding is what is right. The cover for this graphic novel is a little boring and underwhelming and the interior is stills from the film that have been colored in and dialogue added in, so that is good if you like photo comics. Over all this is a great read if you like the film its based on or just very kid friendly Superman stories, while I do think the cover price is a little high I do say its worth a buy for fans. Check out the photo art below to see they style used in this comic.

So as you can see, this Photo Comic Graphic Novel is a pretty good and entertaining read, but I know for many of you readers the fact that it is a Photo Comic will scare you away from checking it out, and I do understand as these type of comics are not for everyone. But I say if you like Superman as played by George Reeves I would give this at least a chance no matter how you feel about the style of comic. I should also note that Anthony Koontz is the man behind Fanzine and these Photo Comic Graphic Novels and he has also done ones based on “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” and “Brain The Wouldn’t Die” and yes both of those will be getting the Rotten Ink treatment sometime in the future. So we are now getting even closer to our big Christmas Eve update and the next topic is something that many of you fellow kids of the 80’s will remember as it will be SilverHawks! So until next time read a Superman comic or three, watch a Superman film or two and as always support your local Horror Host…and I know those of you from Cleveland, Ohio did as you guys had Superhost! See you next time for a screeching silver metal hawk good time.

Malibu Comics Ultraverse Memories: Prototype

Posted on March 13, 2021 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink, my little spot on the web where I enjoy looking back at things I enjoyed from my past all the way up to present day. For this update I think it’s time that we again take a look at a hero from the world of Malibu Comics that was part of their Ultraverse comic line and one I can remember reading when I was a kid. The hero I decided to choose for this one is my third favorite character from the Ultraverse who was their version of Iron Man, and of course I am talking about Prototype! And if you are ready I am ready to talk about Malibu Comics and another hero from the Ultraverse.

Malibu Comics was, for a short time in the 90’s, the third top selling comic company in America and wanted so badly to topple Marvel Comics that was sitting at the top of the mountain, and they thought that the Ultraverse was the way to do so, as they created characters that were very similar to some of Marvel and DC’s top heroes. With the character Prototype, they wanted to have a strong contender to Iron Man! So let’s take a brief moment and talk about who Prototype is and what powers he wields. Jimmy Ruiz is a man who works for Ultra-Tech and was an Ultra Human himself as he had his own internal energy source that was perfect for their Prototype Armor as he could power it himself. But in order to get the armor Jimmy had to allow them to surgically implant the cybernetics that allows him to also control the armor. You see Ultra-Tech on purpose injured the original wearer of the armor by the name of Bob Campbell so that they could replace him with Jimmy and the pair later on team up to break free of Ultra-Tech and become the heroes they know they are supposed to be. And after this Jimmy would go onto join the superhero team UltraForce! Jimmy’s powers are that his body acted as an energy source for the suit, with the suit on as well he could control powers he had such as the ability to fly and fire blasts from hands as well as lift up to 100 tons! And what of Bob Campbell you ask, well after Marvel Comics took over Malibu Comics, during the Black September Event they wiped away Jimmy and had Bob be the only Prototype, but before that while still being under Malibu Comics, he had a new set of Armor given to him by the group Aladdin and called himself Ranger. So that was a quick crash course on who was the hero known as Prototype.

What they could have done with the character in the Marvel Universe? Of course place him in Iron Man Comics! As Tony Stark is testing new armor and weapons, and he hires Jimmy Ruiz to test them out for him, and the reason he chooses Jimmy is he himself is a metal armored hero known as Prototype and could handle the pressure of using the armors and weapons. Imagine this in the Marvel Universe in an Iron Man comic storyline that has him teaming with Iron Will, War Machine and Prototype as they have to all come together to stop a terrorist group that has hijacked tech from a Stark Industry warehouse of old weapons of war! It’s the Iron Family vs. those who want to take over the world…in my book Prototype fits so well into the Iron Man family tree. You could also use Prototype as a member of The Avengers or even bring back the team Ultraforce and have the team being lead by Prime and the members be Prototype, Hardcase, Ghoul, Mantra, Sludge, The Night Man, Rune, Firearm and Solitaire and they are the outsiders of the Marvel Universe and stick together and fight crime and evil all the while earning the respect of the Marvel Heroes. No joke, I really do think that Prototype should be dusted off and placed in the Marvel Universe…in fact all of the Malibu Characters should be.

Okay, let’s talk about this again as I think that its worth talking about often and that’s the fact that Marvel Comics has really dropped the ball with buying the Malibu Comics library and characters as they have done nothing with them and for the most part the characters have sat around collecting dust and allowing most modern comic readers to even forget they ever existed with some never even knowing they did. We readers and fans will never get the real reason of why these comic characters are being benched and sent to the Comic Character retirement home, and that is just such a major waste of characters as I feel they all have so much more to offer to readers. I don’t think that the 5% profits to creators of the characters is really a factor as 5% of sales is really not much even with how poor comic sales have been for the past few years. The fact that former Malibu Comic owner Scott Mitchell Rosenberg is the producer for all Malibu projects could be a factor as rumor has it that he is very hard to deal with and could be making their comic returns just to miserable for Marvel to want to deal with, and this I think could be a possibility and would make more sense to why they are not being used. And it could be what Marvel Comics Tom Brevoort was speaking about when he said its had nothing to do with the 5% on why no return and the explanation could not be talked about due to a non-disclosure agreement…that makes me think that the deal must have been real bad that Marvel made to buy Malibu back in the 90’s. Plus there is always the rumor that has floated around that at the time Marvel’s powers that be decided that they disliked the Malibu characters and that they didn’t fit into the Marvel Universe vision, but I don’t believe this one and think that’s just fan/readers speculation.

Whatever the reason, I feel that Marvel Comics should work it out as they now have the power of Disney behind them and get these characters back into the pages of comics as well as get them into the Marvel movies, shows and video games! In fact why doesn’t Marvel Comics just bring back the Ultraverse characters as well as all the CrossGen characters they have bought and shelved as well like Simon Archard, Emma Bishop, Arwyn, Gareth and all the others that are being hoarded and hidden away by Disney! Why not give these characters another shot at making a splash in the stale world of mainstream comics? Why not allow Prototype to smash some baddies or have Arwyn go on anther epic adventure? But sadly I think with the sad state that mainstream comics are in right now, these characters will be left in the Retirement Home Long Box all itching to be unleashed at least one more time so they can show readers what they can bring to the table. But I really do hope that one day Marvel just opens the door and allows Ultraverse and CrossGen into the Marvel Universe as the character could work very well and add the spice needed to make their stale stories much better.

Before I get to the comics, I want to take a brief moment to remind you readers about the very short lived 1994-1995 cartoon series UltraForce that not only features Prototype but also had team members like Prime, Hardcase, Topaz, Contrary and Ghoul and they fought such characters as Rune, Sludge, Lord Pumpkin and Atalon. The cartoon would also have cameos from heroes like Night Man and the hero team The Strangers. The cartoon lasted a total of 13 episodes and aired on the USA Network. And sadly the show was met with very poor reviews from critics. And also during this time toy company Galoob did a very cool toy line for the show that allowed you to get some of your favorite Malibu Comic Characters as action figures! I have had the figure of Prime for awhile now and just recently got myself a figure of Prototype for my collection, and yes I have picked up several of the other figures and will show them off when we cover their comic series. Below is a look at the cartoon series that has never gotten an official DVD release and my figure of Prototype!

Well I don’t know about you, but I am really ready for the review part of this update as it’s been a while since I have read the comic adventures of Prototype and I want to see if they hold up as I can remember really enjoying them in my youth. I want to thank Game Swap Kettering, Bell Book And Comic and Lone Star Comics for having these in stock and making this update possible as well as by stocking these I was able to put them in my comic collection again. I want to 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 if you are ready, let’s dive back into the Ultraverse and spend some superhero time with Prototype!

Prototype # 0 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.50 Malibu Comics # 0 of 18

Stanley Leland is sitting on a couch talking to a psychiatrist as he is one of the heads of Ultratech and is talking about Bob Campbell, the original Prototype! Campbell was an ex-military and working as a stuntman on cheap Sci-Fi and Action films when he meets Leland who hires him to wear a tech suit for a demo reel that would be seen by the military powers that be, and Campbell does such a great job he is put on Ultratech payroll and travels around in the Prototype suit. But this power goes to Campbell’s head as he starts becoming a real life hero and saving the day, this angers Leland as every time he takes the suit out it coasts the company money and if pisses of Campbell’s wife Felicia as well who watches as all the ladies of the city swoon over her husband even though they can not even see his face! Campbell started drinking again and would spend his time traveling to make public appearances and fight with a metal suited bad guy named Arena that kept showing up! Bob Campbell over times keeps having a short fuse and is at odds with his employer as they want to place implants into his body and he refuses. They even create a genetic man named Glare to bring him down as they would like to see Bob die now as they just want him out of the way in order to bring in a younger man to use the Prototype suit. After Glare fails, Ultratech gets their wish when an “accident” happens that leaves Bob losing an arm and losing his job with Ultratech and that’s when Jimmy Ruiz is hired in to become Prototype.

This issue zero is a great way to try and get readers hooked on Prototype…but wait a minute this comic came out a year after the first few issues in the series was released…oh you have to love the gimmicks of 90’s comics! This comic does a fantastic job of showing the history of the original man in the Prototype suit Bob Campbell and his rise and fall of becoming the hero he thinks he was supposed to be. We see that the stress of being in this powerful suit forces him to become a hero as well and makes him start to drink heavy and even ignore his wife. Thinking about it, Bob Campbell takes to drinking just like Marvel’s Tony Stark aka Iron Man did…showing that Prototype and Iron Man really do go hand and hand. Bob Campbell aka Prototype is a military man who after serving finds himself working in movies as a stuntman and is hired by a tech company to test and showcase their new suit, but because he has a good heart he uses the suit for good and saves the day for many people who are in need, but the stress of being a hero that he thinks he needs to be drives him to drink as well as causes him to lose his wife. In the end all the good he has done for people leaves him missing and arm, no wife and no job…he is a broken hero with no suit as well. Stanley Leland, one of the heads of Ultratech, is a true scumbag as it’s clear as day that he is the one who set up Campbell’s fall from grace as he is the one who steals his wife and its very much hinted he is the one who caused the accident that took his arm as well. Stanley Leland is also the type of guy who puts profits before human life and is so greedy that he will do anything to gain cash. Arena and Glare are two villains who are clearly created by Ultratech to help show off the powers of the Prototype suit, so in other words, they are just pawns in this company’s war games for profits. I like that this comic is from three different prospective of what happened with Bob Campbell and gives you more of a look into his life and his want to truly become a hero. The cover is eye catching and shows the Prototype we all know and not the bulky suited original version that was Bob and the interior art is great and done by Gordon Purcell and is great Malibu Comics stuff. So with issue zero done, let’s see what the first issue has in store for us!

Prototype # 1 **1/2
Released in 1993 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 1 of 18

Bob Campbell wakes up in the morning and remembers back to his accident as the Original Prototype that caused him to lose his arm as well as job for Ultratech and he heads out as Ultratech has a shareholders event that afternoon. Meanwhile running wild in the streets is Glare who is now on a rampage, as he wants revenge on Ultratech and Stanley Leland for turning him into a green skinned monster and he is using his power to blind people on the streets. Meanwhile at the Ultratech shareholder conference and Bob sneaks in and watches as they show the new Prototype suit that is way thinner and lighter than his old bulky suit, and the new suit, while slimmer, is having some tech issues. After Prototype heads to the backstage lab, he alerts the workers and Leland that he is having bad headaches from the suit, while out front Bob is thrown out after asking about a lawsuit he has against them about his firing after the accident. After taking some pills, the new Prototype goes out to shake hands and get his picture taken with the holders at the lunch line, but before he can do so, Glare is out front of the building taking on the police force and Ultratech send Prototype into action! Outside the building the press is filming and broadcasting as Glare and Prototype start fighting it out, but the news is not the only ones watching as Bob Campbell as well as a man from a group called Aladdin are collecting details and judging the new suited hero. The fight ends with Prototype beating Glare and it appears as if he has killed him and the onlookers are not so sure what to think of this new version of Prototype.

The first issue of Prototype starts off with a bang as we follow the rise of a new man in the Prototype suit who is being judged by the original who has been shunned by the company who made the suit. We also see that Ultratech is truly a company who does not care about people as much as they care about money and fame. The new Prototype is younger and really seems to be digging his job as the man in the suit, well besides the head splitting headaches that come with the implants and the suit that glitches. The new Prototype is also very trusting of Ultratech and seems to worry about what they think of him and the job he is doing. Bob Campbell has a new mechanical arm and is super bitter of being let go from Ultratech as being Prototype was all he had left in life, and he so wants to make them pay for firing him. Stanley Leland is as big of a scumbag as he ever has been as he only worries about getting on the news as well as making large profits for Ultratech. It’s clear as well that he will do whatever he can in order to protect himself from failure or danger and will put others in that spot to do so. And of course Glare, who was an Ultratech experiment gone wrong, is now wanting revenge as he feels that they have to pay for what they did to him…and that’s made him a green skinned monster with freaky blinding powers of light. And for his revenge filled hate he ends up dying at the hands of the new Prototype. When reading this as a new reader you get also some mysteries that will get you hooked, like who is this guy watching the fight from Aladdin and also when will heroes like Prime and Hardcase will show up as they are both mentioned. The one downside to the first issue I feel we get more character development from Bob Campbell then we do for the new young man in the Prototype suit, and they should spent a little time building him as he is the hero we will have going forward. The cover is great and eye catching and has that 90’s charm that hooked so many buyers back in the day…wait that was because it had the # 1 on it. The interior art by David Ammerman is very well done and shows why Malibu Comics had its own house style and charm. This first issue is great and has held up for me and is making me looking forward to reading some of these issues again as well as reading many for the first time. So with that let’s get to issue two!

Prototype # 2 **1/2
Released in 1993 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 2 of 18

Prototype is in a virtual reality training program when things go wrong and he uses his own power to override the suits programing and by doing so his levels go off the chart and this impresses the workers of Ultratech, but also causes the suit to catch on fire! Once put out, he has another pounding headache and talks to his handler Hastings about the death of Glare and still doesn’t understand how his death happened and hates that the press is painting him out as a killer. Hastings does what he can to calm Prototype’s nerves over the killing and orders a woman to come down and give him a massage. Meanwhile at Ultratech headquarters Stanley Leland is mad about all the bad press over Glare dying in the streets in front of witnesses and almost wishes that Jimmy Ruiz, the new Prototype, would have died, as his main goal is a new suit called Prototype 2000! His assistant and creator of some of the tech Marjorie informs Leland that she has hired someone to take care of Campbell once and for all ending one of the company’s major headaches. At a bar Bob Campbell is buying parts from a smuggler as he is building his own suit, but he is also the target of a woman named Kaitlyn O’Hare who claims she is a stunt talent agent casting for a new Warner Brothers film. Bob and Kaitlyn end up at his place and the she shows that she is a razor clawed assassin named Backstabber who has been sent to kill him! And after almost doing so Bob saves himself thanks to help from his cat Thelma and is able to get his home made Prototype suit and is ready to fight for his life! And with the help of a buzzsaw arm he does just that, and injured he shows up at his ex-wife’s home as she is a doctor as his wounds from Backstabbers claws are deep and he needs help.

This second issue in the series once more has most of the focus being on Bob Campbell who was the original Prototype as his former employers Ultratech who wants him dead as his outspoken nature is causing them money! And to close his mouth once and for all they hire a razor clawed woman to slice and dice him! And oh yeah there is a very small amount of Jimmy Ruiz as we get he has headaches, is becoming one with the tech, feels bad about the death of Glare and that his employers are not loyal to him at all! The loose cannon that is Bob Campbell is not only trying to get answers from Ultratech about his firing but is also building his own metal suit as he wants to become a hero again. And it’s clear that while Bob is missing an arm he does not let his handicap slow him down as he fights for his life when it’s in danger and does not let him slow him down. Jimmy Ruiz meanwhile is young and seems to be enjoying his time as the main in the Prototype suit and while is comes with side effects he thinks the fame and money it brings him will be worth it. Stanley Leland is a true scumbag as he only cares about profit and the lives of Bob and Jimmy mean nothing to him, in fact after stealing Bob’s wife he also seems to now have no time for her and he lives and breathes Ultratech. The razor nailed Backstabber is a killer female who uses her good looks to bring the targets in and then takes them out, but while she is made of a metal she is not unbeatable as Bob uses a buzzsaw in order to take her out! The main thing that this issue builds up is that Leland’s end goal is a new suit of armor that he will show off in the year 2000 that is called Prototype 2000 and that he dislikes Jimmy as well as he finds him to young and annoying. We are three issues into the series when you count issue zero and all seem to be mainly focused on Bob, and I think Malibu needed to also start building Jimmy up and laying the groundwork for him to become a hero. The cover for this issue is pretty great and very 90’s and the interior art by David Ammerman is good stuff and has that Malibu Comic style. Let’s now move onto issue three and see what happens now that Bob is at his ex-wife’s house and needs help after being attacked!

Prototype # 3 **1/2
Released in 1993 Cover Price $2.50 Malibu Comics # 3 of 18

Jimmy Ruiz and Hastings are on a plane waiting for takeoff but like always there are delays and Jimmy is getting antsy as he wants to be on the go. Meanwhile on another plane the terrorist group Terrordyne Inc. is taking hostages as a sport team is on board and they want money for them to be returned unharmed! Jimmy hears about this and suits up as Prototype and has Hastings freaks out as they need Lelands permission to do so Prototype alerts his handler he has removed the suits shut down lock and heads off to be the hero he is hired to be. Meanwhile Bob Campbell is having his wounds treated by his ex-wife Felicia and they talk about the breakup and Bob lets her know he still cares for her very much. Meanwhile Prototype takes out the masked goons of Terrordyne Inc. but soon meats their leads the super villain called The Heater who uses fire blasts to knock Prototype down, and delivers a beating to our hero before he is able to blast Heater away. But before he can deliver a beat down to Heater he finds that the Ultratech plane has been hijacked and Hastings as been thrown from the plane that is now in the air! Prototype leaves the battle to save his friend and once back on the ground Heater is gone and Hastings alerts him that lots of tech is on that plane that needs to be saved! Prototype blows up the run away plane and this angers Leland who is getting more bad press from the event. And all the while the Aladdin company has the body of Glare and they steady it and the tech that’s inside him and then hire masked hero Wrath to follow Prototype and get the chips that are needed to make the suit any way he can.

This issues plot has a great classic superhero feel to it as a terrorist group holds hostages on a plane at an airport and out hero rushes in to save the day and by doing so more subplots are open and more tension is created between he and his employers. Jimmy Ruiz aka Prototype in this issue goes from being a bored young man into a hero who’s action saves the lives of a popular baseball team as well as takes down a bunch of henchmen that work of a terrorist company group. Jimmy also shows that he has studied his suit and is really starting to master its powers and how to control it on his own while being offline. While Jimmy is being a hero its also clear that he is making Leland very mad as he does not want him to do anything besides make money for Ultratech at public events. Leland also shows that he has more tricks up his sleeves as he wants to have staff now watch every move of Prototype as well as for them to hire more young men that can take over the role of the suited hero. We learn that Bob Campbell let Backstabber live who ran off into the night vowing revenge and that he wants his wife back! The goons of Terrordyne Inc. are masked well-armed troopers who do what they are told and they as well have an Ultra named Heater who is working for them, and he is dangerous as he has the power of fire and even puts a seed in the mind of Prototype that they are both working for criminals the only difference is his people are open about their evil deeds. And lastly we have to talk about Wrath on his way to get the chips from the Prototype suit and this hero vs. hero showdown that is about to happen has me looking forward to the next issue! Plus this issue puts us on the right track as Jimmy is the main focus and his storyline is getting new parts added to his arch. The cover is pretty dang cool and the interior art is once more great and done by David Ammerman. So let’s see what issue four has in store from Prototype as he has a list now of threats that could test his skills and even take his life as Wrath, Heater and even Backstabber are around and looking for a fight!

Prototype # 4 **1/2
Released in 1993 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 4 of 18

Jimmy Ruiz is living in a high rise apartment that is paid for by Ultratech and while he enjoys the life of being rich and having a job, he’s missing his friends as well as having control of his own life. While downstairs his ex Angella is looking for Jimmy and the night watchmen runs her off just as Wrath enters and drugs the guard and breaks into the hidden lab in the basement of the building to steal the chip off the Prototype suit and by trying one of the chips inside Jimmy alerts him something is wrong and he rushes downstairs to check on the suit and his punched in the face by Wrath who leaves Jimmy stunned on the floor. As Jimmy gets back on his feet he changes into Prototype and rushes to the lobby and has a back and fourth fight with Wrath with both one upping each other with hits! Meanwhile Leland gets the call about the fight and instead of calling for backup, he sends in the media to cover the fight! Wrath ends up getting the upper hand as he has been trained in fighter way better and when Prototype gets distracted by his ex-girlfriend Angella and takes a massive blast that damages the suit and allows Wrath to escape via a helicopter pick-up. With all his energy he uses a microwave ray to hit the chip and he hopes it ruined the data on it as Wrath is angry that this might have happened. Prototype who’s on fire is put out and Leland tries to pay Angella to go away but she tries her best to get Jimmy’s attention. Meanwhile Bob Campbell has finished his new metal suit and takes it for a test fly as well as uses the weapons he installed, but he his interrupted by the cops who alert him he is under arrest for breaking into an Ultratech lab.

This issue is a full fledged battle issue as we see Prototype from Ultratech take on Aladdin’s very own Wrath as they duke it out in a lobby of a building as well as in the streets of New York! Prototype in this issue goes from being a young man messing around with his hot company paid lady, drinking beer and looking at the moon to getting his first taste of a real fight with a really skilled fighter who can expose all his flaws and show that the suit can only do so much again experience. And this also alerts Jimmy to how flawed this armor is as it does not take damage well and becomes damaged very easily. Wrath is a hero who thinks he is on the right side of the tech war and uses his powers to try and right the wrongs and his powers are great as he can turn his opponent’s own blasts and powers against them! Wrath I am sure is both impressed and annoyed with Prototype and you know the two will meet again to finish the fight. Leland as always is a jerk and wants to use the fight as good press for him and Ultratech and don’t care about the safety of others. Angella is trying so hard to find and talk to Jimmy in order to tell him he is going to be a father, and instead gets money thrown at her by Leland to go away showing he don’t care about anyone besides himself. I also like that the police and Ultratech are blaming Bob Campbell for the break-in and that he has crafted his own big heavy armored suit in order to be a hero again! The cover is pretty good and eye catching for fans of Malibu and the art by David Ammerman is great and classic 90’s stuff. Really enjoyed this issue and am looking forward to see what happens with Bob as well as Jimmy cause both have really good stories going.

Prototype # 5 **
Released in 1993 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 5 of 18

Security Guards are all around a launchpad where a rocket called JDH-3000 is set to launch the next day, but the Ultra-Powered team The Strangers (Atom Bob, Lady Killer, Grenade, Yrial, Spectral, Zip Zap and Electrocute) break in and steal the rocket as they need to get to the moon in order to find out more about why they have these powers. J.D. who owns the rocket is very mad as it was under the watch of Ultratech who he hired as the guards and the rocket coast them a ton of money to build. While at an Ultratech meeting Mr. Bell appearing only as a hologram is ripping into Leland and the others about the bad press of Prototype and Bob Campbell, and they get interrupted by J.D. Hunt who phones in and is raising hell over his stolen rocket as he wants Ultratech to pay for it or get it back. Meanwhile in jail Bob Campbell is sprung by Jake Alexander of the Aladdin Corporation who wants to discuss so very important business with him. Leland goes to Jimmy Ruiz and has him change into Prototype and alerts him that he is going to space to fight The Strangers and get the stolen rocket back and if he screws this up he can be replaced, he is also alerted that he will be joined by Empire-7 from Vietnam and team leader being the ravishing Russian Supra and they head off to space. The Strangers find that they can not control the stolen rocket as it will not allow them to land on the moon and instead lands on an abandon Russian space station and are attacked by an alien just as Prototype and his crew land at the station and come aboard.

I want to start by saying I know that I gave this issue only two stars and that it seems low as for me 2 ½ stars means that its great and above average read and this was a great read I just felt that so much of this issue is spent on J.D. Hunt screaming, Mr. Bell screaming and Leland screaming and plotting and not enough time was spent on Prototype or even Bob Campbell. With that said, it does do its job of setting up a run in between Prototype and The Strangers in space all over a stolen rocket and the need for answers of why powers was given to some people on Earth. Prototype in this issue is watching footage of The Strangers only to find himself being forced to fly to space to fight them and is forced to team with two other unknown powered people and is even threatened with if he don’t do this and get the rocket back they stole he will be replaced. The Strangers really just want to get to the moon as they think that the origin of what gave them all their powers came from there, but they find themselves instead on a rundown space station being attacked by an alien. Leland once more is a weasel who uses his gift of talking to try and smooth things over with a client and even dodges the rage of Mr. Bell and Mr. Hunt who are both displeased with him. Supra is clearly powerful and has some type of Ultra powers and is leading the Ultratech team on getting the rocket back, and I would guess Empire-7 as well has powers. I like the rundown Russian Space Station being the place that this showdown is going to happen in and adding a dangerous Alien is a great Sci-Fi Film touch. The cover is good and eye catching and this time around Roger Robinson is doing art and it’s well done. Over all this is an okay issue that builds a story and that’s pretty much all I can say about it. I should also say that this was part of the Break-Thru story arch.

Prototype # 6 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 6 of 18

Prototype is heading back to Earth and is following Prime through the Earth’s atmosphere and is starting to burn up and is second-guessing if this was a good idea to trust Prime and the idea of The Strangers member Lady Killer who came up with the idea of using Prime as a heat shield. And lucky for Prototype it works and he get back to Earth, but his suit is burnt and molded together in a lump of metal. At the office of Jake Alexander he alerts Bob Campbell that he knows everything about him and they discuss that fact that Ultratech is using Jimmy Ruiz and when they are done with him they will have him killed, Jake they informs Bob that he wants the original Prototype to work for Aladdin and they even have made him a new suit that is big and heavy and filled with lots of powerful weapons. Ultratech have found the hidden office of Aladdin and have sent in a female killer that is invisible who’s touch and kiss can kill a person in minutes and she gets into the office of Jake and fights with Original Prototype and places a kiss on Jake before she flees the battle and forces Original Prototype to take Jake to the hospital to save his life. While back at the Ultratech Offices Leland gets a visit from a very angry Jimmy Ruiz who is ranting about his space mission and almost dying getting back home when Leland calms the young man down with a big money bonus as well as a new Prototype suit that once Jimmy has on Leland shows him that the suit now has a brain attack button that overloads Jimmy’s brain like a drug! Jimmy hates this new feature but before they can chat about it the office windows are blown out and the armored bad guy Arena is there, looking for a fight.

Malibu Comics dropped the ball as they did the one thing that I think Comics in the late 80’s and 90’s did that was really dumb and that’s make it that to finish a story they started in one series continue in multiple others the dreaded multi-book crossovers…and then they screw up even more by not really even explaining to readers what took place with The Strangers, Alien, Moon and so on in this issue as all we get is that Prototype is following hero Prime to get back to Earth. With that said and that terrible annoying comic trope exposed, this is a good and solid issue that features growth for both Jimmy and Bob who are now both officially Prototypes! Jimmy learns that he has friends with other Ultra-Heroes and that he should not fully trust the words of Ultratech as they do not have his well being in mind when they send him on mission of both no and total danger. Bob Campbell learns that he as well as new friends with the Aladdin Corporation do have his best interest at heart and even have built him a new suit and with that the Original Prototype is back in the hero business. I am guess the invisible woman who is a killer with a deadly touch and kiss, I would guess is Marjorie Fredericks who works for Ultratech and wants to cut off loose ends. Jake Alexander is in bad shape by the end of this issue and has a very deadly poison running through his veins thanks to Marjorie. I also like that Arena has returned and once more wants to clash with Prototype, but unknown to him this is a new person in the armor…but I don’t think it would change his mind much of beating him up or ending his life. This is again a great issue I just really dislike the lack of closer to The Strangers and The Moon storyline as they wanted you to buy two other comics to close the story. The cover is pretty cool and shows Bob “Original” Prototype in his new armor and the interior art is done by Roger Robinson and is really good. Issue six of Prototype really does want me to see what happens with many of the characters and also want to see how the characters will grow in more issues, so with that let’s see what issue seven has in store for us.

Prototype # 7 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 7 of 18

Prototype and Arena start a fight above the city of New York as onlooker watch as the suited up Ultra’s exchange powerful hits. As the fight goes on Prototype alerts Arena that Bob is no longer in the suit and that he Jimmy is and that he is better then the original, Arena seems not to mind as he turns up the attacks and this leads him to also drop his powerful sword to the street bellow. While at the Hospital Bob Campbell talks to the doctor and finds that he got Jake Alexander help just in time, and Bob covers for how Jake was poisoned and goes into visit his new friend. Leland is in the Ultratech Building talking with the invisible woman who is now named Veil and she turns out to be Marjorie Fredericks and she has been hired to babysit and watch after Jimmy, and while Leland wants her to still protect him she thinks they should take him out after the fight with Arena and replace him. While poor old Angella ex-girlfriend of Jimmy is being chewed out by her mother to just forget all about Jimmy and move on with her life as she says he is beyond her now. Earl and T.J are gang members who are talking to a young girl from their neighborhood when a rival gang does a drive by, while T.J returns fire the poor young girl is shot dead. The government of New York is getting sick and tired of Leland and Ultratech and they have build their own armor hero called The Manhattan Project 1994 and they plan on letting him loose soon! While back at the battle Arena is beating up Prototype and is still comparing him to Bob Campbell and this angers Jimmy who blasts his opponent with a powerful blast and is ready for a fight!

This is a battle issue that has some side stories thrown in for good measure and delivers one heck of a fun read! The plot for this issue has Arena returning for a fight and Jimmy not being fully prepared for a fight that has his enemy being more powerful than him and worse more skilled at fighting! Prototype is becoming way to cocky and thinking that his powerful suit will win him every fight, but while the suit is powerful his fighting spirit and knowledge is not good and he is slowing figuring out that he needs a battle plan before rushing in to a fight. I also like that he is getting to the point where he is sick and tired of hearing the name of Bob Campbell and is willing to now fight over it! Bob Campbell in this issue spends his time in the hospital looking after his new friend Jake, and also figures out that he should keep his mouth shut about Ultratech for awhile. Leland and Veil are watching the battle and each have their own ideas on how this one should end, and she is sick and tired of the brat Jimmy. I cannot wait to see Manhattan Project 1994 in action and see if he is with or against Prototype! Not sure what is going to happen with the gang members T.J and Earl, and to be honest what is going to happen with Angella and her baby. I also like how the Government in New York talk about Sludge living in the sewer, just a nice touch to showcase another of their character is active in New York at the same time of these events. Arena is an interesting character as he is very much into the Ying and Yang of life and is like a super powered and armored samurai who is all about battle. The cover for this issue is solid and eye-catching and like before the interior art by Roger Robinson is great 90’s stuff. This far this series is a great above average indie superhero series and this is I think the best issue to this point, even if it’s a little all over the place. Let’s see what issue eight has in store for us!

Prototype # 8 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 8 of 18

Arena is back up and now showcases some of his powers that once more show Prototype that he is losing the battle as he uses mini missiles to bring our hero down in front of a watching crowd. Bob Campbell is working in his garage when he sees the news and decides if he should put on his new suit and aid in the fight, but not before remembering back to all his battles with Arena…The Original Prototype does not come to Ultratech and Prototype’s aid this time. Besides the fight between Prototype and Arena, the news is also reporting on the state of New York going after Ultratech for a massive fine in the billion dollars and they also talk about the young girl killed in gang violence that was the cousin of poor Angella as she starts to realize that she is going to have to raise her child in a neighborhood that is overrun with gang activity. Arena defeats Prototype in the streets and has a chance to kill him, but does not and instead tells him to seek out Bob Campbell to be trained better for fights as he will alerts our hero he will return. Prototype is mad as the crowd hurl insults at him and he marches into Leland’s hidden panic room to have words with his boss, and Jimmy alerts Leland that he quits at being Prototype as well as quiets Ultratech and that he is going home!

What another great issue that showcases that Jimmy is really out of his league and is not ready for battle against any other super powered people and he gets beat up and knocked around by Arena and also comes to see that Leland and Ultratech have lied and used him this whole time! Jimmy who started off being super cocky and headstrong turns very humbled when he is handed his first major defeat. And he also does not take the defeat well at all cause he quits being the hero Prototype! Bob Campbell the Original Prototype is also interesting as he listens to the news as he works on his new suit and almost misses Arena as his battles with him seemed to be like hanging out with an old friend in his mind. Leland is a coward and during the fight runs and hides in a panic room and is scared when Jimmy comes in and quiets, as he knows that Ultratech is starting to crumble around him. Veil almost feels sorry for Jimmy after his loss as she knows what its like to be a Ultra and even a Prototype as her invisible suit is along the same line. Arena respects Jimmy’s spirit but also smartens him up to him not being a superhero like he thinks as he exposes the lack of training he has in combat. And let’s not forget to chat about poor Angella who’s having the baby of Jimmy who is paying her no attention and now also looses her young eight year old cousin for gang violence, this poor woman can not catch a break! I am really interested in finding out what Jimmy does from here as he is so filled with chips and tech and can he walk away from the suit or can they force him to come back to Ultratech and become their “hero” who is just a glorified mascot in many peoples eyes. Cover is pretty cool and showcases Arena and art by Roger is great like always. Another homerun issue and it seems that the creators at Malibu have found their stride with Prototype.

Prototype # 9 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 9 of 18

Ultratech is holding a job interview to find the next person to wear the Prototype suit and it’s down to three people and they are all fighting each other in a open room while wearing different versions of the Prototype suit…in the end Donovan Jones gets the job! One of the interviewees is mad that he did not get picked and talks out loud about how he is going to expose Leland and Ultratech to his friend in the news and for this he is killed by Veil’s poison touch. Jimmy Ruiz is back home and chats with Angella at her cousin’s funeral and then heads to the hangout of his old street gang The Hardboys in order to try and talk them out of all the killings, they agree to stop killing only if he brings the trigger man who killed the young girl to the cops and he has only an hour to do so! Jimmy walks into the rival gangs hideout and dukes it out with them, when the gun man pulls a Uzi on him his time runs out and The Hardboys come running in with their guns, just in time to see Jimmy float into the air and shoot fire lasers from his eyes that cuts off the arm of the trigger man and leaves Jimmy passed out…the gangs run away and The Hardboys also denounce their friendship with Jimmy as they don’t think he is human anymore. Jimmy ends up at the hospital and the doctors cannot find out whats wrong with him and while there he also is told by Angella that he is going to be a father…and Jimmy knows that he must go back to Ultratech to get money for his lady and child as well as find out what the heck is wrong with him. While at Ulrtatech Leland is showing off the New Prototype who is in a bigger suit and now is Donovan Jones.

This ninth issue in Malibu’s Prototype series focuses more on Jimmy Ruiz the man who returns home to find that his old gang The Hardboys are at war with a rival and that more and more killings are happening and that his old girlfriend is about to have his baby! Jimmy shows that he has learned a little from his time at Ultratech as he learns how to take a beating, he learns that violence is not always the answer and he learns that those he cared about are suffering while he lived high on the hog working for Ultratech. I like how Jimmy tries his best to bring peace between two gangs and even risks his own life and safety to do so, but also finds that he has hidden powers even when not wearing the suit that gives him powerful eye blasts. We also see that Leland and Ultratech just move on fast even after Jimmy quite and hires a replacement in no time and even give him a more battle ready suit! Donovan Jones is the new Prototype, and I will call him Prototype III and he seems like a man who had nothing in life and is just happy to have a high paying job and will do whatever Leland and Ultratech wants, it will be interesting to see what he thinks when Jimmy comes back looking for his job as I think Donovan will fight to keep his job. Also glad that Angella finally got to tell Jimmy that she is having his baby, and also glad to see that Jimmy seems to be happy and will take being a father serious! Also I feel like The Hardboys will come back into play and will end up helping Jimmy in some way, even if he from time to time seems to have the powers of X-Men mutant Cyclops. The cover for this issue is just okay and remind me more of Robotech than Prototype and the interior art is good and done by Roger again. Well let’s see if Jimmy gets his job back at Ultratech or if he is out forever just like Bob Campbell.

Prototype # 10 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 10 of 18

Terrordyne is back and has taken hostages at the Statue Of Liberty and even blow up the head of the statue and is killing hostages while filming! Bob Campbell and Jake Alexander are watching the news and they know that they have to do something to stop this terrorist attack and save lives, Bob once in his suit is now going by Ranger and the new friends head to gear up. While at Ultratech Leland is telling Prototype III that his time to be a hero is not now and tells him he will not be sending him to save the day…just yet. While at a government lab the android hero Manhattan Project 1994 is having some major bugs and attacks anyone in his sight, and this keeps it from being a hero as well as all eyes are on the Statue Of Liberty and at this point the state is without a hero. Karl is the leader of this Terrordyne group and while Ranger is getting into position Jake enters the area and takes a bullet to the knee when trying to work out a deal with Karl who informs him that they are making no deals. Jake stands back up and alerts them that he was wearing full body armor and that they are in deep trouble as he gives the signal and Ranger shows up and starts taking down all the Terrordyne agents while Jake and other Aladdin soldiers get the hostages to safety. Karl and Egon are the only two members of Terrordyne to escape and Ranger has to get ready as he has press interviews. After the interview Bob is loading up his jeep and is approached by Jimmy Ruiz who is asking him for help, Bob flies off the handle as he blames Jimmy for stealing his job and punches the young man who responds with his whole body being on fire begging Bob for his help!

Bob Campbell is now Ranger, a metal suited Ultra who is the hero New York is looking for as he stops a terrorist attack as well as saves the lives of many hostages, and he also now has Jake Alexander and the Agents of Aladdin at his side…and he loves every second of his new gig of being a hero! And the best thing for Bob is that his new suit of armor is better than his old and he no longer is saddled with the name Prototype as he is now Ranger! And Bob also in this issue gets to punch the face of Jimmy and man he blames for taken his job at Ultratech. And speaking of Jimmy, this young man is in a panic as he no longer has his Prototype suit, no longer has his job, his about to be a father and also has weird uncontrollable powers do to all the stuff Ultratech and is in a panic and needs help and Bob Campbell is the only person he can think off. Jake Alexander and Aladdin are trying to do what they can to keep New York safe from crime and terrorist and they along with Ranger are doing a great job. The Manhattan Project 1994 is a robotic would be hero that seems to be not controllable as he attacks even his own creators. This is a great issue and spends time building Bob back up at being the hero he loved being. Plus we find out in this issue that New York not only has a gang war issue but they are also having a terrorist war issue! The cover is pretty good and showcases Prototype and Ranger and like a broken record the interior art done by Roger is good stuff. I am looking forward to the next issue and seeing if Bob can not only help Jimmy but also if the two can bury the heat between them and become friends who both wear metal costumes.

Prototype # 11 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 11 of 18

At the Aladdin Labs the thought to be dead bad guy Glare has woken up and is on a rampage and is blinding and killing anyone who is in his way…Jake Alexander has the lab sealed and as Glare pounds his way through the steal door they call Bob Campbell asking him to bring the Ranger suit! Before the call comes through Bob Campbell watches as Jimmy Ruiz almost explodes into a total meltdown and then pass out on the street as onlookers start to get rowdy about his fire and heat glow…Bob thinks fast and picks up Jimmy and drives off just as Donovan Jones watches them and judges them by comparing them to himself. Bob calls his ex-wife Felicia to meet him at the lab and while she tries to help Jimmy, he suits up and as Ranger heads into the lab to battle Glare and the pair punch it out. Meanwhile Felicia helps Jimmy as he is having another meltdown fit and works a way to reroute the power that is coming from one of him implants put in by Ultratech as they used his body to power the suit! Glare comes busting in and is ready to blind both Jake and Felicia and Jimmy uses his surging power to knock out Glare who before going down alerts Jimmy that he as Prototype never defeated him as it was Veil who did! After Glare is down, Felicia informs Jimmy that he is an Ultra and that Ultrateh used his powers to power the suit and that he needs to get the suit back on to stop the outbursts…and Bob agrees to help Jimmy break into Ultratech and steal the Prototype suit.

This issue’s plot shows that Leland and Ultratech have been users and liars from day one and have turned Jimmy Ruiz into a science experiment and fills his body with all types of chips and circuits and have turned him into a walking dangerous battery! And while Jimmy uses his power to take down Glare he is still very much a ticking time bomb that could kill and injury people. Bob Campbell aka Ranger goes hand to hand with Glare in order to save lives at the Aladdin Lab and even ends up getting his ex-wife to help Jimmy who he seems to now understand he shares a common enemy with and that Ultratech! I like the idea of Jimmy and Bob breaking into the lab in order to steal the Prototype suit as you know that when they get there they are going to have to fight Veil and Prototype III! Plus I think it’s clear that Felicia will start helping Jake and the rest of the Aladdin Lab crew as she knows much of the tech of Ultratech and the way Ultras work. Glare coming back from the dead and causing havoc is something I did not see coming and like before it shows that revenge is all that’s on his mind as he hates Leland and wants to do nothing but kill the man he blames for his strange look and powers. I would also guess that this might not be the final time we see Glare in this series, and I for one would like to see him join the side of Aladdin and become an Ultra Hero for them and as well help bring down Leland and Ultratech. Only downside for me is that I want to see Jimmy as Prototype and not just a man with X-Men type powers…so let’s hope he gets the suit back in the next issue. Interior art work by Roger is good and this cover is great and eye catching for fans of 90’s superhero comics. Over all another great issue and shows why Prototype was one of Malibu popular characters.

Prototype # 12 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 12 of 18

At the Ultratech building Felicia Campbell comes to visit Leland and before she goes to visit him she knocks out the guard and brings in her ex-husband Bob as Ranger and Jimmy and they head to the basement so Jimmy can get into the Prototype suit as they all have payback on their minds to Leland, but before Jimmy can suit up, they are attacked by Donovan Jones aka Prototype III who is cocky and wants to showcase his power to Ultratech and impress Leland. While Jimmy tries to get his suit ready for battle with Felicia, Ranger springs into action and battles with Prototype III keeping him busy even with his suit being less powerful, finally Jimmy gets into his suit and as Prototype he enters the fight and its clear the fight between Jimmy and Donovan both who feel like they have something to prove and neither want to loose and in the end Jimmy defeats Donovan with a massive energy blast that destroys the Prototype III suit and as Donavon is bleeding on the floor Felicia treats his wounds as Ranger and Prototype head to Leland’s office. Marjorie Fredericks is in Leland’s office and turns invisible with orders to kill both Jimmy and Bob and as Leland distracts them with offers of hiring them both back as spokesmen for Ultratech Marjorie tries to attack them both but is stopped by a can of pepper spray fired by Felicia who then knocks out the invisible assassin with a metal briefcase. Prototype grabs Leland and is about to smash him like a bug when Ranger reminds him that they are heroes and that they are better than violence as revenge and then alerts Leland that they are going to bury him with a press conference! But Leland is not done yet as he calls in his last chance of killing Bob, Jimmy and Felicia, and it’s Prototype 2000 the same suit of armor that took Bob’s arm during a fight! As Prototype 2000 comes close he opens fire on Leland and then tells the shocked heroes that he is really Gordon Bell the founder of Ultratech!

So many Prototypes to keep track off as this issue has a total of five of them all with different looks and all with different names and model numbers! This issues plot has Bob, Jimmy and Felicia going to Ultratech towers to get the Prototype suit for Jimmy in order to control his powers as well as to alert Leland that they are going to expose his crimes to the world, and while trying to do so they meet his armored and invisible goons and then watch the man that has caused them all so much heartbreak be killed before their eyes by the founder of Ultratech! Bob Campbell aka Ranger is very level headed in this issue and fights when he needs to do so and also is the voice of reason to Jimmy who is lashing out in anger towards those who tricked him into becoming a ticking time bomb of energy. Jimmy is clearly getting out of hand and his power surges are out of control and if not for the Prototype suit he could and would end up killing a lot of innocent people. Felicia is showing that she has a great heart and is teaming with her ex-husband in order to expose Ultratech for the greedy scumbags they are. Leland is just as selfish and evil as ever and wants to kill those who stand in the way of him making money, that’s why it’s so shocking that he is killed…or so we think he is dead as he is blasted and knocked out of a window. Ultratech’s paid muscle of Prototype III and Marjorie Fredericks fail in their attempt to stop our heroes and end up both just knocked out on the floor. The long thought to be dead Gordon Bell being the one controlling the Portotype 2000 suit has be asking so many questions like was he controlling the suit when Bob was injured? Is he really alive or is he also just tech and does this mean Bob and Jimmy are now back on the payroll? I like were the story is going, but I have to say they need to chill on all the different Prototype suits as they keep pilling up! Also I like how Leland’s death was a touch of Robocop in it as it reminds me when the board member is gunned down by Ed-209! The cover for this issue is good and has a Marvel Comics feel to it and the interior art by Roger still and is good as always. Lets see what issue 13 has in store for us!

Prototype # 13 *1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $3.50 Malibu Comics # 13 of 18

Prototype 2000 has the mind of Gordon Bell, but he is out of touch with the times and seems to be flashing back to the time he was always at the office and is enraged by the stock market drops of Ultratech! Bob, Felicia and Jimmy are confused and not sure what to do as Leland’s body has not been found and they cannot find a shut off switch to Prototype 2000 and when they try to get close to find one, the suit fights back. On the news hero Warstrike and bad guy Blind Faith are being attacked by what looks like Prototype at Yankee Stadium and this causes Jimmy to head to the ball park and fight with this imposter Prototype that seems to be a robot, and after a brief fight the robot gets away and Prototype gets no answers from Warstrike who was confused to why he and his super villain were attacked, and Prototype wastes no time using his energy and blowing the robot up leaving scrap metal behind and Warstrike in shock of Prototypes pure power. Meanwhile back at the Unltratech Office Bob and Felicia are getting nowhere on finding an off switch, but do know that a small amount of living organisms are inside the Prototype 2000 suit and Bob puts on his helmet and as Ranger blasts Prototype 2000 hoping to expose what’s living inside it only for the killer tech suit to figure out that their stock is under attack! We then show across town in a room filled with heroes including Night Man that they are the ones going for the stock!

What a silly issue in this series as the action is packed with goofy humor and an ending that leaves you interested but also having to but other comic series to figure out what and why heroes like Night Man are trying to buy mass amounts of Ultratech stocks! The plot has our heroes trying to figure out why Prototype 2000 thinks he is the chairman of Ultratech, why Leland’s body has not been found and why a robot version of Prototype is attacking a hero at a baseball stadium. Jimmy is puzzled by why a robot wearing his suit is trying to attack a hero and get him bad press and has to rush to Yankee Stadium in order to clear his name of this weird attack. Bob is watching as his ex-wife is acting like an employee off Ultratech in order to get answers of what Prototype 2000 really is! Warstrike is the hero who is under attack by the robot version of Prototype and he is knocked around pretty bad and is super confused by the end of his real meeting with Prototype. And as for Prototype 2000 he is a super powerful tech suit with the mind of Ultratech founder Gordon Bell who is acting super sexist and like he is from the 1930’s or something, his humor is silly and eye rolling and he smacks Felicia on the butt and makes groaning sexist remakes that will make you want to watch him explode into a million different pieces. This issue also ends with showing cool Malibu hero characters like Night Man, Teknight, Solitaire and more being the ones behind the hostile takeover of Ultratech’s stock and while cool its also very goofy and also leads to the crappy other comic series crossovers that force you to buy more books to finish the story. While this was a fun read its also very generic feeling and over all not a great issue. The cover is cool and screams 90’s Superhero Comic and the interior art is just ok and is done by Dean Zachary who is not one of my favorite artist from Malibu as at times I feel his work on panels is very sloppy and rushed looking. Over all a middle of the road issue that sets up a series crossover that brings stocks into play and does have some good moments for Prototype (Jimmy) to show his new outlook on life at being a hero.

Giant Size Prototype # 1 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.50 Malibu Comics # 1 of 1

Ultratech stock is dropping fast and Nuware is buying it up dirt-cheap! Meanwhile Gordon Bell in the Prototype 2000 suit is going crazy as now the building is under attack as Ultra Heroes have shown up and Ranger heads to the lower level to confront Night Man and Solution and Prototype heads up to the roof to hold off the Teknight! After fighting the heroes in the basement Ranger is taking out of commission after putting up a good fight and the heroes have a talk with him. Meanwhile on the roof Prototype and Teknight are having a massive battle with each other and both are showing that their armor and skills are pretty evenly matched! While on the street below Ultratech workers are leaving the building with many of them quitting including Marjorie Fredericks who’s invisible and before she leaves the area decides to kill a reporter live on air! Meanwhile the battle takes Prototype and Teknight into the office of Gordon Bell and they see Ranger and the other Ultra Heroes are already there as on the street bellow J.D. Hunt of Nuware makes the announcement that his company is taking over Ultratech as they have bought the majority of the shares. Gordon Bell snaps and as the heroes run from the building her destroys Ultratech headquarters and then flies off into space with a thereat that he will one day come back for J.D. Hunt and make him pay!

This Giant Size issue showcases the end of the storyline of the Hostile Takeover and shows that Nuware and its owner J.D. Hunt was the man behind the stock takeover as well as sent the Ultra Heroes into the battlegrounds to help drive it lower so he can take it all over. Gordon Bell who is looney tunes has a part of his soul and memory inside the Prototype 2000 armor and is extremely dangerous and when pushed too far and learning that his company has been taken from him goes on a rampage and then runs away to space! He is super dangerous and to be honest all the Ultra Heroes should have teamed up and tried to destroy it before it could have went made and caused a building to come down, as think about it we have zero clue how many people might have died because of this. Prototype is fighting for Ultratech just because he needs the money that a job with them brings and Ranger is fight as he is not sure what the hell is really going on! The Ultra Heroes like Night Man and Teknight are around and while they are apart of the plot there is no real rhyme or reason for them to be helping Nuware take over Ultratech. To be honest Night Man does not even say one word! The highlight of this issue is the fight between Prototype and Teknight as they two slug it out and both are equals and each do not want to loose making them fight even harder. This also finally brings Ultrateh to an end as well as Leland and it looks as if they are bringing in a new story arch for our hero. This Giant Size comic also has a backup story that has Ranger fighting Arena and finding out that it was a she behind the armor all along. The cover is really cool and eye-catching and the interior art for the main story is done by Roger so you know its good. A great issue that helps us bring an end to the series main bad guys and that of course is the people of Ultratech.

Prototype # 14 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 14 of 18

Desperate to stop the chaos in New York The Manhattan Project is brought online and even kills its creator Douglas Platt. Meanwhile Prototype and his fellow heroes watch as Prototype 2000 blows up the Ultratech building as well as attacks other parts of New York calling out Prototype for a fight! And then Jimmy snaps out of his day dream of those past events (other comic issues from Malibu) and finds out that Ultratech is now merged with Nuware and while he is offered a job its at half of what he made and it forces him to move to New Jersey, but with a kid on the way he takes the job. He meets a few of the lab workers of Ultratech who are waiting to be let go and they talk about how terrible big tech businesses are to employees, this angers Jimmy and he leaves in a rush to get his Prototype suit on before he has an energy blast out of anger. While flying around New York getting his mind clear and trying to find a better way for the energy he builds up to be used he is attacked by The Manhattan Project to knocks our hero around. Once down The Manhattan Project starts to use his powers to drain all of Prototypes energy as he is not just a machine but a living thing from space that is now wanting to feed and become the most powerful being on Earth! Prototype has had enough and breaks The Manhattan Project’s hold on him and then over loads him with pure energy ending the fight. Jimmy goes to Bob Campbell’s house and finds that Felicia and him are getting back together and that they are moving to California again as Bob is going to work for the movies again as well as part time for Aladdin, and that Nuware has given Bob a large amount of money to clear their books of lawsuits. Bob and Felicia then offer to rent their home to Jimmy and his new family.

This is a pretty solid issue as it’s all about the fight between The Manhattan Project and Prototype and also closes some loose ends to the Ultratech story arch. In this issue Jimmy finds himself being hired by the company who bought out Ultratech with a massive pay cut and also finds out that he must move to Jersey to report into work or commute everyday. He also learns that his two new best friends Bob and Felicia Campbell are moving out of state leaving him without an Ultra Healthcare worker as well as a friend who can repair his suit when damaged. Jimmy’s life is changing and he is both scared, stressed and also slightly happy. It’s as if he knows that he needed a major change but he also can not get his head on straight as he has some much anger over what Leland had the workers of Ultratech do to him. The Manhattan Project is an alien life form that is mixed with tech and is craving raw power and energy and while he is super strong he has never faced the power of Prototype when he unleashes full blast on him, is The Manhattan Project dead or will he rise again to strike…only time and other issues will answer that question. This issue also shows that the creators behind this series wanted to take it into another direction as Ultratch is fully gone, Bob and Felicia are leaving the state, Leland, Gordon and Douglas are all presumed dead. And The Manhattan Project is destroyed making all the characters that Jimmy met in the start of this series have an ending or sorts. I think that making this issue a mostly battle one was a smart move as after building up the fall of Ultratech in issue 13 and then making the conclusion happen in other Ultraverse Comics was a crappy move and they needed to try and make readers of Prototype happy. Also bringing Roger Robinson back onto interior art was super smart as it was solid and great as always. The cover for this issue is also really cool as it has The Manhattan Project chocking the life out of Prototype. Over all a good quick read with battles in the middle of two big new plot directions for the series.

Prototype # 15 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 15 of 18

Donovan Jones is getting a laser energy tattoo of a dragon and has been accepted by Techuza, a group of Ninjas who are building him up in order to fight Prototype and Ranger in order to get revenge on the now gone Ultratech. Meanwhile Prototype and Ranger are saving people from a bridge collapse and talking about what its life to be a hero, and once everyone is safe they fly off to fanfare from those they rescued. The next day Jimmy takes the train to his new job at Nuware and meets his new boss Dennis Carlen in Marketing and the building is rundown and is a major step down for Jimmy. He gets orders that when he wears the suit he gets a $5,000 bonus from the company, but any tech repairs comes from his bonus. He then is told to sit at a desk along with many other Marketing Assistants with one massive one being called Ox. That night Jimmy takes Angella out for dinner and prepossess to her, before she answers she asks him to clear it up with her mothers as it’s a family tradition. As Jimmy and Angella leave the restaurant one of the staff is talking on the phone and is alerting someone that Jimmy is leaving and the time to strike is now. As the couple is driving away they are stopped by Donovan Jones who is now in new armor and calling himself Engine Of Destruction and Jimmy gets his Prototype suit on and the pair battle as Angella watches and questions if marrying Jimmy is what’s good for her baby and herself. We then cut to a meeting of the higher-ups of Terrordyne have a block of ice brought in and once it melts we see Leland Stanley was inside it and that he will now be the leader of the terrorist group.

The more things change the more they stay the same as it looked like we the readers had gotten away from Ultratech being the source for all the negative stuff going on in Prototypes life but while the company is gone we now see that their pains are back as Leland Stanley and Donovan Jones have came out of the wood work once more to cause some issues and deal out pain. I like that Jimmy is now working for a smaller company who just wants to use Prototype to help build their bank account and become a mascot for them of sorts, but with this new job its also clear that their bank account is not as big and that they are even more tight about money. Jimmy also is trying to be more grown up and is trying to find a way to become a “Hero” as well as a father and husband and is ready to settle his life down. Meanwhile Angella seems to be happy to have Jimmy in her life, but also seems to be fearful of his hero life and all the danger he is always in as well as what could cause issues for her and their soon-to-be born child. I like that Donovan is now working for Techuza and is now calling himself Engine Of Destruction and is so filled with hate and the want for revenge that he has forgotten his morals and just wants to kill Prototype for making him look bad and handing him his first major defeat when he was known as Prototype III. I have to be honest with you I hate the fact that Leland Stanley is back as his character had a great send off and should have been left dead, and now with him being the head of a terrorist group makes me know that his ego will be even more out of control. Over all this was a pretty solid issue that had a nice mix of adding in our new characters and stories as well as had a dash of the old story thrown in for nice measure wrapped around a grudge fight. The cover is cool and has Prototype with a cool Chinese Dragon and the interior art is done by Dean Zachary and I think that in this issue his art is really good and I will say I like it this time around and none of it looked rushed. Let’s see what issue sixteen has in store for us, and let’s hope it’s not a ton of Leland nor Jimmy being yelled at by his boss.

Prototype # 16 **1/2
Released in 1994 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 16 of 18

Prototype and Engine Of Destruction are fighting in the streets of New York as Angella watches on in shock and is wondering if this is what her life will be if she marries Jimmy. As the battle rages on Prototype learns that the more he hits Engine Of Destruction the stronger he becomes as the armor he wears repairs and protects itself, but by doing so it’s also making his suit more bulky and slowing him down. It works as Engine Of Destruction becomes too massive and it becomes hard for him to move around. As Angella watches, someone kidnaps her and says he is taking her to a place where Ultra babies are born. Meanwhile before Prototype can finish off Engine Of Destruction members of the Techuza attack and allow Engine Of Destruction to get the upper hand and take down Prototype and pound him into the ground, but Engine Of Destruction makes a big mistake when he removes Prototypes mask and Jimmy uses eye energy blasts to defeat Engine Of Destruction, but before he can really put him away the members of the Techuza come back and whisk their injured friend away and Jimmy sees that they also have kidnapped Angella and he is powerless now to save her as he wasted all his energy on that attack. We then see that Terrordyne doctors are working on Leland and are making him into something more than just a man.

Another battle issue that is surrounded by plot and like before this is a very entertaining issue that puts our hero in an epic battle and also ups the stakes as his lady love is taken away by his new enemies. Jimmy Ruiz who was a former gang member has a fighting nature and while it’s clear he wants to settle down and have a family, he also has way too much pride in being Prototype and cannot just stand around and allow bad guys to get away with crime. Angella who gets kidnapped also still is at war with herself as she loves her boyfriend and baby’s daddy Jimmy but also hates his fighting lifestyle. Terrordyne clearly has big plans for Leland as they have taken his corpse and are adding tech to it in order to bring him back to life to let him lead them as well as become more powerful than ever. Techuza are sneaky ninjas who watch out for each other but also seem to be very much into nabbing Angella as she has an Ultra Baby in her womb. Engine Of Destruction is a tank and can take a beating and use that beating to become stronger, but the man inside Donovan is also dealing with rage issues and this causes him to also make mistakes. The drama of Angella not being 100% sure if she can and should marry Jimmy adds that slight more human nature to this comic series and while she comes off very whinny its very understandable as who would want a life of super villains trying to kill your loved ones as well as yourself. The cover is pretty cool and eye-catching in a 90’s comic kind of way with the interior art being great and done by Roger Robinson again. Over all I have to say again a solid entertaining issue that makes me look forward to reading the next.

Prototype # 17 **1/2
Released in 1995 Cover Price $1.95 Malibu Comics # 17 of 18

Stanley Leland wakes up after his resurrection surgery and has the body of a squid and is told by the terrorist group that he is the one they want to lead them and that they will help him get revenge on Prototype. Bob Campbell, Melina Campbell and Jake Alexander are working on the damage Prototype suit and they have made so very good adjustments to it making it run smoother and cause Jimmy far less pain when first putting it on. Once the armor is ready Prototype and Ranger fly off to save Angella from the grip of the Techuza and both in their own minds share how proud they are to be saving the day with the other. The heroes show up and fight off giant killer fish as well as Techuza henchmen and then finally they enter a room and their armor is scanned and Techuza alerts them that they have taken the fetus and that Angella is alive and they control the fate of Prototypes family! The Techuza also tells him that they are getting ready for war with Terrordyne and it will be fought with Ultras and bio-weapons and that Prototype should remember that he should be on their side as they control the fate of his family. Ranger tries to calm down Prototype who punches his hero friend and rushes to an image of Angella that turns into a pile of goo and he breaks down. Meanwhile the Techuza takes Angella back to New York and throw her out of a van minus her baby!

So a gang war between Techuza and Terrordyne is about to go down and both sides clearly will be playing for keeps as they are stockpiling Ultras as well as creating weapons that will cause mass destruction as well as death. So in other words we are in store for two terrorist groups fighting each other with heroes and normal people stuck in the middle! Prototype in this issue is filled with worry as well as rage as he just wants his girlfriend and baby back and is making bad decisions along the way cause he is lashing out and not using his mind in order to rescue her. And poor Angella has been kidnapped, her baby stolen from her womb and then dumped in a New York ally like she is trash, this poor woman has been through so much in a matter of hours. Ranger is doing his best to try and keep Prototype calm and on track and teaching him the ways of being an Ultra Hero, but is learning that Jimmy while a good guy is a little unstable and is always filled with anger. Leland is around and has the legs of an octopus, he is still snarky and ego driven and is promised revenge on Prototype if he helps Terrordyne in their quest for power, I wish Leland would have been left dead. The cover for this issue is terrible and is Leland his is octopus legs and is very cheesy and lame and not eye-catching and more laughable and the interior art this time around is done by George Dove and is good stuff. Crazy to think that we only have one more issue in this series and the Prototype would be over, let’s see how Malibu ends this series.

Prototype # 18 **1/2
Released in 1995 Cover Price $1.95. Malibu Comics # 18 of 18

Prototype is at a department store for their 10^th Anniversary when he becomes under attack by Battlewagon a tech suited bad guy with tank treads for feet! The battle is going as reporter Lacy is on the scene broadcasting it live, when Battlewagon uses his force field to knock Prototype down with a hard blast he then uses a wall to trap our hero and reveals who he is as Battlewagon in Frankie the man who use to be Jimmy’s best friend! Frankie tells Jimmy that he feels like he was forgotten as he was given a job at Ultratech by Jimmy’s request and that was as a janitor and that one day when Prototype was fight Arena they knocked down a wall that killed Maria the love of Frankie’s life and put him into a coma. He then says that it was Terrordyne who brought him back and turned him into Battlewagon in order to get revenge on Prototype for taking everything away from him. Prototype snaps to and tries to talk to Battlewagon as he has something big to tell him, but the angry villain will not listen and as Prototype once more pulls his punches as he tries to talk to his one time friend who once more blasts Prototype with a massive shot and just as Battlewagon is about to kill our hero a voice stops him and its Maria who’s pregnant and very much alive, Terrordyne has lied to Frankie and he is overwhelmed and flees the scene. Prototype thanks Maria for coming and they both stand together wondering if Frankie will ever return.

The final issue of Prototype is a fun one that is its own story wrapped up in one issue, but it also does zero to answer the questions of issue 17 like the war between the two terrorist groups and what happed with Angella and her baby? But this issue has Prototype having a fight with a new Ultra Villain that turns out to be is one time best friend who blames Jimmy for all is issues and the death of his wife who is in fact very much alive. Battlewagon is the issue’s baddie and he is pretty cool as he has the torso of a man in a tech suit and the bottom half of a tank and he has massive firepower to boot! The downside to him is he is fighting with rage and this makes him sloppy in attacks as well as makes him way to talkative as he wants to alert our hero on why he hates him and wants him dead. Prototype in this issue is annoyed that he is having to do a meet and greet at a department store then turns into hero mode when he is attacked but ends up shocked and sadden when he fights out who his attacker is and why he is fighting. The story is very much like a soap opera and it’s clear that writer R.A. Jones knew this as he even has panels showing a soap opera on a TV, and while it feels out of place and disjointed from the last issue it still very much was an entertaining read. To be honest many times this comic series in its run feels disjointed as plots and characters seem to disappear and they also do the finish this story in this other comic series nonsense that has plagued mainstream comics for so long now. I really do enjoy Malibu Comics and Prototype is my second favorite character in the Ultraverse and it was a blast revisiting many of these issues again as well as for some a first time read and I still feel that Prototype and Ranger should be in the Marvel Universe as they are perfect fits in the Iron Man series. The cover is cool and eye-catching but has zero to do with what happens in the issue and the interior art is done by Paul Abrams and is good stuff! After this issue a mini series was suppose to be released called “Prototype Turf War” and would have been more about the terrorist war and would have wrapped up the story, but sadly it was never released thanks to the fine folks at Marvel Comics who botched everything Ultraverse from day one of them buying them. Check out some artwork bellow to see they style of art used in this series and I will say if you like 90’s Superhero comics make sure to check out Prototype as it really is a good series with some cool characters.

Prototype is one of my favorite characters from the Malibu Comics Ultraverse and his series was well done and had a nice build up and showcased many characters all with their own story arches and all building the world they live in. It’s a shame that Prototype as well as all the rest of the Malibu Ultraverse characters never fully got to have a solid ending or even found new life in the Marvel Universe. While Prototype did have flaws and some issues in storytelling, it really is a fun series to read, and I know this sounds crazy to many of you readers and friends but I would say that for me the Ultravese was better then just about everything Image Comics did in their first few years minus the likes of Spawn and Maxx, but let’s not get to much into that. For our next update I will once more be celebrating the 10 Year Anniversary Of The Horror Host Hall Of Fame and will be heading to the world of Crazyman! So until next time read a Malibu Comic or three, watch an Ultraforce episode or two and as always support your local Horror Host! On a side note I wonder if the Warden will have some beans for us to eat when we visit The Crazyman?

The Incredible Coloring Hulk!

Posted on November 19, 2019 by bloodlinematt

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!