From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Revealer (2022)

Posted on August 24, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink for another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. For this one we will be talking about the 2022 end of the world horror film Revealer that was released as a Shudder streaming original film, and of course this film also got a comic released by Vault Comics as the film’s screenplay was co-written by comic veteran Tim Seeley so it was a perfect fit. So if you are ready, let’s avoid the religious protesters and head to the peep booth as I heard Angie Pitarelli is dancing tonight and you know you’re in for a rock n roll good time when she moves to the grooves. Let’s just hope that the end of days doesn’t happen before we get there.

Let’s first start off by looking at the film’s main villain and King Of The Demons, who’s also called the Creature Of Judgment, Asmodeus, the dealer of death. Asmodeus is a very powerful demon who takes part in the end of the world helping cast judgment and punishment on those left behind to face the wraith and destruction of Satan’s rule over the Earth. He is all-powerful and cannot be hurt or killed with typical weapons and is super strong and can kill humans with his bare hands or with his mystical biblical powers. Just the sight of this demon can cause panic, fear and death as he is a horned being and is massive in size with a booming demonic voice. He is also very tricky and can mimic the voices of your loved ones to lure you into his trap, and will force you to judge those around you in order to save their soul or damn them. He also is joined by demonic snakes that have wide opening mouths and will force themselves down your throat to cause madness and violent tendencies to come out making them a very deadly part of Asmodeus’ power. Just him being on Earth will cause panic, death and destruction making Asmodeus one of the most powerful demons we have ever covered here. While Asmodeus cannot be killed or truly stopped, he can be slowed down if you can remove his head and then bash the skull to bits, you can also avoid him if you are being called home to Heaven or be true to who you really are. So as you can see, Asmodeus could be one of the most powerful monster we have ever covered here on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic updates, and that’s saying something as we have covered the likes of Godzilla, Tall Man and Michael Myers to name a few.

So now that we have chatted about the demon Asmodeus, I think we should now take a look at the film he is from, and that is of course the Shudder original Revealer that hit the streaming service in 2022 and later would release on DVD. So like always, we will be taking the film’s plot from IMDB and after that I will be writing about the film’s production as well as my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s head to the tunnels as I hear the trumpets playing and that means Asmodeus is on the prowl looking for souls to judge.

Revealer (2022)

“Tensions rise when a stripper and religious protester are trapped together in a peep show booth and must come together to survive the apocalypse in 1980’s Chicago.”

Revealer is an indie horror film that is based on the story by Luke Boyce with the screenplay being done by Tim Seeley and Michael Moreci. The plot is about the end of the world and how a stripper and protestor have to come together to survive. Luke Boyce would also step in to direct the film and cast such names as Caito Aase, Shaina Schrooten, Bishop Stevens and Buzz Leer with Caito and Shaina snagging the lead roles. Production and filming were your normal indie fare and the use of bright colored lights helped add to the dread feeling of the film, as did the conflict between the two leads over religion and judgment. The film would be scored by Alex Cuervo who had already done the music for such films as The Pale Door, Scare Package and Modern Society. The film was released as a Shudder Original on the streaming site and would be met with very mixed reviews from both critics and viewers as many of them thought the film was too preachy while others found it to be a fun end of the world horror fright flick. Over time, the film gain a cult following and when released on home media it found even more of a fan base. The film would be released alongside such other films in 2002 as Halloween Ends, The Black Phone, Smile, Terrifier 2, Thrust, The Barn 2, Dark Shade Creek 4 and The Menu to name a very small few. The film’s screenplay was co-done by Tim Seeley who many of you comic book readers know as the creator behind Hack/Slash among other comic series.

I first saw this film of course on Shudder and watched it right after the comic book was released, and I have to say while it is a horror film that is not everyone’s tastes, I really enjoyed the idea of two polar opposites being stuck together in a tiny sleazy peep show adult store while madness and death is raging outside and they must find a way to work together in order to survive and avoid damnation. The film was laced with messages about don’t judge people for what they do for a living, don’t let religion make you ashamed of yourself if you are gay and that women are just as strong as men and can face the odds and win…and I have seen some of the reviews that dislike it because of these reasons, and I say that is a silly reason to dislike a film. The film’s sets are pretty much the peepshow booths and then the underground tunnels, and the way the sets are lit make them work really well and add to the film’s spooky end of the world atmosphere. Actress Caito Aase is fantastic as stripper Angie Pitarelli and actress Shania Schrooten is great as protester Sally Mewbourne as the two have really good on screen chemistry together and make the limited sets and low budget work. The film also makes great use of sound as you can hear screams, sirens, trumpets and all sorts of odd noises in the background showing that the outside world is truly in chaos. The effects for the demon snakes and Asmodeus are well done for the lower budget, and for some reason the head of Asmodeus reminds me of a head of cauliflower with horns, no joke but I liked the design of the demon for what it was. Over all I have seen better and worse horror films about the End Of Times, and Revealer is a good quick watch film that works with the limitations it was given and makes it work to entertain for under an hour and half runtime.

Now that we have taken a look at Asmodeus and the film he is from, Revealer, I think it’s time that we take a look at the comic based on it that was released by Vault Comics to go along with the film to promote it. And again I have to give indie comic publishers as well as Shudder much respect as they have done a couple of these horror comics based on films with the other being Spare Parts, and I hope that this is a trend that stays around for awhile as it would be great to keep getting these one shot issues based on their original films, and I am looking at you Vault & Behemoth Comics to keep this going. I would like to thank Game Swap Kettering for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind all you readers that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s see what this Revealer comic has in store for us.

Revealer # 1 ***
Released in 2022 Cover Price $4.99 Vault Comics # 1 of 1

“Creature Of Judgment” The demon Asmodeus is running around Hell very cocky and even takes on fallen angels who have given up their wings, and after the battle Asmodeus returns to his demoness lover Sarah and she stabs him in the back and Asmodeus clearly has lost his rule of his Kingdom in Hell when is own minions attack him, and after being bound, tortured and his eyes removed his new job of being the Creature Of Judgment is about to start of the End Of Days on Earth is among us. “The Righteous Judgment Of Sally Mewbourne” we join Sally and Angie who are in the tunnels under the Peep Show Adult shop and are being confronted by Asmodeus who is ready to pass judgment on Angie and this causes Sally to find herself in a red room and being asked to say what is wrong with Angie and her life, and Sally takes a stand and refuses to judge her friend and this cause Asmodeus to be pissed off and he makes Sally face her own flaws…but she finds her inner power and Angie helps bring her out of it only after that is they attack and take down Asmodeus as Sally swings a mean axe. “Baby David” Angie is in her apartment practicing her stripper dance when she is shocked to find her nephew David home and asking if she is a sinner and if her dancing will lead her to Hell as he says his friends parents tell him these things, Angie calms him only for David to disappear and a demon baby version of him to appear in the apartment and attack her with his snake tongue…Angie then wakes up to find a leak in the ceiling and is forced to take extra shifts at her job of stripping to pay for the repair. “A Freaky Thing Happened On The Way To Revealers” Ray who works the front end of the adult peep show club is on his way to work and is kind to everyone he comes across as he lets the store clerk keep the change, buys a neighborhood kid a comic book, brings and older woman a rose and even tries to give a homeless man a dollar…but this backfires as the homeless man rips up the dollar and warns him that the end is near and this his hero complex of wanting to be the protector of women will be his downfall…and Rey mad heads to work with those words in his mind.

This is a very cool horror comic that fills in some of the gaps of the film and makes it a must read for fans of it. This comic has four stories that are based on the four top characters of the film and that of course are Asmodeus, Sally Mewbourne, Angie Pitarelli and Rey, and each part is very interesting and helps add more levels to their personalities and also showcases what they were doing right before the events of the movie so we see why Angie took an extra shift, what Rey was doing before work that day and the anger and torture of Asmodeus before he was sent to judge those left behind. We also get a look at what Sally had to see when she was dragged down one of the tunnels and seen a twisted version of Mary Magdalene. My favorite story of the four I would say is “Creature Of Judgment” just because I found it to be a fun mean spirited and twisted tale, but to be fair the other three segments are also very well done and help build the world of Revealer. The comic does a great good of building the set up for End Of Times and shows all the warnings that Angie and Rey face before the big event takes place. While the comic has some spooky moments and some tension of what is coming or in some cases is already here, the comic is bloodless and does not have any gore or death in it, but don’t let that scare you away as this is still a solid horror comic for fans of the film. But that is the thing I do feel that if readers have not seen the film or did and didn’t like it this comic would not be for them as it’s very heavily tied into the events of it making it a great promo item for the film. The cover I have for this comic is very cool and showcases both Sally and Angie and is eye catching with the use of the more neon style colors. The comic has a team of artists behind it as each of the four has a different one doing the art and these artists are in order of their story Ken Landgraf, Chris Anderson, Caroline Leigh Layne and Dean Kotz, and all do great work with Landgraf and Layne being my two favorite styles but not to downplay Anderson and Kotz as their work is also top notch. Over all this is a good read and is for fans of the film or even those interested in maybe reading to see if they would like to see the film. Checkout the artwork below to see the styles used for this comic.

Revealer is an indie Horror Film that has built is building cult following thanks to Shudder, and it was very cool that Vault Comics made a comic to help promote the film as to be honest buying the comic is what made me watch the film as I really am a big fan of comic books that are based on films of the horror genre. And while Revealer the film and comic are not for everyone, I do think you should give them both a chance and check them out. So with that I think that I should let you know that the next update will continue out look into comic books based on horror movies as we will be talking about Blacula and the graphic novel released about him. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local horror host! And now that I think about it, Revealer here was the first update in our countdown to Halloween 2024!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Creepshow (1982)

Posted on July 14, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! Since I have started doing the “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” updates, there is one comic that I have been requested to do and that’s Creepshow as so many of you readers love this classic graphic novel and wanted to see it get the Rotten Ink treatment, and well here it is! Creepshow is one of those films that seems to gain more and more of a following as the years pass as newer horror fans discover it and ultimately fall in love with it as it could be one of horror cinema’s most prefect anthology films. Plus The Creep, who is the film’s storyteller and guide through these tales of the macabre, is a true horror icon and has become so popular that he has even sparked action figures as well as has appeared on t-shirts and posters. For this update, not only will we be taking a look at Creepshow the film and the graphic novel, but we will also be talking a little about Monster Bash 2023 as Juliet and I also attempt to visit at least one of the filming locations of Creepshow while we are in the Pittsburgh area. So with that, a thunderstorm is brewing outside and there is a tapping at the window as The Creep says it’s time to talk about Creepshow!

Let’s first start off taking a look at The Creep, who is the main villain in Creepshow, and talk about his ways of helping dealing death to mankind. The Creep is a creepy looking rotting skeleton ghoul with long white hair who is also very much ghostly in nature and loves to share his horrific tales of horror with those who will listen. His grotesque appearance could easily frighten a person to death, as could his sinister toothy smile because his undead look makes him very frightening on the human eyes. He also has the ability to fly and hover around, making him also very dangerous, as he can get at least two stories high. He also seems to have a kind of control or at least can encourage wicked youngsters into committing acts of violence by using voodoo and black magic on their parents or bullies, and this power can make him very evil as he also seems to feed off of fear and even hate that people have for one another. He also is able the spread his messages and gruesome tales via the pages of a comic book he is the host of. And at this time it is very unclear if The Creep has any true weaknesses and what, if anything, can kill him as he mostly stays in the shadows and pulls the strings like a puppet master. While The Creep is more of a spooky storyteller than a killer, he still is very bad as he can help lead people to do very bad things that lead to being severely harmed to even death.

So now that we have taken a look at The Creep, the twisted storyteller, I think it’s now time we take a look at Creepshow, the cult classic anthology film that truly is a masterpiece of 80’s Horror cinema that he is the star of. I want to first remind you that, like always, we will be taking the film’s plot from our pals at IMDB, and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts about the film. So if you are ready, let’s dive into the world of Creepshow.

Creepshow (1982)

“Five tales of terror are presented. The first deals with a demented old man returning from the grave to get the Father’s Day cake his murdering daughter never gave him. The second is about a not-too-bright farmer discovering a meteor that turns everything into plant-life. The third is about a vengeful husband burying his wife and her lover up to their necks on the beach. The fourth is about a creature that resides in a crate under the steps of a college. The final story is about an ultra-rich businessman who gets his comeuppance from cockroaches.”

George Romero was working with his own Laurel Entertainment and United Film Distribution and after Dawn Of The Dead, Martin and Knightriders, his next film was to be a team up with horror writer Stephen King for Creepshow, a spooky anthology film that was a love letter to the classic EC Comic series like Tales From The Crypt, Vault Of Horror and Haunt Of Fear. While George A. Romero would be the director, the script would be handled by Stephen King who would also appear in the film in one of the segments as a simple minded farmer. The film would have a budget of $8 million and with that they brought in Tom Savini for the film’s special effects and some bigger name actors to join the cast with names like Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Richard Gere, Ed Harris and Tom Atkins, to name a few. The film would mostly be filmed around the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area with some parts also being filmed in New Jersey. The film was very heavy on the special effects as many creatures, monsters and deaths depended on them to look good and be the main punch to the gut for the stories being told. And at one point in the film, over 20,000 live cockroaches were used on screen to deliver some chills as well as be the killers for their features segment. And once done, the film would be scored by John Harrison who would go onto do the music on such films as Day Of The Dead and Tales From The Darkside: The Movie. Laurel Entertainment, who were having money issues at this time, ended up selling the films distribution to Warner Brothers who would release the film on November 10, 1982 and would go on to make around $21 million. The film would be very well liked by critics and fans and would get even a bigger fan base once released on home media. The film would be released alongside such other horror films in 1982 as Friday The 13^th Part III, Basket Case, Poltergeist, The New York Ripper, Night Beast, Halloween III: Season Of The Witch, Slumber Party Massacre, Swamp Thing and The Thing ,to name a few showing that 1982 was a great year for horror in the cinema. The film would spawn two sequels as of this updates posting as well as a TV series.

Creepshow was a film that was a must watch at our household as both my brother and I were big fans, and we used to watch it all the time when it aired on HBO as well as on VHS. I can remember telling all my friend on the playground at school about the film as well as how cool The Creep was. I think for me why this film works so well is that each of the five tales are very different and each have their own twists and turns that can bring out fear. Creepshow also brings the viewer many types of horror “killers” as it features zombies, a monster, roaches and even a killer alien fungus and this makes it feel like a pick your poison of what really scares you kind of film. The film has that true comic book feel to it and moments in the film takes inspiration from the shocks of comics as backgrounds change and make you feel like the characters are really trapped in a comic book world. As a kid, one of the things that also stood out to me was the toys in Billy’s room as he had some amazing toys like a Mego Incredible Hulk, the Shogun Warrior versions of Godzilla and Rodan, a Remco Universal Mummy as well as he had Krusher the growing green monster! Plus let us not forget that he also had a Universal Dracula poster on his wall…Billy was awesome! Growing up I think my favorite story was “Fathers Day” as when I was a kid the look of the zombie version of Nathan was so well done and the twist ending of him having a head as his cake was so shocking and stuck with me, but as I got older, I think that “The Crate” became my favorite story in the film as I love the flesh eating monster who unknowingly helps a man get rid of his over bearing wife. Oh and yes, my brother and I would also talk about the fact that Bob Backlund makes an appearance in the film as the Stephen King played character Jordy is watching a WWF match on TV. One other memory I have of the film growing up is that my mom hated the segment “They’re Creeping Up On You” as the roaches busting out of the rich old man in the end grossed her out. Creepshow is one of those films as that I upgraded from VHS to DVD when it was released as well as over the years have the film’s score music on CD as well as have some t-shirts that showcase characters from the film and it really is one I have seen so many times as it truly is a classic fright flick and one that I recommend that everyone should watch. I just cannot say enough on how great this team up is of Romero and King two of the 80’s biggest horror icons really is.

So now that we have talked about the film Creepshow as well as The Creep who is the storyteller in the film I think that it is time that we take a look at the graphic novel that was released around the same time as the film in order to help promote it. I would like to thank Game Swap Kettering for having this GN 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, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s open the pages of Creepshow # 1 and see what The Creep has in store to share with us when it comes to spooky tales.

Creepshow GN # 1 ***1/2
Released in 1982 Cover Price $6.95 New American Library # 1 of 1

The Creep welcomes us to Creepshow and then ushers us to the first tale “Father’s Day” that is set at the Grantham House as family members are in the parlor for Father’s Day waiting on Great Aunt Bedelia who was said to have killed her abusive father. Family is telling Henry, a man dating one of the Grantham’s all about the rumors and dirty secrets of the family. Aunt Bedelia arrives at the house and heads to the family cemetery and sits by her father’s grave and remembers back to the death of her lover that was ordered by her father to look like a hunting accident. She also remembers the day she killed him with an ashtray as he banged his cane against his wheel chair screaming about wanting cake! As Bedelia sits and remembers back, her father rises from his grave and kills her as well as Henry who was sent out to find her when she was late for dinner. In the end after killing another of his kin and making her head into a cake, The Father finally got his cake to the horror of the remaining Grantham family members. The next creepy tale is “The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill” goofball Jordy Verrill watches as a meteor falls from the sky near his farm and when he finds it he by accident burns himself by touching it, he thinks he can sell the meteor to the local college and make some money but when he pours cold water on it the meteor splits and green goo comes out of it and as well gets on Jordy who ends up slightly defeated in his dream of getting money after he cracked the meteor in half. But things gets worse for Jordy as the goo in the meteor makes his body grow a mold that takes his skin over and as well his farm land, in the end Jordy ends his own life but the growing mold is spreading even outside his farm. The next terror tale is called “The Crate” Henry Northrup is a Professor who hates his wife Billie and who gets a call from his friend Stanley after the night janitor finds an old crate hidden under the stairs, that ends up housing a very hungry creature that eats the janitor as well as a student! And Henry comes up with an idea that will solve his wife issue as he will lead her to the creature have it eat her and then he can chain up the crate and drop it into a body of water and things will be better for them both, so Henry drugs Stanley with sleeping pills and after this plan happens we see that the creature is still alive even at the bottom of the water. The next spooky tale is “ Something To Tide You Over” that has Richard Vickers capturing his wife Becky and her lover Harry in the act of cheating and takes them both to a private beach and buries them in the sand with only their heads out, and waits for the tide to come in so they both can drown and even video tapes it and makes Harry watch as Becky drowns just to be even more cruel before the water comes for him. In the end Richard is at home cocky and happy about his double murder when he is visited by his now zombie victims who take him to the beach in order to suffer the same fate as they did. The final tale is called “They’re Creeping Up On You” Upson Pratt is a very rich man who lives in a very nice apartment and he is mad when he finds a cockroaches are all over his living area and demands that the exterminators get their within an hour, but things turn bad for Mr. Pratt when the city has a blackout and thousands of roaches come out to play and cause him to have a heart attack! When the lights finally come back on we find that the roaches have hidden in the body of Mr. Pratt and all escape via his mouth.

This amazing graphic novel was released around the same time the film was released in theaters and once more proves my point that comic books are a great tool to help promote as well as give fans of the films a little something more to collect. And let’s be honest, Creepshow is a graphic novel that almost everyone who reads horror comics has in their collection. The graphic novel has five twisted tales and each bring a different type of horror to the readers, and as you can guess they are the same tales from the movie and these comic versions of the stories do the ones from the film justice and bring some truly memorable chills. The one change that the comic has is that The Creep is the main focus of the segments between the tales and all the parts of young Billy and his father are missing that make up the films over all story arch. And while the film is clearly inspired by EC Comics, this graphic novel is even more so as The Creep truly acts like The Crypt Keeper with his dark humor puns to take us along the journeys of these twisted tales. All five of the stories are very good and well done with many of them having some very impactful moments with Jordy being covered with that mossy mold killing himself and the undead father holding his head cake; they all spark a feeling of dread. I think if I had to choose my favorite story from this graphic novel I would go with “The Crate” as I am a sucker for a good creature and this one delivers as he eats humans and looks very mean and scary, and if I had to choose my least favorite I would say “The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill” as the story is great and all but does not pack as much of a scare as the others, but it does have one of the most impactful downbeat endings. There is lots of blood, death and gross moments in this GN and that will surly please those readers who like the red stuff spilt in their horror comics. The cover for this GN is amazing and very eye catching, and I would also say very iconic, the interior art is done by the master of the macabre Bernie Wrightson and for those who know his style, you know just how great it is, as I love the way he drew the undead as well as the Crate Monster in this book. Over all this is a truly amazing graphic novel and truly is apart of the Creepshow legacy and could even be a bigger part than the sequels and Shudder series in many fans eyes. Check out the artwork bellow to see the style of Wrightson used in this book.

Creepshow is a great film as well as a great graphic novel and both should truly be in every horror fan’s collection. But as you can see, our look at Creepshow is over ,and now it’s our time to take a brief look at Monster Bash 2023 as this was the year that Juliet and I went on a quest to find ata least one shooting location used for the film Creepshow, and we found it as we went to the house that was used for the prologue exteriors. It was great as it looked just about the same as it did in the film…but sadly we were not able to get a picture as the home owner was doing yard work and we did not want to be rude and bother him, but it was a very cool experience of seeing it. But as you can see, we have come to the end of the update and that means we have to leave The Creep behind and head to the Rotten Ink Theater as we talk silent cinema and take a look at the film Speed Spook! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror Fflm or two and as always, support your local Horror Host. And again sorry I wish I could have gotten that picture of the Creepshow house for you guys to have seen on that day.

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.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Wolf Blood (1925)

Posted on May 2, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. This time around we will be taking a look at a silent horror film that is also very much a romantic drama that was made in 1925 and is the oldest surviving werewolf film known as of this update’s posting. I am talking about Wolf Blood, a film that is often overlooked when people speak of early silent horror cinema. Now this update is going to be a little different as Blood Scream Comics the company I own and am the editor-in-chief of is the one who released this comic series, so I will not be giving the issues any kind of star ratings as I feel that would be very cheesy of me to do so. So instead I am just going to talk about the plot of the issue and “review” what is going on after as well as some of the twists that we added to spice it all up. So with that, let’s hike ourselves into these woods and let’s talk about a werewolves and people who get blood from wolves!

Before we dive too deep into this spooky update, let’s take a look at the “werewolf” named Dick Bannister! Dick is the foreman at Ford Lumber in the woods of Canada and is kind of new at his post but does have the respect of his men as he shows them respect and gives them chances even after they make mistakes. He also knows some basic medical care, and when his men are injured, he cares for them or sends for help in order to truly treat them. He is a skilled fighter with his fists and he very loyal to his co-workers as well as his boss Edith Ford who he gets a crush on, even though she is set to be married to her doctor boyfriend soon. But after a bad fight that leaves Dick almost dying, he has the blood of a wolf transfused into him to stay alive and this is when he starts having some mental issues as people fear him when word gets out. He also starts to get more angry and violent as he thinks the wolves of the woods are calling to him. But even in his state of madness, he is not dangerous and does not kill a living soul and is more of a danger to himself as he almost leaps off a cliff! Not a danger to a living person at all and not a werewolf, Dick Bannister is just a normal man who for a brief time has a mental break and can be killed like any normal person from shooting, stabbing, beating or burning making him one of the weakest killers or monsters we have covered on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update…but while he might not be a killer, he does throw a mean punch and that has to count for something.

So while Dick Bannister might just be a man with a mental breakdown for a short time, he still made his mark on werewolves in cinema. And now let’s take a look at the film that he is from and that’s the 1925 film Wolf Blood. Like always, we will be taking the film’s write up from our pals at IMDB and after I will write about the film’s production and my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s wander into those woods and keep our eyes open for wolves as we chat about this underrated silent horror classic.

Wolf Blood (1925)

“In this tale of the great Canadian forest, Dick Bannister, the new manager of the Ford Logging Company receives a transfusion of wolf blood, followed by strange reactions that he begins to think he is neither beast nor man.”

Wolf Blood is a silent film from 1925 that was produced by the Ryan Brothers and was released by Lee-Bradford Corporation. It was based on the story by Cliff Hill with the screenplay by Bennett Cohen. The film is set in Canada and is about two feuding lumber companies that lead to a man being injured and to save his life he gets a blood transfusion from a wolf and this causes people to think that he will turn into a werewolf after false rumors are spread around and this drives the man mad. The film is a mix of drama, horror and romance and directing the picture was the team of Bruce Mitchell and George Chesebro, who would also play the lead role of Dick Bannister. And sadly the horror aspect is really cut down as they focus more on the romance aspect. Other actors brought into the cast include Marguerite Clayton, Raymond Hanford, Milburn Morante and Frank Clark. The main star George Chesebro was known for being a western actor and would have a very long career in Hollywood and would pass away on May 28, 1959 at the age of 70 and was pretty much active almost to his death. The film, while a werewolf film, more plays up on the mental madness of a man after getting some wolf blood to stay alive. He thinks that he is becoming a wolf even chasing after phantom wolves that act as his pack, so those who are looking for a transformation will be disappointed. The film was met with mixed reviews, and to this day it has that same reaction as many enjoy the simple story of love finding a way, while others wanted more scares with their horror. The film was released with such other horror films in 1925 as The Phantom Of The Opera, The Lost World, The Monster and The Unholy Three to name a few. While not a full fledged horror movie, thanks to home media this film as gained a cult following over the decades. And at some point I will be doing a Forgotten Reels update about this film.

I am going to start off saying that I am a big fan of Wolf Blood and can see what impact it had on early werewolf cinema as it deals with the mental strain that a person goes through when they fear the moon and what they may become once the beast side takes over. Actor George Chesebro plays the role of Dick Bannister so well that you believe his confusion and pain throughout his mental breakdown. I really think that George Chesebro is a silent actor that should get more credit as he was fantastic at his art and had that classic Hollywood leading man look. Actress Marguerite Clayton plays Edith Ford in this film, and she has that classic beauty to her. She does a great job in the film as many of the film’s key moments also fall on her performance, and she knocks it out of the park as she and Chesebro seemed to have good chemistry on the screen. And yes, I would have loved to have seen an early transformation from man to wolf in this film, but I can also step back and enjoy that the film plays more up on the mental disease of lycanthropy as well as the power of persuasion of how planting a seed in someone’s mind can grow to truly affect them and others around them as they might believe a little white lie that will grow into a full fledged nightmare. While the horror elements of the film are pushed to the back in order to play up the romance aspect of love can conquer all, there are still some truly great moments that are spooky for the time like Dick’s decent into the madness and even the phantom wolves that run around the woods can add a classic chill to viewers of the more early horrors of the world. One aspect that makes me laugh when watching this film that Edith Ford and Doctor Eugene Horton are slated to be married and quickly Edith falls for Dick Bannister and by the end of the film Edith acts as if Eugene owes Dick the apology for telling a lie that the wolf blood might effect him to her that Dick overhears…when in this film Dick steals Eugene’s lady, chokes him and without Eugene he would be dead…owed an apology indeed! The film’s finale is also very well done as Dick who is filled with madness after thinking he killed a man who was found dead in the woods runs with his phantom wolf pack to the edge of a cliff. If not for Edith, the crazed man would have fallen to his death, but it is she who holds him back and risks her own safety. This is such a fun film that is a quick watch as it only runs a little over an hour. While it’s not as iconic as many other silent horror films, I do think that it is one that is often over looked. If you have interest in seeing it you can find it on YouTub,e but I would suggest watching it on Physical Media as you can get it on DVD from Alpha Video or Grapevine Video. While not fully horror, I feel the aspects are there and because of its ties to early werewolf cinema it’s worth a watch for sure.

Now that we talked about not only the film Wolf Blood but also Dick Banister, the man who thought he was cursed to become a wolf, I think it’s time we talk a little about the comic based on the film by Blood Scream Comics that was written by me! That’s right, I wrote the story and along with artist Jeff Potter, did the dialogue. And boy did we make some changes, but I will save that for the “review” part of this update. Like I said before and just like with The Giant Gila Monster, I will not be giving these comics any kind of star rating as that just seems silly as I worked on the comic. But I wanted to cover this comic for two reasons: I am a fan of the film and wanted to chat about it and the other being that I had a blast working on this comic series and wanted to share it with you readers. I would like to thank Jeff Potter for creating this comic alongside me for Blood Scream Comics and making this update possible. I should also warn you that this will spoil some of the big surprises we have in this comic adaptation so you have been warned: read on at your own risk. So of you are ready, let’s head into the woods of Canada and see if we can find the old Ford Lumber Company so that we can talk about the tale that is known as Wolf Blood.

Wolf Blood # 1
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 2

The Ford Lumber Company and Consolidated Lumber Company are at war with each other in the woods of Canada as they are very close to one another and their mangers Dick Bannister and Jules Deveroux have different ways of dealing with the job as Bannister wants his people to work safe and Deveroux is giving orders to his men to sneak into the woods and shoot to wound the lumberjacks that work for Ford. After another attack and having to give the camp’s guard, Pop Hadley who has a track record of drinking too much and passing out, another chance, Bannister sends a message to the Ford Company’s owner that they need help as well as need a doctor to take care of these bullet wounds. And meanwhile in a small town bar Deveroux and his men celebrate the attack and even attack an old man looking for work and his son at the bar just to be cruel. The call for help is answered as Ford Lumber owner Edith Ford, her doctor fiancé Eugene Horton as well as her Uncle head to the camp and start helping the wounded. This is when Bannister sees that his boss is a beautiful young woman, and he falls in love with her fast. Bannister at this time also is almost stabbed and crushed by a tree by Jacques Lebeq, who is a bootlegger and has been entering the camp and selling his liquor to his workers, and this makes the two men truly hate one another. Late at night Edith Ford also hears the howls and growls of the wolves that are all around in the woods, and this frightens her as it reminds her of a time in the city when an unknown man stalked her in the streets until she got home, and this is a story she shared with Bannister the next day after they toured the camp. As Bannister and Edith head into town with the camp’s Cook, the wolves attack and slaughter one of the Consolidated Lumber Company’s lumberjacks. In town Edith tells Bannister that she is to be married to Eugene and that their attraction needs to stop, and this breaks Bannister’s heart as once back at the camp he goes alone to investigate the Consolidated Lumber Company and learns that they are building a dame to block the Ford lumber on the river. When Deveroux sees Bannister, he orders his men to kill him, and after a big fight, Bannister is beaten badly and then tossed off a cliff where he is then bitten by wolves! When Bannister does not return, Pop and the lumberjacks set out to find him and it’s Eugene that finds Bannister who is dying from blood loss and is able to get the wounded man to a cabin that is owned by Jacques Lebeq who refuses to give his blood to save Bannister and the Doctor has to make the decision to use the blood of a wolf to save his life. The next day Eugene is able to get Bannister back to the Ford Camp where he is able to recover and tells Edith that he is in love with her! The next day Edith, Eugene and Pops all head into town when Jacques Lebeq enters the Ford Camp and spreads the rumor that Bannister is a werewolf due to the wolf blood, and this causes the Lumberjacks to riot and armed with axes they kill the Uncle and as the moon gets full Bannister turns into a werewolf and busts out of a cabin looking to kill!

This was such a fun issue to work on, and the plot is simple as we have two feuding lumber camps at war with one another and things get out of hand when attempted murder comes into play and that act causes a good man to have to get wolf blood in his veins and this turns him into a beast at the Full Moon! You also have a love story brewing as Edith Ford must choose her doctor fiancé or her new love, the rugged lumber boss that works for her company. And we leave you on a big cliffhanger as the Ford Lumberjacks are armed with axes and are worked up into a fearful rage of their boss who now is a werewolf with bloodlust in his eyes. Dick Bannister is a good man that is a great boss as well as will fight for the rights and lives of his men. He also is tough as nails and is a good fist fighter and has the heart of a champion…he also has a soft spot and that is his boss and the lumber company owner Edith Ford who seems to be all he can think about after meeting her. Bannister also proves he has the will to live as after being beaten badly, thrown from a cliff, bitten by wolves and getting a blood transfusion from a wolf, he still lives…but he is also now cursed to live his life as a werewolf! Edith Ford is a kind hearted woman who owns a big company and has a fiancé that is a doctor, but while her life sounds perfect, it is not as she is confused as she finds herself loving Bannister who is her employee. She is also living with a secret that she does not share with many and that is she fills her life with late night parties with friends out of fear as she was one night stalked by Nosferatu! Pops Hadley is a drunk that is trying to change after he failed at his job and allowed workers to be shot. Eugene Horton is a good doctor who helps the wounded and saves Bannister’s life, and Cook really loves talking about the deals he got on food from town! The comic has three real “bad guys” as first you have Jules Deveroux, a scumbag who is a bully and also a coward who gives orders to hurt and kill others that stand in his way. You have the bootlegger Jacques Lebeq who sells his liquor as well tries to kill Bannister and sets up the Ford workers to turn on their boss. And lastly you also have to say that the wolves are one of the biggest dangers in those woods as they kill anyone that they can surround and rip to shreds. The comic is very bloody and the kills are gory with my favorite kill in this issue being the death of lumberjack Henrique who is ripped apart by a pack of wolves! The cover is really cool and the art was done by Jeff Potter with the colors by Jason Gilmore and the interior art is done by Potter and is 100% what I was looking for when I wrote this adaptation story. To sum it up, this was a blast to write and is one of the Blood Scream Comics projects that I am the most proud of! Now let’s talk about the second issue in this series and see how this twisted tale of love, horror and lumber ends!

Wolf Blood # 2
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 2 of 2

Dick Bannister is now a werewolf and is killing all the Ford Lumber Camp workers and his howling has also brought the wolves to join in the bloodshed. Giovanni is a lumberman who runs past the bodies of his friends and finds an old train freight car in the woods and uses it as shelter to get away from the werewolf and his wolf minions. While at the cabin of Jacques Lebeq the bootlegger has a visitor; he is selling Deveroux the boss of Consolidated Lumber tons of whiskey as he wants to have his workers to celebrate the downfall of Dick Bannister, but the two are quickly greeted by the werewolf who bites the head off Deveroux and then burns the face of Lebeq on the stove before throwing his body to the wolves to be ripped apart. The next morning Edith Ford, Eugene Horton and Pop Hadley arrive back at camp to find the massacre, and when Eugene finds Dick still alive and asleep in bed, he tells the others the truth about the wolf blood flowing through the veins of Dick and that maybe he did turn and cause all this death! Pop does not want to hear it and heads into the woods to hunt the wild animals he thinks did the killing while Edith tells Eugene that she is in love with Bannister and wants to be with him, and the confused lumber man hears this all and runs into the woods as he does not want to change in the coming full moon and hurt anyone else, and Edith goes after him. Meanwhile a lumberjack from Consolidated rides up and says that they are closing down for good after they found the mangled bodies of Deveroux and Lebeq and he warns Eugene and Edith that they should leave as well. As Giovanni takes supplies from the now dead Lebeq’s home in order to survive and wait for help in the rail car, while Eugene thinks of his life without Edith and decides to end it with one bullet. Meanwhile in the woods Edith runs into Pops, and they two are surrounded by wolves. As Pops tries to fight them off, he is overwhelmed and ripped to shreds as Edith runs from them and ends up meeting the werewolf and she knows that her love Bannister really is a beast now…she tries to talk to him to bring the human side back…she fails and gruesomely pays with her life. The next night Dick Bannister is back human and is about to leap off a cliff to end his life when he is stopped by Nosferatu himself, Count Orlock, who informs him that he has need of a man with his talents.

The second issue of Wolf Blood is all about the slaughter as our hero Dick Bannister truly loses control and becomes a werewolf and slaughters almost all his workers (minus one who escapes and hides away in a steel trail freight car) and after he is done making Ford Lumber a slaughterhouse who makes sure to swing by his enemies home and kill both of those who wished him death as a man with that being Deveroux and Lebeq who are both killed very brutally. And even a little later in the issue the werewolf rips apart his true love and allows his wolves to attack and kill his best friend Pops! And all of these werewolf and wolves attacks are done super gory to truly show you the savage nature of these creatures as their bloodlust is out of control and it also shows that once the moon is full the caring and hard working Dick Bannister is not longer in control and in his place is a killing machine that wants to annihilate all that’s in his path. And poor Doctor Eugene Horton is another victim of Dick Bannister and while he is not killed by razor sharp teeth and claws he is broken spiritually as his whole world is taken away by Bannister as he steals his lady love away, and she cruelly has fallen out of love with the man who has given her everything…and he thinks his only way to find a way to end his pain is by a self inflicted gunshot to the head. Deveroux and Lebeq are truly two scumbags who enjoyed trying to not only take Dick Bannister’s life but also try to ruin everything about him, but they really do get their comings when the werewolf comes howling around and they find themselves begging for their lives to the one person who is now a creature that they never showed any mercy to. Poor Pops Hadley stays loyal to his friend Bannister and does not believe the tales of him being a werewolf, and even before dying by a pack of wolves, he still tries to save the life of Edith…poor drunk old fool. You have to also feel bad for Cook as he is killed during the slaughter at the Ford Lumber Camp, and by the looks of it, he really was ripped apart! And for those wondering about the fate of Giovanni, you will find out what comes of him in a future comic as his tale is not yet finished and his fate is yet to be shared. This issue really was a blast to work on as artist Jeff Potter and myself were able to showcase the idea of Bannister becoming a fully fledged werewolf, something sadly the classic silent film did not do as they played up more on the aspects of it all being in his feverish mind. And while the first issue was bloody, we upped the gruesome level to 11 with this second issue! I am sure you also have noticed that in the Silent Film Universe by Blood Scream Comics, the one and only Count Orlock has been appearing and is almost recruiting people for some sort of sinister plan, and this will unfold in every issue of these comics based on Silent Horror Films. The cover for this issue showcases The Werewolf as well as Edith Ford and the colors by Jason Gilmore make it pop! The interior art is done by Jeff Potter who is a fantastic artist and who has brought many comic alive for Sparkle and Blood Scream Comics as his work includes such titles as Adventure Man, Curse Of The Beast, Spring Heeled Jack, Eternal Sleep, Farmer Joe and Shocking Macabre Theater, to name a small few. The way Potter draws the werewolf is fantastic and reminds me of the classic Creepy and Eerie Magazines, and the gore we draws rivals that of the indie horror comics from the late 80’s and early 90’s. While Nosferatu # 1 started the Silent Universe for Blood Scream Comics the Wolf Blood series is amping up the chills and blood spills, and this is just the start as you readers have not seen nothing yet. Check out the art work from Potter below to see his style in this series.

So as you can see, we truly put the horror first in this reimagining of Wolf Blood as we have Dick Bannister turning full force into a werewolf and he ends up killing everyone at the Ford Lumber Camp and also his true love Edith Ford, and by the end is taken away by Nosferatu himself Count Orlock as this is just one of several issue we have in store for you as Jeff Potter and I have more twisted tales in our Silent Universe to bring you! We released “Haunted House 1908” for Halloween 2023, and we screened the movie with a new score by musician Todd The Fox at Horrorama! If you have interest in ordering Wolf Blood # 1 and 2 you can do so here, while it remains in print that is. And yes, I will also do a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update for Haunted House 1908 as I love sharing my love for silent horror cinema with you readers. Well as you can see, this update has come to an end and for our next update we will be heading to the world of cartoons as we will be talking about the 1966 Captain America series. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a silent horror film or two and as always support your local horror host. Oh and remember when Captain America throws his mighty shield, All those who chose to oppose his shield must yield!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Screaming Skull (1958)

Posted on January 23, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, you find yourself reading another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update here on my little slice of the internet, and for this one we will be taking a look at the 1958 fright flick Screaming Skull that got the comic book treatment thanks to Blood Scream Comics in 2017. Screaming Skull is one of those horror films that was a drive-n theater favorite for many, and now that it is in the public domain can be found on all types of home media as well as many uploads on sites like YouTube. This update will be different as we will not be giving the comic a star rating as my connection to Blood Scream Comics makes it very silly for me to do so, but I really want to talk about The Screaming Skull plus these “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” updates are a great way to showcase just how cool Blood Scream Comics is and just how cool our comics based on films are! So if you are ready, I can hear the skull screaming so let’s get spooky!

Let’s start by taking a look at The Skull, a cursed and haunted piece of a murdered woman’s body that has its own way of dealing death. Marion Whitlock was a woman who died after slipping on some water and cracking her skull open on the concrete base of a fountain pond found her estate, and then falling into the water and drowning. And now as her husband has taken a new wife, a Skull starts to appear around the home and estate making noises as well as seeming to move objects, and that trio is something that can truly be scary and haunting to the living as the skull’s look, noises and seeming supernatural powers could frighten someone too death as well as drive them mad. The Skull’s other power seems to be to freak someone out so badly that they are plagued with nightmares and are jumpy to every sound they hear, and make such items as paintings seem haunting and scary when they can be connected to Marion. The Skull also seems to be able to move on its own and the shriek it can give off is ear piercing and spooky. It seems to only have the purpose of driving its victim insane with the hopes of death. The spirit of Marion Whitlock is in the Skull and it is seeking justice for her death as it was no accident, and she wants those around to pay. The Skull can also appear as a headless ghost and give chase to its intended victim or for those it wants to warn of danger. And as a Skull, it can also fly and shriek through the air causing pure panic for its victim, and cause them to flee in madness. The Skull will also fly up and use its teeth to bite at your neck causing you extreme pain and in some cases death. The Skull does have weaknesses as it really is just a “haunted” skull and seems to be bound to the Whitlock Estate, as it is the scene of the crime of Marion Whitlock’s death. One would also have to guess that if The Skull was crushed the curse might be broken and this freeing the victim from its wrath. And this is if you truly thank that The Skull is real as many think it was all part of Eric Whitlock’s idea to cover up his first wife’s murder and drive his second wife crazy. But real or fake, The Skull of Marion Whitlock has the ability to drive a person crazy and that is why it’s so dangerous. And if you ask me, while in some moments was fake a tool used by Eric I think most of the time The Skull is real and acted as a way to get ride of Eric and warn his new bride of the danger.

So now that we have taken a look at The Skull, we should take a brief moment to also take a look at the film it’s from and that’s The Screaming Skull from 1958. I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB, and then I will write about the films production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s take a walk around the Whitlock Estate, but let’s avoid that concrete pond as it has bad vibes around it.

Screaming Skull (1958)

“A newly married couple arrives at the home of the husband’s late wife, where the gardens have been maintained by a gardener faithful to the dead woman’s memory. Soon, eerie events lead the new wife to think she’s losing her mind.”

In the late 1950’s cheaply shot horror and sci-fi films were very popular at theaters and drive-in’s. Supporting film actor and Broadway actor Alex Nicol wanted to try his hand at directing one, and Screaming Skull is what he choose to be his test as the film was based on a real urban legend of a cursed skull that once belonged to a slave that is said to make screaming noises. A story that was written by Francis Marion Crawford, and the script would be written by the films producer John Kneubuhl, who had written the film “Hart Of Honolulu” before this. The film would cast Peggy Webber, John Hudson, Alex Nicol, Russ Conway and Tony Johnson and would take about six weeks to film and would be filmed on the Huntington Hartford Estates and would have a very small crew to pull it off. When the film was finished, Ernest Gold would come in to do the score and American International Pictures would be its distributor. The film would be released in August 1958 and would have a disclaimer that would promise a free burial if a moviegoer died of fright watching this film. Over the years, the film was met with very mix reviews as many fans and critics found it to be very cheap and cheesy while others find the simple spooky story to be a frightful watch. The film would end up falling into the public domain and over the years would be hosted by many horror hosts that include the likes of Halloween Jack, Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Sammy Terry. In 1958, the film was released alongside such other films as Horror Of Dracula, The Fly, The Blob, IT! Terror From Beyond Space, I Bury The Living and The Revenge Of Frankenstein to name a few, so as you can see it was released alongside some true classics.

I can remember seeing Screaming Skull for the first time when I was a teenager as the film was in the public domain and was being released by many different companies. My brother had bought a DVD that had it and “Werewolf Vs. The Vampire Women” together, and we got some snack food and watched the double feature and had a blast with both films. After that, I saw the film a few more times being hosted by Horror Hosts during the Horror Host Underground boom on Public Access. What has always stood out about this film for me is that it does a good job of making the viewer wonder if The Skull is real or if it was always just terrible husband Eric Whitlock being a scumbag and trying to push his new bride into madness. The film also has a great cast as actors John Hudson, Russ Conway, Alex Nicol and Peggy Webber all do fantastic in their roles. Plus you cannot go wrong with a film that makes a normal everyday Skull the main villain of a horror film, and they are able to mix in great supernatural elements to show that The Screaming Skull’s reign of terror was real, and the highlight of the film is when The Skull of Marion is able to get revenge on her husband who clearly is the one who murdered her and made it look like an accident showing crime does not pay. In fact the film works for me as when you see it for the first time you think that all the spooky events and noises from The Skull were just a set up from Eric, but by the end you see that most of the terror truly was this cursed Skull on a rampage. The final moments of the film that have the ghost version of Marion running around and then her ghostly skull flying through the air screaming is pure cheesy horror goodness. Over the years, thanks to such shows as Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Screaming Skull has gotten a reputation of being a bad film, and while it’s not the best film from the 50’s, I can say that the film is not nearly as bad as people say it is. So if you have not seen Screaming Skull, make sure to give it a chance and a watch, and Hell even watch the MST3K or another horror hosted version as it’s a fun watch and is a perfect late night watch.

So I had to share this: as I was working on this update my brother was getting rid of some of his DVD’s as he had upgraded many of his films to Blu-Ray and in the stuff he was getting rid of was the copy of The Screaming Skull on which I saw the film for the first time that I had just written about so I had to take a picture of it and add it to this update as seeing the copy again brought a smile to my face and made me feel like a youngster again. So checkout the picture below to see the DVD in all its glory!

The Screaming Skull is a very strange supernatural horror crime thriller film that does a great job of entertaining the viewer. Now is the time when we do the review, and I would like to thank Theresa Daniels and Stephen Alexander, the creative team behind this comic for making this comic for Blood Scream Comics and making this update possible! I would then also like to say a big THANK YOU to all those who have read this comic or any other Blood Scream or Sparkle Comics over the years as because of you readers of these comics is why our company is around and is able to make comics like this to entertain and frighten you. I would also like to once more remind you that I will not be giving this comic a star rating due to my connection to the company that released it. So if you are ready, let’s scream out loud with The Screaming Skull in the year 1888!

Screaming Skull: 1888 # 1
Released in 2017 Cover Price $4.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 1

In 1888 Victoria Brown is walking home alone when she is attacked by a killer who slits her throat and guts her in a back ally. The police think it was another killing for Jack The Ripper. A year later her husband Reginald Brown is running a hat shop to honor the memory of his late wife, and while working one day he meets Edith Springdale, a woman who is wanting to get a new hat, and once she finds out his tragic story, the two become friends that quickly turns into a relationship and shortly they get married. Shortly after the marriage, Reginald is visited by Inspector Peter McNally who is investigating the Ripper killings and finds the death of Victoria a little off from the other killings in the Ripper case. This causes Reginald to get nervous and usher the Inspector out of the shop. From there Reginald starts to hear a screaming and even starts to see a Skull, and it’s driving him mad. His strange behavior is noticed by not just by the Inspector but also Edith who notices that he also seems to get angered very quickly when asked about the crime and the law looking to ask him questions about his wife’s death. More and more Reginald is seeing and hearing things and goes insane at one point beating Inspector McNally to death when thinking he was his dead wife! Later after covering up the murder he just committed, Reginald snaps again and tries to kill Edith but the Screaming Skull that is possessed by Victoria’s vengeful spirit comes to her rescue and causes him to fall backwards and impale himself. In the end Edith has had enough of all the bad things she lived through in England and is now heading to America for a fresh start and in her bag is The Screaming Skull!

The Scream Skull 1888 is a comic that acts almost as a prequel to the 1958 film and shows another cursed skull that belonged to a murdered woman who gets revenge on her husband who was the cause of her death. And this time around our setting is in England and during the time of the Jack The Ripper murders adding more horror to our already supernatural tale of terror. Reginald Brown is a man who owns and works in a hat shop, who appears to be a grieving widower that tries to keep doing his best after his wife’s murdered, but in reality he is very evil as he is the one who killed his wife brutally and weirdly enough we never find out his motivation. The best thing is that Reginald gets what he deserves and pays for his crime with his life. Inspector Peter McNally is clearly a good officer who is looking to solve the rash of murder cases in the Whitechapel area, and to him Victoria’s case just doesn’t seem right and not like a Jack The Ripper victim, but while his hunch is right, he ends up being brutally killed when his head is bashed in! Edith Springdale is a caring woman who is worried about her new husband’s mental health, and lucky for her while being attacked by her crazed husband the spirit of his deceased wife comes to her aid as a screaming skull and saves her and causes Reginald to finally meet his maker. The comic has that creepy classic horror feel to it and plays up on mood building and a downbeat atmosphere all the while given us some bloody moments of carnage. It’s a good mix of horror, thriller and even slight crime making for a solid quick read that will make you wonder what is next for The Screaming Skull as in the end of the issue the cursed thing is making its way to America. The cover for this issue is great and has a kind of indie comic gothic look to it, with Theresa Daniels doing the interior art and her style is very cool as to me it has a Rick Geary feel to it. For those who don’t know, he is an artist who does graphic novels about killers and crime from the past. And I have to also point out that the story for this comic was written by Stephen Alexander, who is also known as horror host Baron Von Porkchop and is also an indie actor who was in films like Bark At The Moon: Scars, Amityville No Escape and Wolf Hunter 2.5 to name a few. This is a really cool take on the Screaming Skull legacy and was supposed to be the start of a series that would have taken place over the years with the final issue being an adaptation of the film. Will this ever happen? Only time will tell. Checkout the artwork bellow to see the style that Theresa used when making this comic, and make sure to get your copy from the Blood Scream Comics online store.

The Screaming Skull is one of those films that I think made for a great comic book as I think Theresa and Stephen did a great job of adding to the film’s story by showcasing another tale of a murdered wife getting her revenge. And once more I have to say, who knows if more issues are coming, but one thing is for sure we have this one entertaining one to keep the Screaming Skull alive…or is that undead? With this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update coming to an end, I think it’s time for me to tell you about our next update as it will be the start of Dog Month here at Rotten Ink with the first K-9 to take the spotlight being Top Dog, the amazing original character created for Star Comics! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. Before you go, I have to say I am very much looking forward to talking about Top Dog!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Giant Gila Monster (1959)

Posted on November 23, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink, and Happy Thanksgiving. For this update we will be taking a look at The Giant Gila Monster, a cult classic film from 1959 that was an early b-movie giant monster film or better yet a Kaiju film, and is considered a Turkey of a film by those who are not educated in the art of B-Movies! This update we will also be taking a look at the Blood Scream Comics adaptation of the film, and for the first time on a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update we will not be giving the comic a star rating as I feel that would be lame as I am part of Blood Scream Comics and even edited this comic when it was released. But if you are ready, let’s head to the sock hop and dance the night away and wait for that Turkey to cook in the oven as we also dodge a very Giant Gila Monster.

Let’s first talk about The Giant Gila Monster and the creature’s way of killing those pesky humans that get in its way. The Giant Gila Monster is around 70 feet long and weighs multiple tons, and his size alone strikes fear into the hearts of humans who happen to be in his path of destruction. The Gila Monster can also use his massive size to crush humans into paste under his size or to bulldoze and get into buildings and places that his human prey might try and hide. He also has sharp claws that he can use to rip into places and things and has massive jaws with teeth that pack a deadly poison to normal size humans. The Giant Gila Monster also eats humans and can eat up to one third of his body weight, and that is a lot of humans and animals to stop his hunger! And because his size small weapons like guns cannot hurt Giant Gila Monster as his skin is kind of tough due to his scales. But while he is massive in size and is super dangerous, The Giant Gila Monster does have his weaknesses with his biggest being that he cannot survive massive explosions as they will kill him, and this weakness would make him hurt or killed by tank fire and other big weapons and bombs for sure. But without having those major weapons on hand The Giant Gila is one dangerous Kaiju that can deal death with the best of them.

So as you can see, The Giant Gila Monster is a massive killing machine who not only crushes his victims but also eats them! But now it’s time for us to take a look at the movie he is from and like always I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and after that I will be writing about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on it. So let’s head to Texas and make sure to look out for a Gila Monster, that might be looking for a late night snack.

The Giant Gila Monster (1959)

“A couple of teenagers are reported missing in a small Texas town, and it is thought they eloped. Sheriff Jeff turns to his friend Clarence Winstead, a garage mechanic and leader of a hot-rod gang, for help. After a series of tragic motor accidents, it becomes apparent that a giant Gila monster is roaming the area depleting the town of its citizens and visitors, including two hot-rodding teens, and planning to attend the BIG record-hop party.”

The Drive-In Theater marker was huge in the 1950’s and Sci-Fi and Horror Films was all the rage with the teenage crowd who would flock to see them on weekend nights. Gordon McLendon was the film’s co-producer and a man who had a vision of making extra money on making his own films for the many southern Movie Theaters and Drive-In Theaters he owned. You see, he was a jack of all trades: radio, oil and even wrote books and was all about entertainment and making money. And with this idea of making movies, he produced two back to back to show as a double feature one being “The Killer Shrews” and the other being “The Giant Gila Monster” and he would also bring on B.R. McLendon and Ken Curits to help produce Gila Monster, and Jay Simms wrote the script with Ray Kellogg directing as well as doing the special effects. A real Mexican beaded lizard was used at the Gila Monster and they would used scaled down landscapes to show his massive size. Ken Knox a real life Dallas, Texas DJ for KLF was brought in to play Steamroller Smith, a DJ, and Don Sullivan was hired as the lead Chase Winstead. Other actors brought on board include Shug Fisher, Fred Graham, Gay McLendon and the stunning Lisa Simone who was a Miss Universe contestant in 1957. The film had a budget of around $138,000.000 and was filmed around the Dallas, Texas area, as they wanted a fast turn around between filming and getting it onto the silver screen. Once the film was done, Jack Marshall, who is best known for his work on the TV Show The Munsters and the film Munster Go Home!, was brought on to score. The film would get released not only in America but would go on to have a run in foreign markets and was a semi hit and turned a profit. The film was met with a mostly positive remarks from fans and critics and would over the decades would gain a cult following that would even get a remake film in 2012 called “Gila!” from director Jim Wynorski and would also be hosted by Mystery Science Theater 3000 in season 4 along with many other Horror Host over the years. In 1959 The Giant Gila Monster was released along such other Horror Films that year like “Night Of The Ghouls”, “The Tingler”, “The Giant Leeches”, “Return Of The Fly”, “House On Haunted Hill”, “Plan 9 From Outer Space” and “The Giant Behemoth” to name a few. While the film has fallen into the public domain, it still remains a favorite for many classic monster movie fans.

The Giant Gila Monster is a film I can remember seeing many, many time over the years from watching it on VHS to DVD but mostly seeing it hosted by Horror Hosts like A. Ghastlee Ghoul, Halloween Jack and of course MST3K, and it has always been one of my favorite cheesy films from the late 50’s as the effects are great for the time. The musical numbers are out of place and yet so fitting for that time in cinema. Lisa Simone was so beautiful and she should have gotten way more work in Horror and Sci-Fi films. I mean Lisa did star in the film “Missile To The Moon” from 1958 as Moon Girl, and this was released a year before Gila Monster. The special effects were well done for the time and the use of a Mexican beaded lizard as the Gila Monster was a fun touch as it clearly was more easy to work with and made some of the slow movements look good on camera. The film is also filled with deaths as well as really has the small town feel as all the citizens seem to know each other and both young and old meet up and have sodas at the shop. Now that I am thinking about it creator and director Ray Kellogg should have made a film that pitted The Giant Gila Monster against the Killer Shrews…or even maybe radiation cases a Killer Shrew to grow giant and they two could have fought, now that would have been a great film to see on the big screen! Say what you will about this film, but you know that if you have seen it you were entertained and some of the songs are stuck in your head even to this day…My Baby She Rocks…She Rocks And Rolls.

Giant Gila Monster really is one of those classic Drive-In cheaply made B-Movies that I think is over looked when it comes to the early days of Giant Monster or Kaiju Cinema. While the acting might be very cheesy, in my opinion one, it’s of the best late 50’s Horror Films that must have been a great experience in the Drive-In Theaters. I want to of course thank Blood Scream Comics for making this comic and making this update possible, and I want to remind you that I will NOT be grading these comics on s star scale as like I said I was involved in this comic being made. So sit back, relax and while we wait for Thanksgiving Dinner, let’s see how Chase and the teens can survive this giant monster attack.

The Giant Gila Monster # 1
Released in 2020 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 2

Pat and Liz are a couple in love and are on a date. They decide to pull over near some woods in order to make out when they hear a noise and soon see a Giant Gila Monster who attacks and eat them. The next day at the Soda Shop Chase and his girlfriend Lisa show up and ask about the missing couple and none of their friends have any news and are puzzled by their disappearance. As Chase and his friends continue to chat Old Man Harris enters the shop and turns down some of the kids who want to buy his old care, and Chase tells the shop workers that if they see Pat and Liz to tell them the gang is going to the Drive-In. Sheriff Jeff heads to the home of Mr. Wheeler who is the rich father of Pat and he wants answers on finding his son, and Liz’s parents have faith in their daughter and think she will return home soon. Meanwhile Chase is at work being a mechanic and gets a shock when his boss comes to work with jars of Nitro in his trunk that Mr. Wheeler is having stored outback in a shed. Later that night the Sheriff finds a wrecked car and Chase is called to come tow it away, while a poor hitchhiker down the road gets killed by the Giant Gila Monster who eats him. Later Chase and The Sheriff find the suitcase of the hitchhiker and are puzzled to why someone would leave it at the side of the road. Chase does get bad news as his lovely lady Lisa alerts him that Mr. Wheeler who is her sponsor to be in our country for school wants her to stop seeing him as he blames him somehow for his sons disappearance. The next day Chase is called out again and helps repair a wrecked car as well as gives it’s driver Radio DJ Steamroller Smith a place to sleep off being drunk, and also hears Chase singing as he did the repairs and likes what he heard. Steamroller tips the youngster for his help and also gives him a business card. That’s night Chase and his friends find Pat’s car and bring it back to the garage as the owner of the garage is on the road to deliver an oil shipment and is killed by The Giant Gila Monster. Chase gets home to find that Lisa has bought the leg braces his sister Missy needed to walk and he is so touched that he sings her a song.

The Giant Gila Monster was made for comic books as the characters themselves come off as characters you would have found in comics at the time. This first issue’s plot has people going missing from a small town that are not connected and the only law in the town is one Sheriff who gets the help of the towns youth to try and crack this case. Our main character is Chase, a youngster who drives a Hot Rod who works hard for his money at a repair garage and gets money to help his younger sister who has a disability that makes it hard for her to walk. But Chase also has a great life as besides loving his family he has a beautiful foreign exchange student girlfriend as well as a singing voice that was popular in the pop music of the time. Not to mention that his kindness towards others always seems to work in his favor as he is well liked by the town and the law. Lisa is Chase’s girlfriend and she as well is a very kind person who saves up all her money to buy the braces her boyfriend’s kid sister needed, and even goes against the wishes of the sponsor that allows her in this country showing that she truly loves Chase. And out last hero of the comic series this far is Sheriff Jeff who has lots on his plate when it comes to these missing people and the town’s most wealthy man Mr. Wheeler breathing down his throat for answers as his son in one of the missing! The Giant Gila Monster is dangerous as its massive size and equally big hunger make any man, woman, child and beast in it’s way food on the menu and it has no issues chomping down on flesh to fill it’s belly. And man does Giant Gila Monster eat as it snaps people in half. The comic adds way more blood, gore and violence that the film was lacking as we get to see the Monster chomping down on the humans. The cover for this issue is very eye catching as the yellow helps bring out the Gila Monster. The interior artwork is done by Don Stephenson and captures the cartoonish horrors of the film really well, and his detail on The Gila Monster is top notch. Over all this first issue does a great job of staying true to the film and yet added a more bloodstained modern touch. Let’s see what issue two has in store for Chase.

The Giant Gila Monster # 2
Released in 2020 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 2 of 2

As Chase is at home with his family and girlfriend, he gets a call from the Sheriff to meet him at the garage and gets the news that his boss’s might have passed away as the truck he was driving the gas delivery has blown up. Meanwhile The Giant Gila Monster is on the prowl for more humans and even causes a train wreck and starts eating the survivors as they try and flee. Old Man Harris sees the attack and reports it to the Sheriff and even more calls start coming in and he thinks that these people have to be drunk or their town really is under attack by a giant lizard. Chase after dropping his mom and sister off at a friends house heads to a barn dance party that is being hosted by Radio DJ Steamroller Smith with his lady Lisa and he even gets a chance to sing in front of all his friends as he is brought up on stage to perform. Meanwhile Mr. Wheeler is super mad and goes to The Sheriff and demands that he arrest Chase as he blames him for his son’s disappearance and also threatens to remove the officer from his job! As Mr. Wheeler and The Sheriff show up to the barn dance party the Gila Monster as well appears and goes on the attack busting through the wall and starts his rampage of terror, Chase and Lisa jump into his hot rod and head to the garage and gets the nitro and Chase wrecks his car into the beast and blows it up killing it! In the ends Chase meets back up with Lisa, his baby sister Missy, Mr. Wheeler and The Sheriff and they are all so happy to have this terror come to an end. We then flash to the future (2020) and The Undertaker from the now closed down Shady Rest Funeral Home is looking over giant Gila Monster eggs, and this leaves the question when these three eggs hatch, what horror awaits the world.

This second Issue has The Giant Gila Monster meeting his end at the hands of a hot rod car packed with nitro and the explosion from the two colliding blows the massive creature into chunks of meat and bone! But before this Giant Monster dies it does cause death and destruction and just imagine if it was able to make its way to a bigger city like New York or Los Angeles, now that would have been Godzilla level Kaiju destruction! Chase is our hero as not only is he a good singer and mechanic, but he is also very smart and uses his wits in order to stop the giant monsters rampage. As he knew the dangers of the nitro and even places himself in danger in order to bring and end to the terror and save the lives of all his fellow towns people. Lisa, The Sheriff as well as Mr. Wheeler and Old Man Harris as well do their parts of trying to save lives as well as piece together the truth of the giant creature and if it was real or just town gossip among the heavy drinkers. The feeling of a small town is still very much present in this issue, and I also feel Don did a great job of following the film as a blueprint but also adding his own touches to it to make if feel familiar but also new. The issue has some blood and gore with the death of the Gila Monster being the most gruesome, and is one of my favorite panels in the comic. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and the light blue background once more made it standout on the comic shelf when released. The art by Don is also very cool and has a cartoonish nature to it and that is why the more detailed monster and bloody moments standout. And I can’t not talk about the fact that The Undertaker from the 1966 film Undertaker And His Pals makes a cameo appearance in this comic and shows that for decades he has been watching over giant eggs of The Giant Gila Monster and we all know that he his crazy so no one knows what will happen once they hatch…well some know with one being Don Stephenson who will be working on this story arc soon! Say what you will, but the film The Giant Gila Monster but I have to once more say that it makes for a great comic book series. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Don used in this comic series.

It was such a blast working alongside Don Stephenson to bring The Giant Gila Monster to the world of comic books and for those wondering for Blood Scream Comics The Giant Gila Monster ties into a few other comic releases including “The Giant Skunk ”, “The Undertaker And His Pals” and “Raiga God Of The Monsters” and who knows if The Giant Gila Monster will rise from the grave it’s self for another comic rampage via Blood Scream Comics! Well I am sure that the Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and all the other sides have hit the table and you readers and your loved ones are gearing up for a feast and good conversation. So thanks for spending some of your Holiday with me here at Rotten Ink, and I hope this update added to your Turkey Day. Before we part I want to tell you our next update will take us away from giant monsters and will once more take us back to the world of Pro Wrestling as we step into the squared circle with one of the sports most legendary big men Haystacks Calhoun! So until next time, read an Indie Horror Comic or three, watch a B-Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Hosts. Oh and I enjoyed talking about this Blood Scream Comic release and who knows in the future I might cover a few more of them here at Rotten Ink, and make sure to have one more scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy for me.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Nightwing (1979)

Posted on October 31, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink, and Happy Halloween! For this update, we are heading to the desert of New Mexico and will have to be on the watch out for a pack of wild killer bats as we have a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update about a 1979 Horror Film that got a Fotonovel as well as tanked at the America box office. I am of course talking about Nightwing! This spooky nature Horror flick was slated to be a massive hit but after failing to bring in moviegoers turned into an almost forgotten dud. But here at Rotten Ink we are going to give Nightwing some respect and showcase that even films that are not solid gold should and could have gotten the comic book treatment. So let’s keep our eyes on the sky and head into the desert and look at those killer bats that make up Nightwing.

The Vampire Bats are the death dealers to humans in Nightwing, and these flying creatures have many ways to end lives, so let’s take a look at their methods of killing. The bats’ main source of dealing damage is their razor sharp teeth that can puncture skin and leave bite marks that can make the victim lose blood as they go down to the bone, causing pain and could lead to death. They can fly and are super fast as they catch up to a running human with ease. They can also use sonar hearing to pinpoint the location of their intended victim, and because of this sonar, they can even see in the dark. They drain and drink the blood of their victims and could even spread sickness like the plague that kills humans very painfully. They also attack in massive packs and swarm their victims and keep on biting and causing the human targets to panic and lead to accidents as fear takes over. But while these Vampire Bats are very dangerous, they can be killed easily as they are just living creatures, so you can smash them, burn them, shoot them, stab them, gas them, poison them and any other way you could kill a living animal. Also noises and frequencies can throw off their sonar and cause them to be confused. While they might not be the most deadly or vicious killers we have covered on a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update, one thing is for sure they are mean cold blooded killers that attack in packs and spread sickness and death.

So as you can see, these bats are deadly and are thirsty to murder. Now let’s take a look at the film these little night creatures are from. The film’s write up will be taking from our pals at IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s chat about the 1979 fright film Nightwing.

Nightwing (1979)

“A colony of vampire bats terrorize a small Indian community in New Mexico. Standard “Nature goes berserk” plot takes a twist toward the end when supernatural forces are discovered working through the bats.”

Jaws was one of the biggest Horror Movies of the 1970’s, and when it was unleashed on movie goers in 1975, many other filmmakers and writers rushed to cash in on the Nature Run Amok film craze as theaters and drive-ins were flooded with films like Grizzly (1976), King Kong (1976), Orca (1977) and Piranha (1978) to name a few. In 1977, a novel called Nightwing was written by Martin Cruz Smith about killer bats, and in 1979 the novel was turned into a feature film! Martin Ransohoff would produce the film and the team of Martin Cruz Smith, Bud Shrake and Steve Shagan wrote the movie script, and they thought that they could have the next mega summer movie hit on their hands. Columbia Pictures would come on board to distribute the film and Arthur Hiller would direct. He was known for films like The Out-Of-Towners (1970), Silver Streak (1976) and W.C. Fields And Me (1976) and was not known for directing Horror at all. The film was shot in New Mexico and special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi would do the bats for the film, and he had made a name for himself on the films King Kong and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Actors brought into the cast was Nick Mancuso, David Warner, Ben Piazza, Stephen Macht and George Clutesi and the score was done by Henry Mancini who is known for his work on the Friday The 13^th film series and other music from Kenny Rogers and Crystal Gayle was used in the film. The film would be released in theaters on June 22, 1979 and was such a bomb at the box office that it was taken off screens really fast after its release the film was panned by critics and fans alike. The film in 1979 was released with other Horror Movies like Zombi 2, Alien, Amityville Horror, Phantasm, Tourist Trap, Driller Killer, When A Stranger Calls, Dracula, Savage Weekend, The Brood, Prophecy and many more, and I think that’s why it was lost in the shuffle as 79 was a good year from Horror Flicks! But in more recent times the film is starting to gain a cult following thanks the it getting a DVD and Blu-Ray release allowing fans to rediscover it.

Nightwing is one of those movies I remember watching when I was a kid but over the years had forgotten all about it. I am sure I saw the film on TBS or USA when I first seen it and was always into the Nature Runs Amok Horror Films from that time. The thing about Nightwing is that because it failed so bad at the box office as well as did not get much fanfare when released on home media is just kind of slipped through the cracks for many, I mean most of my friends who are pretty big fans of Horror Films have never even heard of this film showing that over the decades Columbia Pictures has done a really bad job of promoting and getting this film seen by fans of the genre. Bats have always been a symbol for fear in American as they are used in Halloween decorations, horror themed video games as enemies, have been the subject of other spooky films, and are always a symbol of the vampire. That is why it’s shocking that in the 70’s a film like this would bomb at the box office as moviegoers seemed to love the Horror Genre at this time and films based with animals as the killers were all the rage, but then again, this could have lead to this film failing as the market was flooded with these films and it could have been lost in the shuffle or just viewers had fatigue over these films and had enough. And the thing that they did with Nightwing to try and keep it different is add a layer of supernatural horror to the mix and you have to respect that they tried to make it standout from the pack. While Nightwing is not a household name for 99% of fans, those Horror fans that dig deep into the well and love classic Nature Runs Amok fright flicks they know the cheesy delight that is this film. And I watched this film again after not seeing it for decades and I have to say I really enjoyed it, as I liked the characters, the vampire bats and the effects are super silly and yet charming and the score is really great work from Henry Mancini and I made sure to order the score CD that same day.

So now that we have taken a few moments to talk about the film as well as the killer bats in the film, I think that it’s our time to take a look at this photo comic novel based on it. I have to say that I do wish that more companies would take the time to make comics based on Horror Movies and while I would prefer ones that are drawn, even photo comics would do and if you are a Horror moviemaker please get in contact with a comic artist and get a comic made based on your fright flick. And with that I want to thank LaCreeperieBookshop on Etsy for having this Fotonovel in stock and making this update possible. I want to also 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 if you are ready, grab a fly swatter as this is bat country and we are taking a walk through it.

Nightwing # 1 **1/2
Released in 1979 Cover Price $2.75 Fotonovel # 1 of 1

Early in the morning Abner, a tribe’s priest calls out for help to protect his people, and he tells deputy Youngman Duran that the old ways need to rise and that people need to die in order to protect them, and because Abner raised Duran like a son he ignores it. Later on a Hopi Indian reservation in New Mexico, a horse is found with bite marks all over its body and the deputy Youngman Duran is called in but quickly leaves when tribal councilman Walker Chee shows up and takes over the investigation with the none tribal law. Duran’s girlfriend is Anne Dillon who works what she can medicine and she might be leaving town to learn more and this stresses Duran who truly loves her. More animals turn up dead and they have the same bites and worse Anne is taking a Missionary Group out into the desert and are going to a rain dance that is happening soon. While Adner is found dead and has the same bite marks, and when buried by Duran he witnesses the body bleeding and later it even goes missing from its grave. And he also meets Phillip Payne, a man whose whole mission is to kill vampire bats as the alerts the deputy that they are what is causing the deaths. Meanwhile Walker Chee and some tycoons want to start drilling for oil and gas on the sacred mountains, even after Payne warns them that the bats are spreading a deadly plague in their bites and Duran wants nothing to do with it and is not told of the danger of the bats by Chee. Anne’s group she is leading is attacked by the bats and three of the members die and one dies later from the bites as Anne is stuck out in the desert during a heat wave, and the tribe council are the ones who dug up Abner and they all pass away from being near the body that had the plague do to the bat bites and are found by Duran who is at odds with Chee over his handling of this situation and his pure goal of getting the gas. In the end Duran finds Payne and the two save Anne and then the three end up stopping the vampire bats in their cave by setting the oil on fire and burning them alive and stopping the drilling as this fire will forever burn.

This is a pretty fun photo comic novel that captures the slow burn pace of the film and delivers the chills of the Vampire Bat attacks and the lore of the Native America legends that fuel the subplot of the story of if Adner has cursed the tribe and mankind and brought the plague and bats that is killing the tribe as well as the animals. Our hero is deputy Youngman Duran a man who is the law and walks a line between modern beliefs as well as that of the old, he even uses the datura root to see into the spirit world and does a ceremony to close a circle around a painting that ends up setting the fire that kills off the bats as well as saves the land from oil drilling. Anne Dillon is a good woman who has a big heart and who loves her boyfriend Duran but also wants to learn medicine more in order to help the tribe, she also does what she can to save lives and even stands with her man in the end against a cave full of blood thirsty plague caring bats. Phillip Payne is a strange man but is also a good man as his goal is to kill all Vampire Bat clan he can as he knows the death and danger they bring, and he as well is a hero who does what he must in order to save lives. Councilman Walker Chee is a man who is more worried about money and power and does not do the right thing when it comes to these Vampire Bat attack and deaths, and this shows that he is driven by greed but hides behind the word that he is doing this to better the tribe. The Vampire Bats are vicious and attack in packs and bite and spread their disease like crazy, and they attack man, woman, child and beast and there is hundreds of them! The story is slow paced and for those looking for lots of Vampire Bat attacks you do not get a lot just like in the movie you get a small amount as the story is more of a character driven movie and is about our main leads and how they all interact with one another during this emergency and matter of life and death. The photo comic novel is pretty much bloodless and the Horror moments come with the attack as well as the shocking deaths of those attacked and infected. This also does a good job of capturing the film on the pages and the cover does not scream Horror at all, but it is still really cool. Check out the photo below to see the style of this novel, and to sum it up if you like the film you should also enjoy this Photo Comic based on it.

Nightwing is one of those forgotten gems of Horror from the late 70’s, and I feel it is overlooked by many do to the fact that it is a very slow moving film and the effects are very dated and cheesy even for that time in cinema. But I do find that it was well acted and the idea of plague spreading Vampire Bats seems fitting for these modern times in the world. And while Photo Comics are not for everyone, I really am starting to warm up to them and have enjoyed reviewing many on this blog and make sure to check out my update for “Love At First Bite,” another Fotonovel release. Well as you can see, we made it out of this bat attack and will be leaving them behind as our next update will take us to the world of Horror Hosts as we spend some time with NJ host Angus! So once more Happy Halloween and make sure to read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! Oh and also watch out for crazed bats as who knows what they are up to this spooky night!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Shining (1980)

Posted on October 2, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! As you can see, it’s the start of October, and we are ever so much closer to Halloween 2023. What better way to kick off this month than with a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update that will take us to the Overlook Hotel in Colorado that needs a new caretaker for the off season, as the last one well…you know. Finally we have a comic based on The Shining thanks to the company Evil Genius Artworks who did a fan made comic featuring Jack Torrance and his family, and this is one I am very much happy to do as I am sure this will make your 2023 Halloween season a little more spooky. So let’s head to the Overlook Hotel and see what is in store for us, and if the spirits have decided if we will always be here.

Let’s first take a look at the killer that makes The Shining so scary, the crazed Jack Torrance! Jack is a family man who takes a job of being a caretaker for the Overlook Hotel that closes down in the winter due to bad storms. Jack himself has had issues in his life, mostly being an alcoholic that has caused him to go into rages and become abusive to his family. Jack is highly smart and is a teacher as well as a writer and has a wife Wendy and a son named Danny who is special as he has what is called The Shining, a gift that gives him powers like telepathic abilities and premonitions. Jack Torrance is also very unstable, and when in the Overlook Hotel, the evil spirits that call it home take over and turn him into a lunatic who can and will commit murder. Jack is very mean spirited and loves to use hurtful words in order to break down his victim; he likes to get into their mind and cause them to be afraid of what he wants and plans to do to them. He has no super strength or powers and is just your normal middle aged man when it comes to his abilities and endurance. But I should also say that at times the evil spirits of the hotel will make themselves known to the victims and will add more fear to the situation at hand. Jack also loves to use sharp objects to deal death and an axe is his weapon of choice to hack away at his human target. Jack’s mental state also makes him very dangerous as he has no feelings when it comes to his mental and physical abuse of his family and gets enjoyment from their fear, that is of course once he is fully mad as a hatter. But Jack Torrance, while dangerous, is still just a normal man who is driven insane by evil spirits and mental illness, so any normal ways of killing a man would stop Jack from being shot, stabbed, burned or even freezing to death. While Jack Torrance is not the most brutal or most powerful killer we have seen on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic Update, he still is very dangerous and can deal death with his trusty axe.

Now that we have talked about Jack Torrance, the killer of The Shining, I think it’s time we take a look at the film version that sparked this fan-made comic we will be taking a look at. So if you are ready, let’s wander around the halls of the Overlook Hotel and see what horrors await us.

The Shining (1980)

“A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.”

Stephen King is considered one of the world’s top modern horror writers, and Warner Brothers optioned the film rights to his 1977 novel The Shining. This was because director Stanley Kubrick wanted to make the film after reading the book and disliking a stack of other horror novels. The film was in development as he liked the idea of the human personality. The film was written by Kubrick as well as Diane Johnson and was based on parts of The Shining novel by King as the screenplay added elements not featured in the book, as well as even took away characters and situations. The film was mostly shot on sound studios with the sets being created in order to capture the look of an old hotel with the exterior shots being filmed by a second unit. The sets were used as Kubrick liked to work with a small crew as this allowed him to push everyone harder and in his mind, helped him get the performances and look that he wanted to see on the screen. When casting the film the main decision was who would play the character of Jack Torrance and the first pick was Jack Nicholson who would end up taking the role but other names considered included Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro and Robin Williams with Stephen King wanting Martin Sheen, Jon Voight or Michael Moriarty to play Jack. Imagine just how different the film would have been if one of those actors ended up in the role. Other cast brought on were Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd, Anne Jackson and Lisa & Louise Burns. It is said that during the filming Kubrick treated actress Shelley Duvall terribly and was downright abusive to her, causing her life long trauma. The film was scored by Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind and is very iconic and is always considered one of the best scores in Horror Cinema. The film was released in theaters on May 23, 1980 and was meet with mixed reviews from both critics and fans, with Stephen King being the one who was not that fond of the film due to the changes as well as Kubrick in general being a monster of a director who was a control freak. But over time the film has built up respect and is now one of the genre’s most well loved films. The Shining was # 12 at the American Box Office for the year 1980 brining in $44,017,374.00 and beating out such other Horror Movies as Friday The 13^th, Motel Hell, He Knows You’re Alone and Guyana: Cult Of The Damned. The film would later be released on all types of home media from VHS to Blu-Ray. And this was a micro write up about the production of this film, and if you want the whole scoop make sure to check out the many books and documentary films about the making of this classic fright flick.

The Shining really is one of those iconic Horror Movies that has even gone beyond just being well loved by the genre fans as many non-Horror fans have it listed as one of their favorite films. The first time I saw the movie was via VHS that my brother and I rented as we had always heard about it via the Horror books and magazines we read and even our parents mentioned the film to us. When we finally saw it, we both ended up being a fan of it with my brother even having at one point a T-Shirt of Jack’s face grinning from behind the chopped up door! And let’s also not kid ourselves, we have all at least once in our lifetime said “Here’s Johnny” and have seen a parody of this film done on film and TV like The Simpson’s who had the super funny “The Shining” segment that was part of the Treehouse Of Horror V episode or even the South Park episode “A Nightmare Of Face Time” that has Randy Marsh going crazy and possessed by the evil spirits from the Blockbuster Video he has bought…both are super hilarious and are worth tracking down and watching if you have not seen them. At one time in my life while I truly like and enjoyed The Shining I did find that it was overrated when it came to making my friends Top 10 Horror Film lists as many of the folks I knew personally who placed it on their list when we were all teenagers only did so as they thought adding a Stanley Kubrick film to their list made them look like a genre fan who had taste and understood the art of filmmaking. It was more about the director than the film itself, as they would later admit to me. I think what makes the film work so well is that the Overlook Hotel setting is very grim and isolated giving you a feeling of dread, and when you learn of the pervious murder committed by the last caretaker, it makes the outlook even grimmer. And I agree with what so many other fans have said: the Overlook Hotel is a character itself in the film and really is the hub for bad vibes and even more sinister spirits. Jack Nicholson is delightfully crazy in the role of Jack Torrance, and his performance is outstanding as we watch an unstable man get more and more crazy as the film goes on, and the look of insanity in his face is chilling. And while some folks are hard on her performance, I think Shelly Duvall did a great job as Wendy Torrance. Plus let us not forget all the wonderful evil spirits of the Hotel from the creepy Grady Twins to the rotting Old Woman In The Bath. They truly help add to the Horror of this film. Is The Shining one of the scariest movies of all time? No, but it is one of the creepiest ones that is well acted, well directed, well scored and has great spooky atmosphere.

The Shining is a film who took the source material and mixed in the vision of a filmmaker who was set in his ways, and while he and the books writer might not have seen eye to eye, what was created is a film that Horror and non-Horror fans can enjoy for centuries to come. So first I need to thank Evil Genesis Artworks and his Etsy shop for making and having this comic 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, its entertainment value and its art and story. So let’s open the door to Room 237 and hope the old naked lady doesn’t choke us!

Boulder # 1 ***
Released in 2022 Cover Price $6.79 Evil Genesis # 1 of 1

Wendy Torrance walks outside and finds her son Danny sitting by his bike on the curb, and she goes out to check on him, only to find that he is worried that the family’s car will breakdown on his father Jack who has a big job interview to be a caretaker for a hotel. Wendy does her best to calm him down when Danny next asks why his father lost his job, and Wendy tells him that while teaching Jack cut a student from the debate team for not being good, and that the student claimed that he was only let go due to the teacher not liking him. The student then slashed the tires of Jack and was caught by him, and Jack lost his cool and beat the student up and this made him lose his job teaching. Danny remembers back to when his drunk father lost his cool and broke his arm for spreading out school papers. Danny then asks his mother if she wants to live at the Hotel for the winter, and she says sure if that is what your father wants. Wendy then asks Danny if he wants to live there, he says sure as the neighborhood has no kids to play with anyway. Wendy goes inside and tears up as she drinks her tea, and Danny stays outside waiting for his dad to return home.

This comic captures the moments that take place for Wendy and Danny as the movie The Shining starts and follows Jack heading to the hotel for his job interview to become the caretaker. The story is the mother and son having a chat outside about the actions and possible move due to the father of the family who has a bad temper and a drinking issue. The main character in this issue is Wendy Torrance, who is a mother trying to keep her family together and answer the fears of her son as well as try her best to be supportive of her husband even though its clear he is unstable. Danny Torrance is a young kid who has no friends, and is dealing with being special as he has powers he does not understand and also both loves and fears his father who broke his arm at a young age. We also get a look at Jack Torrance as a teacher and see what lead to his firing and that was beating a former student up who made the mistake of slashing his old teacher’s tires. The mood of the comic is dark, and while it does not have gory, bloody moments it’s the dread that each page brings that makes the comic creepy as you know that both Danny and Wendy’s lives are about to truly change for the worse when Jack gets home and tells them he has the job. The comic is a very quick read and is well written and does capture the mood of the film very well as it does feel like a missing scene. The cover is pretty cool and has a crazy looking Jack standing behind his baby son Danny, and there is something uncomfortable about it. The interior art is done by Paul Payne and is fantastic stuff as his art captures the look of the actors and this helps add to the mood of the comic he created. This is one of the better fan comics I have read, and I really do look forward to getting more comic from Payne and reviewing them here at Rotten Ink. If you like the film The Shining, make sure to track down a copy of this limited released fan comic as it is a great read and is a very cool idea. I look forward to more fan comics from Paul Payne in the future. And with that checkout the artwork below to see the art style of Paul Payne used in this one shot comic issue.

The Shining is an iconic Horror Movie that brought the character Jack Torrance played by Jack Nicholson to the big screen off the pages of Stephen King’s novel and will forever be one of the genre’s most loved films. And I have to say that Paul Payne and his fan comic does a great job of bringing the film character versions to comics, and I hope that he continues making these fan Horror Movie inspired Horror Comics as I could think of many that I would love to see him do. For those wondering, his biggest series is “Rambo vs. The Blair Witch” and yes it’s as cool as it sounds. Well as you can see, the wind is turned chilly and that is our cue to leave the Overlook Hotel behind, as we need to get back to the Rotten Ink Arena as Kamala will be in action this Halloween season. 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 we take a look at one of my favorite big man wrestlers of the 1980’s!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

Posted on September 13, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! Do you remember back in the 1990’s when big companies tried to breathe new life into all the classic movie monsters with big stars being cast and bigger budget driven Hollywood blockbusters hitting the cinemas worldwide? This started in 1992 with “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and would be followed by the 1994 films “Wolf” and “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” and in 1996 we got “Mary Riley” based on the maid who worked for Doctor Jekyll, all have their own success and following to this day. During this time the comic book industry had an influx of indie companies and many of them released Horror Comics. One of these indie companies was Topps Comics who released many comic adaptations of films including the one that will be the topic of this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update as its time for us to take a look at Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the 90’s version of a classic monster of literature and cinema as well as the Topps Comics mini series adaptation based on it.

Let’s start off by taking a look at The Monster and his ways of dealing death in this movie depiction. The Monster is the reanimated parts of many dead men whose body is that of a killer and his hatred for being back alive is what drives him as he had a creator that turned on him from the start. His stitched up appearance and massive size strikes fear in the hearts of those who see him and this fear can lead them open to be attacked and killed. The Monster also has brute power and the strength of many men and can use his bare hands to choke, hit and rip the life out of a person as he has enough power to punch inside a person and remove organs. The Monster is also shockingly very smart and can use his twisted mind in order to set up his victims in multiple ways, from killing them to framing them for murder. He also can take way more damage than a normal person and can also survive in the extreme elements of nature, making him very hard to hurt. The weakness of The Monster is that his emotions are all over the place and this causes him to be sloppy at times as well as makes him lash out in anger before thinking about the action. He can be hurt like any living thing from fire to even some bullets can stop and kill him. While The Monster is not the most brutal or most efficient killer we have covered here, I would say that he is a very deadly one when pushed.

So as you can see, The Monster of Frankenstein is a dangerous reanimated thing that is filled with vengeance, revenge and a rage that makes him dangerous. But now we should take a few moments to talk about the film that spawned this version of The Monster! The film’s write up will be coming from our friends at IMDB, and then I will write a little about the film’s production and my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, it looks like science is about to run amok.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

“When the brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein rejects the artificial man that he has created, the Creature escapes and later swears revenge.”

After the big success of 1992’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” an idea from Francis Ford Coppola would come to life as he wanted to bring the classic monsters back to the big screen and the second film selected was Frankenstein, but this time around Coppola would only act as a producer and actor Kenneth Branagh would not only direct the film but would also play Victor Frankenstein in it. The film would be released by TriStar Pictures who was happy with the success of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and greenlit this film pretty quickly and the script was written by Frank Darabont and Steph Lady and was given a budget of $45 million. When casting the film some very interesting choices was made with Robert De Niro playing Frankenstein’s Monster, Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Frankenstein as well as such names as John Cleese, Ian Holm, Aidan Quinn and Richard Briers to name a few. And the score was done by Patrick Doyle who had worked on the music for films like “Needful Things” and “Carlito’s Way” and it was good and solid work. The film would be released in theaters on November 4, 1994 and would be meet with very mixed reviews as many felt that the film lacked scares and was a little all over the place when it came to the plot and being focused, but most critics and fans praised the acting of De Niro as the Monster. The film did $22,006,296.00 at the American box office and was ranked # 59 for the year and beat out films like New Nightmare, The Puppet Masters, Serial Mom, Ed Wood, Brainscan, Leprechaun 2 and Cronos. The film would be nominated for awards and would not win any and would even make many publications “Worst” list including Rolling Stone Magazine. But over the years and thanks to home media and streaming the film has found a cult following and is being looked back on with more fondness.

I was a big fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as I found it to be a very entertaining take on the classic Dracula tale and the effects are fantastic and it was oddly and yet perfectly cast and it was one of my favorite modern Horror Films that I had seen for many years. Now on the other hand, I was a little more mixed on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as I thought it was well cast and the look of The Monster was pretty solid, it just lacked the charm for me of the classic Universal Monster and Hammer Horror versions of the classic story as it played up on much of the story’s romance and less of the Horror, but when the Horror is showcased is when the film really shines. And I was really shocked on how violent the film was in spots and for many the highlight of the film was when The Monster removes the heart of Elizabeth as it was shocking and horrific. I also really do think that Robert De Niro as The Monster was a good choice as you could tell he put his heart into the roll and tried to bring out all the emotions the character went through in this tale. Plus casting one of Hollywood’s hidden beauties Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth also got my attention as a youngster as she for some reason has always reminded me of Elsa Lanchester who played The Bride in the Universal Monster film The Bride Of Frankenstein. Sadly due to my age and the small village I lived in not having a movie theater, I had to wait for the film to be released on home media before I could view it, and when the family finally rented it I found myself like it for the most part and also helped push me into having to find the Topps Comics as well as even had the Video Games for Sega Genesis among other items. Over all while this is not the best Frankenstein film made, I will say it’s a very entertaining one that should get more respect than it does in this modern age from Horror Fans.

One thing that I also have to point out about the film Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is that is sparked a good amount of merchandise for Horror Fans to collect that include not only the Topps Comic mini series but also the soundtrack, magazines, home media, a video game, novel, trading cards, model kit and even t-shirts. And when growing up I had the comics, home media, the video game and many of the magazines that covered the film mostly put out by Fangoria. And what is crazy is that when this film was released and the merchandise was coming out, I can remember that it did not have the buzz around it like Bram Storker’s Dracula did, but if you are a fan of this film make sure to track down and collect some of this cool stuff for your collection, especially the Comics and the Score Soundtrack CD as they are both great stuff.

So as you can see, when released Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein had the Hollywood hype train behind it and even got its fair share of cool merchandise to try feed the fans’ thirst for all things Frankenstein and his Monster, and even if the film did not live up to what it was expected to at the box office it really does have its own fanbase that really enjoys it. And to be honest I have been looking forward to doing this update for a few years now as it gave me an excuse to re-read these comics as well as watch the film again! Plus a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been long overdue. So before we head to the lab to see what is on the slab, I should remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that, it’s time to visit The Monster done 1994 style with a dash of Topps Comics.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 1 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 1 of 4

Captain Walton and his men are in a dangerous spot when they are in a winter storm up north trying to find a way to the North Pole, and when trying to break the ship free of the ice a shadow in the snow ends up killing all the sled dogs and they rescue Victor Frankenstein from the freezing weather. Once back on the ship Victor and Walton talk and Victor fills the Captain in on what he was hunting in this storm as well as his life. Victor grew up in a well to do and respected family who ended up taking in an orphaned girl named Elizabeth, who becomes the love of Victor’s life as the two have a very strong bond. But his life is changed when his mother dies while giving birth to his younger brother, and as he grows up his goal to be a scientist an a doctor who can defeat the secrets of death. Once in medical school, Victor meets a classmate Henry Clerval and they end up becoming the secret students of Professor Waldman and teacher who mixes new and old science and even has reanimated the arm of a chimpanzee. But while given the poor a vaccination for small pox Professor Waldman gets stabbed and killed by a crazed man, and this makes Victor double down of his idea of creating life so that people can life forever as death has cheated him out of another important person in his life. Victor steals the brain of Waldman, the body of his killer once he was hung and collected other body parts in order to create life, and after experimenting he has figured out the key to create. And the night of his experiment the village is about to go on lockdown due to an illness outbreak and he must run off both Elizabeth and Henry who beg him to leave, but this night Victor only has one goal and that to create life.

This is a really good adaptation comic and does a great job of both capturing the mood of the film as well as delivering an issue that gets the reader hooked. The story is simple and has Victor Frankenstein being rescued by a ship Captain and his doomed crew during a terrible winter storm at sea, and Victor ends up sharing his story of death and life with the Captain that ends with him doing his first experiment on trying to create a life. You have to feel for Victor Frankenstein as he was a young man who had it all growing up a good family, education, respect and even found the love of his life at a young age…but when people he cares about dies in his life it sets him down a path of science, medicine and alchemy all in order to stop death and create life. Elizabeth is a caring woman who wants what is best for Victor and as his dive into madness gets darker she still tries to stand by his side even when she is forced out of his lab. Henry Clerval who is a classmates who has some of the same ideas as Victor as well sees that his friend is going down a bad path that goes against the will of God, but he as well wants to watch out for his friend. And the Captain and crew of the ship sadly I feel are in the middle of a battle that they do not want to be around and that’s between a creator and his creation. The comic has some creepy moments and a little bit of blood and has that classic horror feel. The cover art for the issue I have is very eye catching and cool as it’s the Monster under a sheet, and has a classic painting feel about it. The interior artwork is done by Rafael Kayanan and is really great stuff and has that 90’s indie comic look as well to me has that Topps Comics look. A good start to this adaptation mini series and is a read that held up for me after all these years, lets see what issue two has in store for us.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 2 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 2 of 4

Victor Frankenstein is deep into his experiment and after using eels for electricity, the body inside comes alive and once out of his chamber it flings it’s self around and gets caught into cables as Victor watches on in fear and regrets that he gave this thing life and tried to play God, as it’s a grotesque looking monster. As Victor runs from his Monster he decides that he must kill it, and when he returns he finds it gone and swears that he is done with his experiments and The Monster itself. Time passes and The Monster is chased by people of the village as his appearance feeds their fears that he is the one spreading the plague, and this causes him to hide in the woods were he hides and helps and learns from a family that are not aware that he is lurking around. The family is thankful for his help but when they find out what he looks like they run him off with fire and once more he is alone and feared…and returns to his birthplace and finds the diary of Frankenstein and wants revenge on his creator. Meanwhile Victor meets back up with Henry and Elizabeth and wants to start his life over and leave the horror of his creation behind, but then he remembers his diary was left behind and if the Monster finds it his secret is out.

This second issue just like the first does a great job of bringing the film to comic, and captures the building dread and doom that the film delivered to viewers and even turns up the horror level slightly. This issue’s story has Victor Frankenstein both fearing and then hating his creation as he wants to kill it, but is to late to do so as The Monster escapes and finds that the world fears and hates him all over the way he looks…and the creation and the creator are on the path for a showdown as it’s clear they both despise one another. Victor in this issue is very sorrowful for what he has done as he knows now that creating life as a big mistake, and he tries to quickly move on with his life and forget the terror that he has unleashed on the masses. Henry and Elizabeth as always are by his side and try to encourage him to return home and take up just being a regular old doctor to help people. The Monster is very misunderstood and because he looks weird and disfigured he is blamed for the plague as well as mocked and hated by a family that he has been secretly helping through a harsh winter. Being shunned every place he goes you can see why The Monster hates his creator Victor as this life he did not want to have. And I have to say by this issue you have to kind of feel sorry for The Monster as he is really mistreated by everyone just cause the scars on his face, plus his own creator or father figure if you will, runs from him in fear as he hates what he created…must be a terrible feeling The Monster has. The cover for this version I have is eye catching an has The Monster standing with a home on fire behind him, and the interior art by Rafael Kayanan is great like before and the way he draws The Monster is awesome. Over all a relatively bloodless Horror Comic that is a fun read and thickens the plot of creator and creation. Also I feel this issue holds up and is a fun smooth read.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 3 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 3 of 4

As Victor and Elizabeth are getting ready for their marriage the their family and friends arrive including William who is the younger brother of Victor, and while going to visit his friend he runs into The Monster and is later found dead an the killing is blamed on one of the families female friends who is hung by a mob of mad villagers. As Victor morns, he gets a quick visit from The Monster who tells him to meet him up on a mountain, Victor goes and brings guns as he was to kill his creation. And when Victor arrives he tires to shoot The Monster and fails and then is more shocked that The Monster can read and speak. The Monster says he is the one who killed William and by accident set up the young woman who was blamed, and what he wants his a female friend to love and that if Victor makes him one he will disappear forever from human eyes, Victor agrees to do so. Elizabeth is upset as Victor tells her that they must push off their wedding for a month as he must do something so that they will have peace for life, she is mad and threatens to leave for good. Victor gets the help of Henry and they set up the lab but things get out of hand when The Monster murders a woman and now Victor refuses to help and The Monster tells him he will strike on his wedding night. Time passes and Victor and Elizabeth are married and go on the run with Henry and other guards on the watch as they are told to kill the ungodly creature that is stalking the newly married couple. And as a storm blows in Victor an Elizabeth find shelter as all around them men watch out for a killer.

The third issue keeps the mood building and adds more horror as The Monster is not understanding how to keep his emotions in check. The plot of this issue has The Monster killing the younger brother of Victor as well as getting a Frankenstein family friend blame and killed for the killing and now is trying to force Victor into creating a female monster for him as a mate and threatens him that the urges to kill will get worse if he does not have someone he can love, and Victor tries but when The Monster kills an innocent woman he can not make a bride as The Monster is clearly evil…and now Victor might have doomed his new Bride as well as his family and The Monster is very mad and filled with rage. Victor Frankenstein in this issues faces more heart break over the deaths of some loved ones and must try and avoid loosing the love of his life as well as dodge the rage of the monster he created. And while Victor has done bad things including trying to play God he does not get behind murder for science. Elizabeth is very happy to be getting married to Victor but does not understand the horrors that he committed in his lab. Henry is loyal as ever to his friendship to Victor and his leading men to try and keep the couple safe during their wedding night. The Monster is very confused by his life as he cannot control his evil thoughts and yet also understands what love means and is an all he really wants is to have a Bride that he can run away with and be away from human eyes. The cover is great and showcases The Monster and like before the interior art by Rafael Kayanan is great stuff and captures the looks of the actors really well and I have to say I love the way he draws The Monster. Over all another solid issue that captures the film really well and also held up as a re-read after all these years for me. Let’s see how The Monster an Victor Frankenstein’s tale comes to an end with the next and final issue.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 4 ***
Released in 1995 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 4 of 4

Victor and Elizabeth are alone in the cabin and make love on their wedding night, meanwhile outside Henry and the men are keeping guard as the storm continues to pour down and The Monster watches and waits for his time to strike. And later The Monster distracts Victor, Henry and the men who rush off to try and find and end him, while The Monster kills a guard and then murders and takes the heart of Elizabeth just as Victor returns and cannot do anything to stop it. Victor then picks up the body of Elizabeth and rushes to his lab to bring her back to life, and after the experiment she returns to life confused and twisted in appearance. The Monster enters the lab and wants to make Elizabeth his new undead Bride and as Victor and his first creation argue over the love of Elizabeth she discovers that she is a created life and engulfs herself in flames to end her misery and this cause Victor and The Monster to fight and Victor gives chase. We then go back to the ship and Victor Frankenstein passes away from pneumonia and the Captain tells his men that once the ice breaks up they will continue their journey, when they hear a terrible sobbing sound coming from bellow and when they rush to the belly of the ship they find The Monster over the body of Victor as he is upset about the death of his creator. In the end the Captain and his men watch as The Monster pours fuel all over himself and the body of Victor and then he sets them both on fire ending the story of the Creator and his Creation.

The fourth and final issue of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is really great and captures the downbeat nature of the films final act. And again I have to praise Topps Comics as they proved that they really did understand the art of film adaptations. The story in this issue has Victor Frankenstein before dying sharing the last part of his story that has his wife dying, being brought back to life only for her to commit suicide and lastly is able to try and make it right with his creation. And of course in the end both creator and creation go up in flames and the life work of Frankenstein comes to an end, but their legacy would live on as The Captain and his men have heard the twisted tale as well as seen The Monster itself. Victor Frankenstein in this issue is fueled by hatred as his created Monster will not leave him along and takes the life of his true love Elizabeth and even rips her heart out in front for him showing that The Monster is very cold blooded and yet you also pick up that he is confused by his new life and is torn between good and evil. The Monster is also very much filled with rage and that causes him to lash out at his creator who turned his back on him instead of teaching him how to be a living person, instead he has to deal with all the emotions and not understand how to control them and that leads to why Elizabeth’s heart being removed from her body. The comic is pretty violent and filled with murder and death but does not have lots of blood, but still even without the red stuff it has some great spooky and gross moments that make it a great Horror Comic read. In fact the whole mini series was a great read and while some changes had to be made the film to comic presentation was well done and was a great tool to promote the film as well as give fans a little something special to collect and read. The cover for this issue is great and has the reanimated corpse of Elizabeth standing in her dress and we can see the scars on the back of her skull great image and well drawn and colored. The interior art by Rafael Kayanan is really good stuff and has been solid throughout the series, and I have to say I really like the way he draws The Monster as he even captures the look of Robert De Niro and well as the details of the character in the film. To sum it up, if you like the film make sure to read this comic mini series as it really good, and rereading this made me miss Topps Comics even more. Checkout the artwork below to see the style of Rafael used in this Horror Comic.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a film that helped keep Horror Films alive at the cinema in the early 90’s and to this day has built up a cult statues as fans have discovered the film again thanks to home media and streaming services and I truly think that it is a good film that just lacks a little of the charm of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as that film was a hard act to follow. The Frankenstein story has been done in all types of media over the years from stage plays to direct to video films and everything in-between and this 1994 big budget film version has made its mark on the work of Mary Shelley and that’s not a bad thing as this film did its best to pay respect to the novel that created it. Well with that I think that its time we end this update as we have more Countdown To Halloween 2023 and we will return to the world of Pro Wrestling for the next update and a Horror Themed terror of the squared circle called Yeti who was a short lived AAA Luchador! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie of two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as it will be a creepy masked Luchador of a spooky time!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Crazies (2010)

Posted on July 14, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic.” This one will be a little more special as we will also be taking a look at Monsterbash 2023 Convention! Well, kind of as we will be visiting some shooting sites of the film in Evans City, Pennsylvania for the original 1973 film, and I will also showcase some of the cool stuff I bought, but all of that will be at the end of this update. The Crazies is a spooky film about infected humans of a virus that turns them into killers and was part of the big remake boom that was taking part at the time. Now it’s time for us to sit back and talk about this remake film and the world it created.

Before we move too far into our look at The Crazies remake, we should take a look at the infected that make this world so dangerous and deadly. The infected or Crazies in this film get this way from the water supply by a bio weapon called Trixie as well as bites of blood transfusions between those who have come in contact with it. They slowly lose their minds and almost at first seemed confused, but are driven to commit acts of violence on those around them. As the illness takes hold they become more and more filled with rage and become even more dangerous killing machines as they have no remorse for what they are doing. Their appearance changes from being blank to crazed and almost zombie like as the bleed from the face area and this adds terror into the hearts of those victims they are after. While they are human, they will used their fists, feet, weapons, fire and whatever they can get their hands on to slaughter their prey. They cannot be reasoned with and when you come across an infected death is what follows. They can also infect others and this causes their numbers to rise and they will also attack in hordes and they will over whelm you and you will be surly dead. But The Crazies do have a weakness as they are just humans with a disease so they can be killed like any normal person from being stabbed, shot, drowned or set ablaze they will die. Also it is said that the infected will show signs in 48hrs and could possible die in that time from it. So while they are easily killed, they are super dangerous as they spread their sickness as well as murder those they come in contact with. Also we should mention that where The Crazies go, the military follows and they have orders to kill on site making them dangerous as well! So in other words if you live where The Crazies infection breaks out, death is all around.

As you can see, The Infected are very dangerous and want to kill and infect others, and to me their virus spreading make them very scary! But now it’s time to take a look at the film and like always I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and I will then write a little about the films production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, put on your hazmat suit and let’s stay out of site of the infected and lets talk about the 2010 remake of The Crazies.

The Crazies (2010)

“As a toxin begins to turn the residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa into violent psychopaths, sheriff David Dutton tries to make sense of the situation while he, his wife, and two other unaffected townspeople band together in a fight for survival.”

The Crazies was a George Romero film from 1973 that was a big cult classic and like most of Romero’s early work was filmed in the Pittsburgh, Pa area. And in the 2000’s a big trend was for Hollywood to remake every Horror Movie in site and The Crazies got its turn in 2010 when Overture Films with Participant Media along with director Breck Eisner and script writers Scott Kosar and Ray Wright came together to deliver a new take on the classic Romero story. The film was casted with names like Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker and Christie Lynn Smith was brought into big roles in the film that was filmed in Georgia and was given a budget of around $20million, and was your standard lower budget Hollywood production and a fun fact being that the film originally started under Paramount Pictures before going to Rogue Pictures before landing at Overture Films in the end. And they were able to also get Lyn Lowry who was the star of the original film to comeback in a cameo role. The film would be scored by Mark Isham and would be released in theaters on February 26, 2010 and was meet with mixed reviews from critics as well as fans and would bring in $54,806,823.00 worldwide and was # 80 for the year beating out other Horror and Cult Films as Vampires Suck, Devil, Machete, Daybreakers and Piranha 3D. The film would find new life and fans when released on DVD and would make a splash at the video rental stores at the time.

As you longtime readers know, I grew up a Monster Kid and a big fan of Horror Movies and one trend that I was very mixed on was the remake craze that ran through the genre and delivered a very mixed bag of films that ranged from really great to bottom of the barrel. Now keep in mind I do not hate remakes I just prefer sequels and reboots as I like the continuation to stores not retelling of them. And I do understand that remakes are a part of Horror Movie history and are made for the next generation of fans as look how many times over the years say Phantom Of The Opera, Dracula and Frankenstein have been remade. And for me The Crazies remake was one that I waited for DVD instead of seeing in the theater as I was not sure that this Romero filmed needed an update and I also felt that the film looked like it took more inspiration from “28 Days Later” than the original film it’s named after. And after watching it I can say I didn’t mind the film, but it was not one of the better remakes of that era of cinema and I felt that while it retained some of the elements that made the original so good it tried way to hard to mimic the trends of Horror at the time of it’s release and this made it feel just like any other “Zombie” or “Infected” film that flooded video rental shelves and cinemas. The Crazies remake as well as the original now is a little more topical after the Virus Crisis the world has been dealing with and just shows how fast something can spread. Over all this was a alright film that I bought on DVD when released and is one you should check out as you might enjoy it more as it is a little more fast paced.

So as you can see, The Crazies remake was a very mixed bag as it tried to add its own elements to the original film, but sadly it was stuck in the shadow of trying to remake a George A. Romero film. Well it’s that time now to check out the comic series that goes along with this film and first I would like to thank Bell Book And Comic as well as Lone Star Comics for having these issues in stock and making this update possible. I want to also say that this will be a first time read for me on this series so that’s pretty cool as this review will be my first impression to the comics. 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 with that lets get crazy with The Crazies and Top Cow Comics. Oh and these comics also were done as motion comics and can be found on the DVD release of the film.

The Crazies # 1 **1/2
Released in 2010 Cover Price $2.99 Top Cow # 1 of 4

A plane crashes into some water and birds end up killing the pilot who was stuck in a tree by eating his eyes after he becomes infected. Rory Hammil lives on a pig farm and hates people due to his past in the Military and has been facing stop drinking, as he has been an alcoholic. And while looking out his widow he sees some of his neighbors on his land caring guns and goes out to confront them, but they soon are mad that he is being rude and one even has a gun pulled on Rory and to prove a point to him about his manors they threaten to kill his hogs…but the bluff almost turns deadly as the hogs seem to be very aggressive towards the humans even knocking one of them down to the ground. Once the neighbors leave Rory comes back in and his wife Peggy tries to tell him he no longer needs to have so much anger and that they need to throw away the bottle of liquor to stop tempting him to drink again, he tells her he needs it to be there in order to beat his addiction. And when Peggy hears a terrible noise outside Rory grabs his shotgun and heads to the barn to see that his hogs have turned on each other and some are dead while the others attack him forcing him to kill them as his wife enters the barn in horror. After the slaughter Rory sits in his home with his blood-covered shotgun that he takes with him as he walks into town and in anger he threatens people and corners a baseball team.

This is a pretty interesting first issue to kick off a comic series based on the remake of The Crazies as we start with a crazy plane crash and then join a hog farmer whose animals have gotten super aggressive and he soon follows in the anger and with a shotgun heads to town to seek some revenge for his anger. It’s clear that whatever was on the plane that crashed is what is causing this change in peoples and animals behavior and it has to be in the water that people are drinking. The issue does a great job of also showcasing that something is causing people to loose control and also shows that they will turn on themselves as well as will murder things that are in the path of the infected being. The comic has some blood but this issues is not all that gore filled and lacks in the death department as well, but I think that’s fine as this is the first issue that is setting up the world. Rory Hammil is just a down and out farmer whose addiction to alcohol has caused him lots of struggles as has his past that to me seems to be military service, and after drinking some water and having a run in with his neighbors as well as being bitten by one of his hogs snaps and wants to shoot and kill innocent people he now views as his enemy. The Hogs are super mean as they are aggressive and want to kill people and one another all because they are filled with so much anger. The cover for this issue is pretty creepy as it shows a Hog that is blood splattered, with the interior art by Jon Buran and is solid work, not my style but still I find it good. So with that, let’s see what the second issue has in store for us and if the baseball team will survive the rampage of Rory who in the cliffhanger has his shotgun pointed at them.

The Crazies # 2 ***
Released in 2010 Cover Price $2.99 Top Cow # 2 of 4

Billy is a cattle farmer and after sending his son Nick to school he notices that one of the gates has been left open and one of the cows is loose. Billy ends up finding the cow in the creek drinking and he also notices that the animal is bleeding form its nose and mouth, and when Billy tries to get the animal out of the water and back home safe the cow attacks him knocking him into the water and keeps acting aggressive as Billy retreats to his home and informs his wife Deardra of the cows sickness and they both agree it needs to be put down. Billy with his rifle heads to the cow when he starts seeing and hearing things almost as if he is slipping into madness, and after shooting the cow Billy goes crazy on the body beating it with his rife until it breaks. Once back home Billy knows something is wrong as a voice is telling him to do very bad things and his wife even notices and takes him to see a doctor and he acts as if he is fine. That night Billy armed with a knife traps his wife and son in a closet and then sets the house on fire burning them alive while he lays down and laughs in the driveway as their screams fill the air.

Ok now I get it, each issue is its own story that showcases someone from that town that is being infected by the rabies like disease that is in the water and affecting the animals, and I am not going to lie, I like this concept as it showcases how this is affecting different people. This issue’s plot has a cattle farmer who is attacked by one of his cows who ends up hearing voices and seeing a person that keeps telling him to do bad things to his family and sadly in the end he does just that, and this one is a true look into madness and is way more downbeat and scary. Billy is our subject this time. He’s a cattle farmer who has a loving wife and a respectful good son. Billy makes money off the milk from his cows and while trying to save one finds himself getting infected and going more and more insane as the days and hours pass and he decided that burning his family alive is the right thing to do…very cold blooded and shows you how bad this illness is! The issue is very dark in tone and while not super bloody there are moments of murder that are very disturbing as a cow is shot and then beaten and a mom with her child are set on fire. The cover for this issue is great and has a creepy Horror Comic vibe and the interior art for this issue is done by Hugo Petrus and is really great as I think he captures the brooding and dark mood of this subject matter well. This far the comic series based on the 2010 film The Crazies has been a good read and I am shocked that it took me this long to read it! So with that let’s see whose madness we follow next.

The Crazies # 3 **1/2
Released in 2010 Cover Price $2.99 Top Cow # 3 of 4

Charlie Finley works as the town’s mortician and bodies just keep coming in and the Sheriff needs to know the cause of death and as well needs Charlie to keep these murders and deaths hush as he does not want to panic the town. One of the bodies on the slab is Rory Hammil and when working on him he by accident pokes his finger and the wound bleeds causing Rory’s blood to mix with his. That night Charlie has a terrible nightmare of the dead bodies coming to life and visiting him in his room and the bodies are that of the crashed Pilot, Deardra, Nick and Rory and even when awake he sees and hears them! Also that morning the towns Pastor shows up to prey for those who have passed and as Charlie leads him to the morgue the dead taunt him, and once there Charlie attacks the Pastor and sews his mouth and eyes shut and Charlie hides when a bone saw in hand when The Sheriff arrives.

In this issue we follow the towns mortician who by accident cuts his finger when working on the body of Rory Hammil and this causes him to become infected and he is tormented by the voices and visions of the victims of the past two issues who push him to do bad things and he does just that as he kills the towns Pastor and then readies himself to murder the Sheriff by the issues end. Poor Charlie is the one we fallow in this issue and he seems like a good guy who has fallowed in his fathers footsteps of being the towns mortician when in reality he wanted to be a doctor and help the sick. When driven to madness Charlie seems to like to cause more torture before death and once his mind breaks it seems there is no coming back for him. What I dig about this issue is that it ties in the past two and shows that this horrific rabies like illness is ripping through this small town and that no one is safe from it. The issue has a little more blood and some gory moments like it shows the burnt corpses of Nick and Deardra and shows the Pastor with his mouth and eyes sewed shut. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and creepy and has a classic modern Horror Comic look, and the interior art for this issue is done by Vincent Spencer and is a weird mix of drawings and photos and it works well for this issue. So far this comic series for The Crazies is a good read and really does fit in well with the 2010 film, and with that let’s take a look at the final issue in this series.

The Crazies # 4 **1/2
Released in 2010 Cover Price $2.99 Top Cow # 4 of 4

The town is under attack by the infected and the military has been called in with orders to kill everyone and thing to keep this infection from spreading and hidden in the woods are the three neighbors of Rory that are Red, Jesse and Nathan who have to fight for their lives as they kill a few soldiers as well as have to fight off some of the infected all the while they are clearly infected as they are filled with violent anger and have been bitten by those they are killing as they want to find a truck to get out of town and then they also have an idea to take what they want. The three friend drive around killing the infected and for some reason put many of the bodies in the bed of the truck they have stolen, but the are finally pulled over by the army and its now clear that they are infected as they brutally kill the military men and they are proud of doing so.

This is the final issue in The Crazies comic series and follows the three friends and the neighbors of Rory from issue one as they get infected and go on a murder rampage as they kill both the normal and infected people and almost treat this like they are hunting deer as they are having a blast in their rampage and while they are infected the three still have their friendship, and they are very violent in their killing ways. The Three Friends are skilled with guns as well as knives and they blast and slash their way through so many people and this hands down is the most violent and bloodiest comic in the series and one solider even gets his face punched into hamburger meat! And by this final issue the infection or illness has spread so fast that everyone is doomed and are running around in rages and attacking one another as well as anyone they see. The series I have to stress did a great job of feeling like it belonged in the film and I enjoyed this with issue two being my favorite in the series. The cover for this one is pretty great and for some reason reminds me of a cover you would see on something like “30 Day of Night” or “68” and is eye catching for that time. The interior art is done by Rahsan Ekedal and is really cool and is the style of modern Horror Comic art that I have always liked. Over all this is a good comic series based on a Horror Film and proves once more that more companies should team with filmmakers to make these types of comics as they are great reads for fans of the film as well as help promote the film very well. Well checkout some of the artwork below to see some of the styles used in this series and I say if you like The Crazies remake make sure to get these comics and give it a read. And I should note that many of the characters and situations from this comic series is from the film it’s self as it explores more about them that you did not see in the film.

Now let’s talk Monster Bash 2023 and you long time readers know that I love this convention a lot as it is a celebration of classic monsters and also has become a kind of gathering spot for Horror Hosts as you can see such hosts as Mr. Lobo, Son Of Ghoul, Drac & Countess Carita and even one of my favorites Gruesome Graves can be found at guest tables and even just wondering around in the crowd. But in 2023 we only did one day at the convention and then spent the rest of the time eating at the amazing restaurants, shopping at local businesses and visiting classic shooting locations of George A. Romero films! And we ended up going the last day of the convention on June 18 and went as soon as the doors opened and after paying to get in we walk around and seen all types of amazing stuff all connected to Classic Horror Movies as well as other things that fans would enjoy like Superheroes and Classic TV. The statues this time around were a mix of things like Universal Dracula and Hammer Horror Frankenstein Monster. And there were lots to look at from Horror DVDs, Shirts, Toys, Books, Model Kits, Books, Comics, Posters, Night Lights, Artwork and much more. While our time was short at Monster Bash this year it still was a great time and lots of fun to spend time with the classic Monsters.

So for those wondering what my Monster Bash 2023 haul was it was the following I got a 1976 King Kong plush doll for $20.00, two paperback novels one being Island Of Dr. Moreau the other The Mummy: Dark Restriction for $7.00 each, I got a wood burn plaque of Horror Host Bowman Body for $25.00, The Mummy # 1 by Dark Horse Comics for $8.00 and three magnets (Phantom Of Paradise, Planet Of The Apes and Night Of The Howling Beast) for $12.00 for the set. And I have to say this is a good haul and I am really happy to have the King Kong Doll as I have wanted one since I was a kid!

On June 19 is when we traveled to Evans City to soak in the place were many scenes of The Crazies was filmed in and is also the town that the film takes place in! When getting there the town has a very small town feel, but also it is very busy as the main street has lots of semi trucks and traffic passing through. We walked up and down the street stopping into some local owned shops and while on the sidewalk talked to each other about The Crazies and it’s impact on the Horror Genre as well as looking around the town thinking about what if the events of the film was real. It was a nice day and a great walk around the town and if you like the 1973 classic film The Crazies make sure to check out Evans City as it’s a fun small town that has micro brew bars, ice cream shops, candy, spices and more.

As always Monster Bash was a fun time and I was able to find some pretty cool stuff for my collection and also let’s not forget just how good the comic series based on The Crazies was! But I think we have spent to much time here in this restricted area and we should probably head out before gas masked hazmat wearing weirdo’s come looking for us! But before we do let me tell you that out next update will take us away from comic books and will take us back to the world of Silent Cinema as we will take a look at the 1922 film called The 3^rd Alarm and you guessed it we will be meeting back up at the Rotten Ink Theater! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! Before we meet again make sure to check out both the original and remake of The Crazies as they are both worth a watch.