From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Blacula (1972)

Posted on September 3, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update and this is also the start of our countdown to Halloween 2024! This one is going to be a truly spooky update as we will be chatting about the 1972 fright flick Blacula and the 2023 graphic novel based around it. It’s a great thing that Blacula has finally made his way to comic books as this is truly long overdue and he really should have gotten a comic series or at least an adaptation in the 70’s via Marvel, Dell or Charlton. I am really loving seeing so many classic horror films and even modern ones lately getting the comic book treatment as these comics help these characters live on in entertainment as well as give fans more of their favorites. I will never understand why indie filmmakers doing crowd funding never offer a comic book perk, it is just silly to me. So if you are ready, let’s travel to Los Angeles and see what Blacula has in store for us all.

To start off this update, let’s take a look at Blacula himself and his way of dealing death to the living! Blacula, who’s human name was Prince Mamuwalde was an African Prince around 1780 who was tricked and bitten by Count Dracula after a meeting at his castle. Dracula and turns Mamuwalde into a vampire and he’s given the name Blacula and is sealed in a coffin and his wife Luva is locked in a room with the coffin. It would be not until 1972 that Blacula would be discovered and he and his coffin sent to L.A. and his rise as a vampire king would start. Blacula has many ways of dealing death to his victims as first he is very charming and can use this charm to lure in females in order to drain their blood or make them into a vampire bride. He can also almost hypnotize you into trusting him and following his every word. While when looking normal he is a handsome man, but when he shows his vampire side his appearance shocks and scares those he comes in contact with. Blacula is stronger than a normal man and is able to shake off assault attacks, gunshots as well as even being hit by cars. He can also turn into a bat and fly away or faster to his targeted victim, not to even mention he can speak to people through their minds. He can also use his bare hands to kill a person but his main way of killing is his sharp teeth that he uses to drain the blood out of his victims or turn them into one of his mindless minions. But while Blacula is immortal for the most part he can still be killed by a stake to the heart, fire and of course sunlight like all vampires, and he can also be distracted by love as when a female reminds him of his deceased wife, he tends to make mistakes. Blacula’s anger as well as his need to cover his trail and what he is can also lead him to make mistakes that can lead to his true death. Blacula is a very powerful vampire with only maybe Dracula being more powerful than he, and that is why he is one of the most deadly undead monsters we have covered this far.

So as you can see, Blacula is a very powerful vampire and is one that is not only looking for his lost love but also to claim the throne of being the new King Of The Vampires. But now I think it’s time that we take a look at the 1972 film that he is from. And 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 on the film. So if you are ready, let’s see what horrors Prince Mamuwalde has in store for us.

Blacula (1972)

“An 18th century African statesman is transformed into a vampire, cursed with the name Blacula, and entombed in Dracula’s Castle after he fails to convince the Count to support him in his cause to end the slave trade. Two hundred years later, a pair of interior decorators transport his coffin to L.A. where he awakes with an unquenchable thirst for human blood. As Blacula pursues a woman who resembles his long dead wife, her brother-in-law, a pathologist, investigates the string of carnage that follows in the vampire’s wake.”

The 1970’s were a time for horror, cult, sci-fi and Blaxploitation films to shine at theaters and drive-in’s as they would show them and moviegoers seemed to not to be able to get enough. And one of the biggest producers of these type of films was Samuel Z. Arkoff who was another “King Of The B-Movies” along the likes of Roger Corman and Al Adamson and was known for such films as Teenage Caveman, Reptilicus, Fury Of Archilles, Die Monster Die, The Dunwich Horror, Abominable Dr. Phibes and so many more, and he teamed with Joseph T. Naar to create the film Blacula in 1972. The team of Joan Torres, Raymond Koenig and Richard Glouner were the script writers, and William Crain was brought in to direct and this was his first feature film as he had only worked on one episode of the TV Show Mod Squad before it. The producers then would hire such actors as Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicolas, Charles Macaulay, Emily Yancy and The Hues Corporation with William Marshall being hired to play Blacula, who is the world of cinema’s first Black vampire! Marshall as well worked along with the producers and crew to make sure Blacula was a powerful and respectable character. The film was shot in Los Angeles and filmed early in 1972 and once done Gene Page did the score that had a funk sound. Once done the film was released by American International Pictures (owned by Arkoff & James H. Nicholson) and hit theaters on July 26, 1972 and was meet with mixed reviews from critics but moviegoers liked it as the film would make over a million dollars and be one of 1972’s big hits. The film would spawn a sequel in 1973 called “Scream Blacula Scream” and would also start a rash of Blaxploitation Horror Films like “Blackenstein (1973)”,“Abby (1974)”, “Dr. Black And Mr. White (1976)”, “Black Devil Doll From Hell (1984)” and “Bones (2001)” to name a few, showing just how important Blacula is to the world of horror cinema. The film was released along side such other horror films as Tales From The Crypt, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, Ben, Dracula A.D. 1972, Fury Of The Wolfman, Frogs, Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Last House On The Left, Horror Express, Vampire Circus, Rats Are Coming The Werewolves Are Here, Baron Blood, Moon Of The Wolf and Don’t Torture Duckling in 1972 and this is just a small amount released that year. The film is a cult classic and found even more fans via Cable TV and Home Media when released on those formats.

I am going to say it, I really do think that Blacula is one of the most underrated horror films of the 1970’s as it is often over looked and tossed aside mostly because people judge it by it’s name and not the quality of the film and that’s a shame as it is a very solid Horror film with a very cool vampire who has a hatred for his own creator Count Dracula. I saw this film when I was a very young kid as I believe it was playing on TBS and both my brother and I had to watch it, I am pretty sure my Dad as well watched it with us, and when the film was done I can remember playing with G.I. Joes and saying Roadblock was Blacula and he was on the prowl for some blood. The film is filled with some great classic style creepy moments and has a very 70’s feel and take on the Dracula story in general. The film’s score was also very different from the others at the time as Gene Page went more for a Funk sound over your normal eerie one, and this helped add to the L.A. feel of the fright flick. William Marshall was a very wise choice to play Prince Mamuwalde aka Blacula, as he is a fantastic actor and really did take the role seriously and delivers a powerful performance, as Marshall had been acting since the mid 1950’s and is known for his roles in such films and shows as Tarzan (1967), The Boston Strangler (1968), Abby (1974), Amazon Women On The Moon (1987) and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse (1993) where he was The King Of Cartoons! I have always had mad respect for William Marshall and he was truly an iconic actor and was truly apart of my childhood growing up as I had seen him in so many movies and shows. I also think that the film packs a few good scares as well as a very new take on the vampire folklore as it did a great job of bringing the classic monster into the 70’s setting. I also think that Blacula should have gotten more sequels as there were plenty of more tales they could have told with the character, and I do need to say that there is a rumor going around the a reboot to the series is in the works and while I wish William Marshall was still alive so he could have taken a role in the film I am interested to see what this film is like if it ever gets made. Say what you will about Blacula but for me it truly is one of 70’s best Horror Films and should be respected by fans just as much as Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn Of The Dead to name a few.

So as you can see, Blacula is a film that you should check out and it was great that finally in 2023 he got his own comic book after all these decades of it truly being long overdue. And while I wish that the comic had been single issues and not a Graphic Novel, I am still happy to be reading it any way I can, and I truly hope that it is a great read as I have been looking forward to this since it was announced by Zombie Love. I would also like to thank Game Swap Kettering for ordering this GN for me and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that, let’s see what Blacula has in store for us in his first terror filled comic.

Blacula: Return Of The King GN ***
Released in 2023 Cover Price $19.99 Zombie Love # 1 of 1

In modern Los Angeles people have gone missing as vampires are stalking the streets at night and the name Blacula is being spray-painted around town. Tina Thomas is a blogger who is heading to the area that the disappearances are taking place and meets Kross, a man who is on the hunt for vampires! Meanwhile in Hell, Blacula is trying to get Lucifer to grant his request of returning to Earth and the ruler of Hell not granting his request. Kross informs Tina that he is the grandson of taxi driver and Blacula victim Juanita Jones and that he is now looking after young kids affected by the vampire attacks and his goal is to kill Blacula once and for all. Meanwhile Blacula has escaped Hell and is walking the Earth once more and even kills a group of gang members who try and hold him up. While Count Dracula is also around and lures a single mom working at a diner into his trap and drinks her blood even as she pleads for her life, and while draining all of the woman’s blood a news report about Blacula peeks his interest and he ends up calling in two redneck vampires to track down his vampire spawn and bring him back to him. While Kross along with his gang and Tina head to a graveyard looking for Blacula to kill, they only the find the vampire Juanita and they are forced to stake her, and worse Kross is shaken by this and this allows his grandfather who was also a vampire to escape. Meanwhile Blacula is stalking the streets on his quest to find Dracula and even kills a bunch of cops and when he finds safety he is thinks back to why he his killing his own race after he was always protecting them in his time as a Prince. As the two redneck vampires drive around asking fellow vampires if they have any clues to where Blacula is, he has been discovered by Tina, Kross and The Kids who end up listening to his tale of being turned into a vampire by Dracula and wants revenge…and the kids decide to help him! Blacula takes out the two redneck vampires that are tracking him and the kids stake Kross’s vampire grandfather and the group then heads to the location of Count Dracula and after taking out some of Dracula’s minions, Blacula finally gets his chance to fight with Dracula and after going back and fourth it’s Blacula that wins with a silver sword to the heart of Dracula! And after that Blacula leaves with Tina, Kross and the other kids with his future unknown. Meanwhile in Hell Lucifer is very mad about Blacula’s escape and with the help of a demon and Count Dracula himself they decide to send back a werewolf to Earth to get him back…and so this Graphic Novel ends on a cliffhanger.

First thing I have to say is that this Graphic Novel is pretty awesome and is a fantastic read and really does read like a sequel to the classic 1972 film and does so with respect for the character and his legacy and helps bring the Horror and complex nature of Blacula to the readers. The plot has Blacula escaping Hell in order to finally get his revenge on Count Dracula who is the one responsible for turning him into a vampire as well as taking his wife away from him. Also Count Dracula has lost all his wealth and is now hiding out in California and waiting for his spawn Blacula to attack now that he has returned…throw in some young adults who are hunting the vampire legends as well as Lucifer who is mad about the escape from Hell, and you have one heck of a great horror comic read! Blacula while a vampire, a killer and even a spreader of turning others into bloodsuckers feels bad about having to drain the blood of his own race in order to survive and truly hates what he has become as well as the name of Blacula as he would rather be called by his real name Prince Mamuwalde and not the name Dracula forced on him. Blacula also knows that he has angered Hell but does not care as he wants his revenge and even controls his anger and hunger when he meets a group of kids that are hunting him and other vampires down, and these kids are all effected by vampires as their families had been killed or turned by one causing them to want revenge of their own. Tina Thomas however is along for the ride as she is a blogger about the unknown and wanted to get to the bottom of the legend of Blacula and soon finds that the legend is true and she ends up helping him on his quest for revenge. Kross is also a interesting character as he is the grandson of the woman taxi driver that was bitten in turned in 1972 (as seen in the movie) and has made it his life goal to kill Blacula as well as bring together and watch over all the kids that have been effected by vampire attacks, and he ends up having a change of heart when he finally meets Blacula and soon decides to help him against Dracula’s horde. Speaking of Count Dracula, he is no longer surrounded by wealth and power and is now living in a trailer harvesting his own blood from victims and very bored with his immortal life, and is very much looking forward to a fight to the death against Blacula. And the final fight between Blacula and Dracula is fast paced it very much is a fun battle that leaves The Count dead and The Prince still feeling empty. The Graphic Novel does have some blood and violence and fans of Horror Comics will enjoy many of the kills that include lots of blood drinking and some stakes to the hearts of the undead. The cover is pretty dang great and creepy and has a raging Blacula showing his fangs of fright! The interior artwork is done by Jason Shawn Alexander and is great stuff and captures the mood of the film series as well as even the actors who played the characters. Over all this is a very cool and entertaining horror graphic novel read, and I cannot wait for the second volume as this one leaves us on a cliffhanger and we all want to see Blacula fight a werewolf and even possibly Lucifer himself who is pretty annoyed with the Vampire Prince who escaped the tortures of Hell! Do yourself a favor and if you like the film or just like vampire comics, give this a read as I am sure you will enjoy it. Checkout the artwork bellow to see the style of Alexander used in this comic.

Blacula: Return Of The King is a really great horror graphic novel that gave new media life to this classic iconic horror character from the 70’s. And with a new reboot sequel in the works (or so it’s said) I just wish William Marshall was still with us as it would have been great for him to see this rebirth and respect the character brought to life by him is now getting from modern horror fans. With that this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update is over, but our time with horror is still going as our next update will take us to the Rotten Ink Arena as a “R.I.W Legend” update event will be taking place and will feature The ECW Zombie, so make sure to comeback for that one. So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as I wonder if The Zombie will cut one of his iconic moaning and groaning promos?

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!

Beware The Wrath Of The Satan’s Six!

Posted on November 25, 2021 by bloodlinematt

I think if you ever have read comics at any time in your life, one creator whose work you have seen or at least have heard of his legend being spoken about in comic shops and or blogs is Jack “The King” Kirby, a man who created some very iconic characters for both Marvel and DC as well as indies! I mean he is the creative mind behind such characters as The Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Captain America, The New Gods, Darkseid, Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Nick Fury, Devil Dinosaur, Silver Star, Captain Victory, OMAC, The Eternals, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Doom and so many more! Jack Kirby really is a true icon in the world of comic books, and when people talk about how much he made an impact on the industry, they are not lying! And that’s why in 1993 indie comic publisher Topps Comics wanted to make a impact in the superhero genre and talked to Jack Kirby about bringing some of his characters from the past as well as new ones to readers hands with the Kirbyverse line. For this update we will be taking a look at one of the comic miniseries from that line call Satan’s Six! So if you are ready, let’s travel back to the early 90’s when the comic boom was going strong as we take a trip with Kirby and a pack of strange heroes of sorts.

Topps Comics was trying really hard to be a force in the world of comics, and in 1993 they licensed mostly unused characters Jack Kirby created many years in his past that other companies passed on as well as brought some of his indie comic characters like Captain Victory and Silver Star back to the comic world. This was called The Kirbyverse and was Topps’ way of entering the superhero market. They thought that they had a very big chance of making a massive splash with Captain Glory, Bombast, Satan’s Six, NightGlider and TeenAgents…sadly, this proved to not be true. Topps Comics pushed the Kirbyverse hard and even comic retailers were itching to get new first issues of the Kirby-created characters on their shelves so copies were ordered and shelves were well stocked, but the readers just was not there. They even gave away very cool chrome trading cards of the comic with issues, trying to give readers a little extra for their bucks. Diehard Jack Kirby fans bought them but were disappointed that Jack did none of the artwork or if he did, it was a page or so. Some casual readers checked them out and of course the oil stain of comic collecting, the none-reading speculator resellers, bought the first issues thinking that they could sell in the future for millions, but sales dipped bad after the first issue and the line was considered a failure. Topps ended up canceling the titles with some of them never even finishing up their mini series run. And the worst part of it all is that the comics were really good and had a very classic superhero feel to them. I think now in modern times the series is a little more respected and readers have discovered that they are good reads with interesting superhero characters. Topps pulled the plug on The Kirbyverse only one year into its run so 1994 marked the end. Sadly Topps Comics would close up shop in 1998 and thus ended an indie comic company that was doing some amazing and fun stuff. I hope that one day Topps gets back into the world of comic books and that they pick up were they left off as they did some really cool comics based on horror movies and I always say we need more companies doing that.

The Satan’s Six is a team of evildoers who are brought together by Satan himself to cause chaos and strike fear in the hearts of the living, well and he finds them to be dull and dolts and wants them to return to Earth in order to get their pitchfork and find their own place in Hell. Placed in charge of them is Odious Kamodious, a demon who made the deal with the Devil as well as our “heroes” to return to Earth to do evil deeds. The team consists of Knight Brian Bluedragon who’s evil deeds always seem to turn good, Dezira is a temptress who is too sweet to do any real harm, African warrior Kuga The Lion-Killer is a skilled warrior who has a soft side for animals, Doctor Mordius a failed serial killer who is much like a tame Jekyll and Hyde, Gambler and con-artist Hard Luck Harrigan is always looking to cheat and lastly is demon Frightful who is a member of the team to make sure they stay in line and do the deeds they are asked to do. And while these fiends are in limbo waiting to get into Hell they for some reason also have hero qualities to them as they fail in all things evil. Just wanted to give you a quick crash course of who the team members are before we head into the review part of this update. I also should state that Satan’s Six was an old concept that Jack had that was not picked up by a publisher until Topps Comics came along and gave them a shot on the comic shelves.

Did you know that also in 2000 Dark Horse Entertainment bought the film rights to Satan’s Six with the idea of developing a movie based on the comic? As of this posting of this update the film has never been made. I would also like to thank Bookie Parlor and Mavericks Cards And Comics for introducing me to this comic series when it was released back in 1993 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 if you are ready let’s travel to the offices of Odious Kamodious and see what The Satan’s Six has in store for us, and keep in mind I have not read these sense they first came out and I can remember liking them when I was a youngster so let’s see if they hold up now that I am in my 40’s!

Satan’s Six # 1 ***
Released in 1993 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 1 of 4

Pristine is an angel who watches over comic books, comic creators, comic characters and sometimes comic fans and she is acting as our narrator in order to introduce us to our “heroes” a group of souls that are trapped in limbo as they have not got called to take their place in Heaven nor Hell. In limbo hanging out together is Dezira, Doctor Mordius, Hard Luck Harrigan and Kuga The Lion-Killer and they are looking for their friend Brian Bluedragon who is on a quest to get into Hell and ask demon Odious Kamodious to place them who argues that they have not done enough evil to be in Hell nor have they done enough good to be in heaven and as the pair go back and fourth Pristine cuts in and wants us readers to know a little more about Brian Bluedragon who was a knight that wanted to take his place with King Arthur who was insulted by the cocky nature of Bluedragon and had him kicked out of Camelot, while outside the gates he made a bad decision and signed his soul over to Satan and as the contract was signed he was ran over by a cart…and this made it impossible for him to go to Hell as he did nothing bad and the contract with Satan had him barred from Heaven and now limbo is his home. Pristine then gives us a brief history of the others that will make up this team. Back at the office of Odious Kamodious he comes up with a mission that will allow Bluedragon to earn his way into Hell and that’s by returning to Earth and the living and sway people to give their souls to Satan, he then gives him a team that is Morbius, Harrigan, Dezira and Kuga as well as two minor demons named Narvag and Sucnip who will drive the Hellicopter that will take them to Earth. Once on Earth they find that a place called Club Inferno is their base and the club uses a Satanic-Tech to make those who enter feel like they are wherever the desire, they meet Virus the man in charge of the club as well as full fledge demon Frightful who is the real boss of Satan’s Six!

The first issue of Satan’s Six is a great way to introduce this new team to readers as we get a quick crash course of who they all are and why they are stuck in limbo, we also see that they are not really evil and are just bored with being in limbo so would even take a deal to get into Hell in order to have a change of pace in the after life. Brian Bluedragon is a knight who’s ego seems to always get the better of him, and when he insults King Arthur of Camelot and is banned from his holy kingdom, he out of spite gives his soul to Satan. While Bluedragon is a screw up and clearly has an ego the size of the Empire State Building stacked on top of the Statue Of Liberty he is not a bad person, he just makes very bad decisions. And that can be said about the rest of his team as Dezira is a wannabe temptress from the Babylon days who is just an airhead, Dr. Morbius is a liar who wants to act as if he is a world infamous serial killer with a super high body count when he is just a scientist, Kuga The Lion-Killer is a warrior who is really a softy and Harrigan is just a guy with a gambling addiction. Virus seems like he is really into the Satanic-Tech and really wants to help send souls to Hell, he also seems like he is just following orders of the demons that are above him. Narvag and Sucnip are two goofy demons that can fly the Hellicopter and fight back and fourth like brothers. And Frightful we don’t get to see much of in this issue but its clear Hell is his business and business is evil. And poor Odious Kamodious is something of an accountant for Hell who wants to be ride of the hassle that is Bluedragon storming the gates every decade or so and comes up with this idea to get these lost souls to Satan but also wishing for a promotion if his team and idea pays off. Pristine is around and while an Angel she is mostly their to break the fourth wall and allow us the readers on the inside for a good and silly ride, oh and also Superman is flying around Heaven as he had died in the comics, while they do not call him Superman its clear that is who it is. What I like about this comics story is that while it is a Horror Comic the writers Jack Kirby and Tony Isabella do a great job and bringing humor into the mix as well as a dash of superhero and this makes for an entertaining read. And because of this Horror Comedy feel the characters are all super likable in their own ways with my two favorites being Brian Bluedragon and Kuga The Lion-Killer as I feel they are interesting and have a cool look to them. The cover for issue one is also amazing as its Jack Kirby and Todd McFarlane together and is super eye-catching and awesome. The issues interior art is done by two artist Jack Kirby and John Cleary and while the styles clash it some how works for me in a very odd way. I should also say that this issue has many guest inkers for the Kirby pages and its pretty impressive as Topps got names like Steve Ditko, Frank Miller, Terry Austin, Joe Sinnott and Mike Royer to lend their inking talents. Over all I myself would say that the first issue of Satan’s Six held up for me and was just as enjoyable of a read now as it was back in 1993! So with that let’s get onto issue two and see what’s next for our motley crew team.

Satan’s Six # 2 ***
Released in 1993 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 2 of 4

The female angel Pristine once more opens up the comics and gives readers a quick look at the first issue as well as a quick bio again of our Satan’s Six members. She also goes to Club Inferno and has Virus tell the viewers what Hell’s plan is for our team as well as the souls they help send their, and once she is done we join the team in action. At a museum two security guards are attacked and knocked out by Bluedragon and Kuga as Frightful is talking to a Professor Jacob Simon a man who is selling his soul to Satan, but does not want to see the guards be hurt. You see Professor Simon is a man down on his luck when he was fired from his job and made of joke out of by being called a fraud after discovering a massive old cocoon in a temple in South America of what he thinks is the ancient god Kalazzar, his peers and the board call it a fake and so his troubles begin as he is a man left with nothing. You see Professor Simon is only selling his soul to Satan in order to get help to stop the cocoon from hatching and allowing Kalazzar to walk the Earth again and he needs the supernatural hands of the Satan’s Six to help by touching it while he reads a spell at midnight, and things go wrong when Frightful’s watch was off and the creature God breaks free and is ready to rule the world! Professor Simon argues with Frightful that the contract was not meet and Pristine shows up and agrees with the old man! Professor Simon rushes Kalazzar who snatches him up as well as the team’s new pet dog Fury and this causes Kuga and Bluedragon to go into action and they start fighting the massive godlike being Kalazzar! Pristine informs Frightful that if either of his Satan’s Six members dies in battle trying to save the life of another will be a one way ticket for them to get into Heaven and this forces the demon to now get involved in the fight as he can not loose the souls! As the fight goes on Professor Simon and Hard Luck Harrigan run to Super K-Mart and buy a ton of insect killing sprays and with Doctor Mordius throwing a bomb into the cart the gas comes out and kills the Kalazzar! As the bomb goes off Frightful uses his body to cover Pristine showing that even this demon has a good side. In the end at Club Inferno Bluedragon and his team celebrate the win as in the other room Frightful is upset that he allowed them to fail in their mission. As for Professor Simon he finds that the two guards woke up and watched as he helped save the world and will try and help him get his job back.

The Satan’s Six in this second issue shows that they are kind of clueless when it comes to being evil and tricking humans into giving their souls as they act more like noble heroes as they risk their lives in order to help save a normal mans life who they are suppose to get his soul, and this makes them heroes and opens them up to become angels in Heaven! Poor Professor Jacob Simon is a man who is good at his job and discovers the gateway for a massive insect world destroying creature and is told that he is a fake and a fraud and is fired from his job, and is willing to sell his soul to Satan in order to get help in order to stop the creature from returning showing that while what is did is wrong the reason was noble as he wanted to save the world from destruction. Kalazzar is the insect God like creature that is back on Earth and wants to take over but is stopped by the Satan’s Six as well as incest killer that were bought from K-Mart! While I am sure Kalazzar was super dangerous in his time he is no match for Raid bug spray! Pristine is awesome in this issue as she uses her powers of good to point out to Frightful that not only does he have good in him but so does his team and this is awesome as it forces them all to do good in order for the Demon to not loose total control of his team! Frightful is always ready for a fight and loves being a tricky demon that wants human souls, but also shows that he is not great at his role as the teams leader as he does not stop them from doing good deeds. But I also think that Frightful has a major crush on Pristine as he is willing to risk his safety in order to save her. The Satan’s Six are anti-heroes who think they are doing bad things when in fact they are doing good things and are helping save souls and not taking them, also its clear that Bluedragon and Dezira are becoming boyfriend and girlfriend and that they are all working well together now and are meshing as a team. They also now have a pet dog named Fury that is mean and ready to bite those who stand in the groups way! I would say that once more Bluedragon and Kuga are my two favorite characters as they are the ones who fight the insect creature hand to hand and have no fear and are true brave and noble warriors. The cover for issue two is pretty great and shows the Satan’s Six in battle with Kalazzar and is super 90’s and cool looking. The interior art is done by John Cleary and is good in its own way and has the true 90’s indie comic look to it. Over all another great issue of Satan’s Six that held up for me after all these years and makes me look forward to reading the next again as well!

Satan’s Six # 3 ***
Released in 1993 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 3 of 4

Film director Lloyd Kaufman is walking down the street in California and he is disappointed that his actor Samson has turned into Samantha and quite acting to become a showgirl in Vegas and that leaves his new movie “Ugly Annihilator” without his star! While in Limbo two demons have been ordered to guard a hole that has been caused by human pollution and the powers that be are mad that Elvis Presley escaped in order to eat at a Burger Barn, but when the Hunchback Of Notre Dame himself Quasimodo is upset that his ex-girlfriend Dezira has been sent back to Earth he makes a break for it as he wants to save her from Satan’s deal but instead once on Earth he runs into Lloyd Kaufman who casts him as the lead in his film! Meanwhile at Club Inferno things are slow when Frightful gets an order from Hell to bring back Quasimodo and when Bluedragon finds out that the deaf bell ringer use to date his lady he gets jealous and swears to re-kill Quasimodo and send him back to limbo! At the Mann’s Chinese Theater the premier of Ugly Annihilator both Lloyd Kaufman and Quasimodo are being interviewed by a entertainment show about the film and speaking about Dezira when the Satan’s Six show up and Bluedragon wants to start a fight with Quasimodo! The fight is brutal and Quasimodo is besting Bluedragon when Pristine appears and stops the fight an alerts Quasimodo that he had gained his ticket to Heaven as he risked his own soul in order to return to Earth to warn Dezira of her bad deal with Satan! Quasimodo is so happy to be going to Heaven and decides to stay on Earth for a little bit as he now has a three picture deal with Troma! In the end Dezira and Bluedragon are happy to be together and as the Satan’s Six are going back to Club Inferno outside is another of Dezira’s ex-boyfriends and its Attila The Hun!

This is such a crazy issue that brings together so many amazing elements that include classic literature character Quasimodo, Troma Entertainment co-owner Lloyd Kaufman, Hollywood and of course our stars Satan’s Six! The plot is simple and has Satan’s Six having to bring back an escaped soul back to limbo, but like before instead of getting souls for Satan they help a soul go to God. The Satan’s Six are hired guns from Hell who are really just being used and while they try to complete their tasks they just are not very good at it, and with Dezira being a temptress and a sweet woman she has a charm to her that makes people fall in love with her and that’s why her new boyfriend Bluedragon is so protective of her and when he finds out that her Ex is back on Earth his pride and ego kicks in and leads him to making bad decisions that has him getting beat up. Really while Satan’s Six get along with each other, they are also very much at times disorganized and seem very reluctant to help at times in battles and that goes more for the likes of Harrigan who is not a fighter and is just a gambler. And this failed mission of soul gathering is the fault of Frightful, who sends the team to Hollywood alone as he claimed he has an allergy to Hollywood, and is not their to truly guide them from winning God a soul from Limbo. Quasimodo aka The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is a man who has fallen in love with a temptress by the name of Dezira and escapes limbo in order to try and save her soul from Satan and in doing so ends up not only becoming a movie star for Troma Entertainment but also gets a ticket into Heaven! Its also really cool to hear why Quasimodo was in limbo as he was a good soul but he did kill a person inside the house of God making him a strange case for where is soul would end up. Pristine once more comes to the team’s rescue as she saves another soul and is clearly doing her best to not allow the members of Satan’s Six to damn their own. And good old Lloyd Kaufman just wants to make his movie and make big profits and find his next big star, and let’s just say its awesome that they have Kaufman in this issue and I will speak more on that a little later in this update. The cover is cool and is a spoof of TV show Entertainment Tonight and has Bluedragon and Quasimodo fighting it out! The interior art is solid indie 90’s stuff and is still being done by John. Like before this issue has held up for me after all these years and I am shocked that I forgot that Lloyd Kaufman was a character in this series. Well let’s see what the fourth and final issue has in store for us.

Satan’s Six # 4 ***
Released in 1993 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 4 of 4

At the Inferno Club Odious Kamodious is yelling at everyone and is really mad at Frightful as the Virus alerts them all that the number of souls being sent to Hell has dropped sense Satan’s Six has been sent to Earth so the team has done the opposite of what they have been contracted to do. Odious Kamodious then tells Frightful that he has a replacement as the Leader of this team set and its Jason Voorhees! And with that Jason Voorhees is in the Inferno Club and from the start tries to attack everyone and while Bluedragon, Kuga and Frightful try to hold Jason off the one who summoned him Odious Kamodious uses a spell and sends him back to Hell. Odious Kamodious then alerts them that they will no longer be trying to win over souls for Hell but they will now be soul collectors who are sent after people who have sold their souls and their first collection is a guy named Big John Gavin who signed his away for help against crime bosses and to rise to power and wealth in the city of Chicago’s crime. The team gear up and get ready as Harrigan seems to be bothered as they are returning to his home town, and they also learn that Angel Pristine is going along this bounty collecting mission. While Big John knows they are coming for him and alongside his friend and muscle bound trainer Bjorn they come up with a plan to fight the demons off and to save his soul. Satan’s Six shows up at Big John’s home and we find out that he was once a bad guy but has now turned his life around and was once the best friend of Hard Luck Harrigan and changed his life after Harrigan was killed in a Mob shootout. Frightful doesn’t care about the change as the contract was signed and its time for his soul to be collected, while Big John runs from Bluedragon and Kuga his friend Bjorn has a fist fight with Frightful as Dr. Mordius by accident turns his own head into a giant flower from a bad potion all the while Pristine and Dezira watch from the sidelines. While all this madness is going on Harrigan disappears and all of a sudden lawyers for Big John show up and discover that the world soul is spelled wrong in the contract as its sole so Big John pays up with one of his old smelly shoes and the Satan’s Six is forced to return to base with one shoe as their prize. Later that night Pristine visits Harrigan and informs him that she will put in a good word for him in Heaven as she knows that it was he who changed the wording on the contract to save his friends soul from damnation. Harrigan tells her thanks but he now has new friends that need his help as Fury is chasing Dr. Mordius around who still has a flower head mistaking him for a tree.

Satan’s Six is not for everyone as it really is a very silly Horror Comedy comic that has elements of Superhero to it and the humor is super cheesy as is the plots and jokes. The final issues plot has our team going to collect a soul on a contract date and soon finds that the one they are after was the best friend of their teammate Harrigan and he uses his gambling under hand tricks in order to save his friend from an Eternity in Hell. The Satan’s Six members seem to know that they are failures and go along with the job change as it seems like it would be more easy to do, and like always the fail in their mission and another person is saved. Hard Luck Harrigan is the main focus of the team in this final issue as we get to know that he is from Chicago and only sold his soul in order to save his but from some bad dudes he pulled a con over on, we also know that he died via being shot multiple times by Mobsters. While Harrigan has done bad things in his life he also clearly cares about his friends old and new and will do the right thing to protect them. The other member that takes a spotlight is Frightful the demon who is saddled with having to lead these goofs in mission that they always seem to fail, he is super annoyed by them and it’s clear he knows that this experiment will not end well for him nor Odious Kamodious who came up with this earn you place in Hell plan. And that’s the thing while all the members of Satan’s Six stay the same for the most part, their more good nature is brought out over the four issue mini series. Having a cameo by Jason Voorhees that also acts as a plug for the film and comic adaptation was also a nice touch and helped add to both the Horror and the Humor as he tried to slash Odious Kamodious with his trusty machete causing the demon to scream for help. And just like the Lloyd Kaufman cameo, we will talk a little more about it later in this update. The comic is bloodless and goreless and the Horror elements more come from the fact it’s about Hell and souls being taken to it than your normal 90’s Horror Comic flare. And I am proud to say that I enjoyed this mini series in 1993 when it was released and in 2021 still found myself enjoying it and wishing that Topps Comics would have given us more, well they kind of did with the three issue mini series “Satan’s Six Hellspawn” but that will be for another update in the future. The cover for this issue is eye catching as it has stars all around a chrome version of Jason Voorhees’s hockey mask and would surly bring Horror Comic readers in. The comics interior art is done by John Clary again, and I have to say I think is art got better every issue. Now one thing that many readers had issues with is that Jack Kirby only did a few pages in the first issue before John took over, and I get it as we all love Kirby’s work but keep in mind this comic series came out very shortly before his death. I would say that if you enjoy 90’s indie Horror Comedy Comics, enjoyed Topps Comics, like the characters of Jack Kirby then make sure to check out this mini series as its worth a read and is pretty dang enjoyable. Check out the artwork below with the first being Kirby and the other two being Johns to see they styles used in this comic.

Ok so let’s now quickly talk about how issue four of Satan’s Six has a cameo from Jason Voorhees from the Friday The 13^th film series and the coolest part about this is that this is Jason’s first comic book appearance! The version of Jason used is from Jason Goes To Hell and that makes sense as Topps was also gearing up to do the adaptation of that film. While many reviewers trash the cameo from Jason as they use terms like “Shoe Horned In,” I myself feel like the cameo was well done and showed that even in Hell Jason can not be controlled and just has the urge to kill and kill! And even during the cameo Pristine points out that the cameo was to advertise from the film and comic, as the cameo is used as a humor bit as well as a horror one. It’s also cool to see The Satan’s Six team up on Jason to keep him at bay until he is sent away again. Take a look at the art below to see how Jason looks in this comic.

Ok the other shocking and super random cameo is from Lloyd Kaufman, director and co-owner of Troma Entertainment! That’s right, the mastermind behind the films Toxic Avenger and Class Of Nuke‘Em High shows up in issue three of this series! And Uncle Lloyd being in this comic just shows how much fun Topps Comics had making these issues as they did not follow the normal rules of mainstream comics and added crazy cameos as well as took chances on some classic heroes as well as unproven properties. I just wanted to quickly address how random and awesome this comic cameo was, and let’s be honest, more comics need Lloyd in them! Again all you Troma fans, make sure to check out this issue in order to see Lloyd hire the Hunchback Of Notre Dame for a movie roll.

Satan’s Six might not be the most iconic Jack Kirby created team and in reality they are not even really known to many comic readers as they failed to make a major impact on readers and comic history. But for me, a comic reader who grew up reading Topps Comics, they are a very cool and iconic part of my childhood that brought me some laughs as well as chills and even delivered some amazing cameos that pleased the Monster Kid that I was and am. I really like all the members of the team, and my favorite is Kuga The Lion-Killer as he is truly a brave warrior who has a soft spot for animals. But while Satan’s Six is over, do not worry as we will visit that world again when I do cover the Hellspawn mini series and this will also not be the last time that we take a look at the Kirbyverse here on Rotten Ink as at some point I will cover Captain Glory, Bombast and the others. But for now its time to leave the Kirbyverse as we will next be meeting up in the 1930’s and will be going on some heroic adventures with the one and only Doc Savage in the Marvel Universe! So until then, make sure to read a Topps Comics or three, watch a Horror Comedy film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you in a few weeks for a classic hero good time.

The Undead Files: Zombies From Hell

Posted on February 12, 2017 by bloodlinematt

On this Undead Files, we will be taking a look at the not so mainstream version of the living dead. You know, the stuff that people would say is scraping the bottom of the barrel, the black slime of the genre that most fans would like to throwaway and act as if it never was. After searching local comics stores, horror conventions and the web I have found a backyard zombie comic that fits the bill; all my friends who are fans of underground and independent comics have never heard of this one and neither had I until I found it listed on Ebay for $1.49 plus $1.99 shipping. This zombie comic is called “Zombies From Hell” and was made by Robert Bennett. So let’s travel the unsafe world of the living dead once more and take a trip with some zombies down a generic road that leads to the bargain basement of undead doom!

This is part is not so much about a low budget zombie story but one you all might find funny. In 2015 during the Christmas season, a couple in Cincinnati, Ohio decided to mix Halloween in with their Christmas decorations and made a zombie nativity scene complete with a zombie baby Jesus! In 2014, they had done the same thing as a publicity stunt for a haunted attraction that they ran and most the locals seemed to dig it, but the city didn’t and in 2015 they tried to charge the couple $500 a day for not getting a permit to build the horror themed nativity! Think about that, they were threatened with fines for being into horror and turning Halloween decorations into Christmas ones! This upset the wound-too-tight city officials who in turn got the law enforcement involved…what have we become!?! In 2016, neighbors of a Texas homeowner were upset over his zombie babies Halloween display, and sadly this crybaby (get the pun) behavior is spreading as many other people getting into decorating for Halloween and Christmas with a touch of horror are being targeted by sticks in the mud who want to take the fun out of everything and are way too judgmental on those who like dark entertainment. So if you are one of these people who have extreme Halloween decorations or mix zombies into your Christmas ones, I say keep being you and there is nothing wrong with being a monster kid and making the holiday more fun for those who enjoy the spirit.

Horror films were a staple for my brother and I growing up, and we would see many of them on the USA Network. That goes for the film I have chosen that should have been made into a comic book series, and that film is “Zombie Nightmare,” a classic undead flick that’s been shown many times on USA Saturday Nightmares and is also known being riffed by Mystery Science Theater 3000. This 1987 low budget horror film is about a young baseball player who’s dad was murdered saving the local voodoo woman from some punks when he was very young. Once he grows up, he’s killed in a hit and run and comes back to life thanks to the voodoo woman who makes him a zombie who has revenge on his mind. The film starred rockstar John Mikl Thor and Adam West and is a truly cheesy flick filled with lots of over the top acting and kills. If I could make the comic via Blood Scream Comics, the plot would be this: It’s modern days, and Tony Washington’s old neighborhood has gotten worse. Crime is out of hand, and gang violence is out of control. When his mother is murdered in a home invasion gone wrong, the voodoo of Molly Mokembe brings the long dead Tony back from the gave and with his trusty ball bat, he embarks on a one zombie war against the gang members responsible. Throw in the cops and you have a mix of action and horror. The artist I would love to see on this one would be Damien Brunk as his style would be perfect for it. I would also live to see Eibon Press do a comic book based on this film as an adaptation. While Zombie Nightmare might not be one of the 80’s most popular zombie films, it sure as hell has a place in my black heart and should have gotten a comic book back in the late 80’s and it’s a shame that it didn’t.

So before we get to the extremely zero budget comic, I think I should talk about a cheesy zombie video game that I played in my youth. My brother was the first to buy a PC in our household, and he was so hyped to get onto the internet that was new at the time. To be truthful, part of the reason we were hyped is because we could look up stuff about horror films, comic books, video games and pro wrestling, and we wanted to check out the TNT Monstervision website! But while the net was cool, we were also hyped that we could play video games not only on CD but also 3.5” diskettes, and this opened the door for us to play many games like Doom 2, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Free Ski, You Don’t Know Jack, Waxworks and a little cheesy first person gem called “Isle Of The Dead.” The plot of this game has you as a survivor of a plane crash on an island that is overrun by zombies and is ruled by a mad scientist who is the madman creating the flesh eaters. The game, besides being a first person shooter that had you use guns and a machete to hack the baddies, also had elements of a point and click adventure as you have to find items and weapons in order to survive. While I have lots of great memories about the game, it did have many flaws as it was prone to freezing during play, was repetitive and by all accounts just a really bad game, but something about it made me love it. I can remember spending hours playing it on my brother’s old computer and always wondering if they every made a sequel…they didn’t. The game was made by Rainmaker Software and published by Merit Software in 1993. It was poorly received and came and went with out making a splash in the world of Doom and Wolfenstein dominating the first person shooter PC Gaming world, but at the Brassfield house Isle of The Dead was a popular survival horror game that to this day is one of my favorite PC games and had one amazing music score that I still hum to this day. Do yourself a favor if you love cheesy first person zombie shooters and your PC/Mac can play old DOS games, get yourself a copy and have a great time trying to survive the isle of the dead!

Well we are at the Undead Graveyard and in this section the cardboard gravestones are starting to fall over. From here you can see just how far away Zombies From Hell is from The Dead and Resident Evil that came before it in “The Undead Files” updates. From here the zombies wandering around look like they are just wearing K-Mart brand Halloween grease paint and rubber masks but for me that kind of cheesy stuff is backyard effect gold. Now lets see if this no budget approach can also do well in the horror comic world. One of the zombie is mumbling from his rubber mask and the muffled words sound like he wants me to remind you that I grade these 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 let’s take a seat next to this bent tombstone under this rotting tree and see what horrors Zombies From Hell has in store for me.

Zombies From Hell # 1 **
Released in 2014 Cover Price $2.99 Middle Atlantic Comixs # 1 of 1

Sam has found a book that is the key to open the Gates of Hell. He calls his good friend Professor Griffin along with a busty blonde female, they follow the book to the location that is said to hold the opening to Hell. Sam speaks a chant, and a door appears on an old tree. When they pry open it, they find a hotel lobby that is the waiting area before Hell and meet Zeus, the son of Satan and the manager of the hotel that has not seen a mortal in over 500 years. They soon find they are trapped in the lobby until they die, but meanwhile in our world, a band of bank robbing females are on the run after killing a guard and find the door in the tree and also enter to find they are now trapped. The girls panic and use guns on Zeus to no effect and even open the door that frees zombies after they were warned not to! Zombies come out of the door looking for meat and attack not only the robbing women but also Sam and his friends. The cops have tracked down the robber’s car and open the door in the tree allowing the survivors to escape but make the mistake of opening the door again, allowing the zombies to escape and eat them all!

This is truly an underground comic as its clearly put together using a copy machine from a library or even maybe an Office Depot as well as a glue stick that is holding the first page to the cover! And while some of you readers might be discrediting this comic for its cheap production, others are now more intrigued. The story follows a man who has been looking for a book that has been missing for 500 years that holds the secrets of Hell. He cons his friends into going on the quest with him and soon finds that his book only leads him to a boring lobby of a hotel. Throw in some female bank robbers, a creepy hotel manager and a horde of meat eating zombies, and you have the plot of this fun silly independent horror comic. Sam is the comic’s lead, and we are never filled into why he wants to find the opening to Hell. It’s clear that he is a jerk as he forces his friends by gunpoint to enter the door he thinks will lead them all to Hell! Griffin and his blonde female friend are just used as background characters who are trapped in the classic “Wrong Place Wrong Time” scenario. The three female robbers are bad news and are killers who don’t listen and the ones who cause the zombie outbreak, but they meet a fitting gut munching demise. Zeus is weirdly enough the voice of reason and also kind of crazy in delivering his warnings, I mean he is the son of Satan! The comic has some blood and gore but it’s nothing too gruesome, and has tiny bits of nudity as you can see slight female nipples during the zombie attack. Speaking of zombies, they are pretty cool looking and are your classic skull face looking ones. The cover is ok but does not truly capture the nature of the comic. I do, however, love the fact the color is done with colored pencils. The black and white art inside is done by Robert Bennett who also wrote the story, and while both are sloppy, they have a charm for this style of underground comic book making. This is clearly not for everyone, but I for one sure did enjoy every cheesy moment of reading it!

So as you can see, just because this comic was put together using a glue stick and some copy paper didn’t mean it was at least not entertaining, proving that comic books much like films don’t have to have huge budgets to bring on the enjoyment. But guess what readers, we are not done with zombies just yet as our next update will be a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update and will showcase the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake and the promo comic that was released along with it. So until next time, make sure to have a plan set in case of a zombie apocalypse, read a comic or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update readers and friends.

The Axeman: The Killer Of New Orleans

Posted on September 22, 2015 by bloodlinematt

A chill is in the air, and we are getting so close to October and Halloween time so I figured we would take a look at a graphic novel based on an unknown killer from the early 1900’s. This killer claimed he was not human and loved the sound of jazz music and would stalk his victims at night, but as quickly as the murders started, they also stopped. I am a true crime buff and always enjoy reading a good novel about an unknown killer, and next to Zodiac Killer and Phantom Killer of Texarkana, The Axeman of New Orleans – this strange case of an unidentified killer – has always peeked my interest. I was curious about who he was and why he did what he did. So for this update we will be taking a look at the information Rick Geary collected to try and bring to life in his graphic novel based on this sadistic brutal killer. So lock your doors and shut your windows as Rotten Ink takes a look at The Axeman who tormented New Orleans.

On May 22, 1918 in New Orleans, Italian grocer Joseph Maggio and his wife Catherine were asleep in their bed when The Axeman entered the home, slit their throats with a straight razor and then bashed them in the head with an axe. Catherine’s wound to her neck was so bad that her head was almost severed from her body, while Joseph lived for a short time after his brother found the victims and was able to get him help. On June 27^th 1918, the killer struck again when he attacked and nearly killed Louis Besumer and his mistress Harriet Lowe. Both were hit with a hatchet but were found in time by a delivery driver named John Zanca. Sadly, Lowe would later die from surgery linked to her attack, and Besumer would go on to be a suspect in his own attack as well as a German spy and was arrested and died in jail. On August 5^th 1918, the killer struck again. This time his victim was a 28 year old pregnant woman who he bashed in the face repeatedly cutting her scalp wide open, and if she hadn’t been found by her husband, she could have bled to death. Five days later, the Axeman attacked and murdered Joseph Romano in his home with two ax blows to the head. Romano was found by his two nieces, who were able to get him help, but sadly he died two days later from trauma. Charles Cortimiglia and his wife Rosie and baby daughter Mary were attacked on March 10^th 1919. All were hit with an ax, and Mary passed away while Charles and Rosie were treated and released. On March 13^th 1919, a letter was sent by the Axe-Man claiming he would not kill anyone who played jazz all night and that he was in fact not human but a demon among many other claims. On August 10th, 1919, Steve Boca was attacked in his home with an ax and was lucky enough to survive. 19 year old Sarah Laumann was found in her home with ax wounds to her head and several of her teeth knocked out; she would survive the attack. The Axe-Man’s final target was Mike Pepitone, who was killed with ax blows to his head. Over the years of his attacks many people were suspects and some were even arrested but none were ever proven to be the real killer. A letter was written by the killer claiming unworldly things, and he was even compared to fictional character Mr. Hyde. One thing is for sure, he was never caught and if he truly was a demon or a monster, he still might be out their waiting to strike again.

So there is a quick run down of all the mayhem this killer caused in New Orleans, but his crimes and infamous style of murder also went on to be in many media projects besides this graphic novel. In 1919, a song called The Mysterious Axman’s Jazz (Don’t Scare Me Papa) was written by Joseph John Davilla. Gumbo Ya-Ya: A Collection Of Louisiana Folk Tales, a book with a chapter about the Axe-Man, was released in 1945. In 1984, The Beasts of Bourdon released their first album called The Axeman’s Jazz after the killer. 1991 saw a fiction novel based on the murders called The Axeman’s Jazz written by Julie Smith. In issue # 94 of Swamp Thing, DC Comics also did a take on the Axeman. 1992 saw the release of True Crime trading cards, and in the second series, The Axeman was a featured card. English band Fila Brazillia used parts of the Axeman’s letter as lyrics in their 1998 song Tunstall And Californian Haddock. In 2004, I wrote a movie script for Independent B Movie called The Return Of The Axeman that was to take place in modern times and have the killer back, killing college age people on a trip to a rural farmhouse. Sadly, the script was not picked by the group to turn into a movie. Red, White And Blood is a 2012 novel by Christopher Farnsworth that has an evil spirit called the Boogeyman who body jumps into people throughout history and was written to be inside the Axeman during his murders. A year later in 2013, The Axeman, played by Danny Huston, was a character in the TV series American Horror Story: Coven. Ray Celestin wrote a fiction detective novel called The Axeman’s Jazz in 2014. And this is just a drop in the hat of the stuff this case has influenced. It’s a shame that the real case never had an ending like all these media projects did as it would have been nice for the killer to have been brought to justice and his victims to have seen their tormentor captured.

So as you can see, The Axeman has chopped his way into history as well as in to the comic world as he not only has this graphic novel based on his crimes but also inspired an issue of Swamp Thing! I think it’s time for the main event, and I need to remind you all that I grade these issues 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’re ready, let’s try to solve this case and see what Rick Geary has in store for us this Halloween update season!

The Terrible Axe-Man Of New Orleans ***1/2
Released in 2010 Cover Price $15.99 NBM Publishing #1 of 1

The story begins with a history of Louisiana, how it became a state, how New Orleans came about and who it was named after as well as some of the ups and downs throughout the city’s history. It covers the culture that grew in the city from music like blues and jazz to Mardi Gras all the way to the Union holding it during the Civil War and terrors that stalked the nights like Needleman, a chap who injected poison into his victims and even Jack The Clipper, a freak who liked to cut schoolgirls hair in theaters and buses. But our main story starts in 1918 when Andrew awakens to hear thuds and strange noises coming from his brother’s room. Upon checking on him, Andrew finds that his brother is dead as is his wife in what is described at the bloodiest crime scene in the city’s history! A razor was used and found on the bed as was an ax that was left in the bathtub. Nothing was stolen from the house, and the killer got in by using a chisel on the back door’s lower panel and crawling in, and even more oddly, a strange message is left on the sidewalk in chalk that is linked to the crime. Andrew and his other brother Jake are arrested for the murders but are both later cleared of the charges. As one old time police officer remembers, some cases from 1911 that had Italian grocers being killed in this fashion, and the Mafia and a group called The Black Hand became the suspects. More murders and attacks accrue, many with the killer using the victims’ own axes or hatchets to attack them with as well as entering via door panels or open back windows. Many people are accused of the crimes and all are proven not guilty, and the lucky ones who live through the attacks are unable to describe the killer. One case with survivors has the wife accusing another family who runs a store that competes with their own, and it seems as if anyone can be a suspect! Over time people start buying guns, and The Axeman fails at many attempts at breaking into houses. Things seem to go back to normal until he attacks a family and murders an infant child! He then sends a letter to the Times-Picayune on March 14^th 1919 stating he is a demon who chooses to kill whenever he wants and that he will strike on the following Tuesday and will murder anyone who is not playing jazz as he is very fond of that style of music. All over town that night jazz music echoes, and the killer does not strike. The Axeman strikes once again in 1919 but also during this year he is run off by aware townspeople who react and scare away the killer before he can claim a life. And after killing a total of six people and wounding six others, the killings just stop, and The Axeman fades away into the shadows and memories of New Orleans. On December 2nd 1920, a man named Joseph Mumphre was shot and killed on a sidewalk in Los Angeles by Rose Pepitone, who was the wife of the Axeman’s final victim. She claims that Joseph was the Axeman and that she wanted nothing but revenge on him for killing her husband; others don’t think this was the case at all. So ends the story of The Axeman who could have died a man or lives on as a demon roaming the world looking for his next time to strike terror.

This graphic novel is a well-done true crime spectacular that will wrap you up into trying to figure out who was the Axe-Man of New Orleans and also lets you look at the horrific crimes he committed in glorious black and white art. The comic covers a very brief history of Louisiana and New Orleans and then goes into the horrific acts committed by the Axeman and gives you dates and facts about each crime and even a little history about the poor victims. While it’s about a brutal killer, this graphic novel does not go overboard on the blood and gore, but that’s not to say that the red stuff don’t flow from wounds nor splatter walls cause it does, just very tastefully. The interesting part about this is that in 1911, years before the official Axeman attacks, horrific murders with the same M.O. were committed showing that this killer could have had even more victims than reported, and it also brings light to the fact someone in New Orleans really disliked Italian grocers. But the million dollar question that this graphic novel really gets you thinking about is who was The Axeman as the suspects are plenty and almost all of them at some time were ruled out even if they had motive to commit the murders. Plus the thought of several murderers all doing the crimes to look like one also comes to my mind when reading it. But I really do think the main suspect, and probably the man who was the Axeman of New Orleans, was Joseph Mumphre. When he was in jail, the killings stopped for a brief time, and then once he moved away to L.A. the killing were done. This is clearly the main suspect and the right one for the police to have kept an eye on even though they didn’t, and it took the widow of one of the victims to give him justice at the end of a bullet. Rick Geary’s artwork is fantastic and captures the mood and feel of this grim subject and brings a touch of class to such a horrible crime in American history. If you’re a comic book fan and love true crime, this is a great read on a late fall night, really worth checking out. After reading this one, I ordered more of his work, and I am sure you will see them pop up here on Rotten Ink as future updates. Below is some art from this graphic novel of the Axeman, so sit back and give it a look, and you also might want to look over your shoulder because who knows, he might still be out there!

We finished this a little early, and I know you want to be scared a little more from this Pre-Halloween update so we will take a look at Swamp Thing # 94! I have been a fan of Swamp Thing for many years, and when I was a kid I had The Saga Of Swamp Thing # 1 comic and thought I had a true collectors item…now being 36 and a comic store connoisseur, I see that that issue is not worth the thousands of dollars I thought it would be when I was that comic collecting youth. Also, thanks Lone Star Comics for having this in stock so that I could cover this issue for this update!

Swamp Thing # 94 **
Released in 1990 Cover Price $1.50 DC Comics # 94 of 171

The Axeman is back and has killed in the small town of Houma during Mardi Gras leaving the bodies in the swamp where they are found by Swamp Thing. In town is a jazz band named Cocodrie whose lead singer has gotten an ax from a fan that holds magical powers of music for every blood drop on it. This ax really came from a descendent of the original Axeman of New Orleans who wants the legacy of the killings and the spreading of jazz music to continue. Abby Holland, the wife of Swamp Thing, wants him to come to the big concert tonight as she thinks no one will notice him as everyone will be in costume and too drunk to care. All the while murders are happing, and the new Axeman is collecting blood and setting jazz music free from the hearts of his victims. You see, while the singer plays the jazz, the killer does his thing and murders poor people in their homes. The killer is being pushed by a giant purple demon who is getting joy of the madness and terror these killings are causing. While at the concert Abby has to leave as her baby daughter starts to cry because the infant can see the demon. This makes them the target of the Axeman, and just as he is about to chop them up, Swamp Thing appears and beats not only the killer but also the demon. This marks the end of the terror of the Axeman as even the band’s singer is effected by the defeat.

This issue while good is a disappointment and clearly a filler issue in this series as both Swamp Thing and The Axeman of New Orleans are after thoughts to the demon who is the cause of the murders as well as the lead singer of Cocodrie and his love for his musical ax and wanting to be the top jazz musician in the world. The plot is this a demon who us the man behind making a man become an ax murder is back and is using a new batch of goons to commit the crimes is stopped once Swamp Thing gets wind of what’s going down and saves his wife who was the next target to be chopped up. Swamp Thing in this issue is disgusted by the murders and wants to seek answers to what kind of demon could be pushing a person to do these acts, he also takes no mercy on how quick he takes down The Axeman! Abby Holland is a free spirited woman who loves her family and also loves running around the swamp naked and trying to get Swamp Thing to do normal activities. The Axeman has two different types of axes one for killing and one for making music and when he kills he wants to be a brutal as possible and targets many woman this time around, really like how the killer is related to the original axeman and that a demon is really calling the shots just as the letter stated back in 1919. The Cocodrie are used a filler to help spread Jazz music and the lead singer is the pawn in a sick game of promised fame and fortune, I mean who ever has heard of a magical musical wood chopping ax? The issue has some horror elements as people are chopped up and a Demon jumps for joy when people are killed, the downside is the story is weak and has a lame pay off with Swamp Thing stopping the Axeman with ease and at no point is he or Abby really in any danger! The major plus side to the issue is that they use the song The Mysterious Axman’s Jazz (Don’t Scare Me Papa) as the motivation of the killer and his musical butthead lacky. The artwork is done by Kelley Jones and the story is done by Doug Wheeler and while a little lacking they both are fitting for this Swamp Thing filler issue. Over all I am a Swamp Thing fan I just was let down by this issue and I think it might have been my own fault as I might have over hyped it in my head.

So this Halloween season while zombies, vampires and werewolves might scare you late nights in movies, comics, video games and novels know that the real horrors of the world are people like The Axeman of New Orleans who stalk the innocent to satisfy their sick bloodlust! Our next update I am very happy to say that the first update for October is going to be Panic Beats another very cool comic based on a Paul Naschy film! So until then watch a horror film or two, read a horror comic or three and support your local Horror Host as this time of the year is made for having a good scare or two.