From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Posted on September 13, 2026 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to yet another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update as we are getting even closer to Halloween 2026. With this update thou we will be celebrating a different holiday and that’s Valentines Day as the film and comic we will be talking about is the 1980 slasher classic My Bloody Valentine! This is one of those films that I have been a fan of since the first time I watched it, and to this day I think that it is one of the best slasher films of the 80’s. Plus it was crazy that finally in 2024 the film would get the comic book treatment as so many other slasher films over the years have from Psycho to Terrifier. With all that said, fill out your Valentine’s day cards and let’s head to Valentines Bluff to celebrate the holiday of love closer to the holiday of frights.

Lets start off by taking a look at The Miner, a masked killer who haunts and torments the people of Valentine Bluffs around Valentines Daym and while he was Harry Warden in one generation, he also is Axel Palmer in another who took over the role of killing those who dare to celebrate the holiday. Axel Palmer as a child watched as Harry Warden dressed as a miner brutally killed his father who was one of the supervisors that left his post to attend a Valentine Dace that caused Harry to be the sole survivor of an accident in the mine and who wanted revenge on them all. Axel as he grew up started working in that same mine and has been very mentally unstable since his father’s death and is triggered by the towns celebration of Valentines Day as well as the return of a rival who is the ex of his lady Sarah Mercer and the sparks between the two start again. Axel can pull off acting normal around friends and coworkers, but he does have a short fuse and can fly off the handle very easy. Axel as The Miner wears a full jumpsuit, has a gas mask and a helmet with a light attached and when roaming around town the sight of him can scare a person to death, as does the legend of The Miner’s story started by Harry Warden the original killer. The Miner uses fear to try and control the people of town and by leaving twisted valentines that include human hearts in candy boxes with warnings are all apart of his mental games. His main tool of dealing death is his trusty pickaxe that he will use to impale his victims and cause very painful deaths. He is also very cruel and when he kills someone its very painful and he will also use items and the environment around him to end a life. While The Miner (Axel Palmer) is a very dangerous man, he still is just a leaving person and this means he can be killed like any one else so that means that being crushed, shot, stabbed among all other ways a person can die will end his reign of terror. He is also very mentally unstable and this causes him to lash out in crazy ways and can lead to him making mistakes as well be stopped. Also after his rampage he loses an arm in a cave-in making him loose lots of blood as well as makes his killing ways a little harder in the future. While Axel Palmer The Miner is mortal, his building on the legend of Harry Warden will forever make him immortal in the history of masked serial killers and will haunt the town of Valentine Bluffs until the end of time.

So now that we have taken a look at Harry Warden aka The Miner (Axel) and his ways of dealing death to those foolish enough to celebrate Valentines Day or get in his way, we should take a look at the 1981 film he is from called My Bloody Valentine. This is such an iconic film for me and is one that I have been a big fan of since I first saw it. I would like to remind you that I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB, and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s head to the mines of Valentine Bluffs and see what terrors await us.

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

“A decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine’s Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer’s order and people start turning up dead.”

Director George Mihalka was approached by producers John Dunning, Stephen Miller and Andre Link to direct a horror movie as part of a two picture deal as they wanted to cash in on the success on themed horror films like Black Christmas, Halloween and Friday The 13^th and with this idea in mind they brought on John Beaird to write the screenplay that was originally going to be called “The Secret” before getting the title change to My Bloody Valentine. The film was given a budget of around $2.3 million and Paramount Pictures stepped up to distribute the film as they as well were riding high on releasing horror films at the time into theaters. When casting the film such actors as Paul Kelman, Lori Mercer, Neil Affleck, Peter Cowper, Don Francks, Cynthia Dale and Keith Knight were brought in to make up most of the main cast. The film was shot in Canada at an abandoned mine in Nova Scotia and this caused the film to be a very difficult shoot as the mine was not a pleasant place to film as it had many limitations and could be very dangerous at times to cast and crew not to mention it was cleaned up by the owners making it to nice looking coasting the production even more money to try and make it more dark and moody. The film would take a few months to shoot and once done and edited Paul Zaza was brought in to score it and singer John McDermott would create a song called “The Ballad Of Harry Warden” to end the film. The film would hit theaters on February 11, 1981 and would end up making around $5,672,031.00 at the domestic box office and was meet with mixed reviews as critics were harsh on it for its use of violence and blood while viewers seemed to truly enjoy it, but Paramount considered the film a box office disappointment as the compared it to the box office of their film Friday The 13^th that made way higher of a profit. The film was also attacked by the MPAA who ended up forcing many cuts to the film as they found it to be too violent. The film would end up getting a big cult following once released on home media and started airing on cable as this allowed more viewers to discover it. The film was slated to get a sequel over the years that never got developed, but it did get a remake in 2009 as well as many different fan made films. The film having a cult following over the years also allowed it to have some very cool merchandise like toys, shirts, trading cards, comics, posters and more. The film in 1981 was released alongside such other Horror Films as Halloween II, The Howling, Happy Birthday To Me, The Funhouse, An American Werewolf In London, Evil Dead, The Burning, Burial Ground, Hell Night, Friday The 13^th Part 2, The Beyond, Madman, Blood Beach, Piranha II, Student Bodies, Cannibal Ferox, Scanners and Dark Night Of The Scarecrow to name a few.

One of my favorite slashers of the early 80’s is My Bloody Valentine as I found it to be a great creepy film that is set in a small town and the films climax takes place in a dirty and dingy mine as this just adds to the mood of this early slasher film. The killer “Harry Warden” is a very cool underrated icon of horror as he wears a minors outfit complete with a gas mask and armed with a pickaxe and causes a fear with just the mention of his name much like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Being a toddler when this film was released, I of course did not see it on the big screen and would view it for the first time on Commander USA’s Groovie Movies on the USA Network and I was drawn into it as I liked the is it the real Harry doing the crimes or a copycat killer. I would see the film for the first time not edited for TV when my friend Jason Gilmore would buy in on VHS and the gore made it even more awesome as some of the more bloody moments add to the true horror of the film. And he would end up giving me the VHS as while he was a fan, but he wanted to make sure that a copy was in my massive horror movie collection at that time. As for those wondering, I used to own hundreds of horror movies on VHS including many rare ones, but like a fool when DVD was introduced, I sold off all my tapes at rock bottom prices…a fool I was. One other thing when talking about this film you have to mention is the film’s closing song called “The Ballad Of Harry Warden” that was sung by folk singer Paul Zaza as its super catchy and these types of songs that are about the film you just watched is a dying breed in horror cinema and that is a shame as many awesome films over the past few years could have benefited from a song like this, like Terrifier and Gingerdead Man to name just a few. It has also always puzzled me why the film never got a sequel when the creators behind it always wanted to make one and for years tried to get it made but studios rejected it, but of course in 2009 when the remake boom was going strong it would get one of those in 3-D even…and while I would have much rather gotten the sequel the remake was a fun blood splattered watch. One more thing I would like to point out is that I do own a original one-sheet poster for the film that I have hanging up at my place of work. If you have not seen the original My Bloody Valentine and like slasher films that are set around holidays make sure to give this one a watch as it’s a great film and an amazing early 80’s fright flick.

Really if you have not seen the 1981 version of My Bloody Valentine, make sure to do so as it really is a great slasher flick, but now its time for the review part of this update as who would have ever thought that in 2024 this film would have gotten a comic mini series thanks to the fine folks at American Mythology Comics who have been really killing it when it comes to making horror comics based on horror movies over the past few years. I would like to thank Game Swap for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head into the mines and see if we can join the Valentines party as I hear they are making boiled hot dogs and given out tours of the mine…downside is I hear Harry Warden might show up and that guys truly a fun time killer.

My Bloody Valentine # 1 **1/2
Released in 2024 Cover Price $4.99 American Mythology # 1 of 4

In the mines of Valentine Bluffs, a horror movie is being filmed about the legend of Harry Warden and his bloody rampage, and one of the films extras Rhonda is bored and not a fan of the small town and is annoyed that she was cut from the film’s teaser trailer so sets off into the night to find something to eat. As Rhonda walks through the town she finds people giving her weird stares and as she walks down an ally to vape she runs into Eugene the towns homeless guy who offers he a drink of his liquor for a hit off her vape, she refuses and finds one of the only things opened this late in town is the Laundromat ran by Gladys who is the niece of Mabel Osborne who use to own it and was killed their back in the 80’s by The Miner and she fills Rhonda on what has happened in that town with all the killings and even the mayor T.J. Hanniger stops in to tell the ladies to be safe as he has a bad feeling about the film being shot in the town. While Rhonda and Gladys are still chatting a free pizza is delivered just as the two are about to leave as Gladys informs her that her bosses on the film has bought the Laundromat to turn it into some sort of weird horror shrine and as they leave Gladys gets in her car and is heading to Las Vegas as Rhonda heads back to her motel room with her free pizza, but unknown to them both The Miner has returned and killed Eugene and is hiding in Gladys car and kills her just before she leaves the town…both kills are done with his trusty pickaxe of course. And Rhonda finds that the free pizza is really a bloody heart with a warning about February 14^th! In the end Sarah Mercer has shown up at her daughter’s home and warns her and her granddaughter that they all need to leave town now!

First things first, I hate that they had to change the name of this comic to “Valentine Bluffs Massacre” as it should be called “My Bloody Valentine” as I have known many horror comic readers who did not think that this was based on the 1981 film and thought it was a knock off story! I would guess that there had to be some weird rights issue with the film’s title being used from the likes of Paramount, Lions Gate or even that rock band of the same name might be blocking them from using it. This first issue is interesting as it is setting up the story that is about a film being shot in town that is based on the murders and while the crew is bringing money to the small town they are also bring back lots of bad memories as well as a feeling of dread. Rhonda seems to be our main character, a background actress who has an attitude, as she seems to be very annoyed about having to stay in Valentines Bluff but also seem to be enjoying hearing the town’s story from one of the local business owners but still comes off rude to many of the people she meets. Gladys is a woman who runs the business now that her aunt was murdered in, but has sold it off for a great price with the goal of leaving town for good but instead of finding hope she finds a pickaxe to the neck and gets a one-way ticket to the grave! We also learn that T.J. Hanniger is now the town’s mayor and that Sarah Mercer is still also living in the town and is trying to get her family to leave…nice to see these two characters back as they were the main stars from the film. The Miner is just as bloodthirsty as ever and armed with his pickaxe he takes two peoples lives in this issue and once more warns the people of Valentines Bluff not to celebrate that holiday and do not hold the town dance…and he even sends a severed heart in a pizza box as a warning. And that is the thing, right now the only leads that we have is that The Miner might be the ghost of Harry Warden or that Axel Palmer has returned from the mine…but it also could be the Pizza Delivery guy as he is the one that delivered the heart and warning. The horror in this issue comes from The Miner killing people as well as just the spooky story of the towns history, and the issue does have blood being spilled as two townies lose their lives and we even get some flashback kills from the film shown here. This far I am enjoying the story as I do want to find out who this Miner is and how our legacy characters (Sarah & T.J.) will fit into the over all arc. The cover for this issue is really cool and as The Miner with his pickaxe and a heart in a candy box inside of a candy box himself and the interior art is done by artist Andrea Arcari, and while at first I was not a fan of it, the more I looked at it the more I enjoyed it as Andrea draws a cool Miner. Over all a good start and this first issue that a read on a very snowy night in 2024 a couple of days after Valentines really made me look forward to the next issue.

My Bloody Valentine # 2 **
Released in 2024 Cover Price $4.99 American Mythology # 2 of 4

Mr. Leggit has the people of Valentine Bluff gathered as he is the maker of the film “My Bloodiest Valentine” that is about the massacre The Miner has committed in their town and after giving them a scare to film their reactions for his promotion on the film he also tells them he has an idea to make the town an attraction for fans of horror that would have tours around the town like the murder sites, Harry Warden’s grave, the mine and a museum that will even feature the severed arm of Axel Palmer that was found by his old wheelchair bound friend Mr. Roberts who is also putting up the money for this idea. The townspeople along with Mayor T.J. Hanniger and Sarah Mercer want nothing to do with this idea. Sometime later the film continues to be shot in the town and on the set The Miner shows up and kills a crew member with a nail gun, he also sends a message to Rhonda that claims they had been warned. While in the woods on the outside of town Wendy is a young girl who claims she is apart of The Black Heart Society that praises the work of Harry Warden and scares a few of her friends with this gag, but a man appears who she knows and tells her to tell them of this prank as they don’t want people around the woods snooping around. Meanwhile T.J and Sarah end up talking, as it has been over 20 years that they have seen each other and talk about Axel and how they cannot let anymore bloodshed in their town. Back at the trailer of Mr. Leggit he and Mr. Roberts are arguing over money as the film is over budget and Roberts wants it to wrap, and Leggit agrees and wants to throw a massive wrap party in the town and as he deletes a message from his phone The Miner is watching him.

This second issue is kind of a slow read, and while I get that they are trying to set up the story as well as introduce characters and reintroduce the legacy characters, it just moves very slowly and most of what is going on is just not that interesting. The plot in this issue mostly focuses on Mr. Leggit and his movie that is based on the massacre in the town and all the fear and drama it is causing the townspeople. T.J Hanniger who is the town’s mayor and the hero of the last massacre is trying to do what he can to stop all this movie making and murder profiteering, but sadly the ball was already in motion before he could stop it from taking place…it’s also clear that he is still in love with Sarah who is just pissed off that these outsiders are trying to dig up the past and by doing so could bring on more killings…as she is not so sure that Axel Palmer is dead and might comeback for revenge. Mr. Leggit is sleazy and is all about the money as he thinks his film as well as his grim tours will be bank for him, he has no respect for the town nor its people and truly just wants to make money off the crimes. Mr. Roberts is a strange one as he seems older and has to use a wheelchair to get around and has a very low voice…he also seems to not have feeling in one of his arms and is the money man behind all this as well as is the one who has Axel Palmer’s arm…could Roberts be Axel we will have to wait and see. I have no idea how Wendy, her old friend in the woods, Rhonda the film extra and many others will play into this story as besides Rhonda none of them have really made an impact on me as a reader just yet, but I do have to give some respect for the whole Society Of Black Hearts thing as that is a pretty fun idea of having goth kids follow the teaching and word of Harry Warden…even if it was just a prank. The Miner is around but mostly just lurking in the shadows and sending messages via phone, he does have one kill in the issue as a movie crew member is killed with a nail gun in the issues only one real death. Those readers who like blood being splattered will be happy to know that there is some of the red stuff around. The cover for this issue is the best thing about it as its awesome cause it shows a heart shaped candy box filled with skulls and The Miner in front of it holding a bloody heart, very eye catching if you’re a fan of the film. Andrea Arcari is once more doing the interior art and it is much like the last issue, kind of hit or miss for me, but as I kept reading it grew on me. Over all a disappointing issue and I really hope that issue three is better, and with that said let’s get to it.

My Bloody Valentine # 3 **1/2
Released in 2024 Cover Price $4.99 American Mythology # 3 of 4

The production crew is in the mines wrapping up filming and the area keeps getting shaken by tremors, Mr. Leggit and Mr. Roberts after the day of filming is done talk about the next days shoot as well as the profit they think will be made off the film…and with another shake Mr. Roberts almost seems like he would be happy if the mine collapsed or maybe even like he has something planned that will cause this to happen. Meanwhile T.J. Hanniger and Sarah arrive to Gladys and as the Sheriff is looking into why it has not opened and why she is missing, and while they get a feeling of dread, they also think that she might have just left on a mini vacation. While at school Wendy is talking about the prank she did for The Black Heart Society meeting and how they scared the hell out of Casey and she is sharing a picture of him scared on social media that causes her to get into a fight in the lunch room with a friend who thinks she took it too far…and after being yelled at she has big plans in motion for the school dance. While on the set Casey dresses like The Miner and kills one of the actors who is playing The Miner in the film in order to impress Wendy and become a member of The Black Heart Society, as he thinks them worshiping Harry Warden is true. Later T.J. and Sarah while chatting get a call that the car and body of Gladys has been found as well as the body of the towns homeless man and they then know that a new killer is on the loose, they also call Mr. Leggit to push back the films party and this causes Mr. Roberts to pull out a gun and it goes off! Meanwhile Casey is all ready to show that he is a killer when The Miner appears and kills the young man with a pickaxe.

In this third issue the plot is starting to play out as the town is now made aware that a new killer is on the loose and has taken the lives of some of their own making them once more all live in fear of Valentines Day, and we also learn that Wendy is a psycho who enjoys messing with the lives and minds of her fellow classmates and that Mr. Roberts is a real nut job who tries to kill the film director when things do not go his way…and all the while The Miner is just wondering around taking lives and leaving warnings. Poor T.J. Hanniger is doing his best as the town’s mayor and is also worried as he lived through the last killing spree of The Miner and wants to keep the town safe as he has a love and hate relationship with it as it has ruined his families lives and reputation over the decades. Sarah Mercer also a survivor of the last killing spree has moved out of the town as it has mentally scared her and she lives in a sort of state of fear and paranoia that its not over, and once back in town the memories of the past come flooding back in from the killings to her love for T.J. the one love she truly had in that town. Wendy just shows once more that she is a brat who really is just mean spirited as she gets off on tormenting her peers and being edgy in her pranks and taunts. Mr. Roberts is clearly up to something as he really is into making sure that this movie is made and that the wrap dance party happens, and again makes you wonder could he really be Axel Palmer? The rest of the film’s cast and crew and students are around but do not do much besides young Casey who kills a man to impress a lady only to find himself the victim of the main killer. The Miner in this issue pretty much only kills Casey and does so in a bloody manner and this far sadly I do kind of feel that in this series The Minor is not showcased well and only appears very briefly in every issue…like he really is the star. The issue does have lots of blood being spilt and the killings as well as The Minor and his legend is where the horror comes from. The cover I have is really cool and shows The Minor with his pickaxe that has an eyeball hanging from it. The interior art is once more done by artist Andrea Arcari and in this issue I feel it seemed a little rushed, a little too cartoonish in spots and really is hit or miss from panel to panel. Over all another just ok issue in this series and with that lets see what the fourth and final issue has in store for us. Oh but before we move on lets take a quick look at the suspect list of who could be The Miner as there are lots of red herrings, as Mr. Roberts could be the killer as he seems crazed and has a fake arm, Wendy the teenage girl who leads The Black Heart Society who is kind of mean spirited and is always talking about Harry Warden, Sarah Mercer’s missing husband could he be sick of this town’s legend that has tormented his wife and want to get revenge on it, The schools principal who seems to have some sort of secret, could Axel Palmer could this killer have gotten free from the mines and running around taking hearts again, it could also be T.J. Hanniger or Sarah Mercer maybe the past massacre has driven one or both to start one of their own and for me these are the main suspects…but let’s head to the fourth and final issue and find out who The Miner is this go around.

My Bloody Valentine # 4 **1/2
Released in 2024 Cover Price $4.99 American Mythology # 4 of 4

T.J. and Sarah are at the old mine chaining and locking up the entrance as they do not want anyone entering it, they also end up signing for a package that is not theirs as it was meant for Mr. Leggit and inside is a heart and a threatening message and now T.J. and Sarah know that their town is once again in danger and rush away from the mine. Meanwhile in town a package is left at the local diner and once open it explodes killing the people inside as panic is starting to ring out. While at the town hall the movie crew is setting up a big dance scene that will have The Miner appear and scare everyone to death and they have rigged cameras all around to capture the reactions. Wendy meanwhile is home and ready to sneak out to the dance when she is surprised and locked inside her closet by her School Teacher Charles Fuller who claims he is doing it for her own safety. All the police in town head to the diner to try and help and find survivors as T.J. and Sarah learn that someone has broken into the mine and when they arrive there they find the officer on guard has been killed and then they realize that something has to be going on at the crews town dance so they speed to get there. At the dance the guests find that they have been locked in and discover the dead body of Mr. Leggit and as they panic Mr. Roberts stands up out of his wheel chair removes one of his arms and reveals that he is Axel Palmer and that The Miner is the son of Harry Warden and they are there to kill everyone, and The Miner goes on the attack slaughtering people that he can get near. T.J. and Sarah arrive and are able to save peoples lives as well as Sarah shoots Axel who is trying to kill T.J. but before they can get The Miner he takes Wendy who has arrived as a hostage and rushes to the old mine. T.J. and Sarah pull themselves together and go after The Miner to save Wendy but once in the mine they find that The Miner is Charles Fuller as he is the son of Harry Warden and that Wendy is Charles’ daughter and they pair attack our heroes, in the end the mine caves in and Sarah and T.J. are able to escape as the body of Charles is found in the rubble with a note next to him that is just a heart drawn in blood and they know that its not over as Wendy is alive and the terror could start again.

Axel Palmer Lives! And he was out for revenge against all the people of Valentines Bluff as he blames them for the way his life has turned out. The plot of this final issue has T.J. and Sarah having to save their town from the sinister plan set by Axel Palmer and The Miner who is the son of Harry Warden as they really want to stop the towns dance as well as truly make those people in town pay for what they have done to them and their families. T.J Hanniger who is now the towns mayor and is also the survivor of the second massacre in Valentines Bluff is not having any nonsense in his town and is going to meet all the horror and drama head on as he clashes with the film crew and goes up against The Miner as well as his old foe Axel in order to save lives, and he once more comes out the winner…he gets injured but is alive. Sarah Mercer much like T.J. was a survivor of the second massacre and has lived her life in fear, she even moved out of town to get away from it all…but when she comes back into town she dives into trying to stop this next massacre from happing and is ready to kill the killers if need be as she has a gun and is not afraid to use it. She also saves lives of townies as well as T.J.’s several times when he is doing battle with The Miners. Axel Palmer was playing the part of Mr. Roberts one of the money men backing the film production, and his only reason of doing this is to get revenge on everyone and to kill as many people as he can…well that his masked partner can. But Axel does get one kill as he slaughters Mr. Leggit, and I have to say I do hate how easily Axel is shot and killed and becomes a none factor in the climax of the story. The Miner is Charles Fuller who is a schoolteacher and the son of Harry Warden who is working with Axel Palmer to make the people of Valentine Bluffs pay for not listening and holding a dance even when they have been warned not to, he is crazy just like his father and his own daughter Wendy is also unstable and seems to worship her grandfather Harry. While the father and daughter work together to try and kill T.J. and Wendy they fail and are trapped in the mine when is collapses and this leaves Charles dead and Wendy missing meaning that she will return in the future as The Miner. And I am not sure how I feel about that ending as for those of use who grew up watching My Bloody Valentine Axel Palmer was The Miner who was acting as Harry Warden…in the comic they introduce Harry’s son and that is a cool concept that sort of makes sense but also having his teenage granddaughter who is not on track to be The Miner is sort of lame as not every character needs to be turned into a female as it seems to be a bad trend in comic books. The issue has some blood and death with the best kill being the exploding valentine box, as it feels straight out of Terrifier 3 or a Die Hard film. The cover I have as a woman on a mine cart in the mine as The Miner is ready to kill her with his pickaxe and is pretty cool and eye catching. The interior artwork as done by artist Emanuele Tommarell who does a pretty great job as I like the way he draw The Miner as well as characters in general, but I will say he could work on his more bloody panels. Over all this mini series is a ok read and did its job of entertaining me, but I will also say that I was a little disappointed in it over all as while the location and some of the characters had the My Bloody Valentine presence the over all feel of the story just was lacking what made the film such a Cult Classic and I feel that the ending was a little rushed and lackluster…but again I didn’t hate it and do say its worth a read for those who like Slasher comics or like the film. Check out the artwork bellow to see some of the styles used in this series.

My Bloody Valentine is one of my favorite slasher films from the 80’s as the setting of a small town plagued by grizzly murders is classic Horror stuff, and while this comic series might not have fully captured the mood and feel of the film it did bring back characters and allowed us the readers to see what they would be up to in modern times and how they would react to another rash of killings in their small town, not to even mention we get The Miner returning and it was fun to try and figure out who was the killer behind the mask and what was their motivation this time around. And I have to say I really do like indie publisher American Mythology a lot as they have delivered many cool series based on horror films over the years like Hatchet, Willy’s Wonderland, Fright Night, Silent Night Deadly Night and Return Of The Living Dead to name a few. For those wondering, a second series of Valentine Bluffs Massacre was released in 2025. And on a side note I still have to say that it was weird they were forced to change the comics name and could not use My Bloody Valentine. Our time in Valentine Bluffs is coming to an end but the next update will take us to Elm Street as we take a look at the 1984 classic A Nightmare On Elm Street! 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 have a slashing good time with Freddy Kruger.

Beneath The Planet Of The Atlas Vampires

Posted on February 12, 2020 by bloodlinematt

Space is a vast place and so much of it is undiscovered. Sometimes we consider Pluto as a planet and other times we don’t! Image what and who is out there in the parts of space that we cannot explore and discover…imagine if many of our film/TV/Video Games/Comic aliens and space explorers were real…like what if Star Wars, Star Trek, Flash Gordon, Alien, Predator, The Black Hole, John Carter Warlord Of Mars, Destroy All Humans, Mars Attacks, Last Star Fighter, Space Invaders and all other matters of science fiction in media was real….like what if right now in the universe Buck Rogers is battling Crypto for the last slice of Pizza The Hut and The Predator is trying to hunt down some Klingons as he feels they are the ultimate prey! But in reality, it really is amazing that mankind in my lifetime will never really know what is truly out their in the Universe…heck we don’t even know much about our own deep oceans! For this update we are going to take a look at Atlas Comics and their series that blended adventure, sci-fi and horror together as of course I am talking about Planet Of The Vampires. So sit back, relax and go on a space travel with me here on Rotten Ink and let’s see what these bloodsuckers are up to in the cosmos.

When I was a youngster and first discovered Atlas Comics and it’s series Planet Of The Vampires thanks to Bookie Parlor I first thought this title was based on a 1965 film of the same name that was directed by Horror Icon Mario Bava, well that was until I read it and discovered it was its own world. Mario Bava is the master of Italian Horror and was the director of many great Horror Movies like Black Sunday, Black Sabbath, Blood And Black Lace, Kill Baby…Kill!, Hatchet For The Honeymoon, A Bay Of Blood, Baron Blood and Lisa And The Devil to name a few showing that he is a true icon of the genre. American International Pictures released Planet Of The Vampires in 1965 to theaters and drive-in’s and they were happy too do so as they had made a good profit off Bava films from the past. Planet Of The Vampires is a film that follows astronauts who go to an undiscovered planet and find themselves fighting among themselves and learn that something or someone on the planet is causing them to turn on themselves. This film is really good for a b-grade Sci-Fi film and really should have gotten the Dell Comic adaptation treatment, but to make it clear this Atlas Comic series is 100% not based on this film.

Disney has superhero movies on lockdown as the box office numbers for the Marvel Comic movies have broken records! Warner Brothers are still making some great superhero movies as well that are raking in the money with their DC Comic flicks. Well Paramount Pictures and Steven Paul with is SP Media Group want a slice of that comic book movie pie and Paul himself has bought the rights to Atlas Comics and want to turn the characters into movies as well as possible TV Shows! While this has been announced nothing as of yet is set to come out and what characters will get the movie or even streaming TV treatment. And for a long time reader of Atlas Comics I can say that this news is very cool and I can not wait to see movies based on the likes of Grim Ghost, Tiger-Man, Planet Of The Vampires and The Cougar to name a few. But lets also be honest with ourselves just like Atlas failed comeback to the world of comics in 2010 this could end up being gone before it even starts. So only time will tell if Atlas Comics will make an impact in the world of movies and I for one welcome these characters back to all forums of media.

On January 19, 2020 we decided to have a Horror Movie Marathon in order to celebrate the end of the Holiday season and we kicked off the day at 8am with the 1965 fright flick “Blood Beast From Outer Space” about a strange object that falls from space that brings with it a space traveler who is kidnapping Earth’s women to bring back to his home planet. The cheesy “Return Of The Killer Shrews” was next on tap and is the sequel to the 1959 film Killer Shrews and has ship boat Captain Thorne Sherman going back to the island and once more being attacked by killer shrews. The third film of the marathon was “Bat Outta Hell” about a group of wannabe filmmakers being attacked by 4 feet tall bat creatures. Next on the blood tap was the Universal International film “Curucu: Best Of The Amazon” about headhunters, explorers and a monster by the jungle river. Hammer Horror movie “The Abominable Snowman” starring Peter Cushing was next and was about climbers and explorers looking for the mythic monster the Yeti. The 6^th film of the day was the indie Kaiju film “Reigo King Of The Sea Monsters” and has the Japanese navy fighting for their lives against a giant monster. “Prison Of The Dead” by Full Moon Entertainment was next and had a group of fans at an old funeral home that evil spirits and killer dead executioners are roaming around in. The Shudder exclusive film “Boar” starring Bill Mosley and Nathan Jones was next a film about a giant killer boar in the outback. What we watched next was “Camp Blood 8” a slasher film that featured the clown masked killer once more on a rampage of blood and carnage. The slasher film “Pickaxe” was next and was about an unstoppable killer returning from death and targeting a group of friends going to a rock concert. The final film of the night was “Haunt” that has a group of friends going into an extreme haunted house that’s ghoulish performers are out for flesh and blood. As always a great time watching Horror Movies with my lady Juliet. Oh and I know many of you readers like to know what we had to eat for the Marathon and we had Breakfast Casserole and Chicken with Oh My Garlic Sauce and for snacks we had Peanut Butter M&M’s and Potato Chips.

So for this Horror Movie Marathon we watched 11 films total and all from different subgenres in the world of Horror. And when it came to the Golden Turkey of the evening Juliet and I agreed that the worst film of the day was “Bat Outta Hell” as some of the acting was terrible, the CGI creatures effects looked cheap and it was kind of boring. But I must say Pickaxe for me almost made the Golden Turkey spot as I was very much disappointed in it and found it to be just kind of bland. For me the top three films of the day was simple as I would go # 1 Haunt as it was a pleasant surprise filled with great gore effects, some creepy moments and likable characters. My # 2 had to go to The Abominable Snow Man as it’s a classic Hammer Horror film and you cannot top Peter Cushing. And lastly my # 3 spot went to Boar as it was a great animal/nature run amok throwback film with some gruesome boar kills. I should also say that Camp Blood 8 was really solid and one of the better sequels that has been released these past few years. Juliet picked the following as her top 3 films of the event # 1 Haunt, # 2 Boar and for # 3 she picked Prison Of The Dead. I love having these marathons whether it’s with just Juliet or a room full of friends, it’s a great time to celebrate the world of Horror.

The Golden Chainsaw Award for most kills for the Marathon goes to the one and only undead slasher killer Alex Black from the film Pickaxe! This hulking killer racked up a body count of over 15 people and did so with brutal glee. One of his best kills is when he guts and kills a cheating boyfriend! While the film was not to best of the Marathon nor did it even come close to making either of our Top 3 lists, Pickaxe’s killer Alex Black did walk away with the Golden Chainsaw Award as he raised the bloody body count and made the event a little more splattery!

So now that we have talked about Atlas Comics and its possible future of being movies at your local cinemas soon as well as talked about the first Horror Movie Marathon of 2020, I think it’s now time that we land and take a look at the Planet Of The Vampires! I want to say that I read this comic series when I was a young teen and can remember liking it then. I want to also thank the gone but always iconic comic store Bookie Parlor for introducing me to Atlas Comics all those decades past. I want to thank the combo of Bell Book And Comic as well as Game Swap Kettering for having these issues in stock making this update possible. I want to remind you readers that I am grading them on a scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So let’s sit back and see if these vampires have the bite to still capture my attention.

Planet Of Vampires # 1 **1/2
Released in 1975 Cover Price .25 Atlas Comics # 1 of 3

In the year 2010 the space shuttle Aries VII returns from a five-year mission on the planet Mars, the ships Captain is Chris Galland and on his crew is his wife Elissa among a few other members. Things are weird as they are not getting an response from Mission Control and after they have to land in the harbor near Brooklyn, New York they soon see the world has changed as the buildings are destroyed and crazed gangs of people are running loose and Captain Galland and his crew are saved by a costumed man who guns some of the savages down with his flying craft! Chris and his crew jump onto the ship and the man takes them to the Empire State building that now has a dome around the blocks around it and were what’s left of normal society lives after a war broke out that mostly destroyed the world. The crew are then introduced to The Proctor the man who built the dome and has kept people safe, and Captain Galland tells him about the mission on Mars they had. But as Galland and his people are walked out of The Proctor’s office they witness as guards are taking a savage to another room, and when he lets out a painful scream Captain Galland and crew spring into action and rush to the room to find that they savages are being drained of their blood! Captain Galland saves the savages who is being lead by Bruiser Culhane who comes up with a plan to split up into two teams to escape by air and by underground. Bruiser leads Galland and his wife underground and when they escape they are greeted by a rival band of savages!

The first issue of Planet Of The Vampires is one of those issues that is really slow moving, but is truly the groundwork for what this series was suppose to be all about. The plot takes elements from many different Sci-Fi films I feel like “Planet Of The Apes” and “Omega Man” and has a group returning to Earth after a long mission in space and when back the world is changed and filled with blood suckers and unruly wild gangs. Our main hero is Captain Galland who is a good captain, he is also kind of a firm jerk who seems to bully and talk very strictly to his wife Elissa, but while he is a jerk he is a hero who watches out for his crew, questions the murdering of people and saves countless lives but standing up for what’s right. Elissa seems like a nice woman and the rest of the crew is made up of Craig, Ben and Brenda all as well are good people and Ben was the brains of the team but he is taken down by the savages after landing. The savages are at war with those who live in the dome and are violent, but are the way they are in order to survive this new cruel world. The Proctor and his men claim they are not the bad ones and that they have to steal the blood of others in order to save themselves as the radiation they claim gave them a disease. But while slow the tense feeling is building as you are not sure really what is going on with those that live in the dome and why do they really need all that blood, not to mention those who live outside the dome are violent and act like savages for sure. I also like that our hero Captain Chris Galland while always wanting to do the right thing is also really kind of an ego driven jerk! The cover for this first issue is awesome and has a Star Wars comic look to it. The interior art is done by Pat Broderick and is really good and has a classic 70’s Marvel Comics look to it, Broderick has done art for many companies over the years including DC, Marvel, Eclipse and Devil’s Due. Over all this first issue is a great read that brings this world to life for reviewers.

Planet Of Vampires # 2 ***
Released in 1975 Cover Price .25 Atlas Comics # 2 of 3

Bruiser Culhane has lead Chris & Elissa Galland into the arms of some very dangerous people who want to murder them all, but Bruiser comes up with an idea that has him fighting the leader of the group Lenny with the winner taking the lead of both tribes! The fight is brutal with Bruiser coming ahead and running both tribes, he even allows Lenny to live as Captain Chris Galland comes up with a plan that will have all the tribes come together and fight for their lives against the bloodsuckers who is the world’s real scumbag enemies. And after Craig and Brenda trick their followers they land and use the little flying craft as a bomb killing the pursuing vampires. As the savage tribes come together the vampires attack in full force and the battle leaves many dead on each side, and worse Elissa and Brenda have been kidnapped with the idea that they will be baby carries for The Proctor! During the battle Captain Galland is injured, but snaps and wants revenge when Craig informs him of the ladies kidnapping.

The plot of this second issue has Captain Galland bringing all the outside savage tribes together to make an army and pushes them to clash and fight with the larger and better-armed Bloodsucking Vampires…who of course destroy them in the battle. In fact Captain Chris Galland gets the tribes all riled up and acts as if their primitive weapons stand a chance and with them listing many of the savages loose their lives. So in other words Galland did not come up with a real battle plan and uses his own rage to lead people to their deaths. The savage tribes show that they truly are fighters as they do what they can to fight the vampires, and while many lost their lives other are taking prisoners so that they can be drained of blood. The Vampires of the Dome are very mad in this issue and when they come for revenge they are swift and brutal and kill as well as take hostages. Most of this issue is about Lenny’s dislike for Bruiser Culhane and how he learns to respect his one time enemy as well agrees to be apart of the tribe army to fight back. The cover for this issue is great and showcases evil vampires, and yet nothing like this happens in the issue. The interior art is done by Pat Broderick again and is fantastic and I really do dig his style. Over all this is another solid issue and one I can not wait to reread the third and final issue again, so let’s get to it.

Planet Of Vampires # 3 **1/2
Released in 1975 Cover Price .25 Atlas Comics # 3 of 3

The Vampire Dome soldiers are being warned about astronauts Captain Galland and Craig coming to the dome in order to get their ladies back, and while the guards laugh an old fighter plan crashes into them all killing them on the spot and near by our heroes start to make their way into the dome as their plan to wipeout their enemies worked. Captain Galland and Craig enter the dome and make quick work of many more vampire soldiers as they out smart the bloodsuckers, but Craig’s world falls apart when they find the body of Brenda who has been drained off all her blood! Captain Galland leaves his friend to grieve for a moment as he enters the office of The Proctor and kills the vampire leader with a bullet to his head. Captain Galland is then greeted by Craig who has found Elissa hurt but still alive. The three of them make their way to steal one of the bloodsuckers aircrafts and Craig stays behind at the dome as Elissa and Captain Galland take the craft and fly around looking for a safe place to live. The couple end up in LA that is as wild as New York and Elissa is attacked by a pair of giant vampire spiders and Captain Galland fights with all his might in order to save his wife…but to his horror she passes away from her injuries and Captain Galland is a man along in a savage and violent world.

The third and final issue in this Atlas Comic series ends like so many before and after it on a cliffhanger and the promise of a next issue that never was published as Atlas Comic closed its doors before they could hit the comic racks. The plot of this issue has only Captain Chris Galland and his best friend and crewmate Craig left as all the savages have been killed or taken and they want to get their wives back who have been kidnapped by the dome living vampires, and they try their best to do just that but in the end both men loose their wives to the grip of death and both find themselves sad, lonely and in a world that is cruel and unforgiving. Captain Chris Galland is a hero who throughout the series tries his best to take control and act as if his plans and ideas are what will change this savage world, and instead his ideas lead to many deaths of people as well as even his crew. To be honest while I do understand Captain Chris Galland’s want to stand up against the evil people of this new world, a part of me also felt like he did it all for his ego. His wife Elissa Galland is always the victim in these three issues and it goes from being talked down to by his wife all the way to being picked to be the mate of the creepy vampire leader. Craig and Brenda are good side characters and to be honest I think Craig is my favorite hero of the series as he comes off more real and loyal. The Proctor and his vampire soldiers have the weapons and numbers, but when push comes to shove they fall like a house of cards and are easily beaten and killed. I must say Planet Of The Vampires held up for me and I enjoyed it just like I did in my youth and while it’s very slow moving at the start it kicks in to be a very fun Sci-Fi, Action, Horror Comic read. While those looking for solid vampire horror might be disappointed as these vampires are not like Dracula, those who like science mixed in with their vampires will really enjoy it. The cover for this issue is good, and confusing as who in the hell are the blonde astronaut and the short black haired girl? The interior art this time around is done by Russ Heath and is as well has a very classic Marvel look to it. Over all Planet Of The Vampires is a great Atlas Comics series and while it’s not one of my top favorites, it is one that I have enjoyed and suggest to comic readers who enjoy Sci-Fi Horror. Check out the art below to see the style used in this series.

Planet Of The Vampires is a 70’s comic that showed that Atlas Comics had lots to offer in the world of comic books, as did the previous comic titles we covered like The Brute, The Cougar, Tiger-Man, Demon Hunter, The Destructor and The Hands Of The Dragon have all proven. It really is a shame that Atlas Comics closed its doors so quickly as it would have been nice to see were many of their classic characters would have went story wise and what new characters they could have created. But sadly, we cannot live in a world of what if and have to live in the now and lucky for Rotten Ink we have many other Atlas Comic titles to cover in the future. But for our next update we are walking away from the world of comic books and heading to the world of Horror Hosts as I cover a little unknown host named Theodore Puertoriquez who hosted Theodore’s Creepy Kitchen! So until next time read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next time for a Meow-Tastic good time!