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‘Monstress’ and ‘My Favorite Thing is Monsters’ Win Multiple Categories at 2018 Eisner Awards

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Undoubtedly, the biggest winners at this year’s Eisner Awards were Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s for their ongoing series Monstress and Emil Ferris for her graphic novel My Favorite Thing is Monsters, as both titles took home multiple awards at the annual celebration of the best the medium has to offer.

Image Comics’ Monstress won best continuing series, best publication for teens, best painter/multimedia artist, best cover artist, and best writer (actually a tie with Mister Miracle and Batman writer Tom King).  My Favorite Thing is Monsters took best writer/artist, best coloring, and best graphic album (new). read more

‘Infidel’ Writer Pornsak Pichetshote: The Horror News Network Interview

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Most horror comics fall into three broad categories:  Tales from the Crypt style shockers, creature features, and gore fests.  Very few are able to incorporate horror elements and topical subtext to transcend the genre, but Image Comics Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell certainly does.  We were happy to get to a chance to talk to Pichetshote about the series, his influences, and the exciting news that Infidel will become a major motion picture very soon.

Horror News Network: Where did your inspiration for ‘Infidel’ come from? read more

Warren Ellis’ ‘Injection’ Optioned by Universal for Television

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With the popularity (and profitability) of comic book adaptations reaching a fever pitch in recent years, it is no surprise that studios are reaching beyond standard super hero fare to more adult oriented stories that span multiple genres.  With the success of Garth Ennis’ Preacher (and Amazon’s upcoming The Boys) and Grant Morrison’s  Happy!, it was just a matter of time before their fellow genre-bending writer Warren Ellis got in on the action.

In an exclusive report by the Hollywood Reporter, Universal Cable Productions “…has optioned Ellis, Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire’s comic series Injection for television. The Image Comics title was first published in 2015 and revolves around a group of five highly specialized individuals who are brought together by the British government to hypothesize about the future of human culture. After discovering the results, the group decides to act on it by creating an unusual artificial intelligence using a combination of technology and shamanistic magic, which makes its way into our world.”  As usual, Ellis’ Injection is a mix of science fiction, horror, and conspiracy theories all rolled together into an exquisite brew (and if you are looking to catch up on the series, the first three collected volumes of the series are currently available from Image Comics). read more

‘Infidel’ #1: The Horror News Network Review

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Image’s new horror series Infidel is one that will appeal to fans of atmospheric horror stories as well as though who enjoy smart, socially conscious writing about the real fears that are created through prejudice and ignorance.  Former DC editor Pornsak Pichetshote makes his impressive writing debut in this series and artist Aaron Campbell compliments Pichetshote’s nightmarish script perfectly.

Infidel throws the reader into the deep end of the pool immediately, as our main character Aisha experiences a horrific nightmare that includes insects and a pale ghoul that wants to gently chomp on her throat.  This opening scene begins the uncomfortable atmosphere of tension and claustrophobia that permeates the story, both inside and outside of Aisha’s apartment.  There are certainly breaks in the tension (such as the baking of a Return of the Jedi inspired cake), but the underlying feeling of dread is ever present, even in scenes which seem mundane or day-to-day in comparison to the opening scare. read more

‘Gideon Falls’ Issue One: The Horror News Network Review

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This week Image’s Gideon Falls lands in comic shops.  Jeff Lemire, best known to horror fans for his work on Animal Man, is teaming up again with his Old Man Logan and Green Arrow collaborator Andrea Sorrentino.

Gideon Falls centers around small-town rural mystery. The first issue does more than just give background, Lemire inventively lays out the story through the juxtaposition of the two main characters, Father Wilfred and Norton.  Both are obviously at a low point in their lives and not fitting in well with society.  Two very different roles in the world, yet Lemire shows then being similar in so many ways. It’s clear they have will have connection to each other, although that is not revealed in this first issue. Sorrentino’s artwork does an excellent job of matching the mood of the plot.  The dark, muted colors of fan favorite, Dave Stewart, along with the gritty style complement the somber tone of the story. read more

‘Ice Cream Man’ Issue #1 Review

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Hitting the streets from Image Comics this week is the first issue in the horror anthology, Ice Cream Man.  Each issue will center around a different cast of characters all dealing with different terrors.  These tales all seem to have the common thread of the local ice cream man. The first issue written by W. Maxwell Prince with artwork Martin Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran does a decent job of introducing readers to the story without shoving the concept down their throats.

This first issues see a young boy, Byron getting ice cream as his life gets turned upside down.  As the tale continues, we see the ice cream man appear in many different forms throughout the writing.  Candy coated references made by Maxwell are woven into the storyline, keeping the theme alive. The interior artwork is vintage style, but on many levels complements the idea of the old fashioned “ice cream man uniform” donned by the demonic candyman.  The variant cover by Frazer Irving would be the one to get, as it is trippy and disturbing all at the same time. read more

Horror News Network’s 2017 Horror Comic Awards: Best Artist

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Horror News Network is proud to present 2017’s Best Artist award to Tomm Coker.

Tomm Coker’s art stood out this year in 2017’s Best Limited Series, The Black Monday Murders, and Coker proved to be the perfect partner for Jonathan Hickman’s nightmare-noir take on an occult conspiracy.  Coker’s photo-realistic art style captured the human terror and he also got to apply his skills to a number of demonic characters in this year’s “Unionized Labor” story arc. read more

Horror News Network’s 2017 Horror Comic Awards: Best Mini-Series (Non-Monthly Title)

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Horror News Network’s top mini-series (non-monthly title) for 2017 is Image Comics’ occult conspiracy title The Black Monday Murders.

This is the second year in a row that The Black Monday Murders has taken the Best Limited Series prize, and with good reason, as it is one of the smartest, layered stories being produced in the medium today.  Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Tomm Coker, The Black Monday Murders is “an elaborate story involving clandestine banking cartels, Russian vampires, Black popes, magical one-percenters, and more oddities in a world that resembles our own a little too much.”  read more

‘Rumble’ Writer John Arcudi: The Horror News Network Interview

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John Arcudi is one of the most prolific writers in the history of Dark Horse Comics and one of the main architects of the Mignolaverse.  His work on titles such as Abe Sapien, B.P.R.D., and Lobster Johnson fleshed out the “House that Hellboy Built” and added a deeper historical context to the universe.

Fans of his work on the Mignolaverse will be happy to hear that Arcudi is about ready to start a second run on his critically acclaimed Image Comics title Rumble.  Rumble is the story of an ancient warrior who, after being resurrected into the body of a scarecrow, embarks on a quest to find his actual physical form in a modern day urban setting.  Joined by his human guide Bobby LaRosa and a host of Kirby-esque monsters, the title is a wild ride, riddled with mythological archetypes and gonzo, monster slicing action. read more

‘Paper Girls Deluxe Edition’ Vol. 1: The Horror News Network Review

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In the history of comic books, there are some strange coincidences when it comes to timing.  Probably two of the most famous examples are the initial similarities between The Doom Patrol and The X-Men and Swamp Thing and The Man-Thing.  Both pairs were released very close to each other by DC and Marvel, and they bear more than a passing resemblance to each other, at least on a surface level.

In a similar fashion, when it comes to Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang’s Image Comics series Paper Girls, comparisons to the Netflix darling Stranger Things are impossible to avoid.  Although the first issue of Paper Girls debuted almost nine months before Stranger Things aired, new fans whose first introduction to the series through the trade paperbacks and the new hard cover deluxe edition are sure to see some similarities. read more