Friday, March 1, 2013

Ghastly Awards - February 2013 Update



Horror comics are becoming more and more frequent in our reading culture, and the Ghastly Awards are here to recognize, through Horror Comic submissions, those that shine the brightest. We encourage all Comic Creators to take the time to head over to www.ghastlyawards.com and submit your work for 2013 Ghastly Award Nomination consideration.
    
Creators please remember that you can submit your Horror Comic work through out the calendar year! For the month of February 2013 the judges are recommending you take a look at: 

Colder #4 (Dark Horse) - Who knew you could get a contact buzz off of insanity!  When Declan wants his long time caretaker, Reece to understand what he has been going through all those years when he was in a frozen coma. He decides to take her on a trip of pure insanity. Declan transports Reece to a world only crazy people can see and in this world is the craziest of them all Nimble Jack who is the reason that Declan is colder. Declan does his best to shield Reece from the insanity she witnesses, but with Nimble Jack on their backside time is running out to keep Reece sane and Declan colder. I really enjoyed this comic and will probably wish that it extended past its 5 issue run. I also enjoy a different take on crazy and using random crazy people as a portal to another world is pretty unique. The art is wonderful and the story is fast paced. The villain Nimble Jack feels like a character that only Stephen King could create. You will want to warm up to Colder. - Spaced (http://www.facebook.com/NerdGirlsEyeView

Baltimore: The Widow and The Tank (Dark Horse): Captain Lord Henry Baltimore has been busy since his debut in Baltimore, or the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire.  Haigus, the vampire that destroyed his family, has eluded our driven hero, but that doesn't stop Baltimore from ending as many vamps as he can come across.  In The Widow and The Tank, readers get two short tales that deal with things outside his usual hunt for the Red King.  In "The Widow", Baltimore visits a woman whose husband died in the war...but if the rumors are true he came home nonetheless.  In "The Tank", Baltimore discovers a vampire in hiding.  But what could a vampire be scared of?  As usual, Mignola and Golden deliver the creepy goodness, all the while staying true to the overall story arc.  A special shout-out to colorist Dave Stewart for the faded sepia tones juxtaposed with bright pops of color.  With this one-shot it helps to know the very basics of Baltimore himself -- his passionate search for the vampire that ruined his life -- but even if you don't this one-shot is dark fun.  (BTW, I read this particular issue on my phone thanks to the Dark Horse app and a nasty cold that kept me from my local comic shop.  The digital images are absolutely gorgeous!) - Denise Dutton (atomicfangirl.com)

Lot 13 (DC Comics): Just when I think I've figured it out, Lot 13 keeps pulling the rug rudely from beneath me--keeping me on my tippiest of tippy toes. Issue #4 picks up right after Ron, the patriarch of our protagonist family is sledgehammered in the head by a dead (dead like over 100 years dead) henchmen to an also dead Judge. The crime? Trespassing in the world of the dead. Rewind. When a family makes the deadliest decision of their lives and stay overnight in a crummy rent-a-room-by-the-day apartment building, they inadvertently cross over into the land of the dead. Several horrific deaths have occurred on that plot of land... and as a young dead boy says, quite profoundly, "Evil stays where evil dies." Issue #4 continues with wrongs being righted and ends on one hell of a cliffhanger. Like I said. Rug. Pulled. Go back and catch up on this horrifying series by Steve Niles, which if you ask me was an incredibly bold choice for DC Comics. Issue #5 (final issue) comes out mid March. – Bree Ogden (agentbree.wordpress.com)

Haunted Horror #3 (IDW):  IDW / Yoe Comics horror hosts Forelock the Warlock and Mr. Karswell return with the third installment of repulsive pre code reprints, this time featuring tales about vengeful spirits, slimy sea monsters, vicious vampires and eerie eyeballs-- with knock-out artistic talent from Myron Fass, Sheldon Moldoff, Ross Andru, Jack Cole, Rudy Palais and more! 45 story pages in full color and a classic torture / bondage cover by Tony Mortellaro! $3.99. – Steve Banes (http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/)

Bedlam #4 (Image): After the first issue of Bedlam, I wasn't sold. It felt like a decent Joker story that was too controversial for DC to publish. However, Nick Spencer and Riley Rossmo have spun it into something else altogether and issue #4 is the best yet. Fillmore Press takes the term "homicidal maniac" to a new level. He's truly demented and Rossmo's art brings out his red hot insanity. – Lonnie Nadler (www.Bloody-Disgusting.com)

Creepy #11 (Dark Horse): Imagine my joy when I saw that the new issue of the Ghastly Award-winning Creepy was going to meld together my two favorite comic genres; horror and romance! Aside from the text-heavy cover by Chrissie Zullo (which looks more like a Disney poster than a horror comic), this issue pretty much delivers the goods. Gilbert Hernandez's artwork is even more primitive than usual (but still bold and animated) in his tale "Two Faces Have I" and his script is great; he gets horror comics. There is more excellent artwork by Amy Reeder (on a J. Torres story) and JoĆ«lle Jones, and Chrissie Zullo really shines with her artwork on “Curse of the Moon Maiden”. Add to this three Peter Bagge gag pages (he is the Sergio Arogones of the title!) and you have a nice little package, well worth your money. There is also a Johnny Craig/ Archie Goodwin reprint, which is, of course, gorgeous but not needed, in my opinion. I realize that the reprints are advertisements for Dark Horse's Creepy and Eerie  archive books, but I still would love to see an "ALL NEW!!" on the cover one day. - Mike Howlett (http://eeriepublications.blogspot.com/) 
Crow: Skinning the Wolves #3 (IDW): The Crow series is always hit or miss for me. I either really love the story presented or I hate it. This particular mini by O'Barr and Terry was knocked out of the park. Taking place in a Concentration Camp, I really saw that loss that brings about the Crow character. The first 2 issues were a great build to the final reveal of what had happened. This was a true story of revenge, and the fact that it took place within actual events made it hit home better. Amazing mini series. I will not be surprised to see this one up for an Award or 2 at the end of the year. - Decapitated Dan (www.decapitateddan.com) 
Creators and Publishers please make sure to go over to www.ghastlyawards.com to submit your books for 2013 Nomination consideration! More informaiton on how the submission process works can be found here http://ghastlys.blogspot.com/2010/10/submit-your-horror-comic-to-be.html