There was a point in my life, oh lets say about a year ago, when I was sick of vampire comics. The typical blood sucker story seems to just get played out when done over and over again. Sure there is some good horror and gore in those books, but the stories are so blah and easily passable. Then I get this little catalog sent to my house called Previews, and I see the cover to The Strain #1 listed in it. I’m instantly thinking, “Great, here we go again.”

Being a horror nut though, I check out issue #1, and wouldn’t you know it, my head fell off. That first issue had something new, something fresh and something I needed to enjoy a vampire comic again (seriously, the last one I really enjoyed was Devil from Dark Horse).

“Everyone’s favorite cute little dead girl is showcased in all her morbid glory in this all-new collection of the timeless comic strip from Roman Dirge! Return once against to the dark, surreal world of Lenore, the girl with a knack for unintentional mayhem and occasional wanton destruction in this fourth volume that includes the extremely rare #13, beautifully and painstakingly illustrated by creator Roman Dirge himself.”

They say that good things come to those who wait, so you better believe that this book is pretty damn good when it takes 5 years to come out. Collecting the rare #13 of Lenore Vol. 1 and issues #1 – #3 of Vol. 2, this book is a perfect starting point for someone who is new to Lenore.

“Katya has been in a coma for five years, and when she awakes, everything has changed. Now she is a gorgeous teenager with a mysterious, gruesome past, becoming aware of a growing, terrifying power inside her body, triggered by the touch of the full moon, eager to break free . . . Can Katy solve the mystery of her blood-drenched nightmares before they become reality?”

Okay, seriously, WOW! When I read the solicit on this book, I knew to expect something good, but I didn’t know it was going to be this good. This book has the words “Turn me into a movie” written all over it.

Holy $*!+! That about sums up what just happened at the end of this GORE-Geous and ARGH-Mazing book. Collecting the mini series, that was showcased during Deadworld Month in August from IDW, this book captures the same spirit as what came before, and leads readers into the future of this Dead’verse.

The artwork by Makkonen is beautiful. I said it when I read Slaughterhouse, and I will say it again, Sami’s style is so perfect for this series. His character designs have a very creepy edge to them, placed into his dark backgrounds and my eyes just melt with joy.

The Horsemen are back, and you better be strapped in for what is about to go down. Book 2 is a balls to the wall non-stop thrill ride that is going to punch you in the face and not look back. Following the events of the first book, Helldiver, The Chosen shows the rest of the formation of the group that will save Earth from its impending doom. You would think that the visuals could not get any better than they were before, but they did. Each page is alive with such vibrant color. The art by Bisley is so GORE-Geous. His character designs are flat-out jaw dropping, and the amount of detail in each panel is stunning. There is no way in Hell (pun intended) that this book could look any better. His designs for the Horsemen alone, left a craving in this decapitated head for posters, t-shirts and so much more.

Well now we got ourselves a bit of a situation here pardner. You see ol’ Decap he is not to big on Western Comics, but he does love his Horror Comics, so what on Earth could he even like about Horror in the West? How about everything! This is one great looking, great reading, hootenanny of a good time! The artwork in this entire collection is GORE-Geous. I will admit that they set the bar high starting with sam Agro’s style, but no story in this ever let me down. Personally I prefered the art styles of Agro, Brian Evinou, Chris McFann and Dan Simon the most, but again they were all great.

I ask myself, just based on this title alone, what is there not to like? Nothing, I like trench coats, cigarettes and shotguns, so how on Earth could this book not entertain me? The artwork by Neudorf is great, and it was all summed up at the very end in a GORE-Geous decapitation scene. Of course I am going to point that out, why wouldn’t I. What I liked most about this art style was that it all seemed to be done on wood, using paint. I really enjoyed his technique. There were some panels where I found things to be a little to jumbled, but if you stare at it, you can figure it out just fine.

I don’t even know how to start this review without just saying, Book of the Year front-runner. I was so blown away with what happened on these 280+ pages that I feel like trying to sum it up will only come across as a gushing love letter to the creators. So let’s do just that. I went into this book not knowing what to expect, well I expected to read about a little girl and her new Monster friend, but instead I was introduced to a world that was so imaginative and original. If I even try to compare this to anything, and keep in mind that I am just basing this off of the overall feel I had when I was done reading this, I would have to say Spirited Away.

“Rachel Beck wakes in a shallow grave and claws her way free as a mysterious woman watches from a bluff. With no memory of the night before, Rachel enlists the help of Aunt Johnny, the town mortician, to find her killer. But when repeated attacks send her to the morgue, Rachel’s ability to wake from death again and again prove to be a blessing and a curse, and the eerie town of Manson will never be the same! Collects issues #1-6.”

Oh Terry Moore, you wow me on all levels. Rachel Rising was a title in which I did not know what to expect when it came out, and honestly I still don’t know what to expect because it is such a mystery. Within the pages of Volume 1, I was treated to GORE-Geous artwork and a story that left me needing more!

The zombies have over run the Earth! A small outpost, remnants of a twisted scientists’ scheme to defeat the plague holds out against the army of King Zombie. Their secret weapon are the Lepers-victims of a bizarre experiment that left them with dead flesh in breathing husks with skin that even zombies won’t touch. This new series of Deadworld is perfect for new readers to join in the frenzy of what has been called the “grand-daddy” of all zombie comics.

Welcome back my old friend. It is about damn time that we meet again. The last time we saw this cast of characters in Deadworld, was with the highly praised Slaughterhouse OGN. The events that will unfold in this series are picking up around one year after that.

“Deep beneath the waves, a creature named Grue broods. He no longer wants to eat lusty beachgoers, no matter how their hormones call to him. A chorus of crabs urges him to reconsider. After all, people are delicious! But this monster has changed. Grue found Shakespeare’s plays in cola bottles and, through them, a new heart. Now he yearns to join the world above.

Rising from a brine of drive-in pulp and gentle poetry, Jonathan Case’s debut graphic novel Dear Creature is the love story you never imagined!”

How in the world did I miss this book when it came out? Inside of the covers of this book, lies a story that blew me away and artwork that melted my eyes out of their sockets. The visuals were so GORE-Geous, and they were only presented in black and white. The real kicker though was the way that Case was able to show expression through facial features and body movements.

“Confronting supernatural threats and vengeful monsters, Dr. Spektor travels from Scottish lochs to cursed swamplands–and from the surreal dreamscape of the Egyptian afterlife to New York City’s Chinatown! Collecting issues #19 to #25 of The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor and a Spektor tale from Gold Key Spotlight #8, plus notes from Spektor’s secret files, including a piece on Dr. Solar!”

Believe it or not review reader, I have never had a chance to check out Doctor Spektor comics before. Sure I have heard of them, but it was not until Dark Horse supplied me with this great volume that I had my first chance to really check this cast out. The artwork in this volume by Santos is fantastic. He does a great job of keeping the cast consistent from panel to panel.

“In 1951, a mother and her young daughter entered one of America’s most prestigious institutions for the treatment of Tuberculosis, The Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The events that befell them shortly thereafter, both of a supernatural and criminal nature, were some of the most sordid of the times. Based on real events. A true tale of horror, literally!”

It’s always funny to me how things happen in 3?s. Take this book for example, at the time I read this, I had also just seen a movie involving an asylum and I am in the middle of reading a horror novel about one too. I think that those outside factors easily played into why this book was so great.

“For nearly as long as she can remember, Dancy Flammarion has fought monsters, cutting a bloody swath through the demons and dark things of the world, aimed like a weapon by forces beyond her control or questioning.”

Phew! I have to admit that I originally feared this would be a book along the lines of Twilight, due to the popularity of such franchises being turned into comics. It is not though. What is presented within these pages is a story that is visually breathtaking, mentally stimulating and when combined they create one hell of a first issue. The artwork in this book did take me a little bit to adjust to, but after 5 pages I was on board. The character designs are great, and the consistency is seen from panel to panel.

“Lost somewhere between Missouri and Iowa (after surviving the events of The Last Zombie: Inferno), the team stops to repair their vehicles and scavenge supplies. But they soon learn that they aren’t the only scavengers in town when a horde of ravenous, swarming rats attack the convoy!”

Chapter 3 is underway of this fantastic series from Antarctic Press. Following the events of Inferno, the team is now on the other side of the fire and exploring the terrain. Fred Perry was on the art duties for this issue and he just killed it. I absolutely love his style.

“Jack and Alice find themselves at an impasse when their client is found dead and their own personal demons start to emerge. The Raven continues his prowl and ominous signs accompany his return. Meanwhile, new players reveal themselves and war breaks out in the unsuspecting town.”

My 2011 pick for the Best Book You Never Heard of is back and it is bringing all the serial killing goodness back with it! While this issue seems to build more on the back story, which is what a second issue should do, it is still an awesome read.

“What if you could wish revenge on everyone who makes your life hell, and someone (or something) would do the dirty work for you?

But when Deacon wakes up covered in someone else’s blood, he realizes that the ritual was no childish game. And with every passing day the lines blur between the payback he envisioned and the revenge he’s committing.”

I will start of by letting you all know that this book could be looked at two different ways, and because of that I did lower the score a little bit and it still gets a 4 out of 5. The first way to look at this series is in the first half you get 2 stories that do more to explain the world in which this takes place, but then in the second half it is strictly based on the main character. While the stories that show off the world are fantastic, I didn’t see how they really helped in the overall storytelling. Now that I got that out-of-the-way, I LOVED this book. The artwork was solid throughout, and I liked how Abeleda didn’t seem to shy away from the more adult subject matter.

“Based on the Troma film! Chillers, the classic film from Troma Studios that captured the Silver Scroll Award, returns with all new tales in an original graphic novel. Writer and director Daniel Boyd is joined by some of the best in horror to present more terror and chills. Troma Films is supporting the release of the graphic novel with a re-release of the film on DVD and the Buddy Black Band is releasing a tribute album, Witchfinder, to also coordinate with the graphic novel. Evil travels in many forms, even by bus. But this bus takes its riders to a journey that they can never return from!”

“This is the first issue in the five-issue story arc, “ODYSSEY”. The mission for Z-Girl and the 4 Tigers was straightforward: battle gun-toting apes at the temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, prevent the emergence of the wrathful god, Shiva, and save a pregnant hostage. But the ancient scroll they find means this is just the beginning of something greater, a journey of discovery of who Z-Girl is and what part she is to play in the prophesied zombie apocalypse.”