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lizabethstucker · 2 years

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Book Review: Classics Mutilated: CTRL-ALT-LIT edited by Jeff Conner

Thirteen stories in which classic tales and authors are combined with horror or fantasy tales and/or tropes. Or, as the editor calls it, Monster Lit, only with an updated twist or two to keep the new sub-genre alive. Each story has a black and white drawing that invokes the tale that will follow. I’m tempted to copy some of them to frame, they are that good. I’ve never heard of this publisher, IDW out of San Diego until I stumbled across this book at my used book store.

As with any collection, there are highs and lows. Sadly I DNF’d two of the stories, one due to animal/animal-human hybrid abuse. Abuse, especially of animals and children, is a hard line for me, one I do not handle well. If it is a main part of a story, I’m not reading, no matter who the author is or how talented they might be. Most of the stories within this collection were good enough, a few were fantastic. Would I recommend it? Primarily for horror fans. The literature side was more prevalent at the beginning compared to later in the story. A good read overall. 3 out of 5.

“The Fairest of Them All” by Sean Taylor. The dwarves worry about the human girl that they’ve taken into their lives and home. Leader, believed to be the oldest, knows that sooner or later the Wicked Queen will find Snow. Then there will be choices to be made. When an enchanted mirror is discovered deep in the mine, with a girl trapped inside, they take it to Snow. Wow, this really twists the two stories (“Snow White & the Seven Dwarves” and “Alice in Wonderland”) off-kilter, yet there is also a certain logic to this mashup. As they say, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely”. 4 out of 5

“Anne-Droid of Green Gables” by Lezli Robyn. Matthew Cuthbert needed help on the farm so, using his savings, he purchased a refurbished prototype android that was never put into mass production. Only he didn’t get the expected androgynous adult droid. Instead he receives a female child overflowing with curiosity about the world and longing for both a bosom friend and a forever home. Let’s start with that illustration, an adorable mix of android and big-eyed rag doll. It makes you want to hug her and keep her safe. As to the story, there are a few changes, other than the obvious. For instance, Matthew and Marilla are a married couple rather than siblings. I absolutely enjoyed this sweet story! 4.5 out of 5

“Little Women in Black” by Louisa May Alcott & Rick Hautala. The March girls are knitting socks for the Union soldiers while lamenting being poor. Their father is serving as a chaplain in Mr. Lincoln’s Army. Beth appears to be a ghost, unable to interact with her family despite her best efforts, yet still present. Jo is still tomboyish, although there are hints that she might actually be trans, or would’ve been in modern times. She makes it clear that she would much prefer to be male and fights the attempts to make her into a proper woman. Jo still meets Laurie, but here we’re given strong hints that he is from another planet. I was fascinated by this story, but I felt it deserved expansion. 4 out of 5

“Death Stopped for Miss Dickinson” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Poet Emily Dickinson, very much an introvert, meets a mysterious man in the graveyard outside her window. She becomes terrified that he could become immortal if her sister doesn’t destroy all her work after dying. The tale is jumpy, told from different viewpoints, but never settling long enough to connect. Perhaps a more fluid method of storytelling would’ve increased my enjoyment as there were some jewels of pure beauty in the story, but the nonlinear method just constantly jolted my enjoyment. And, by the way, was Thomas Higgonson really needed? I think not. My first disappointing story. 3 out of 5.

“Twilight of the Gods” by Chris Ryall. Loki is exiled to Jotunheim, his presence unwanted by the people of Asgard. Fine with him as Asgard was no longer working for him. He’s dropped into a new environment that helps Loki find himself. That’s pretty much as far as I got. I could blame Marvel and Tom Hiddleston giving us such a marvelous and witty version of Loki or perhaps the fact that this is a mashup with 90210, a series that I abhorred (along with all the other CW/UPN series in this vapid style), but the reality is that Ryall’s writing voice alternately bored and annoyed me. DNF

“Pokky Man” by Marc Laidlaw. When Hemlock Pyne was found “asleep” at a Pokkypet Reserve, his films were turned over to filmmaker Vernor Hertzwig. Hertzwig interviews Pyne’s friends and acquaintances as well. Huh, a skewed look at Pokeman and Werner Hertzog in this deep dive of what happened to Pyne. Or perhaps it should be why it happened is more accurate. After the disappointments of the last two stories, I was happy to find myself engrossed once again. Strange and intriguing. 3.5 out of 5

“Vicious” by Mark Morris. Sid Vicious is sick, turning on his friends and bandmates, dealing with what is probably crabs, and not giving a shit about pretty much anything when a beautiful black woman appears in the broom closet where Sid had fucked the American fangirl. He’s at a crossroads and must make a decision that will direct his life. This one was hard to rate, but the writing is hardcore and, based on what I remember of Vicious, dead on characterwise. 3.5 out of 5

“From Hell’s Heart” by Nancy Collins. Three men, all new to the trapping trade, decide to pool their resources and partner up. It is successful until the night they trap a strange creature who manages to bite one of them in the hand. As the hand becomes horribly infected, the unnamed narrator goes to the trading post for laudanum, meeting a man named Ahab, a former sea captain, who asks to accompany him back to the cabin where his two partners await. Once there, they discover one man dead and the other no longer recognizable as human. Ahab relates an extraordinary tale before following the creature into the night. I delayed reading this for a bit as I was not a fan of either Moby Dick nor Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, the inspirations for this story. Yet I found it surprisingly intriguing, although with a most disturbing ending. 3 out of 5.

“Frankenbilly” by John Shirley. While working as a soundman on the set of “Billy the Kid Versus Dracula”, our unnamed narrator meets a mysterious cowboy who claims to be the real Billy the Kid, although he prefers to be called Henry now. He relates a strange tale of how he met the doctor who inspired Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein before changing his mind about letting that story out. The mixture of fact (the film, the location, the actors involved, some of the history of Billy and Pat) and fiction makes for an interesting horror tale. 3.5 out of 5.

“The Green Menace” by Thomas Tessier. Fleeing Washington after his Senate censure, Senator Joe McCarthy checks into a fishing lodge in the middle of Wisconsin to reconsider his future plans, brood, and do some heavy drinking. Instead he finds himself at war with frogs unlike any he has seen before. I’m honestly not certain why this story appealed to me considering my absolute abhorrence of McCarthy, but it did pull me into its universe. I was pleased to see that the narrator, young Kurt, comes to see McCarthy for what he really was as he grew up and did some research. 3.5 out of 5.

“Quoth the Rock Star” by Rio Youers. When a raven appears at a Doors concert, Jim Morrison is drawn to follow the creature despite believing that it might be a hallucination due to LSD. Walking through the streets of Baltimore, Jim comes to believe that it might be the soul of a broken person. He didn’t expect to meet the long dead Edgar Allan Poe. There begins a partial meeting of two men with much in common, merging into a fight for control, for life, for another chance to create. Two troubled geniuses, both burning themself out through depression, in desperate search for love and a different life. Youers’ voice is so compelling. Knowledge of both men’s lives and works will definitely add to a reader’s enjoyment. 4 out of 5.

“The Happiest Hell on Earth” by John Skipp & Cody Goodfellow. After 37 years in solitary confinement, the elephant man breaks loose, committing suicide, and leaving behind a manuscript that describes how the Animal Wars came to be. I was nervous enough to read this story based on the art that preceded it, but once I started reading, I knew it was more than I could stomach. The animal and animal/hybrid abuse is throughout the entire story, the callousness too much for me. Before I quit, I saw references to Dr. Moreau, another story I find difficult to read, and some barely disguised swipes at Disney. DNF

“Dread Island” by Joe R. Lansdale. Huck Finn and Jim are convinced by Becky Thatcher to go after Tom Sawyer and Joe Hardy when they decide to go to Dread Island. The island, set in the middle of the Mississippi River, can only be seen on the first night of a full moon. Its reputation is that of deadly danger, but Huck cannot abandon his friend and disappoint Becky. Jim reluctantly goes with him. I’ve never read anything from Lansdale before although I’m aware that he has a strong fan base in SFF. If his books are as imaginative and engrossing as this story, I can understand why. First I love that the relationship between Jim and Huck is very father and son as well as friends. Plus Jim is so much more knowledgeable about things and Huck is willing to listen, even if he still insists on going after Tom. Lansdale has mixed Twain’s Huck with Uncle Remus’ Brer animals and Cthulhu into a horrifying adventure. There are even a few recognizable guest appearances from both literature and history, giving a hint as to how this island operates. Brilliant! 4 out of 5.

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theblackestofsuns · 2 years

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“On It”

ZVRC #3 (May 2022)

Chris Ryall and Ashley Wood

Image Comics

#ZVRC #Chris Ryall #Ashley Wood #Image Comics #Great Comics #Great Comic Art #On It

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superman86to99 · 1 year

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Action Comics #698 (April 1994)

Superman vs. an army of muscular, exploding Lex Luthors! And also... himself, because his newly enhanced powers are so out of control that he’s officially more dangerous to Metropolis than any clone army.

Last issue ended with LexCorp being attacked by monsters and Lex Luthor Jr. blaming Project Cadmus for it. In truth, this is the work of rogue geneticist Dabney Donovan, one of the scientists who helped clone Luthor a younger, sexier, cancer-free body. Luthor once tried to kill Dabney to leave no evidence that he’s faking being his own Australian son, so Dabney returns the favor by invading LexCorp tower with his genetically-engineered abominations. Dabney’s remote-controlled monsters finally reach Lex at the top of the tower, but... it’s not Lex, it’s a dummy with a wig on. Which is rigged to explode. All CEOs have one.

Meanwhile, despite his various problems with Luthor in the past, Superman is doing his best to defend LexCorp tower from the monsters (after all, Lex isn’t the only one who works there) but he’s hampered by his erratic powers and the fact the his body seems to be growing for no reason, which is always disorienting. Superman is able to knock down one of the monsters and, upon removing his luchador-like mask, is confused to see that it looks just like Luthor. In fact, all the big monsters do, because Dabney has a special sense of humor (and access to Lex’s DNA).

Superman puts down the rest of these mindless Lex-trocities, which spontaneously combust upon being defeated, and he has to turn on his heat vision to stop the last one. Unfortunately, now he’s unable to turn it off -- in fact, Superman’s heat vision is suddenly so potent that he can’t even close his eyes or he’ll burn his super-eyelids off. After accidentally causing some more property damage to the street in front of LexCorp, Superman has to fly into the ocean and cool off underwater for an hour before regaining his ability to blink. But at least his power troubles seem to be over!

NEXT: Superman’s power troubles get even worse.

Plotline-Watch:

The smaller monsters attacking LexCorp are the same “P-Bak” critters that Dabney and Cadmus’ Director Westfield sent after Superboy in Adventures #506. Presumably Dabney was in a rush and didn’t have time to redesign them so they’d have Lex’s face, too.

Lex checks in on poor Dr. Happersen, still recuperating from his Bizarro attack, not because he’s worried about him but to tell him to stop whining and keep working on the Supergirl project (as seen in the Supergirl miniseries). Luthor’s lackeys really need to unionize and get some better health benefits.

Superman’s power woes are actually making him feel nostalgic for the days of Lex Luthor Sr., back when all he had to do to solve his problems was show up at Lex’s office and find out what gizmo to punch (like the last time his powers went out of whack, in Superman #10).

Lois Lane finally finishes the exposé on Lex Luthor “Jr.” she’s been working on for months, but just as she electronically mails it to the Daily Planet, Lex hacks into the system using the secret backdoor included in all LexCorp PCs and rewrites the entire article so that “there won’t be a soul alive who will ever again believe Lois Lane!” See, this is why is “e-mail” thing will never catch on. Anyway, we’ll find out next issue just how good Lex’s creative writing skills are.

Patreon-Watch:

This post was made possible by our patrons Aaron, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush, Raphael Fischer, Kit, Sam, and Bol, who got to read half of it a whole week ago (yes, Don finished his section way before me again). Obligatory link to see if we can trick more people into joining us: https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99

And now, Don Sparrow’s section, at last liberated for all the world to see!

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

We begin with the cover, and it’s a good one, by Jackson Guice. It puts me in the mind of old “X-Ray Specs” ads from inside comics, though I couldn’t find one that was a specific pose match. Still, a good use of colour to have the bones of Superman’s hand “inked” in solid red.

Inside the issue, we are first greeted by not one full page splash, but three—Superman outpacing the Whiz Wagon, by land and by air. While I think Cadmus/Kirby stuff can tend to overwhelm the Superman mythology at times, I will never tire of seeing that car! [Max: Same!]

There’s an interesting juxtaposition early on, with Director Westfield observing goings-on from his situation room, followed immediately by Dabney Donovan’s similar, but lower-tech observation station, from which he spies on basically everyone.

We’re given another double page spread on pages 12-13, as Superman decks some of the giant creatures sent by Donovan. Denis Rodier’s chunky ink brush lines resemble Kirby at the best of times, but with all these Cadmus creations about, the connection is made all the more visible.

A little later in the story, both Guardian and Jimmy comment that it appears that Superman is growing, but there’s really no context clues in the artwork to sell this idea. He isn’t really placed next to anything for a convincing sense of scale, which feels like a missed opportunity. [Max: Agreed, he looked taller in exactly one panel in which he’s looking down on Guardian, then goes back to looking normal in the next.]

Jackson Guice has always excelled at drawing a realistic and beautiful Lois Lane, and his version of casual around-the-apartment Lois is no exception. Lastly, his depiction of a wizened and ageing Luthor is very well done, and a precursor to the (much later) return of a thin Lex Luthor, which we haven’t seen since the Byrne reboot.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

My issue has a colouring error on the second page, where Superman’s normally yellow/gold belt buckle appears to be white or silver. [Max: Same in my Spanish reprint!]

I’m sure Dabney’s cameras are well hidden, but it appears as though Guardian is looking straight at it, as Donovan monitors the Whiz-cam. Also: thank God that’s the only Whiz-cam we’re shown, that could have been much worse. [Max: I think Dabney is just hacking into the feed seen in the previous page. Also, I’m guessing Lex is the only one with the other type of “whiz-cams” in these comics, considering his habit of spying on women’s dressing rooms...]

Groan: yet another addition to the “since Doomsday” file, where Inspector Henderson thinks to himself that he hasn’t “heard such an edge in his voice…since he went up against Doomsday.” It is an unfortunate (and understandable) habit of this era to liken everything back to Doomsday, in order to elevate whatever is happening in the present story. [Max: We really dropped the ball not having a “Since Doomsday-Watch” section.]

This issue is structured a bit oddly, especially for a comic called “Action”. The action in this issue all takes place early on, with the rest of the issue making up a very long denouement.

Love the care with which Superman speaks on the telephone, not trusting the line not to be observed.

Interesting that burgeoning internet technology is a major plot point here. Nowadays we’re used to stories involving hacking or digital trespass, but in 1993, this was incredibly novel. [Max: Lex was the original Zero Cool.]

#superman #roger stern #jackson guice #denis rodier #project cadmus #guardian #paul westfield #dabney donovan #sydney happersen #muscular exploding lex luthor jrs #whiz cam #not that type of whiz cam sorry tumblr

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smashpages · 9 months

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From 1975 to 1981, Marvel released some very fun calendars, featuring various Marvel characters, as well as birthdays, fist appearances and other fun tidbits. These calendars will be collected in the Mighty Marvel Calendar Book: A Visual History, which hits stores in December.

#mighty marvel calendar book: a visual history #chris ryall #roy thomas #marvel calendars #marvel #sdcc 2023

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kudosmyhero · 7 months

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Transformers: Infiltration #4

Read Date: February 19, 2023 Cover Date: April 2006 ● Writer: Simon Furman ● Art: E.J. Su ● Colorist: John Rauch ● Letterer: Tom B. Long ● Editor: Chris Ryall ◦ Dan Taylor ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● (cover) we've got Bumblebee hanging off a tank's cannon--I'm not sure if it's a real tank or a Transformer--with Ratchet looking on in concern. The purple and gray flyer… is that Starscream? (nope, it's Blitzwing) ● pg 1. Three years ago, Akron Ohio, Verity having trouble with placement in foster care. Her caseworker seems amazing. ● pg 2. Now in NW Nebraska, Verity is lowering herself down a shaft of some kind while the boys watch from above. ● pg 3. Ratchet and Bumblebee--or at least their human holoform things--are up there as well ● gah, holo-Bumblebee has a creepy smile as well!

● basically they're running an errand for Prowl to get evidence for something that will warrant an alert status upgrade ● the three humans are so tiny next to the Decepticon equipment. ● pg 9. Verity is about to open something… ● pg 10. uhh skeletal remains of someone in uniform ● pg 11. this really spooks Verity but she pulls up her angry outer shell to deal with her fear--just like her caseworker saw 3 years ago ● pg 12. Ratchet and Bumblebee are so cute

● eep! But Skywarp and Blitzwing come at them from above! ● the flyers are there to destroy the base ● Ratchet and Bumblebee tell Hunter, Jimmy, and Verity to abort stat. Verity wants to check one more thing first… ● aw! Bumblebee has a cannon that pops out of his hood ● Bumblebee wings (heh) Skywarp with his laser, while Ratchet takes on Blitzwing ● Ratchet uses Blitzwing's paranoia/overactive optic sensors to spook him with a well-placed flash that causes the jet to veer into some trees ● Ratchet goes to make sure his opponent is out of the fight, but he takes a huge blast to the chest ● Gah! who's the tank?! (I'm still learning) ● yiiiikes I think Verity just walked in on Megatron ● 👏👏👏👏👏

Synopsis: Three years ago, a young Verity Carlo meets with a social worker after running away from yet another foster home. Her social worker sees right through Verity's tough façade and states that all she sees is a girl "in a world of hurt and pain".

In the present day, Hunter O'Nion, and Jimmy Pink watch as Verity rappels into the depths of an abandoned Decepticon fortress in the wilderness of Nebraska. Using their holomatter avatars, Ratchet and Bumblebee watch on; Ratchet is adamant that when this escapade is over, the humans are going home, while Bumblebee warns the trio to watch for booby traps.

As the two boys follow Verity into the shaft and split up to investigate, Bumblebee confides to Ratchet that he thinks that the Autobot medic might be right—but to change Prowl's mind, they'll need hard evidence that something's wrong… and the humans fall into the "acceptable losses" category if it means getting that evidence.

In Dallas, Texas, Drake meets with a group of humans in the Epsilon Holdings building—a front for the shadowy group known as the Machination led by Abraham Dante. Jolly reports on recent events: a series of anomalous vehicle attacks throughout the southwest United States have led the group to conclude that the "visitors" are moving into the next stage of their operations. Having received a homing signal from their deceased operative Stoker, Drake and his team of operatives are dispatched to "accelerate" their "acquisition strategy…"

Deep inside the Decepticon bunker, Verity discovers a strange sight: a jumbled series of glowing green tubes, each one big enough to hold a human. Ignoring Jimmy's warnings, Verity goes ahead and opens one… and is immediately confronted by the gruesome sight of a rotted corpse wearing a military uniform. Despite the shock, Verity manages to compose herself and move on; as she does so, however, she's unaware that, topside, the two Autobots have visitors of their own in the shape of Skywarp and Blitzwing. Paying no heed to the Autobots, the two fliers launch a massive bombing run on the base, forcing the two Autobots to outrun the explosions!

Ratchet yells for the humans to evacuate the base as fast as possible; while Jimmy and Hunter comply, Verity, determined to make up for losing her cool earlier, ignores Ratchet's orders and goes to investigate the last section of the base. As she does so, battle breaks out as the Autobots try to buy time for the humans—Bumblebee pits his superior processor speed against Skywarp's teleportation power and comes out on top, while Ratchet shoots Blitzwing out of the sky. When the medic goes to make sure that his opponent is downed for good, however, he's not so lucky, and is quickly taken out by a volley from his opponent's tank mode…

…and, underground, Verity discovers that she's not the only occupant of the Decepticon fortress as she enters the last room of the base and comes face to face with its other occupant: Megatron!

(https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Infiltration_issue_4)

Fan Art: TFA Blitzwing by Kath-the-shadow

Accompanying Podcasts: ● Swerve's Bar Podcast - episode 07

#idw #my idw read #transformers #swerve's bar podcast #comics #fanart #comic books #fan art #podcast recommendation

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