[Inked In Blood] New And Upcoming Comics For March 13th, 2015

IN SHOPS THIS WEEK:

HELLBREAK #1

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Brian Churilla
Publisher: Oni Press Inc
Price: $1
Description: There are thousands of Hells, each unique, each terrible. Mega-cities ruled by vicious gangs. Empires where the most perverse are well-respected. Wastelands roamed by prehistoric monstrosities. With the proper tools and know-how… you can infiltrate Hell whether you’re dead or not. With the proper tools and know-how, you can break out. Project Kerberos has developed this forbidden technology, and a special forces extraction team is dispatched to rescue lost souls from the infernal realm.

Our Take: Cullen Bunn is the very definition of prolific. He writes tons of comics on a monthly basis, with any publisher who’ll have him, in nearly every genre imaginable. But he does seem to favor a mix of horror and action more than anything, which is Hellbreak‘s formula as well. That said, it’s also an incredibly ambitious concept; a team of soldiers rescue people from Hell. For a story like that, you need a visual component that can both convey the thrilling, suspenseful action of a “Hellbreak” while also putting down a visceral, truly hellish vision on paper. Artist Brian Churilla is perfectly adept at the former but struggles with the latter. Still, the debut issue is both a fun ride (if not nearly scary enough) for a paltry one dollar.

CLICK HERE FOR PREVIEW

SOUTHERN CROSS #1

Writer: Becky Cloonan
Artist: Andy Belanger
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3
Description: NOW BOARDING: Southern Cross, tanker flight 73 to TITAN! Alex Braith is on board retracing her sister’s steps to the refinery moon, hoping to collect her remains and find some answers. The questions keep coming though-how did her sister die? Where did her cabin mate disappear to? Who is that creep across the hall? And why does she always feel like she’s being watched?

Our Take: Becky Cloonan is a comic creator powerhouse. She’s an artist who cut her teeth writing and illustrating her own comics independently while also taking on more than a few high profile comics, some earning much vaunted Eisner awards. With her Image Comics debut, she teams up with long-time cohort Andy Belanger for this very distinctive title, a surreal, atmospheric sci-fi thriller that still manages to be gritty and enthralling, thanks to Cloonan’s emotion-laced, intimate writing, given a boost in contrast by Belanger’s heavy and dense art. It’s yet another Image gem to add to the treasure.

CLICK HERE FOR PREVIEW

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FRANKENSTEIN UNDERGROUND #1

Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Ben Stenbeck
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.50
Description: Hellboy’s creator takes on history’s greatest monster! The Frankenstein creature is alone, abandoned, and wandering underground, where he will discover other strange creatures—and dark secrets to the universe.

Our Take: Look, I’m no more a fan of “rebooted” classic Universal monsters than anyone else, but people, this is Mike Mignola. If the name doesn’t mean anything to you, all you need to know is that by creating Hellboy he single-handedly resurrected the pulp-horror genre and has continued to shape pulp comics in general since then. If anyone could respectfully take the Frankenstein creature to new places in exciting ways, it’s this guy. That said, this is a Mignola book for Dark Horse, which means it might tie into his Hellboy stories, but hopefully it’ll stand alone. In Shops: March 18th, 2015

THE FLY: OUTBREAK #1

Writer: Brandon Seifert
Artist: Menton3
Publisher: IDW Publishing Inc
Price: $4
Description: Years ago, a scientist had a horrific accident when he tried to use his newly invented teleportation device and became a human/fly hybrid. Now his almost-human son continues to search for a cure for the mutated genes. But a breakthrough turns into a breakout, and anyone exposed risks turning into a monster as well…

Our Take: In stark contrast to the Frankenstein Underground comic previewed above, this particular adaptation of a much-loved (twice!) horror icon is a far riskier bet. Writer Brandon Seifert did well with his Witch Doctor comic but his most recent title, The Harvester, hasn’t fared as well. I have to add that I read an interview with Seifert recently in which he admitted that he didn’t handle gore well. I’m definitely taken aback by this. The guy seems to be catering almost exclusively to the horror fandom, yet he hadn’t even seen EITHER of The Fly movies before working on this comic? Really? And while artist Menton3 can craft some incredible covers, his work on interiors is notoriously flaky. Still, these two creators have turned in some great work and really, if any source material deserves a second (or third in this case) look, it’s The Fly. Just so long as you don’t look at the sequels. In Shops: March 18th, 2015