Oh, The Horror! #9: Hellboy Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others

I love Hellboy. Yes, I do! I think he's a great character and I just love his world and the other folks he surrounds himself with. I love both the fantastic movies directed by the great Guillermo Del Toro and I love the animated movies. One problem, though... I've never really read Hellboy. Some kinda fan I am, ay? Years ago I've read the famous The Corpse story, and I've read the crossover with Savage Dragon. One thing I've ALWAYS loved was the wonderful art done by the creator Mike Mignola. But yes, a few days ago I went to one of my friends' house to discuss our film assignment for film class. I saw he had a few comics and I asked if I could borrow Hellboy. I would have loved it to be Vol. 1, but it was Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others, but who was I to pass up a chance to FINALLY read the damn book?! So I borrowed it and finally read it earlier today, and holy moley was this a blast to read! Each chapter was a short issue or a few pages all introduced by Mignola himself on the background of the story.

You can totally see Mignola having tons of fun writing and drawing this comic and coming up with the stories. It's seriously like watching a boy play with his toys. Mignola is highly imaginative with each panel-to-page of the stories, but at the same time produces the complexity of everything to a very simple story that's enough to have you cheering for the hero. Mignola is a HUGE folklore junky and his stories are deeply inspired by old folklore that range from all types of cultures. That's one thing that's always fascinated me about the character even in the movies, live action and animated. In this specific volume, there's inspiration from English, Irish, Russian culture, even a bit of Frankenstein! I would love to see what Mignola could do with Haitian folklore. That'd definitely get my fascination to the upteen level!

I would highly recommend this for anyone who's a fan of the Hellboy movies, horror, or monsters. I actually got such an aura of inspiration reading this and makes me really excited to produce something of this caliber someday. It's definitely pumped me up for the upcoming 24 Hour Comic Challenge I posted earlier about. Also, once again, the art is just... magnificent. I really wish Marvel and DC books would put more art like this into their books. Artists like Mignola, Riley Rossmo, Irving, etc. These types of artists are what I find to be more appealing than the art we're seeing in the Big 2 books today. Now, I do enjoy a lot of the art there and the artists are extremely skillful and talented, but it's time we've had some change with the style of art, you know?

But anywho, Hellboy! I'm so gonna need to start buying the other trades of this book! So do you all!

Flip of the Coin #1: Why?

I've always had a fascination with people, since I was really young. For years I've always wanted to know every darn thing about a person. See, I used to heavily believe that you couldn't fully appreciate or love a person unless knowing everything, good and bad, and accepting them. With people, it's rather hard to see this. People are like coins. You see one side but don't see the other. They could be hiding something, something emotional or painful, but you could never tell. Or a very flawed side. Nowadays, my views on this is different. Now, if people I care about don't want to reveal a thing to me, so be it. Doesn't mean I can't appreciate or care for them.

But yes, moving on... Two-Face represents people. That is the main thing that attracts me to the character. He is the representation and personification of wanting to see both sides and my fascination with people as a whole. When written well, Two-Face is a very flawed individual. Sure, he is a Bat-villain, but in him he still has the potential to do good. As people, we have good and bad sides about us. One side could be greater than the other, but we have them. Two-Face represents that notion, even visually. We could be very beautiful at one point and very scarred and ugly. His obsession with allowing the coin to choose his or other's fate could represent our inner desires to want to do things people would deem out-of-character for us or even just plain wrong.

Also, since I was little I've always been fascinated by the whole multiple personality stuff. That combined with people having different personalities in general is what makes me so in love a the character like Harvey Dent, or someone like Jaime Madrox, the Multiple Man, over at Marvel. And in me is my own constant inner battles of making decisions that even I tend to flip a coin to decide or just plainly don't do anything.

And it also helps that Two-Face has had some fantastic writing for him. Writers like Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, Chuck Dixon, J.M. DeMatteis, Jeph Loeb, Andrew Helfer, and many others writing essential Two-Face stories. Usually it's guaranteed that if Two-Face makes an appearance, it'll be an intense and interesting story. And who doesn't love reading those stories of a best friend or partner gone bad. Two-Face was once D.A. of Gotham and part of the Gotham Trinity trying to stop crime. But we all know how much that cost as his struggles against crime lead to the down fall of the great Gotham White Knight Harvey as he comes to twisted and deformed Two-Face. You can't help but fall in love with the character and his struggle when you watch his origin episodes in the 90s Batman Animated Series written by master Paul Dini and in Chris Nolan's recent masterpiece The Dark Knight where Harvey was such a huge and fantastic part of the film.

So yeah. All those stuff above and many are why I'm so in darn love with this character. Sheesh, what a rant. Hmm... but reading through this post I still couldn't quite fully seem to express in detail my full love for the character. Here's hoping at least a bit was expressed to convey it.

Flip of the Coin #2*: Solits of Nightwing #147-151 (The Great Leap)

*Reason this is number 2 is because I'm in the process of writing the first post for this Two-Face aspect of my blog. So no, it was not a pun on the character, heh heh...

I'm a big Two-Face fan. Everyone who's close to me knows that or even had a conversation or chat with me about comics or whatever. He's my favorite fictional character in anything. Although I haven't been buying DC (except for All Star Superman and Hellblazer) whenever Two-Face makes an appearance, I'll get it. I'll start this post by posting his most recent appearance in the Nightwing comic. Thus far, a really enjoyable story. Tomasi is a master story teller and I was excited to hear he'd be writing dear ol' Harvey. But yes, here are the solits of the recent Nightwing/Two-Face stories. When the rest of the issues are out, I'll write a review.


Nightwing #147

Written by Peter J. Tomasi ; Art by Don Kramer and Sandu Florea; Cover by Rags Morales

A "Batman: R.I.P." tie-in! Two-Face hits New York City – but when he takes a bite out of the Big Apple, he finds it rotten to the core. He'll make Nightwing and all of New York pay for their crimes…unless Nightwing can save one of Harvey Dent's old flames from an assassin's bullet!

Nightwing #148

A "Batman: R.I.P." tie-in! Nightwing's been shot by an assassin! How can he save the life of Harvey Dent's former lover before the killer returns to finish the job…and before he bleeds to death? Will Nightwing find sanctuary in the Batcave, or will Batman's recent disappearance lead to an even bigger mystery?


Nightwing # 149


A 'Batman R.I.P.' tie-in! With Batman missing in action, Nightwing faces off against The Dark Knight's most dangerous enemies - Killer Croc, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Two-Face and The Joker - to save the life of a woman marked for death.

Nightwing # 150

Cover by Philip Tan Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver Special oversized 'Batman R.I.P.' tie-in issue! Believing Nightwing responsible for the death of an old flame, Two-Face has sworn his revenge upon Batman's first Robin and New York City itself. Armed with the same acid that turned him into Two-Face, Harvey Dent plans to scar half the population of New York to make them pay for his loss. And without The Dark Knight around for help, it's up to Nightwing to stop the Batman's most duplicitous and dangerous villain. Beware the acid rain as Nightwing confronts Two-Face in the final chapter of 'The Great Leap'!

Nightwing #151

Nightwing has saved New York City from Two-Face, but that doesn't mean that he's saved himself – or that Two-Face is through with him. Nightwing will be forced to confront the madman in Arkham Asylum then face dire changes to his personal life as he deals with the aftereffects of "Batman R.I.P." and makes the ultimate leap!

Buy Tales of the TMNT #50 this week!!!

My good buddy, Tristan Jones, returns to the world of the Turtles after his fan-favorite issue #36 along with his partner in crime, Paul Harmon. I interviewed Trist a few months back for my comic column, he was a blast and showed some awesome preview art. I can guarantee this is gonna be a blast, so do check it out.


Here's the link to the interview http://burbank.directrouter.com/~bludbloo/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=339&Itemid=51

Here is the link to his blog where he has awesome stuff inside is mind
http://tristanhuwjones.blogspot.com/

And here is the link to Paul Harmon's AWESOME artwork.
http://dogmeatsausage.blogspot.com/

Oh, The Horror! #4: David Hine's Strange Embrace

Beautifully stitched and crafted by the twisted mind of David Hine, we are pulled into an analysis of the human psyche in what could be described as intriguing, but of course frightening. In Hine’s Strange Embrace we are introduced to a cast of characters who could be seen quite normal at first glance. But pull down the first layer of curtains and turn that knob on the door, and we are introduced to a world filled with love, obsession, alienation, sexual longing and perversion, pain and tragedy… Basically the essential of what makes us all human, and quite frankly – disturbed. Hine presents the littlest flaws and emotions of love and pushes each button to the point where a horror story is milked that leaves your mind tingling in both fascination and disgust.

The story is filled with so many characters that all share connections somehow to each other. We are first introduced to a teenage delivery boy by the name of Sukumar who has to deliver groceries to an old man named Anthony Corbeau, the key to this mundane and moody story. After rushing away in fear from Corbeau during a snowstorm, Sukumar is taken in by Alex, a writer whose picture should be next to the definition of “sadistic bastard.” Alex is a psychic who finds pleasure in stories, but gone are the stories of fantasy and fiction – Alex likes to dwell into the minds of the people around him, peeling away at their secrets, lies, and their past, even if in doing so corrupts and drives them insane or even death. If by chance you die while Alex is going through your tortured psyche, Alex would smile on satisfaction that your story is finally completed and goes on with his life to uncover more stories for his library collection, a café literally filled ghosts. But once again, Alex is a writer, and like every writer he needs an audience. And this is where Sukumar comes unto the plot as he is mentally forced to deal with Alex and listen to the story of the old man, Corbeau, and his obsession with African art. But it is that one simple obsession with African art that presents us to his father, Edward, mother, Agnes, and eventually his wife, Sarah. Each character is filled with their own secrets and everything just slowly but surely comes to a head as eventually each of their story intertwines and interferes with each other to a surprising conclusion.

Each character is delicately crafted and at many times the characters you root for one minute now has you covering your mouth in disgust a minute later. Be surprised if you aren’t driven insane by this horror story. But it isn’t quite fair to continue to call it just a horror story. This is also quite a mystery story where we are constantly seeing a missing piece of a puzzle slightly placed to give us a clearer picture. This is where we, the reader, eventually becomes Alex, the sadistic bastard. Like Alex trying to uncover the life story of Anthony and everyone who surrounds him, you are going to constantly want to turn to the next page to see what happens and how far insanity can be pushed. The story will absolutely consume you.

And lets not just stick to the writing, Hine also provides the art. And if you are familiar with Hine’s writing on Silent War, Spawn, or Poison Candy, just wait to see how twisted he could get with his artwork. With his own art style that you can most definitely call his own, panels of horror and pain will be popping up at times that you’d least expect, moments that add more tragedy to the already intense story. There’s a part in the book where you are trying to uncover Sarah’s story and you are drawn to a drawer that will open up a whole new secret to unravel and shock you. And another page when Sarah meets her mother-in-law. I’m telling you, all my praising of this tale gives it no justice until you read it yourself. But let me not forget the fantastic colors by Flanimal’s Rob Steen. Originally Strange Embrace was published back in ’94 in black and white by Atomeka Press and later collected into trade by Active Images. But thanks to Elephantmen’s Richard Starking, we are presented to Hine’s world in color that only draws you more into this story and both pleasantly and disturbingly locks you in a Strange Embrace. Heh… see what I did there?

So run to a local comic shop or bookstore and pick up Strange Embrace. You will not regret it. This book has been getting absolutely NOTHING but rave reviews from critics and this would surely be a great time to read the book that got David Hine his Marvel and Image’s Spawn job, and DC Comics job (Two-Face, baby!!!) So let’s jump into Hine’s café of ghosts and be prepared to be held and consumed in his hold.



















The order number for Strange Embrace is: APR08 2187 retailing for: $34.99 or it can be ordered from Amazon with a hefty 34% discount at $23.09.

This edition includes the original graphic novel, written by David Hine and coloured by Rob Steen, plus four short stories, sketches, cover art and interview.