This week we continue a few series we have already introduced and also bring forward a series that everyone should be reading back catalogue for by the end of this article.
Doctor Spektor and Nailbiter both do great jobs at fluidly telling a story and hooking us in for more, while Hack/Slash sets up a potentially fun hellish ride and Twilight Zone leaves us wanting less words and more satisfaction.
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Neil Edwards
Published by Dynamite Comics
Issue one left the titular character and our reader in a bit of disarray but issue two decides to forego holding our hands and throwing us into even more upheaval. But it’s all for the better. With issue two, Waid allows us to connect with Abby and the Doc more, showing us intimate conversations between the two while also bouncing back to an even more frenzied storyline that definitely involves (but is not limited to) time travelling, talking ghosts and wonderful art.
While it’s a bit of a head-scratcher, it’s enticing enough to lead you along and want to take the journey with the creative team, rather than feeling forced to follow a silly plot line. Waid is doing his best to bring the Gold Key Comics universe completely together and this issue is just one step forward in what promises to be an entertaining ride.
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Art by Guiu Vilanova
Published by Dynamite Comics
Now, here is my big problem with The Twilight Zone comics. I understand that the show was running 30 minute episodes so they had a lot more to work with, but sometimes the issues just seem a little too wordy and stretched out because they’re hoping for the arc to hit two or even three issues when it could be done in one and end up short and sweet instead of long and drawn out.
That being said, The Twilight Zone #6 is heavy on the words, cramming a full blown history lesson down our throat that is four pages too long for just a little bit of background but the end of the issue manages to hook you back in with a solid cliffhanger.
Written by MIchael Moreci & Steve Seeley
Art by Emilio Laiso
Published by Image Comics
If you have never read any of the Hack/Slash comics before, you should. They are a wonderful love letter to cult classic grindhouse movies with a sexy exterior and sharp interior.
Cassandra Hack hunts “slashers,” who are essentially the nut jobs we love to see running around the horror movies we watch. In Son of Samhain, she’s been out of the game but is dragged back in when a fellow hunter asks for aid. This is an intro issue through and through, brings current readers up to speed on what Cassie has been doing but also dishes out enough exposition for new readers to stay interested.
The art is fantastic, the writing is spot-on, and it’s Buffy with a Rated R edge. While the first issue leaves you wanting, not much happens other than the set up of the series, it’s still fun enough to read and pretty enough to look at a warrant at issue two.
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Mike Henderson
Published by Image Comics
While the first two issues teased us with glimpses into our title killers prior life, three finally takes us through some serious background. And even though Edward Warren is still a creep, Williamson does his best job at making us sympathize with a sociopath and does a good job at it.
The story is flowing so perfectly, this is honestly not just a great horror comics, it’s an all around amazing read in general. Williamson and Henderson do a lot in this issue. They give us a glimpse at a new killer, shed light on the mystery already at hand, and then introduce us to the absolutely whacky but novel concept with “the serial killer graveyard.” The two main characters are becoming likeable cops that we are rooting for but the killers have the edge on how interesting they are and how damn cool Henderson makes them look. Nailbiter is horror done right, in any form of media.
