Lady Mechanika Volume 0: La Dama de la Muerte

Lady Mechanika Volume 0: La Dama de la Muerte by Joe Benitez with artwork by Joe Benitez and Peter Steigerwald

Lady Mechanika cover

Author and illustrator Joe Benitez

Artist Peter Steigerwald

I was not familiar with the comic Lady Mechanika, but the cover artwork depicting a woman in Dia de la Muertos make-up immediately attracted me to this story. This comic includes issues from a mini-series titled La Dama de la Muerte. The story revolves around Mechanika who visits a remote Mexican village where she tries to escape from a painful loss of her beloved Dallas. We don’t learn much about Dallas, but Mechanika gradually reveals his presence in her life when she is persuaded to partake in the local Dia de la Muertos celebration. The artwork throughout this story is amazing, truly capturing the colors and styles of this iconic holiday. Furthermore, this is a great action/revenge story where Lady Mechanika gradually feels like she belongs to a new community, only to experience tragedy once again. I don’t want to give too much away, but the story is compelling, violent, and thrilling. However, it’s the artwork from Joe Benitez (who also wrote the story) and Peter Steigerwald that stands out the most in this collection of issues from this miniseries. Not only does it represent the colorful and bold styles of Dia de la Muerte, but there are also some really cool images from the jungles of Mexico, which seemingly capture some of the indigenous artwork and styles of Aztec people. There are mentions of Mictecacihuatl, the Aztec queen of the underworld, along with other symbols and themes relating to Aztec culture. I really appreciated the artwork and hope to find some of the other Lady Mechanika stories. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of this great graphic novel/collection.

 

The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace

 The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace by Hannah Rose May with artwork by Kelsey Ramsay

The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace cover

Author Hannah Rose May

Artist Kelsey Ramsay

Almost anytime I find an exorcism story, I’m going to read it. I was excited to find The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace mainly because it looked like a cool story about the royal family of England and demonic possession written by Hannah Rose May, who also penned The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, which I still haven’t read. The story starts with a mysterious boat accident where a number of the royal family who are next in line for the crown end up disappearing. Their missing boat causes a crisis at Buckingham Palace, as the elderly and infirm king of England was looking to appoint his successor sooner rather than later. With a sudden break in the lineage, the king turns to the prime minister for advice about how to handle the growing situation. They decide to appoint the king’s grandson, Theo, who brings his own backage to the palace. Theo’s mother, Odette, died under mysterious circumstances when he was younger, and she always warned Theo about the shadow that seemed to follow the royal family. Furthermore, Theo has battled his own demons, notably addiction, which played out publicly for many years. Although he’s sober and newly engaged, Theo seems to be an questionable and somewhat unwilling choice. Nevertheless, the king encourages Theo, convincing him that it is not only good for the country, but it is also his duty to carry on the royal line. While Theo agrees, he begins to confront many of the old demons as he struggles with his time in the spotlight. I don’t want to give too much more away, but Theo must eventually grapple with his own demons as he eventually learns how to be the leader that England needs.

While I liked the premise of this story, and Theo’s story from uncertain prince to confident and compelling leader is a nice story, I wish there was more supernatural elements to the story and that the exorcism was a larger part of the story. Much of the story felt political and dealt with the royal family and the concurrent intrigue and challenges that the prime minister faced with the opposing party. I’m not as familiar with British politics and royalty, so this aspect of the story felt a little different. Plus, when I read the title, I assumed that most of the story would be about the exorcism, whereas it mainly took place at the last ¼ of the story. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how Theo confronted both personal and supernatural demons in his uncertainty and eventual acceptance of the crown. I could see some similarities between him and the Windsor family, especially with the tragic death of a young, beautiful princess, who’s early death left her child haunted and conflicted about the royal legacy. Plus, the artwork was generally interesting for this story. Kelsey Ramsay uses shading and shadows to cast dread and a worrisome feel among those at Buckingham Palace about the uncertainty of the future king. The supernatural elements of the artwork were also dark and menacing, so I enjoyed his element of the story. I also loved the sketches at the back of the comic, as well as some of the images by other artists. I just felt that the story could have focused more on the exorcism and demonic possession and less on British politics. Thanks to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for sharing this advanced copy.

Red Roots Volume One: An Inventive, Genre Blending Comic

 Red Roots Volume One by Lorenzo De Felici

Red Roots book cover

Author and artist Lorenzo De Felici

Many thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of the wild and inventive comic Red Roots by Lorenzo De Felici. This volume collects issues 1-5, world building a mysterious other dimension where a high school biology teacher and a professional killer end up meeting through a giant warrior creature named Grit. The story starts off alternating between the two characters, Dante (or Dan), the professional killer out for vengeance, and Katie, a high school teacher who makes an unsettling discovery in her home, leading her to question her sanity. Their stories converge in a strange, new world where the red roots bring new recruits to join the battle-inflicted world. We gradually learn more about the world, the seemingly endless battles, and the various creatures that inhabit this world as Dan and Katie learn more through their interactions with other creatures, including Grit. The artwork is stellar in this collection, moving from a realistic style to a fantasy world populated by inventive creature designs. At times, the story is a little hard to follow since the transitions from one world to the next are sudden, but we learn more about how Katie and Dan ended up in the land of the Red Roots and how they might be afforded an opportunity to leave. The story ends suddenly without any resolution, so I’m hopefully that future issues will examine more about how Dan and Katie navigate this strange world, managing threats from the enemy combatants as well as creatures within the town who seem suspicious or jealous of their position as humans. I really enjoyed how the artwork and story synthesizes several genres to create a unique tale that can appeal to sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and action/adventure enthusiasts. I’m looking forward to learning more about the world of Red Roots in subsequent issues. Recommended!

Unexplained Events and Eerie Tales from MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within

 MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within: The Graphic Stories by MrBallen with artwork by Andrea Mutti

MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within cover

Podcaster MrBallen

Artist Andrea Mutti

Many thanks to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of MrBallen Presents: The Terror Within: The Graphic Stories. MrBallen, a popular true crime podcaster and influencer, has collected some of his favorite, most haunting unexplained mysteries and commissioned his creative team to retell these chilling stories in graphic novel form. Although MrBallen has selected the tales for this anthology, he acknowledges the team including his sister, Evan Allen, who writes and edits, along with co-selecting the stories, and Robert Venditti, who revises the podcast scripts into graphic novel formats, as integral to the creation of this collection. In addition, Andrea Mutti contributes through his excellent artwork to capture some of the terrifying and uncanny elements of these stories.

The stories in this collection take place around the world and through different times in the 19^th and 20th centuries. Some of the stories, like the Dyatlov Pass Incident (“Dead Mountain”) and the Magdelena Solis story (“The Cave”) may be familiar, if not infamous, for some readers. Other stories like “The Red Ghost”, “Ape Canyon”, and “Her Face” were familiar to me, but had elements of the uncanny, the unexplained, or happenstance that created ironic twists that helped intrigue me with its events. I appreciated how this collection provides a map and locations for each of the events to indicate where these stories took place. Although not all of the stories were included in this sample, it provided me with enough to pique my interest in these tales of the unexplained. Like MrBallen, I’m also a fan of these kinds of mysteries and unexplained phenomena. MrBallen provides brief commentary at the beginning and end of each story, and most of the stories are told through his 3^rd person narration that observes and describes what happens to those involved in the story. He provides some explanations about the events at the end of some of the stories, but others like “Dead Mountain” and “Ape Canyon” remain somewhat unresolved and mysterious, leaving readers wanting to know more about what exactly happened and what the possible explanations are for these events. Others like “The Cave” and “The Red Ghost” have mostly rational explanations for the events that occurred or at least have some kind of resolution where justice was served. Nevertheless, “The Red Ghost” was particularly haunting and strange as we are never really given an explanation as to why the red ghost initially appeared or what exactly happened to Elizabeth. It was a strange and perplexing tale that’s left me wanting to know more. Thankfully, the team working with MrBallen provides a useful further reading list at the end of the collection to learn more about each of these events.

This was a fun, quick read that has some intriguing investigative tales. The simple narration and commentary in each of the panels helps to focus on the mysterious nature of these events, and pairs well with Mutti’s stark, evocative illustrations and artwork, creating a creepy and uncanny atmosphere, great for the Halloween season. I was also excited to learn that there are other MrBallen graphic novels available that detail other mysteries and unexplained events, so I’ll look forward to checking those out. Recommended!

The Spine of the Land a Truly Graphic Novel

 The Spine of the Land by Jason Krawcyzk with artwork by A. Shay Hahn

The Spine of the Land cover

Author Jason Krawcyzk

Many thank to Dead Sky Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to preview The Spine of the Land, a historical hicksploitation graphic novel by Jason Krawcyzk with artwork by A. Shay Hahn. I was drawn to this graphic novel by the amazing cover art by Andrew Barr, which shows some kind of giant monster man feasting on flesh above a group of masked men roving among a hill of skulls. The description of the novel as “3:10 to Yuma meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre” also grabbed my attention since it seemed like such an odd pairing. The story is simple and escalates quickly but takes some unexpected pivots and twists along the way. Louisiana is expanding the railroad line through the state, but the project encounters a frightening roadblock: a band of cannibals in the undeveloped backwoods of Louisiana, delaying the project and costing the railroad companies and the state money. The forces attempting to protect the workers have captured one of the cannibals in a bear trap and want to bring him back to his home settlement. However, the governor wants to also offer the cannibals money to move out of the railroad’s way and allow construction on the line to continue. The governor and others involved with the railroad’s construction hire a kindly sheriff along with a crew of other outcasts to escort the cannibal, in a cage, through the backwoods and bayous of Louisiana. Without giving too much away, the story takes some surprising turns as the crew realizes that this might not have been the mission they initially signed up for. This is a quick read, that moves along propulsively as the mission begins and the group of ragtag lawmen move throughout the creepy and ominous backwoods of Louisiana. I really enjoyed the story, as it offers an interesting historical take on the kind of hicksploitation films from the 70s and 80s that can be so disturbing. While the description references Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I was also thinking a little bit about Bone Tomahawk when I read this, as there are some brutal kills throughout this story as the marauding mass of man-eaters attempt to defend their home against encroaching eminent domain. Regardless, any horror fan will get their fill of brutal blood and guts with this edition that really puts the graphic in graphic novel. Recommended!

Fame, Fortune and Writer's block in Unfinished Tales by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

 Unfinished Tales by Ed Brubaker; artwork by Sean Phillips

Unfinished Tales book cover

Author Ed Brubaker

Artist Sean Phillips

Many thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ latest collaboration Unfinished Tales. I haven’t read too much by Ed Brubaker and I’m still relatively new to non-horror comics, but I was absolutely blown away by this tale of fame, fortune, and severe writer’s block (or procrastination). Unfinished Tales might be one of the best books I’ve read about the challenges of creativity and creating art in a market that values commercial success. The story focuses on Finnegan Blake, whose Knights of the Sun series is widely considered one of the most popular and best-selling fantasy series of the 21^st century. The series, which generated a multi-season television show, has fans that follow Blake to various conventions and talks, despite (or maybe in spite of) the fact that Blake hasn’t completed the final book in the series. The last book was published many years ago, leaving fans eagerly anticipating the final entry. While many fans are hopefully anticipating Blake’s last entry, others are growing restless, with one fan even confronting Blake at a talk, with his public rebuke of Blake’s delay in completing the book going viral.

One of the great aspects of this book is how Brubaker’s writing and Phillips’ excellent artwork allow for a slow reveal where we begin to see how Finnegan Blake’s success and popularity are not exactly what they seem, and have created a kind of prison or weight that he carries around with him, continually reminded about the impending deadline that continuously pushed further and further back. Anyone whose struggled with writer’s block or procrastination should be able to relate to Blake’s struggles of just being unable to produce. Even Blake’s longtime editor, who tries some different approaches to get Blake to finish, never sees the book, as he passes away prior to retirement and years after having a stroke that was probably hastened by Blake’s failure to finish. On the way back from the funeral, Blake encounters a friend (or possibly a writer rival) from college, and they catch up over drinks. Although he experienced some success in college and after, Pierre never had the same kind of success and acclaim that Finn experienced. Nevertheless, Pierre ends up staying with Finn, offering him the possibility of finishing his series, although it comes with a catch. Will Finn agree to Pierre’s plan? Or will his ego get in the way? I won’t ruin the ending, but I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fun and surprising ending, and despite being a book about writer’s block and procrastination, the plot continually moves forward, occasionally revisiting Blake’s past to better understand how he got stuck and was unable to move ahead with his story. Furthermore,  Phillips’ classic, realistic artwork provide a sense of gravitas to the story, elevating it to something more literary. I highly recommend this book, and I’ll be looking for more great stories from Brubaker and Phillips.