Screaming Soup!

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! We’ve been proponents of comics for as long as we can remember and are thrilled the rest of the world has finally caught up with givin’ them the recognition they deserve as a respectable outlet of literature. Course this has backfired somewhat, ’cause the same pretentious folks who were snobs about the artistic merit of comics are now oversaturatin’ comics’ fan base as born again funny book supporters, which kind of robs comics of their attraction a little, you know? It’s like havin’ a favorite cult film. It’s a cult film because only a few sickos with warped minds find any joy in watchin’ and celebratin’ entertainment the mainstream audience deems trash. But overtime, these trashy flicks gain traction thanks to video releases, cable broadcasts, and websites, and suddenly your outsider quirks for wearin’ Evil Dead 2 t-shirts or havin’ Big Trouble in Little China up poster on your wall don’t seem all that special anymore. But don’t get us wrong. Popularity in the mainstream means companies and studios will happily pump out more stories of our favorite monsters and psycho slashers for a buck, and the fast track for meetin’ these demands are typically comics.

Over the years, we have made it our business to hunt down the complete run of comics related to our favorite series of horror flicks. You name it, we more than likely have it. Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Child’s Play, Fright Night, and even the coveted and super rare copy of Phantasm: Overminds, the first and last time we pay more than $20 for a single funny book. The only exception we make for collectin’ these are the direct comic adaptations of movies themselves. They can give ya insight for how a movie might have played out if there was no such thing as a budget, but why do I want a comic when I already have the movie, you know?

This is a tradition that continues today with more companies than ever willin’ to license old movies for rag picture books, and we keep track of our favorite titles issue for issue at our Sequential Slime blog. For fun, we thought we’d clue you in to what’s recently come out and sum up our thoughts on them.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

Based on one of Carpenter’s zaniest flicks, this is an impressive series that’s yet to produce a bad issue. Jack Burton continues his Asian themed adventures with most the original characters from Big Trouble in Little China which includes a resurrected Lo Pan as the regular baddie out for revenge. With Carpenter guidin’ the stories, the series is full of humor, action, character, and charm as Jack drives his truck to hell and back fightin’ supernatural spooks, booger beasts, apocalyptic demons, and even Snake Plissken!

HATCHET    

Putrid polecats! Adam Green’s retro lovin’ gore trilogy ’bout a swamp slasher literally tearin’ folks apart makes for great popcorn flicks, but its first swing at bein’ a comic leaves a lot to be desired. The story is so-so ’bout college filmmakers makin’ a horror movie at Victor Crowley’s ol’ stompin’ ground, but the art is damn near detestable with it lookin’ rushed and half assed by the second issue. We’d only recommend this series to the die-hard fans.

ASH VS THE ARMY OF DARKNESS

Runnin’ strong after more than a decade in a consistently published comic series, we have a love/hate relationship with Dynamite’s stories of Ash’s continuin’ fight against the Deadites. More often than not, the series has been cannibalizin’ Sam Raimi’s movies from its plots to its one liners, resultin’ in an inbred product that rarely dares to take Ash and the series in new directions. The latest five issue mini, Ash vs The Army of Darkness, ain’t all bad with some new lore and villains added to the series as Ash goes undercover at a school infested with Deadites, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. As a side note, avoid the latest AOD/Xena crossover “Forever . . . And A Day” like a boonies proctologist with used tongs. Worst AOD story EVER published to paper!

THE HOWLING

A truer sequel to the original Joe Dante flick than Howling II: . . . Your Sister’s A Werewolf, these comics pick up after Dee Wallace is put down on live television and follows Marsha Quist as the movie’s lone survivin’ werewolf on a killin’ spree for magic that will give her control over a bunch of zombie werewolves. This is a very so-so series. It’s well made, but we think the artist needs to up the gore, and the writer should mesh Marsha’s story more with Chris’s (Dee’s coworker who shoots her on TV and is on the run from the government wantin’ to shut him up ’bout the existence of werewolves).

PUPPET MASTER

This is the best movie tie in comic on the rack today, Scream Freaks! Comin’ to the end of its licensin’ contract, Action Labs is wrappin’ up an amazin’ run of stories that not only bring back Full Moon Empire’s killer splinters but manages to cleverly cover up a lot of the movies’ plotholes. Brilliantly written, full of gory action, and thankfully brings the puppets back to modern times for more adventures that include some of our favorite characters from the first six flicks. We cannot recommend this one enough before its gone!

And there you have it, Scream Freaks. Some of today’s horrific titles we’re keepin’ track of for better or worse, and you can keep tabs on it all by checkin’ in on our blog, Sequential Slime.

And for those Scream Queen aficionados, we’re still celebratin’ B-Queen Sybil Danning all this month as our Howlin’ Hottie of the Week, which is the first time we’ve ever spotlighted the same horror honey for four consecutive weeks. This week we’re enjoyin’ her glam warrior outfit from Howling II which is a hoot of a commonly bashed flick with her playin’ a orgy lovin’ werewolf employin’ midget henchmen to stop Christopher Lee from killin’ her. Most remembered for her topless shirt rippin’ scene that’s replayed 17 times in the movie! Be sure to check more out the next couple of weeks, and let us know what your favorite Sybil flick is.

Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’.

Warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV and Sluggo’s The Vortexx!

See ya later, Scream Freaks!