10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
10/19 - 976-EVIL
Read:
After finishing Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt on Friday, I surprised myself by digging out Todd McFarlane's sequel, the first five issues of his short-lived fourth Spider-Man series first launched in 1990 at the height of the artist frenzy that led McFarlane, Leifeld and a bunch of other in-demand zeitgeist artists to split off from Marvel and start Image Comics.
"Torment" is a thinly written and now artistically dated sequel to Kraven's final story, wherein a villain named Calypso uses Voodoo to control Dr. Kurt Connors' deadly reptilian alter-ego The Lizard to attack Spider-Man. It's not terrible, but it's kinda close to terrible, especially the way Todd makes every issue start with narration that leads into the phrase "Rise Above it all" on the opening credits-splash. By issue two this gimmick felt forced, by issue five I could barely keep my eyes from rolling out of their sockets. Not to be a dick; this was McFarlane's first job as a writer, and I think that shows and was done better than a lot of first-time writers would have done. What doesn't help things is how busy his art is. Yes, it's awesome in terms of style, ideas and proportions, but there's just so much going on with each page that often, I just read the words and flipped to the next page instead of giving myself a headache trying to ascertain just what impossible contortion Spidey or the Lizard were in as they fought across a good half the pages in the overall arc.
The first two arcs in this series had a huge impact on me when they first came out, however, for the most part, they have not aged well. That said, it's been at least 30 years since I've read these, so I figured why not? I'll probably go directly into the Wendigo/Wolverine storyline that follows Torment in issues 6-10. that was my favorite. I'll report back if that one holds up better.
Playlist:
Various - Every Day (Is Halloween) Chicago Industrial Playlist
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Sisters of Mercy - Floodland
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Here Lies Lucy - Heaven or HLL EP
Fantômas - The Director's Cut
The Soft Moon - Exister
The Cure - Pornography
London After Midnight - Kiss (Club Mix) single
Carpenter Brut - Blood Machines OST
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
Loud and clear. I have already realized that I've constructed a bit of a creative trap for myself lately, and a lot of it has to do with what these cards are very visually, on-the-nose saying: I'm drinking too much and it's tying my hands on my creative pursuits. I need to chill and get back into the routine I had going in September: Wake up by 8:00 AM so I can punch-out by 4:30 PM, then head out and spend at least an hour-and-a-half writing.
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
10/17 - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
10/18 - Random Acts of Violence/Two Witches/Let the Right One In Episode 2
Two Witches is a new film that just hit Arrow's streaming app on 10/17. Pretty damn good, and would make a fantastic double feature with H6LLB6ND6R. Props to Peter Tsigaridis on his first feature.
NCBD:
Pretty big haul this week. Damn.
Not entirely sure I'll be continuing this one, but I can at least give it to the end of the second issue, if not the first arc (much like the last).
A Halloween one-off that immediately earns my $$$ by featuring not just Moon Knight but Man-Thing (aka Ted) on the cover. SOLD!
The final issue! Holy sh*t! End of an era indeed. I will miss Deadly Class so very much. This and Black Science - both by Rick Remender - defined a certain era of my life, and as sad as I was to see Black Science end a few years ago, it's Deadly Class that will be taking my heart with it. That said, I always prefer the books that leave too soon than those that overstay their welcome. Kudos to Mr. Remender for holding his ground on all these titles launched under his Giant Generator imprint. Can't wait to see what's next.
Moon Knight!
Issue one blew me away.
So far so good on this Predator series. This issue, I believe we have a big throw-down coming.
Final Issue? I'm not really sure. This story is, as I've said previously, completely insane.
Yes! Finally, the fireman's story!
I really can't wait for this series to get in gear; feels like it's been MONTHS since issue #1.
Love this cover. That face on Forge's vest - Krakoa? Either way, it's creepin' me the f*&k out.
Playlist:
Fantômas - The Director's Cut
Diamond Galas - The Litanies of Satan
Sa Bruxa - Ritual
Ritual Veil - Wolf in the Night EP
Odonis Odonis - Spectrums
Various - Every Day (Is Halloween) Chicago Industrial Playlist
Here Lies Lucy - Heaven or HLL EP
Carpenter Brut - Blood Machines OST
Card:
I've been wanting to pull the Raven Tarot back out, but as I've been in three-card-spread mode, and I can't imagine doing a spread with all Major Arcana cards, I had to find a way to augment the reading. Then I thought, hell -why not mix two decks. Voila! A lot of good ideas bring abound fresh ideas, fresh breath and better circumstances.
Happy Monday, October 17th! Here's some Dance with the Dead to wake all our asses up! From the B-Sides: Vol. 1 collection, which is available on the group's Bandcamp HERE.
31 Days of Halloween:
10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One in Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/16 - Spider Baby/101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments/Night's End/Behemoth
Jennifer Reeder's Night's End hit Shudder a few months back as a Shudder original and kind of got pushed right past my radar by all the other titles that came in hot on its heels. Luckily, while browsing back through the "All Movies" heading, I stumbled on it. Fantastic film. a tight 81 minutes, this one really pulls you into the protagonist's inner world with visual cues, then kind of explodes all over the place in the final act. Loved it.
Also, we have the first episode of AHS NYC dropping this coming Wednesday, and I'm pretty excited. I don't think it's any coincidence that this season lands just after David Bruckner's Hellraiser and appears to focus on a lot of the same imagery and even, possibly, an extension of the scene that inspired Barker to write the original The Hellbound Heart.
Will this be American Horror Story's version of Hellraiser? Probably not exactly, but it looks like it will scratch a similar itch.
Playlist:
Boy Harsher - Burn It Down EP
Boy Harsher - Careful
Miranda Sex Garden - Fairytales of Slavery
Type O Negative - Dead Again
Public Memory - Veil of Counsel EP
G.I.S.M. - Detestation
Jammes Luckett - May OST
Goblin - 2013 Tour EP
Claudio Simonetti - Phenomena OST
Jim Williams - Possessor OST
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
Say no more. This is one of those "loud and clear" readings: I haven't gotten shit down with writing in weeks. The second week in LA, when I stayed with friends, fine. That's an excuse. Working, commuting, seeing almost a flick a night and a concert? But I've been back a week tonight (technically a week tomorrow morning) and I've only written once. That has to change. I need to focus my energies on that time, and apply my Will.
Currently eying a vinyl copy of this in Denmark. One of my favorite albums of all time, and absolutely perfect for the grey, rainy Autumn weather I'm currently immersed in.
31 Days of Halloween:
10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One in Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
BIG movie day yesterday. I've hyperlinked two of those entries because I wrote Letterbxd reviews for each. Also, the episode of The Horror Vision that will drop later today/early tomorrow will be our Spoiler-Free/Full-Spoiler Halloween Ends entry, so definitely check that out if you need a reason to see it (then stop it when we go spoilers), or, if you've already seen the film, Butcher and I do a fairly deep discussion on it. In a nutshell, we both really liked it.
A new EP dropped from Boy Harsher, and for four tracks consisting of entirely reworking one song - the titular Burn It Down - I dig. The "Rework" version above is probably my favorite. These two have kind of blown up since I saw them open for The Soft Moon back in, Christ, 2016. A short film on Shudder, quite a few high-profile live shows and notoriety from a lot of their peers in both the music and film communities, but I hope this release heralds a new album on the horizon.
31 Days of Halloween:
10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One in Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
10/14 - Halloween Kills
Read:
I have to give a very enthusiastic recommendation for two Horror comics that came out recently. First, Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla's Night of the Ghoul:
My god was this first issue spectacular. Working on the premise that the screenwriter who wrote the original Universal Monsters (or this book's version of them) also wrote an autobiographical Horror film that was burned and lost due to its revelation of actual events, this book really goes deep into story and sets the stage for what will be - if Snyder's other works are to be considered - a fantastic Horror epic. Can't wait for issue two.
Secondly, Joshua Williamson and Andre Bressan's Dark Ride:
This book reunites the team who did the book Birthright, which despite not being into I mention here because I know a lot of folks who loved that book. Dark Ride presupposes a deal with dark forces decades ago has led to the creation of a mega-corporation Horror theme park - a place Horror fans travel from all over the world to visit, but which actually contains dark, terrible secrets which are all coming to a boil based on inner-family agendas. Another book that I really liked and can't wait to continue, and another with a huge first issue.
Playlist:
Fantomas - The Director's Cut
Boy Harsher - Burn It Down EP
Boy Harsher - Careful
Cold Cave - Full Cold Moon
Bad Looks - Eponymous (Single)
Final Light - Eponymous
Card:
Determination can disrupt harmony - I suppose in some manner of speaking that's its job - and this can lead to uneven thinking; the concern or worry that good things will not last, or after disruption, stabilization will become impossible to achieve again. I think I need a clarifier here, so:
Well, that's pretty clear, isn't it? Always nice when the cards cut right to the point.
How about a little Fields of the Nephilim to start this fine Autumn day, eh? I'm telling you, the leaves are crispy and colorful, the air is cool with hints of smoke and rain, and my brain is full-on October. Oh, how I have missed this!!!
31 Days of Halloween:
First, I totally forgot that I watched the first episode of Showtime's new Let the Right One In series earlier in the week, so I've added that below. I was one of those weird moments where I was talking to someone about it the night before, my phone obviously overheard me say I was considering re-subscribing to Showtime to watch it, and the next day I had an email from Showtime offering $3.99 a month for the next three months.
Sold.
I REALLY liked the first episode. Great setup for an ongoing series based on this. Reminds me that I never read the novel, and should do that at some point. The author, John Ajvide Lindqvist, also wrote Handling the Dead, which I read a few years back and really dug.
10/1 - Trick 'r Treat
10/2 - Barbarian
10/3 - Hellraiser ('84)
10/4 - Phenomena
10/5 - Hellraiser (2022)
10/6 - The Dark Backward
10/7 - Sick/The Beyond
10/8 - Werewolf By Night
10/9 - Something in the Dirt
10/10 - Let the Right One in Episode 1/Lux Aeterna
10/11 - My Best Friend's Exorcism/Grimcutty
10/12 - Smile
10/13 - Monstrous/VHS (Amateur Night segment)
While scrolling around Showtime, I noticed Chris Sivertson's Monstrous is on the platform; this is a flick I'd been meaning to see for some time, but which completely dropped off my radar shortly after I posted the trailer back in April. Ends up, Monstrous is a very well-made and gorgeous movie that I didn't quite take to, despite everything on screen looking and feeling great. This may have been due to some stomach issues I've been having forcing us to pause the film several times, creating gaps in the experience. Whatever the case, if you have Showtime, it's worth checking out.
Read:
Almost every year I read two Graphic Novels in October, Rick Spears and Rob G's Teenagers from Mars and James O'Barr's original The Crow. This year, however, since I still haven't acquired bookshelves, A LOT of my books are still packed. I plan on rifling through everything to find these, but in the meantime, the hankering came over me the other night and I realized I would now add a third because it totally fits this time of year for me, and because it was right in front of me:
Originally reading Kraven's Last Hunt as it was published across all three Spidey titles at the time (Amazing, Spectacular and Web) in October of 1987 (I was eleven), I think this is the series that defined my love for Spider-Man. I'll always prefer the Black Costume. Not the symbiote, the black costume. I'll also always consider this a Horror story. It's damn terrifying, maybe not in the I'm afraid to fall asleep way (but what fiction is as an adult?), but in the "Jesus, that's really terrifying" way. You identify so many events in this story as dark A.F. and the ending... wow. Anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying my re-read, for which I am using the Hard Cover I bought about a decade ago, leaving my original floppies safe in their bags and boards.
Playlist:
Rein - Reincarnated
Rein - Freedom EP
Trust Obey - Fear and Bullets (1994 Edition)
Jammes Luckett - May OST
Jim Williams - Possessor OST
Trust Obey - Fear and Bullets (1998 Edition)
Burzum - Filosofem
Card:
Middle-of-the-Night pull last night with my mini-Thoth:
A new idea will require extra fortitude to pull-off, but if followed through, can change things completely. I love when every spread I pull seems to hone in on a project I'm working on.
