The Nice Basilisk Mask

 

 

"Basilisk" Boom Studios: Cullen Bunn is weaving an atmospheric, moody, exciting and bloody supernatural thriller. Art By Jonas Scharf and Alex Guimaraes is stunningly beautiful in tone and clarity. The action is clear and easy to follow, the atmosphere is heavy without being oppressive; they've achieved a great balancing act. I am most curious to see if the "family" revealed on the last page all have the same power as Regel, or if we're looking at a superhero/villain/monster team being hunted by victims of they're deadly lifestyle. 8 bleeding eyes out of 10

 

"Bunny Mask" Aftershock: If you haven't picked up an Aftershock book yet, you really are doing yourself a disservice; they are always unique, entertaining, high quality books. This is some bit of  a murder mystery mixed with madness and an ancient evil. Maybe it's not evil, maybe it's just a subspecies, or a mystical mask. I don't know, but this is bound to be a wild ride. 6 rare leathers out of 10 

 

"The Conjuring: The Lover" DC Horror: This is the first title out of the gate for DC's new Horror imprint aptly titled "Horror". NO clue how it ties into the upcoming movie, but it is an enjoyable if somewhat predictable trope. Maybe it's not predictable at all though? This is part one of five, after all! I much preferred the back up story by Scott Snyder. Though as I write this review I can't for the life of me remember what the heck happened in it! I guess that means the main story really is better. Also the fake/throwback ads are the best. 8 demon catalogues out of 10 

 

"Freak Snow! Revenge Is A Drug" Happy Tank/Behemoth: This has a really high production value, card stock cover and thick high quality magazine interiors and for just $3.99! The art is loose, frenetic, sloppy and hard to follow about half the time. The story, while easy to follow, makes no sense. The creative team does take some chances with lettering, as part of the panel or sometimes a bold print header. Gone are the standard narration boxes, thought bubbles or speech balloons. The best part about this book is the quality of the physical material. 3 Imaginary friends out of 10

 

"The Nice House On The Lake" DC/Black Label: This is incredibly good. I almost skipped it since I am so far behind and normally don't enjoy horror stories. James Tynion IV however has crafted something unique, engaging, charming, subtle, horrific and poignant. Was that too many descriptors? I don't care, I stand by my assertions! I hesitate to divulge much for fear of ruining the reveal. I have two complaints though; 1: while the artists panel layouts work most of the time there are a few pages where his approach isn't clear and 2: I need more! It's a standard length book, I just wish it was thicker. It is a bit of a slow burn, carefully introducing our main characters and then the big reveal is in the last few pages. The wait however is worth it as tension builds and the realization that all is not right blooms. 9 amorphously gaseous faces out of 10  

 

 

"Moths" AWA/UPSHOT: Exploring one Moth's journey of transformation, this title gives detailed insight into their lives and what it takes to be free. If you've been following the interconnected superhero books from J. Michael Straczynski, you're gonna want to pick this up.