Cancertown Vol. 1 & 2
Written by Cy Dethan
Art by Stephen Downey
Colors by Melanie Cook
AAM/Markosias
Release Date: November, 2012
Cover Price: $19.99

The trouble with a lot of the comics I review is that they just try too damn hard. From hack dialogue to characters that are more caricatures than actual heroes or villains, some comics just scream inauthenticity. It’s not that there is no place for over the top dialogue or characters *cough The Big Two cough* it’s just that for most indie comics, subtle is better. Cancertown by Cy Dethan is anything but subtle. Part Silent Hill part 100 Bullets, this is a comic that samples from every classic genre and, for the most part, comes out on top.

Cancertown starts in a frenzy and pretty much keeps that pace up through its entirety. Even now, if you were to ask me to sum up this book in a sentence I’d have a hell of a time trying to figure it out. But, since it’s my job to sum things up in sentences, here goes. Cancertown follows Vince Morley as he traverses the darkest depth of madness, his own sickness, and the dark-world known as Cancertown.

Where’s My Shoggoth?
Written by Ian Thomas
Art by Adam Bolton
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: September 26, 2012
Cover Price: $11.95

Just in time for Halloween, comic publisher Archaia has got something perfect for all the little horror fiends in your life. Part board game, part illustrated book, Where’s My Shoggoth? is a charming all-ages homage to the elder gods and their world-crushing friends.

There is an interesting phenomenon that occurs when someone sets out to write a kids book that is also scary. Typically, the end result is either too grotesque for any kid other than a young Michael Myers to enjoy or so kid-friendly that ghosts and ghouls start resembling house pets. Where’s My Shoggoth? on the other hand finds that sweet spot of genuinely spooky but not scary enough to keep your kids awake all night. Filled with all the strange and mighty creatures of H.P. Lovecraft lore, Where’s My Shoggoth? reads like the Necronomicon rewritten with a Dr. Seuss flare for rhyme and whimsy.

The Evil Tree
Written by Eric Hendrix
Art by Daniel Thollin
Colors by Anna Sallstrom
Arcana Comics
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Cover Price: $14.95

The market for horror comics right now is brutally competitive. With books like Locke and Key, Green Wake, and Rebel Blood reinventing what can be done with a genre, competition is fierce. The Evil Tree, being an independent horror comic published by a small press, faces some challenges when stacked up against titles from Image Comics and IDW Publishing. Which is a shame. Even though The Evil Tree is a by the numbers horror story, this book’s expert writing proves that there is nothing wrong with a good old fashioned ghost story.

At its core, The Evil Tree is a very simple story. It is your standard unsettled ghost haunting the living as a means to eventually rest in peace. This book’s storyline is fairly cut and dry and, in this case, it is perfectly okay. Writer Erik Hendrix seems to understand that sometimes mastering a preexisting story can be more appealing than poorly tackling some high concept horror story. Why try to blow people’s minds by ruminating on the human condition if you can’t even get it right?

Courtesy of the good folks over at Dark Horse, we have some preview pages for Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo) and Mike Richardson‘s (Cut, Caravan) comic adaptation of the greatest revenge story ever told””47 Ronin.

The legend of the 47 Ronin began in the 18th century as a group of samurai who were set on a course of revenge after their daimyo, Asano Naganori was forced to commit ritual suicide after attacking a man knows as Kira Yoshinaka. The tale has been popularized in Japanese culture as a shining example of loyalty, sacrifice, and honor.

With Sakai behind the helm, the comic will unquestionably be grounded in the classic realistic style that has made the comic creator’s work legendary. Check out the preview pages below and get ready for some cold entrees. You know, because revenge is best served”¦ ah, never mind.

The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook
From Lamb Stew to “Groosling” – More than 150 Recipes Inspired by The Hunger Games Trilogy
By Emily Ansara Baines
Adams Media
Release Date: December 1, 2011
Hardcover | Kindle

Full disclosure, I cannot cook at all. My best attempts at baking, in any capacity, end with small yet fierce kitchen fires and more wounds than an amateur snake-handler. So, when the opportunity for me to review The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook rolled around, I had to take it. After all, who better to judge than someone who is easily confused and frightened by the art of cooking?

The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook sells itself as a companion to the dual lives of the book’s protagonist, Katniss. Half of the cookbook is dedicated to hearty salt of the earth style dishes, while the other half concerns itself with the decadent dishes that would be found in the Capitol. Seeing as how most of my meals are hastily eaten in front of a computer screen, I figured that a decadent recipe would be a nice change of pace.