Preacher
Episode 2.13 “The End of the Road”
Written by Sam Catlin
Directed by Wayne Yip
Created by Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Starring Dominic Cooper, Joe Gilgun, Ruth Negga, Graham McTavish, Tom Brooke, Ian Colletti, Julie Ann Emery
AMC
Air date: Monday, September 11, 2017

As the Grateful Dead said, “What a long strange trip it’s been.” Season 2 of AMC’s Preacher never came close to a sophomore slump; in fact, it somehow improved on the sheer lunacy of Season 1. What started as both a quest to find God and a run from the Saint of Killers has ended with Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) being groomed to be the new Messiah by Herr Starr (Pip Torrens), leader of The Grail. This new path did not fly well with Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), each of whom has been dealing with serious issues without Jesse’s help much of the season. Tulip is suffering from PTSD after nearly being killed by The Saint (Graham McTavish) and Cass has been dealing first with his son Denis (Ronald Guttman) dying, and then a much more serious problem of freshly turned vampire Denis and his insatiable appetite. With that happening on this plain of existence, Eugene, aka Arseface (Ian Colletti) is trying to sneak out of Hell along with Adolf F*cking Hitler (Noah Taylor).

Spoilers for the Season 2 Finale of Preacher below:

Blood Drive
Season 1 Episode 13: “Finish Line” (Season 1 Finale)
Created by James Roland
Directed by David Straiton
Written by James Roland
Starring Alan Ritchson, Christina Ochoa, Thomas Dominique, Marama Corlett, Colin Cunningham, Andrew Hall, Darren Kent, Renee Castle, Alex McGregor
Syfy
Air Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2017, 10pm

Blood Drive on SYFY has gained a cult following since debuting over the Summer. Created by James Roland, the grindhouse series captures the essence of the grit and grainy genre, feeling like a companion piece to the Video Nasty sub-culture of the late ’70s and ’80s. The retro vibe influenced its die hard super fans to adopt the nickname Bleeders on social media. This is the final stretch of the Blood Drive, as the racers are now on course, heading straight toward the evil Heart Enterprises. The unlikely alliance of Grace (Christina Ochoa), Arthur (Alan Ritchson) and Slink (Colin Cunningham) is looking to destroy Heart once and for all.

Last week, Arthur was “Primo,” the Blood Drive King. That was until Grace helped him realize he was being set up to slaughter. Christopher (Thomas Dominique) betrayed him”¦ but it was a Heart-produced robot Christopher, the real one locked away in Heart’s dungeons, along with his cybertronic girlfriend Aki (Marama Corlett). I have to be honest, this is awfully bittersweet. Blood Drive started as pure guilty pleasure, but evolved into a truly unique and memorable viewing experience, each week playing off a different grindhouse sub-genre. It very quickly became my favorite show of 2017. Hopefully, the relentless work of the Bleeders to trend #RenewBloodDrive will get to those in high places and it can somehow gain a second season.

Check out my review for the Season 1 finale of Blood Drive here below.

Preacher
Episode 2.12 “On Your Knees”
Written by Sam Catlin & Rachel Wagner
Directed by Michael Slovis
Created by Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Starring Dominic Cooper, Joe Gilgun, Ruth Negga, Graham McTavish, Tom Brooke, Ian Colletti, Julie Ann Emery
AMC
Air date: Monday, September 4, 2017

We’ve reached the penultimate episode of Preacher Season 2 on AMC and what a long strange trip it’s been. Our heroes were stalked by The Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) from the opening scenes, dealt with fallen angels in the Mumbai Sky Tower, and are dealing with an organization bound to preserve Christ’s lineage, The Grail. Jesse (Dominic Cooper) faces a difficult question, should he continue his fruitless search for God”¦ or use Genesis to become God himself. Herr Starr (Pip Torrens), leader of The Grail wants him to do that, especially after introducing him to the Messiah “Humperdoo.” Jesse’s quest has put distance between him and Tulip (Ruth Negga) who is getting closer and closer to Jenny, aka Lara Featherstone (Julie Ann Emery) of The Grail. Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) isn’t around to help the “Padre” either, dealing with a newly turned vampire son. Meanwhile, Eugene (Ian Colletti) and Hitler (Noah Taylor) are trying to find a backdoor out of Hell”¦

Blood Drive
Season 1 Episode 12: “Faces of Blood Drive”
Created by James Roland
Directed by David Straiton
Written by Harrison Weinfeld & Daniel Zucker
Starring Alan Ritchson, Christina Ochoa, Thomas Dominique, Marama Corlett, Colin Cunningham, Andrew Hall, Darren Kent, Renee Castle, Alex McGregor
Syfy
Air Date: Wednesday, August 30th, 2017, 10pm

We’ve reached the penultimate episode for Syfy’s grindhouse summer series Blood Drive. That begs the question, WHY THE **** HASN’T THIS SHOW BEEN RENEWED YET?!?! Sorry… Blood Drive has quickly become a cult favorite akin to video nasty-style gore-tastic films it so often pays homage to. Its fanbase on social media are called #Bleeders.

Last week, we finally got to see goody-two-shoes cop Arthur Bailey (Alan Ritchson) snap. Thinking Grace (Christina Ochoa) was killed in the battle dome, he became the Primo, and singlehandedly murdered everyone left in the pit much to the applause of Slink (Colin Cunningham) and the execs at Heart Enterprises. We also watched in awe as Karma (Alex McGregor) emerged from the skin of Old Man Heart to surprise Grace. While all that mayhem and debauchery was taking place, Aki (Marama Corlett) and Christopher (Thomas Dominique) broke into Heart, overriding their systems, allowing them to move unfettered onward to help Arthur. If you couldn’t tell by this week’s title, this episode will likely be an homage to the notorious series of tapes that emerged in the 1980s…

Check out my review of this week’s Blood Drive here below.

John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction: Vault #2
Created & Written by James Ninness
Pencils & Inks by Andres Esparza
Colored by Sergio Martinez
Cover by Cat Staggs
Lettered by Janice Chiang
Edited by Sandy King
Published by Storm King Productions
Release Date: August 30th, 2017
Price: $3.99

Even though he’s known as the Master of Horror, John Carpenter is a visionary of science fiction as well. With films like Dark Star (1974), The Thing (1982), Starman (1984), and They Live (1987) under his belt, it’s safe to say he knows his way around space, aliens, and outer-worldly beings. Earlier this summer, he began his latest venture in the world of genre with Tales of Science Fiction, a monthly anthology series under the label of Storm King Comics, started by him and his wife Sandy King Carpenter. The first story is Vault, a three-issue space tale about a crew that finds a mysterious ship and encounters horror onboard. Reminiscent of films like Event Horizon and Aliens, author James Ninness introduces a colorful array of characters… and then leads them into certain doom. Issue #1 was released on July 26, 2017, with the second issue in the three-volume series hitting stores this week.

Check out my review for Vault #2 here below.