John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction: Vortex #2
Written by Mike Sizemore
Pencils and Inks by Dave Kennedy
Colors by Pete Kennedy
Lettering by Janice Chiang
Edited by Sandy King
Cover Art by Tim Bradstreet
Storm King Comics
Release date: October 25, 2017
Price: $3.99

Vortex is the second story in Tales of Science Fiction, Storm King Comics’ new monthly anthology series developed by the Horror Master himself, John Carpenter, and his wife and collaborator Sandy King Carpenter. Vortex began last month bookended by quotes from Milton’s Paradise Lost, so obviously it’s a cheery story filled with pure happiness”¦ okay, no. Borrowing from a classic sci-fi premise, Vortex tells of a mining station in space in which the crew disappears forcing Captain Jake Dixon and crew to lead the rescue mission through a rift in space. Vortex is an 8-part story, so writer Mike Sizemore took his time to give our main characters proper introductions and motivations. It’s time to re-enter the Vortex, with issue #2.

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.

John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction: Vault #1
Created & Written by James Ninness
Pencils & Inks by Andres Esparza
Colored by Sergio Martinez
Cover by Nick Percival
Lettered by Janice Chiang
Edited by Sandy King
Published by Storm King Productions
Release Date: July 26th, 2017
Price: $3.99 is available now.

“There are moments when all of humanity goes to the same three words… What the F*ck?”

John Carpenter is known by his legions of fans as “The Master of Horror.” But when you look back at the visionary director’s filmography you see the influence and impact science fiction has had on his over 50-year career. His first feature film was 1974’s Dark Star, a sci-fi comedy set in the reaches of deep space. After hitting it big with Halloween in 1978, a film that became the highest grossing independent film ever made at the time, he would return to sci-fi multiple times. Possibly his greatest achievement was 1982’s The Thing, a remake of the Howard Hawks 50s classic about an alien who grotesquely impersonates crew members in the Antarctic. He returned to the genre with Starman (1984), They Live (1987), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), and Ghosts of Mars (2001). Carpenter is now devoted to new mediums to translate his unique visions of horror and science fiction. Alongside his wife and collaborator Sandy King Carpenter, they have ventured into the world of graphic novels and comics, releasing titles like Asylum Vol 1 and 2 as well as Tales For A Halloween Night for Storm King Comics.

John Carpenter’s Asylum Volume 2
Paperback
Created by John Carpenter, Thomas Ian Griffith and Sandy King
Written by Sandy King and Trent Olsen
Pencils and Inks by Leonardo Manco
Colors by Kinsun Loh
Lettering by Janice Chiang
Storm King Comics
Release Date: October 11th, 2016
Cover Price: $24.99

“There’s a war coming to the City of Angels.”

John Carpenter‘s name is synonymous with horror. For five decades, he has given fans nightmares with his legendary films, characters, and music. In 2013, one of the greatest horror movie directors of all time, Carpenter, stepped into another medium for his genre; comics. Along with his wife and co-writer Sandy King as well as actor/writer Thomas Ian Griffith (John Carpenter’s Vampires), the Halloween patriarch created his Storm King Productions line of comics, namely, Asylum. Asylum tells the story of a down and out priest Daniel Beckett, a man who sleeps around, smokes, curses, and has lost his connection. He is a demon hunter, and soon he’s the suspect in brutal murders chased by flawed but effective LAPD cop Jack Duran. When Duran’s son is kidnapped by a demon, enemies become partners and Duran and Beckett race against Hell itself to save him. Beckett is much more than meets the eye it turns out.

More below.

The Shadow Hero #1
The Green Turtle Chronicles
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Illustrated by Sonny Liew
Lettered by Janice Chiang
Cover by Sonny Liew
First Second Books
Release Date: February 18, 2014
Cover Price: $0.99

Superheroes can come from any cultural (or terrestrial) background. In fact, as Gene Luen Yang says, “Superheroes are about immigrants.” The Shadow Hero is the newest comic creation by Yang and illustrator, Sonny Liew and together they’ve created the first Chinese American superhero!

Hank Chu is a Chinese American teenager who lives in Chinatown in the 1930’s. Most of his time is spent working with his father in his parent’s grocery store — and he loves it. Although Hank has found his own happiness with this lifestyle, his mother does not feel the same way. With lofty dreams of America before she immigrated as a child, her ideas were shattered when she arrived and found it less desirable than expected. As she grew older, she chose to settle in terms of marriage, work, and leisure time.