Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter #1
Written by Dan Abnett
Art by Tom Mandrake
Colors by Sian Mandrake
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover by Mike Perkins and Andy Troy, Tom Mandrake and Sian Mandrake
Titan Comics
Release Date: September 27, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

These days it is zombie this and zombie that. But once upon a time, vampires were a far bigger deal and horror fans would pack movie theaters and buy the books like crazy. And I do not mean those sparkly little pansy vampires, either. They should never have existed! Anyway, in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter #1 we get a glimpse of those fiends of yesteryear.

Anno Dracula: 1895: Seven Days In Mayhem #1
Written by Kim Newman
Art by Paul McCaffrey
Colors by Kevin Enhart
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover A: Paul McCaffrey
Cover B: Tom Mandrake
Cover C: Brian Williamson
Cover D: Jeff Zornow
Cover E: Mike Collins
Cover F: Ben Oliver (Forbidden Planet/Jetpack Comics Variant)
Cover G: Ben Oliver (“Phoenix Event Exclusive” Variant)
Titan Comics
Release Date: March 22, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

I loved the original 1992 Anno Dracula novel by British writer Kim Newman. Let’s just get that out of the way, okay? So it stands to reason that I would jump at the chance to review the new comic book Anno Dracula: 1895: Seven Days In Mayhem #1, right? Well, you would correct. And for a fan like me, the comic was pretty much what I would want and expect. But for the first-time reader, not so much.

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.

KISS: The Demon #1
Written by Amy Chu & Erik Burnham
Art by Eman Casallos
Colors by Omi Remalante
Letters by Troy Peteri
Covers by Kyle Strahm & Greg Smallwood, Tom Mandrake & Mohan, Michael Adams, Ken Haeser
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: January 25, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

I think we can all remember our first concert/show, right? If you are an audiophile then I have no doubt you do. Well, KISS: The Demon #1 reminds me of my first show since the headliner was the aforementioned band KISS. Not only were they my first band to see live but, later on, they were the first group I ever went and saw without an adult.

So, to say they hold a special place in my heart is to understate things in an enormous way. The point is, I share that same feeling with the main character of this story, which is a prequel to the ongoing comic.

To Hell You Ride #1
Written by Lance Henriksen and Joseph Maddrey
Art by Tom Mandrake
Colors by Cris Peter with Mat Lopes
Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 12, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

To Hell You Ride (the title is a play on words inspired by the comic’s Telluride Colorado locale) combines the debut comic writing talent of actor Lance Henriksen (best known for his role as Bishop from Aliens and for acting in nearly every genre film in the last 40 years) and Joseph Maddrey (Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film), with art by Tom Mandrake (The Spectre, oodles of Batman). Those names are certainly enough to sell comics on their own merits. However, it is their deft synthesis of Native American folk tales with horror and western genres that allows Dark Horse’s new series to read less like standard comic fare, and more like a well-paced film that stays with you long after the credits stop rolling.

With a byline like “White Man’s Guilt” and a plot that involves white settlers in the 1880s interrupting a tribal sacrifice ritual that unleashes a supernatural curse that affects the denizens of the Colorado mountain town up to the present day, one might assume this is a book about race. However, that’s hardly a fraction of the point. Without any specific agenda, this comic is already asking more questions than providing answers and thus providing space for an epic journey to unfold. With statements like “The world falls further out of balance with each new generation. The only thing that changes are out intensity of our indifference.” This could be a rather heavy handed comic without the advanced cinematic timing and character development skill of its authors. Existential questions about the environment and ignoring the messages of the land and the importance of ritual are expressed within the frame of a grand adventure, with lots of supernatural elements thrown in.