New comic book Wednesday has come and gone. The dust at your local comic shop has settled. An eerie silence descends as you finish reading your last superhero book of the week. Now it's time for something a little more sinister. Welcome to Bagged and Boarded: comic reviews of the sick, spooky, twisted and terrifying!
Wraith No. 1
In this Holiday horror comic Joe Hill (Locke and Key) tells the story of a strange man driving a classic car- a Rolls-Royce Wraith. In the car a young girl is told the story of Christmas Land, a holiday theme park full of bad omens and twisted, nightmarish delights. As the card speeds on we learn more about this monstrous man and his creepy dreamland, and get a taste of where all his ill-will, malice, and corruption started.
Bag it or board it up? This is one of those comics that is so creepily illustrated it's almost hard to look at. Both the character design and the eerie settings lend to the creeping unease. Everything in this book oozes strangeness and the bizarre... all with a Christmas tinge. The plot seems long-winded and moves slowly, but it's definitely worth a read. I like this comic because of how weird it is. It's worth checking out.
Constantine No. 8
Even though Constantine's playing for the DC Universe now they still keep him locked away in his own small stories. That may be for the best. It's just not right when the chain-smoking sorcerer teams up with Superman and crew. This final showdown with his southern nemesis Minster E shows Constantine battling on the astral plane and in the Alps. Will he be able to best his foe will Sargon the sorceress looks on impassively?
Bag it or board it up? DC Constantine is a sort of give and take. There are less tales of anguish, woe, and wasting away now. Constantine is less of an asshole. He smokes less. But, despite the mass-market tame-down, the comics still pack a lot of punch. This is an interesting, action-driven plot. They've taken an action-light character with amazing powers and put him through his paces. This is a fun one.
The Other Dead No. 3
All the animals in New Orleans are turning into zombies. Wild dogs, viscous squirrels, and zombie alligators attack in the streets. And a hurricane is about to hit land. And president Obama is in town. And punks may have used witchcraft to start the trouble. And so on and so on.
Bag it or board it up? From the lackluster illustrations to the dull storyline, this whole comic comes off as something akin to fan fiction. The plot is stagnant and seems almost stubborn in its refusal to move forward. Add to that President Obama? Huh? It's such a strange choice to add President Obama to the mix, it seems a very amateur move. All in all this comic is only interesting when zombie squirrels attack.
The Walking Dead No. 116
Rick's plan has finally come to fruition in his epic face-off against the evil Negan. Negan, the baseball-bat-clutching psychopath responsible for the death and maiming of several audience favorites, has thinks he's called Rick's bluff. But when Rick unleashes devastation in the form of hordes of zombies it's all Negan can do to run and survive.
Bag it or board it up? You know how some issues of 'The Walking Dead' are really slow? You know how some of them feel like ramp-up's or place holders? This is definitely not one of those issues. This is a quick little punch of a comic. Pick it up, read it, soak in the artwork and the tension, and enjoy!