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!
Hellboy in Hell No. 1
He's back! Hellboy's back and everything's going to be… okay? Our favorite big red muscle-bound hero is back in his own story again. After realizing he was the rightful king of Britain, he fought a giant dragon and has his heart ripped out, sending him to hell. Now we pick up with his descent into the depths: as he awakens in the abyss, a place full of chaos, an old foe with a giant hammer comes to beat the piss out of him. With the help of a mysterious warlock, Hellboy has to pummel his way through the afterlife.
Bag it or board it up? Oh, Hellboy, we missed you. The series that surround you are great (some of the best comic writing around, in fact), but there's no replacing the original. This adventure has a lot of potential and is promising some pretty big stuff. While this issue may feel like a bit of a recap for someone who's been following along since the beginning, it still greatly entertains. Check it out, it's a lot of fun!
Willow: Wonderland No. 2
The story of Willow attempting to infuse her world with the magic it lost continues with issue two. With a giant monster bearing down on her and her comrades (on an alternate plane full of magic) Willow shows us her full capabilities. In this magic charged world she's super-powered and in her prime. After coming across an old friend, Willow may have found the wellspring she's been looking for.
Bag it or board it up? An awesome cameo from a cool character. A fight with a giant slug monster. Quirky quips and barbs and jabs. It has good Buffy written all over it. This is a fun, adventuresome comic series that may not scare the pants off you, but definitely takes a good look at witches. This is classic adventure with that classic Buffy tongue-in-cheek attitude.
Chasing the Dead No. 2
Chasing the Dead follows a mother whose daughter has been kidnapped. The kidnapper keeps the mother on the phone, instructing her to follow his directions perfectly or risk being "punished." In this issue she sets out on the trail he's described, and a young man tries to help her at his own peril.
Bag it or board it up? I don't know. I liked the first issue, but this one meanders. The writer seems in love with his own ideas so much that it becomes tangled. He leaves threads for things I'm sure won't come up for another two issues. It's not a bad comic; there are way worse out there. But if you like straightforward horror comics this isn't for you. That being said, when all the issues come out and you can sit down and read it as one solid story this could be a blast to read.
Colder No. 2
Declan (the freezing cold 100 year old young man) and Reece (his nurse/caregiver up until he "woke up") are out walking around Boston. Declan wants to show Reece the other world, the world of insanity, the world where chaos reigns. So, by peering into the mind of a crazed man on the street, the two are transported to "The Hungry World." With a psychotic sprite named Jack hot on their trail, Declan must quickly get Reece to understand his world before it's too late.
Bag it or board it up? Okay, okay, so it's not the easiest comic to summarize, but this is a good one. Full of gore, psychosis, and an awesome messed-up villain, Colder hits a strange place in the comic market. It feels like a serial killer comic, it looks like a psychotic dark/secret world comic, and it reads like an action comic. The ideas are big and the pace is fast. It's a nice combination and worth your attention.