Horror comics are becoming more and more frequent in our reading culture, and the Ghastly Awards are here to recognize, through Horror Comic submissions, those that shine the brightest. We encourage all Comic Creators to take the time to head over to www.ghastlyawards.com and submit your work for 2013 Ghastly Award Nomination consideration.
    

Creators please remember that you can submit your Horror Comic work through out the calendar year! For the month of April 2013 the judges are recommending you take a look at: 

Bedlam #6 (Image Comics) - Through this comics past 5 issues it has presented more questions than answers, but this issue will help to answer some of those, but of course will leave you with more. Nick Spencer still keeps these characters insanely interesting with not giving everything away. This comic balances so many different themes from crime, psychology, religion and still begs you to answer is evil just something you are or something you do? - Spaced (http://www.facebook.com/NerdGirlsEyeView) 

Dark Shadows Year One #1 (Dynamite) - Those familiar with the origin of vampire Barnabas Collins will be treading on familiar ground here, still writer Marc Andreyko throws in a few touches to make it different enough from the television version for long-time fans to check out. For the rest of you who do want to wade through hundreds of episodes of the TV show - or worse, the atrocious Tim Burton movie - but nevertheless want to know how a 19th century gentleman became one of the most famous bloodsuckers, here’s your chance. The characters’ look and sound are incredibly faithful to the source yet adapt well to the comic format. A great companion to the excellent monthly Dark Shadows comic.  – Pedro Cabezuelo (http://www.rue-morgue.com/)

Constantine #2 (DC) -Everybody knows that John Constantine is a jerk.  He keeps himself as obnoxious as possible because he fears the harm that will come to anyone close to him ("Magic is costly you take what you didn't earn, but you pay for it.  You want to trust me on that.")  With the reboot of Constantine folded into DC's The New 52, it's no surprise that in this issue our favorite cigarette addict gets a comeuppance from The Spectre.  But it's not all crossover love, there's some interesting build-up and one of the four sorcerers that John has come up against has a "special horror" in store.  If the gorgeous artwork by Renato Guides is any indication, Constantine #3: London Wants Me Dead looks very tasty indeed.  - Denise Dutton (atomicfangirl.com)

Miniature Jesus #1 (Image) - I'm insanely excited for this series. There is so much potential here. It's just the right amount of weird for me. Being the first issue, we don't get a ton of information... just a bunch of teasers of what's to come. The story starts with a rugged, rough around the edges, recovering alcoholic who talks to a mummified cat and has to battle his (personified--demonified?) desire to drink. We then switch over to another storyline (which will no doubt converge with our alcoholic in the next issue) about a crazed, overzealous pastor who has a very strange experience with his small Jesus on a cross figurine. Like I said, I'm really excited for this series because the horror of it all is in the bizarreness. We tend to feel fear at the things we don't understand and I think Miniature Jesus will walk that line quite nicely. The writing is solid but the art is really the highlight for me. This comic is definitely not to be missed.  – Bree Ogden (agentbree.wordpress.com)

Abe Sapien #1: Dark and Terrible (Dark Horse) - The world is overrun with monsters of all shapes and sizes (mostly of the big 'n scary type), meanwhile, the B.P.R.D. are still hunting for their MIA agent-- Abe Sapien! Mignola and Allie propel this anticipated creature infested feature into ominous high gear, the first of a 3 issue horror adventure mini-series, with eerie artwork by Sebastian Fiumara and creeptacular colors by Dave Stewart. – Steve Banes (http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/)

Killogy #4 (IDW) -  Alan Robert brings his latest zombie adventure to a close, and what a fantastic final issue. Robert manages to blend together elements of grindhouse horror, dark comedy, and gritty crime all while managing an all-star cast of unlikely heroes. For those of you familiar with Robert's previous work, he changes up his art style with Killogy and it works wonders. This is just a damn fun book. I wish there was more. – Lonnie Nadler (www.Bloody-Disgusting.com)

Godzilla: The Half Century War #5 (IDW) - James Stokoe's epic Kaiju drama continues into the new millennium and his storytelling is, as always, top-notch! But the real draw here (pun intended) is Stokoe's lovingly detailed and thrilling artwork. Gigan, Ghidorah and Mecha-Godzilla duke it out with everybody's favorite 'Zilla in page after page of relentless monster assault! Quite an apocalyptic tale here... could it be the end? Well... there's supposed to be one more episode, and I can't wait for it! This mini-series is the best Kaiju-Komic I've ever enjoyed... Stokoe is doing something completely original yet wonderfully familiar with his labor of love. Highly recommended. - Mike Howlett (http://eeriepublications.blogspot.com/) 

'68: Jungle Jim #1 (Image): What do you get when you mix awesome with awesomer and then top it all off with a good helping of awesomest? You get '68: Jungle Jim #1 of course! The zombie infestation meets the Vietnam War is back, and it blows your eyes out within the first few pages, thanks to the GORE-Geous artwork of Jeff Zornow. The story by Kidwell moves at a fantastic pace, and it's just an all around fantastic first issue. I can not wait for more of this series. I love every single MOTHER F'*&#'ING PAGE!  - Decapitated Dan (www.decapitateddan.com) 

Haunted Horror #4 (IDW): I've said it before, and I will say it again. I think that Yoe, Gussoni and our very own Steve Banes, do an amazing job choosing stories that all work very well together. As odd as it sounds to call old reprints fresh, this book really is a breath of fresh "old" air. The amount of story you used to get for cover price is amazing compared to today's standards, and this comic will show you why. My favorite story was probably the final story "Terror on the TV". It might look like a simple concept today, but place yourself in 1954 and think about it, yeah, you crapped your pants. I love this title, I love what it is bringing to the comic public, and all I can say is read it, you will be glad you did.  - Decapitated Dan (www.decapitateddan.com)


Creators and Publishers please make sure to go over to www.ghastlyawards.com to submit your books for 2013 Nomination consideration! More informaiton on how the submission process works can be found here http://ghastlys.blogspot.com/2010/10/submit-your-horror-comic-to-be.html

read more

Horror comics are becoming more and more frequent in our reading culture, and the Ghastly Awards are here to recognize, through Horror Comic submissions, those that shine the brightest. We encourage all Comic Creators to take the time to head over to www.ghastlyawards.com and submit your work for 2013 Ghastly Award Nomination consideration.
    

Creators please remember that you can submit your Horror Comic work through out the calendar year! For the month of March 2013 the judges are recommending you take a look at: 

Hack/Slash #25 (Image Comics) - This is it!! For those that have followed the series from the beginning, middle or end this is now the official final issue in the Hack/Slash series. Thankfully for the long time fans Tim Seeley did not disappointment. Cassie and Samhain have their final face off and with all the bloodshed that has been going down Cassie becomes a one woman slashing machine as she battles Samhain to the death! As a huge Hack/Slash fan this final issue runs through every emotion you could have for this series. Seeley keeps the story on an emotional roller coaster and the art by Elena Casagrandre is some of the best with certain panels I am sure to become iconic pieces in the Hack/Slash world. Whether your an avid fan or a causal fan this series is a must for horror fans and this last issue shows you what can happen when the final girl in a horror movie gets the final say! - Spaced (http://www.facebook.com/NerdGirlsEyeView) 

Todd the Ugliest Kid on Earth #3 (Image Comics): Framed and arrested for the murder of several neighbourhood children, Todd - a kid so ugly he needs to wear a paper bag over his head - must learn all the various prison rules. Meanwhile, on the outside, police chief Hargrave accidentally stumbles upon the real Maniac Killer while searching for a bathroom. Balancing horror, humour and social taboos such as child murders is no easy thing to do, but writer Ken Kristensen and artist M. K. Perker have done so perfectly with Todd, a book so wickedly funny there isn’t time to be offended by the graphic subject matter. Issue 3 is the tamest so far, but that doesn’t make it any less shocking, especially the scenes set inside prison where sweet and naïve Todd is taken in by some nasty inmates and shown the ropes. If nothing else, the issue contains a handy Jail Glossary explaining terms such as Cho-Mo, Bum Beef and Blanket Party.  – Pedro Cabezuelo (http://www.rue-morgue.com/)

Hoax Hunters #8 (Image): I've got a soft spot for this funky, funny mix of Scooby Doo and Ghost Hunters.  Especially since the hunters in question are all (well, except for token "normal", Jack) all supernatural themselves, and are trying to cover up actual phenomena by solving the case...and coming up with a phoney-baloney reason why this wasn't what you think yo saw.  In #8 our intrepid group find something that may be more than they can deal with.  Gnomes, demons and "Hoax Hunter Hunters" all circle around the quaint town of Hauncheyville as this particular storyline comes to an end.  Plus, we get a look at Jack's past, and a big ol' cliffhanger that hints at seriously strange times ahead.  Image is taking it's "Night Stalker"-esque series and giving it a good shake-up.  Hopefully with the changes coming it'll still be good fun, and not turn into X-Files Lite. - Denise Dutton (atomicfangirl.com)

Change #4 (Image): The screwed up thing about Change,  and I don't mean this in a horror sense, because honestly there is no traditional, blood and guts horror in Change. The screwed up thing, and the reason I chose to review it for this months Ghastly round up is because psychological horror scares me worse than any other kind. And this comic book isn't even a linear psychosis. It's all over the place. None of the characters seem to be connected... or are they all connected?! The art lends a very unique and terrifying spin on comics. What makes this horrifying to me is that I feel like I'm watching Eraserhead and Pulp Fiction at the same time while simultaneously listening to Pink Flyod. That's a terrifying experience to live through. Nothing is scarier than the feeling of losing your own mind; Change does this to its reader.  I'm going to read this several more times because I can also sniff out philosophical meanings behind anything and this comic is rife with it. And it seems hella creepy – Bree Ogden (agentbree.wordpress.com)

Mystery Society 2013 Special (IDW): The Mystery Society are on the case, this time traveling deep undersea to unravel a monstrous secret! Steve Niles revives Nick and Anastasia's occult hunting Mystery Society team with this fast and fun one-shot issue featuring new artist Andrew Ritchie. – Steve Banes (http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/)

Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray #1 (Image): Ghost stories are hard to tell. You either have to hit all the tropes just right, or offer a completely fresh spin on the classic genre. With Five Ghosts, Frank J. Barbiere chose to go with the latter. The first issue offers an incredibly unique take on hauntings by turning the possessed Fabian Gray into an adventure seeking Indian Jones type who channels various ghosts who dwell within him. The artwork from Chris Mooneyham is striking and gritty and there's more action in the first issue than most writers pull off in an entire mini-series. Five Ghosts has everything from samurai swords to evil wizards, what's not to love? – Lonnie Nadler (www.Bloody-Disgusting.com)

Anathema #3 (Comixology): This is the third part of Rachel Deering's Gothic, epic werewolf mini-series, and has Wes St. Claire taking over the art chores. The story twists and progresses into the frozen north, where more terrors await Mercy Barlowe, our lupine protagonist. Deering's writing is dark, romantic, and exciting; I almost wish she had been writing for Vampirella back in the day and had Esteban Maroto at her disposal (though St. Claire handles the story nicely)! Her pacing and action is perfect and her dialog is believable, no easy feat when writing a serious period piece. This is currently only available on Comixology (for an extremely good price) and from Deering herself at Comic Cons. It's a crime that creators as talented as those here have to go the extra mile and make sacrifices to get their work seen (while name-hacks have the world at their feet because they wrote something decent a decade ago), but please make the effort to check out Anathema and other indy product. This next generation of horror needs to be discovered! - Mike Howlett (http://eeriepublications.blogspot.com/) 

Rachel Rising #15 (Abstract Studios): How does this series continue to get better and better each month? I love this story from the top to the bottom of Rachel's mothers coffin. The story just keeps getting deeper and deeper and creeping me out more and more. The artwork is beyond amazing because of it's consistency. Plain and simple you should be reading this book. Terry Moore is still delivering excellence on all levels each month. It is no wonder it has been up for Ghastly Awards the past 2 years. - Decapitated Dan (www.decapitateddan.com) 

Creators and Publishers please make sure to go over to www.ghastlyawards.com to submit your books for 2013 Nomination consideration! More informaiton on how the submission process works can be found here http://ghastlys.blogspot.com/2010/10/submit-your-horror-comic-to-be.html

read more