Ghastly Awards–March 2014 update

 (Editor’s Note: We thoroughly enjoy the return of quality horror creations to the comics medium. The Ghastly Awards serve to recognize the best of the best each year through their nomination and awards program. Here is an update plus some recommended reading from several of the Ghastly Award judges. Their blog sites are included for further viewing . . . .)

          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 2014 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 2014 the Judges are recommending you take a look at:

Curse #1 (BOOM!) - Laney Griffin is a normal loving father who would do anything to save his dying son.  With the medical bills piling up and his sister in law threatening to take his child away, he is forced to extreme measures. That includes trekking into the woods to catch the creature that has mutilated and devoured 5 people in order to claim the bounty on it.  But, when Laney actually comes across the creature this encounter will leave him anything but normal again.  Writers Michael Moreci and Tim Daniel really hit this first issue out of the park.  As a girl who is always searching for a great creature feature comic this one certainly fits the bill.  The writing is spot on and fast paced and Riley Rossmo and Colin Lorimer’s artwork is so beautiful and compelling you can feel yourself being pulled into the story.  Issue #2 has already hit shelves and I am already hearing great things about it and I am not surprised. This is the comic that is a must have on your pull list. - Spaced (http://youknowyourcertifiable.blogspot.com/)

Revenge #2 (Image Comics) - This comic is insane. I’d love to be more eloquent in my description but it doesn’t require an iota of eloquence because it’s INSANE.  Writer Jonathan Ross swings full-throttle with sex, drugs, violence, and gore which Ian Churchill dutifully backs up with graphically gruesome art.  The plot--a washed-up actor in his 70’s tries to hold onto his fame with an experimental skin replacement surgery and winds up in a horrifying state of awareness during the monstrous process--is absolutely relentless.  The unique use of flashbacks is not only a great storytelling tool, but also a great way to build the sickening atmosphere.  The flashbacks are so flawlessly trippy that the reader feels like they are hallucinating right along with our main character.  This isn’t the average revenge plot.  detailed and deep.  It sets the stage and players perfectly through a series of non linear events meant to throw us all for a loop.  Fine entertainment, indeed--if not a bit gaggy at times. – Bree Ogden (agentbree.wordpress.com)

The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror, Volume 3 (Dark Horse) This is Dark Horse’s first entry into the Vault of Horror EC archives and they have come at a very very good time.  This volume collects VoH #24 through #29, and the title is hitting it’s stride within.  Every issue has Johnny Craig, Jack Davis and “Ghastly” Graham Ingels  and the fourth slot is rounded out by greats like Jack Kamen, George Evans, and other legends.  Scripts by Craig, Ray Bradbury, Al Feldstein... this is really the cream of the crop.  For anyone who hasn’t read the EC comics before, this is a no brainer and really, not a bad place to start.  Strong story-telling and the best art to ever grace a comic book, horror or otherwise, bar none. This isn’t just my opinion... it is a FACT!  We owe Dark Horse a huge debt of gratitude for picking up the pieces and continuing the EC Archive series. - Mike Howlett (http://eeriepublications.blogspot.com/)

 

Monsters! & Other Stories (Dark Horse) - After reading this book and then writing this review, I’ve come to one conclusion.  I need to read this book again and again and…again!  This book has Award winner written all over it, and it’s only the start of 2014.  I mean come on, I’ve read a lot Horror Comics, but this one is up there in that top tier.  It’s screaming at me, “TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW ABOUT ME!  I’M THAT DAMN GOOD!”  It’s going to be hard when December rolls around for this book to not be my Best OGN of 2014.  So just go read it already…stop reading this…SERIOUSLY STOP…now go read this book!- Decapitated Dan (www.decapitateddan.com)