Graphic Novel Review: Woodstake: Three Days of Peace, Music, and Blood Volume 1, by Darin S. Cape, art by Felipe Kroll, lettering by Stephen Kok

 

Woodstake bookcover

Woodstake: Three Days of Peace, Music and Blood by Darin S. Cape, art by Felipe Kroll; lettering by Stephen Kok
SHP Comics, 2025
ISBN-13: 979-8992749915
Available: paperback
Buy: Bookshop.org

 

Woodstake begins in March 1927, in upstate New York, in a lone cabin where Dracula awakens, feeding on the wildlife in the forest to regain his strength. Nearby, Jack Heyward and Lucy Westin are in love, but the latter is hunted and turned by Dracula.

 

Sheriff Obadiah Wood is investigating a strange murder, and Marius Van Helsing believes he has killed the creature that used to be Lucy. As time passes, Van Helsing’s son Alexandru takes on the mantle of the family legacy of hunting vampires, and Obadiah’s son Jim becomes the acting sheriff of Sullivan County.

 

The setting then changes to San Francsico in July 1969. Jonathan distributes his free music publication to interested readers, struggling to keep it going while his father gives him an ultimatum. Jon needs to turn a profit so he can make a living, or be cut off financially and return home to work for Boeing, something he is vehemently against, as he is opposed to the Vietnam War. He reaches out to his friend Artie, and they, along with Artie’s friend Nina, head to Woodstock with the hopes of getting a front-page interview with Jimi Hendrix. They receive a rude welcome at the diner from a couple of locals, one of whom has returned from Vietnam and the other who can’t wait to go fight. The situation escalates into a confrontation in the woods, where the sheriff does something that goes against his regular duties. When the trio get to the music festival, nobody expects that a vampire horde is about to descend on the crowd of festival-goers.

 

The publisher’s summary includes that this is a “darkly funny, genre-bending thrill ride.” Unfortunately, the humor doesn’t land for me, and for anyone who is a fan of 1960s and 1970s vampire horror flicks, this story is not genre-bending, as there are several films that combine hippies and vampires. Perhaps with the addition of music history, sure, but not when it comes to the merging of horror and counterculture movements. However, although there is so much going on in Woodstake that it is hard to track some of the plot, it is still a good read. The subplot of anti-war protests and two very different groups clashing reflects the period well. For music fans, look for musical references included in various scenes. Maybe dig those albums out, or access them via streaming, and give them a listen while reading. It does add atmosphere, so kudos to Cape for including them in the book.

 

While Kroll’s art style is unique and vivid for the most part, there are some shadows that do not seem to play well on the page, and sometimes expressions do not match the emotion in some panels. However, when he uses vibrant colors, his artwork really comes alive, where his shadow work is excellent. His chapter break pieces are phenomenal.

 

Another aspect of comics and graphic novels I have been tracking lately is lettering. Stephen Kok’s lettering in this book is clear, and it is obvious who is communicating, and how.

 

This book is recommended for those who like horror and music history, as well as for readers who are looking for a good vampire story. Libraries looking to grow their comics and graphic novels offerings should consider this for their collection. Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on April 28, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: The Court of Pe’kar (Lost Carcosa #4) by Joseph Sale

Cover art for The Court of Pe'Kar by Joseph Sale

The Court of Pe’kar, by Joseph Sale

Blood Bound Books, 2024

ISBN: 9781940250687

Available: Paperback, ebook edition

 

 

The Court of Pe’kar is the penultimate story in Joseph Sale’s riveting Carcosa series, and it does an outstanding job setting the stage for the final volume, while being an excellent addition to the series based on its own merits.  

 

This fourth volume has more of the feel of the first two in the series: quick pacing, tangible enemies, and good head-crushing, stomach-tearing battles.  The third volume, while good, took the series in a more cerebral, introspective direction, where the adversaries were contained within the characters themselves.  With The Court Of Pe’kar, it’s back to the prior approach, as Alan Chambers, Queen Cassilda, and their companions, complete the journey to the City of Demons to face off with Pe’kar the Demon King, and Cassilda’s traitorous sister Cali. 

 

While most of the chapters focus on the protagonists, some of the earlier chapters feature Cali.  The author makes the most out of these chapters, using them to sow doubt about Cali’s final intentions toward Pe’kar, when it appeared that she was previously in league with him.  The story takes a somewhat similar turn with Pe’kar, as his intentions towards Alan and his party, as conveyed by his minions, are not at all what the group expects.  That’s what the narrative does best in this volume.  The actions of some of the characters cause some of the others to view their own intentions with a level of dubiousness, making for an exciting, yet unpredictable story.  It’s best exemplified by a meeting between Cassilda and Cali towards the end, which may be the best part of the book.  Alan’s group may have been united in their quest to eliminate Cali, but as she and others become unpredictable and show other facets of themselves previously hidden, the heroes have to question if the desired result would benefit the land of Carcosa, or themselves.  In all fairness, although Alan Chambers was the driving force behind the series in the beginning, it’s a bit more about Cassilda and Cali, and their relationship as sisters and mortal enemies, which is now the focus.  Of course, that may very well change in the final volume, as the author has proven adept at surprising readers.  

 

Worth noting also, the final battle in this book is a thrilling collage of bloodshed: it’s almost as good as the epic battle that closed out volume two.  

 

While it’s kind of sad when you can see the journey start to end as the series nears its conclusion, it’s been a hell of a ride getting there, and still is.  We probably won’t see another fantasy series this good anytime soon. Most definitely recommended!

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on April 21, 2026 by , Reply

Grey Dog by Elliott Gish

Cover art for Grey Dog by Elliot Gish

Grey Dog by Elliott Gish

ECW Press, 2024

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1770417328

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

Buy:  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

In 1901 Canada,  Ada Byrd, fleeing from a sex scandal and escaping from under her father’s thumb, takes up a position as a school teacher in the small town of Lowry Bridge. Things go well at the beginning: she is welcomed by the families, and makes new friends, such as Agatha, the minister’s wife. Ada goes to church, helps organize picnics and plays, and freely dances at one of the town’s festivities. She follows the town’s rules and their suspicions of the wild child, Muriel, and the spinster, Mrs. Kinsley, who the town considers a witch.

 

The civilized life she leads is in contrast to the dark woods surrounding the town. To get from the schoolhouse to the home she shares with her host family, the Griers, she must pass eerie woods that seem to be watching her every move. Time goes on, and the ordered and civilized life she leads starts to fade, as her past life comes back to haunt her and the town starts to reveal its secrets. Ada slowly breaks away from the rigid conventions of the town, and feels drawn to the wildness of the woods. She starts spending more time with town outcasts, Muriel and Mrs. Kinsley, and rejects Agatha and Mrs. Grier, the more accepted members of society.

 

Ada writes in her journal that there are many ways to be a good man, but only one way to be a good woman. The pressure of women being forced into specific gender roles breaks Ada, and you see her slow descent into madness as she breaks the bonds of civility. She’s not just refusing to shave her legs or wearing white after Labor Day. The book is a slow burn but at the end, it revs up like The Shining. It goes from psychological and paranormal horror to a slasher.

 

Even though it has feminist themes, Ada herself is somewhat self-hating of women and seems to take her trauma out on the women in the book rather than the men who hurt her. Grey Dog is well-written, and Ada’s descent is reminiscent of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This novel had so many themes, such as trauma, sapphic love, rape, birth, death, gender roles, and yearning that it is a haunting read that will have you thinking about it and running online to find out what others thought of it. I recommend it, though the ending might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

 

Reviewed by Lucy Nguyen

 

Posted on April 4, 2026 by , Reply
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