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Book Review: Pretty Deadly

Pretty Deadly, Volume 1: The Shrike by Kelly Sue Deconnick, art by Emma Rios

Image Comics, 2014

ISBN: 9781607069621

Available: Paperback, Kindle & comixology ebook

The story begins with the skeletal Bunny and Butterfly introducing us to an unusual little girl named Sissy the Vulture Girl, and her guardian, old man Fox. Sissy and Fox travel to different towns reciting the “The Song of Deathface Ginny”. which tells the story of The Mason, the love for his wife Beauty, and the tragedy that awaits her due to his carelessness with her. We learn through the tale that Deathface Ginny’s skills as gunslinger and sabre wielder are legendary, and that if she is set free, death awaits those who cross her path. As the book progresses, Sissy discovers there is much more to the story.

The artwork in this volume is absolutely gorgeous. The backgrounds are vast landscapes with the colours changing to illustrate where the action is taking place. The characters are uniquely rendered.

The storytelling is disjointed and there is a lot of information the reader gets in this first volume, but this method of storytelling it fits the material well. If you like Preacher or gritty westerns with supernatural elements, this may be a good title for you to check out. In addition, if you are looking to read or highlight something for the next Women in Horror Month, February 2018, this is definitely a title you need to pick up. Deconnick and Rios are an amazing team of women creators in the comic horror genre. Highly recommended.

Volume 1 collects Pretty Deadly issues #1-5.

 

Contains: a little bit of blood, a little bit of sexual content, nudity

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on July 31, 2017 by , 1 comment

Book Review: Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman


Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman
Ecco, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0062259684
Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook
 

When  Bird Box hit the horror scene three years ago, readers discovered a new voice. Lyrical, rhythmic, and brutal, Josh Malerman wrote like a musician carving away at an album of great songs. The result was a true original that should have won the Bram Stoker award.  Malerman is the singer and guitarist of the rock band The High Strung, and in this second novel, Malerman has used his experience to pen a novel about the power of music, both good and bad.  Black Mad Wheel is incredibly accessible, with strong characters and a narrative that flows like the best classic rock and roll.

 

In the post-World War II era, the members of The Danes, a band with a one-hit-wonder, are looking for their next big thing. They find it when an officer from military intelligence makes them an offer that could put them all back on the path to wealth. The officer claims there is a “sound” emanating from the African desert that can disarm any weapon, but can also destroy a human in a horrific manner. The band accepts, and heads to the desert to find the source of the sound.

 

Meanwhile, in a parallel story, Phillip Tonka awakes from a long coma in a strange hospital, unable to move. Nearly every bone in his body is broken. He is a miracle to those who care for him. Ellen, his nurse, begins to unravel the mystery of what is happening to him, and why he is still alive and healing at a rate that is physically impossible. Both stories weave around each other like a great vocal riding atop a harmony, a guitar riff alongside a backbeat rhythm that can transform the simplest of songs into something magical. What the band finds in the desert is something most won’t see coming; Phillip’s tale is both mysterious and thrilling, and, as Malerman develops the bond between the man and his nurse, heartwarming as well.
Black Mad Wheel proves that Josh Malerman wasn’t a one-hit wonder. The story is just as enticing as Bird Box, with as much heart as horror. Do not miss this. Highly recommended. This ranks near the top of any thriller written about music.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on July 30, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: The Beauty: Volume 1 by Jeremy Haun and Jason Hurley, art by Jeremy Haun

The Beauty: Volume 1 by Jeremy Haun and Jason Hurley, art by Jeremy Haun

Image Comics, 2016

ISBN: 9781632155504

Available: print, Kindle & comixology ebook

 

The Beauty proposes a few questions. With society’s obsession with external outward beauty, what if there was a way to guarantee someone could become more attractive? What if the way to accomplish such beauty was through a sexually transmitted disease? In the world of Beauty, most of the population has taken advantage of the STD. Why not? After all, the only known side effects are increased hunger, a low-grade fever, and the benefit of being drop dead gorgeous. Detectives Vaughn and Foster discover the less than appealing side effect: the “drop dead” part is literal.  As the detectives start getting closer to solving the mystery, the danger to their lives increases. Certain parties attempt to launch a cover-up, but newly-infected Detective Foster isn’t having any of it. After a heavily publicized press conference announcement goes wrong, he’s got a shiny new target on his back.

The Beauty reads like a typical noir crime novel at times, but the story is compelling and unique. I thought there would be more of a focus on the people who voluntarily contract the disease rather than on the law enforcement angle, but it still made for a decent exploration of what happens when a disease that has been around for a few years starts exhibiting deadly consequences. I think it helps that the artwork is fantastic. This is not a story for children; violence, sex, and death are shown in detail, thanks to the magnificent art. Recommended.

Volume 1 collections issues #1-6.

Contains: blood, exploding bodies, body horror, nudity, violent content

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on July 29, 2017 by , Reply
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