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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: Suck-U-Bus (New Adult Occult) by S.C. Mendes and Nikki Noir

cover art for Suck-U-Bus by S.C. Mendes and Nikki Noir

Suck-U-Bus (New Adult Occult) by S.C. Mendes and Nikki Noir

Blood Bound Books, 2023

ISBN: 9781940250588

Available::Paperback, KIndle edition

Buy: Amazon.com

 

 

This dark and crazy heavy metal horror is the first book co-written by two very good authors, S.C. Mendes and Nikki “Spleaze Queen” Noir.  The plot line is excellent:  a nice tweaking of the classic “we sold our souls for rock n’ roll’  trope.  How does it fare?  Well…make no mistake, it’s good, it just never feels like the overdrive gear kicks in and blows you away, which is what both authors do.

 

The band Suck-U-Bus (succubus), led by three women called the Mothers, promote their legend online and at shows.  After each show, three lucky winners get a meet-and -greet on the tour bus…with a demon, and they must have, um, carnal relations with it.  That’s the price for the band’s success.  The demon makes them famous, but needs to indulge in his devilish desires after each show.  Lisa Hummer and her brother Danny go to the show, and Danny gets chosen. Next thing, he is following the band everywhere, but NOT doing well.  Alarmed, Lisa goes after him, learning as she goes about the misfortunes of prior backstage winners.  In the process, she gets pulled into the dark legend-or-reality-that is Suck-U-Bus.

 

Those are the basics.  As far as writing, the two authors work well together.  It’s a good blend of the darkness Mendes usually brings to his writing, with the over-the-top insanity of Noir..  The pacing is decent, the story just never quite explodes all over the pages.  There is some real cleverness to it, though.  Lisa’s doubts about the reality of what is happening demonstrate this: is all the demon stuff true, or is this one of the best metal hoaxes ever, a gimmick to get money by using fake exorcisms and possessions? It’s over too soon, but the book does put together a nice final section and a banger of an ending: the final demon confrontation felt like classic Nikki Noir all the way.

 

Bottom line: it’s a decent collaboration, but I suspect the authors can pull a better one out of their trick bag. Let’s hope they do another.  Fun error: the song in the book should have been ‘Necropedophile,’ not ‘Necropedilia.’   Like the authors, I also happen to be quite familiar with the Cannibal Corpse discography.  Recommended. (The book. Well, the music too!)

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

Posted on January 24, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Ruinsong by Julia Ember

Ruinsong by Julia Ember

Ruinsong by Julia Ember

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2020

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374313357

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com) 

 

 

In this YA dark fantasy, Cadence is a corporeal mage whose magic comes through singing. While she comes from poverty, she is now the principal singer for the queen. Queen Elene, also originally a commoner, overthrew the previous monarchy and has forced the nobility to live in fear. Once a year they must all attend a Performing where the principal singer sings a song intended to cause pain and fear in the nobility. This is Cadence’s first year and when she sees the extraordinary pain her song is causing, she stops singing. Cadence’s disobedience leads to Ren, the queen’s torturer, murdering her dog. In return, Cadence has a tantrum that leads to the death of six people, and refuses to cooperate with the queen.

 

 

The scene of Cadence’s Performing is extremely dark and disturbing, and while we get some backstory on Elene that makes her behavior understandable, Ren and Elene’s cruelty was hard to handle.

 

 

Cadence’s mage training and social class separated her from her closest friend, Remi, who is forced to attend the performance. Remi is later arrested for going to the hospital, which is illegal for nobles, and her father is seized for treason. Elene tells Remi that if she can gain Cadence’s cooperation, she and her father can move to better quarters. Cadence is reluctant but doesn’t want Remi hurt. Despite Cadence’s monstrous actions and Remi’s position as prisoner, the two are falling in love. But Elene’s oppressive reign is about to fall to rebels, and Cadence is the one who has to decide how she will use her voice.

 

 

I like magic systems that involve music, but the magic system can’t stand alone. The character of the mage also matters. This year I have also read the YA fantasy Edgewood, which, while very different in its world building and overall plot, also has a main character who discovers she is a song mage, and she claims her agency even in the face of a cruel and capricious ruler. Cadence is passive, complicit, and easily provoked, so even though I felt sympathy for her situation, I couldn’t really cheer her on. This is supposed to be a sapphic romance inspired by Phantom of the Opera, but outside the mask wearing and the singing I didn’t see much of a connection to Phantom, and while Cadence and Remi did develop a romantic relationship, I don’t see how it could have a happy ending.

 

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on November 2, 2022 by , Reply
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