Review: Satan’s Hollow #6

With the final chapter now in place, all the elements that pulled me into this book come together to close the chapter of Satan’s Hollow.  Sandra, the protagonist, spends the book in a great little nightie.  Demons fight for position as the moon ascends and the door readies to open.  And all Hell is about to break loose… For the past few issues, this book has been a hit.  The last part of this series, for me, fails in the writing department.  Joe Brusha leaves the conclusion out of Sandra’s hands.  Yes, the character we followed for this story does not have any effect or impact on resolving the conclusion.  Additionally, the resolution comes about with a whimper instead of the bang expected from the excellent build up over the previous issues.  Worst of all, the epilogue comes with a very predictable delivery.

The art, on the other hand, succeeded.

Allan Otero delivers a great set of illustrations with panels that demonstrate a creative and twisted talent.  For instance, one image comes from the many-toothed mouth of a serpentine demon.  Also, the blood flows in splatters and covers areas off the panel.  Accompanying Otero’s work is equally cool coloring by Fran Gamboa and J.C. Ruiz.  The duo has been delivering great ranges of hues that alternate from shadowy blues to hellish reds.  Such a balance of great art and atmospheric colors made this a great series.

As a whole, this series provided great entertainment and fun.  As far as conclusions are concerned with horror offerings, pulling off a terrifying end isn’t easy.  Just look at all the terrible endings Stephen King tacked on to brilliantly told stories.  Satan’s Hollow succeeds on the whole way better than what this last part would suggest.

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Satan’s Hollow #6 Writer: Joe Brusha Artist: Allan Otero Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Price: $3.99 Format: Mini-series; Print/Digital

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Review: Grimm Tales of Terror vol. 2 #12

Given the last time I had an issue of this I wasn’t all that impressed, I’ve decided to give it another go. So this week, I’m reviewing Zenescope Entertainment’s Grim Tales of Terror Volume 2 #12. In this issue, the story we’re given centers around a bunch of missing little girls who all have one thing in common: poor taste in shitty mobile apps. A private investigator gets brought in by another private investigator to try to solve where these kids have gone… As you can guess, things go south for the dick and he doesn’t resolve jack shit. It takes a pretty sharp turn towards the end which I wasn’t expecting, but that’s probably because it’s borderline ridiculous.

“The App” is a story concocted by Ralph Tedesco and Joe Brusha and written by Troy Brownfield. I’m not sure how this is working but I would like to know. I’ve never had to write someone else’s story before, I’m guessing Joe and Ralph just gave Troy an outline of what happens and Troy scripts it. I didn’t mind the story too much but the execution wasn’t all that great. Some of the dialogue is downright diabolical.

The artist for this issue is Edu Menna, and I have the same feelings towards the art in this issue as I did the last. Edu does okay with it. Some of the faces look a bit rough at times but other than that it’s fine. Some of these characters, though… they look a lot like other people. There’s a part where the P.I. is interviewing a black couple and I was thinking to myself, “The dad looks a bit like Lionel Ritchie.” And as I’m reading this at my day job, one of my colleagues walks up behind me, sees the page and starts singing “Hello” without me even saying anything. I shit you not.

You also get Shaggy from Scooby Doo in this issue. The P.I.’s intern, it’s straight up Shaggy from Scooby Doo. You first see him wearing a white t-shirt and then the next time you see him, he’s wearing a green shirt. I’m sure colorist Robby Bevard was having some fun there. No complaints about your color work either, Robby. You’ve done a decent job there.

The issue was a little better than the last one, but I’m still not really feeling it. I think it has the potential to be a great book and a great platform to show what modern horror comics can be. It just needs a bit of a kick up the arse.

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Grim Tales of Terror Volume 2 #12 Writers: Ralph Tedesco, Joe Brusha & Troy Brownfield Artist: Edu Menna Colorist: Robby Bevard Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Price: $3.99 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

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