The Immortal Hulk: Rooting for and Fearing the Monster Within

By Michael Miller

Immortal Hulk 8
Photo Credit – Marvel Comics

Kalie is living in a state of perpetual business with all her PhD work, teaching, lesson planning, grading, and working her other job.  So, sadly, she hasn’t had much time for blogging lately.  We haven’t even finished The Haunting Of Hill House yet!  (Although we’re close.)  However, it’s Halloween and this is a horror blog so I thought a new post was needed.  With that in mind, this was the perfect day (and the perfect site) to discuss Al Ewing’s new series The Immortal Hulk, a comic unflinchingly merging the superhero and horror genre to uniquely unnerve its readers.  It is legitimately scary…but not in a jump-scare way.  The title’s true horror comes with what it forces the reader to consider and the dark, psychological unease rising from such contemplation. Continue reading “The Immortal Hulk: Rooting for and Fearing the Monster Within”

The Immortal Hulk: Rooting for and Fearing the Monster Within

Locke & Key and Horror Comic Books

By Michael J. Miller

Locke & Key 1
Photo Credit – IDW Publishing

This is a special post for a few reasons.  First, as someone who’s loved reading comic books and delighting to the adventures of superheroes since 1986; Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodríguez, and Jay Fotos’ Locke & Key is THE FIRST REAL HORROR COMIC I’ve ever read.  I broke brand new genre ground here and it was…an experience.  Second, this series came highly recommended by Nancy (half of the awesome twosome Nancy & Kathleen who run the wonderfully geektastic comic blog Graphic Novelty²).  Locke & Key is one of Nancy’s all-time favorites and she’s been urging me to read it for ages.  I made a lot of excuses because, well I can be a baby with horror stuff sometimes :).  But I did it!  Lastly, this is special because regular readers will notice Kalie’s been super busy with her PhD work of late so, sadly, that means less time for her to write new content.  I decided to write this guest post for her today in celebration of our three year anniversary.  Yep, three years ago today was the day we first met!  Awwww…let’s mark this special occasion by talking about the gruesome, macabre, and haunting tale of the Locke family shall we?? Continue reading “Locke & Key and Horror Comic Books”

Locke & Key and Horror Comic Books

A Very Deadpool Nightmare on Elm Street

with Michael Miller

Well, Michael and I sat down to write our second genre mash-up.  Instead of placing the original Ghostbusters in The Shining’s Overlook Hotel, we chose to work with the hugely popular, always hilarious Deadpool and placed him in the dreams of Nancy Thompson, main character of Nightmare on Elm Street, to help banish the infamous Freddy Krueger.  We have yet to determine what our third series installment will be, but since this was, again, very fun to write, we’re very much planning on creating more!  If you’d like to check out our first genre mash-up on The Shining and The Ghosbusters, feel free!

Continue reading “A Very Deadpool Nightmare on Elm Street”

A Very Deadpool Nightmare on Elm Street

“The Screaming Citadel” Screams Star Wars at its Scariest — Issues 1 & 2

screaming citadel 1
Dr. Aphra – The Screaming Citadel

It’s finally happened: I’m writing about Star Wars on my horror blog.  Given the alarmingly high degree of my boyfriend’s nerdiness, this installment was inevitable for some time, but the possibility has finally come to fruition two and a half years after I first met Michael.  Now, don’t get me wrong: Michael has given Star Wars a horror twist on this blog before with his examination of horror tropes in the popular animated series The Clone WarsBut I guess because I prefer to be nestled safely in the typical renditions of my favorite genre, I’ve never branched out the same way.  And then, it happened, one fateful night (which was really last night).  Michael mentioned that a comic series bent toward the horror genre had been released. The Screaming Citadel series is a five-issue exploration of what happens when you merge Star Wars with the disturbing and the macabre.  Michael generously purchased the first two series installments for me earlier this evening, which I have proceeded to read with considerable enjoyment.  Continue reading ““The Screaming Citadel” Screams Star Wars at its Scariest — Issues 1 & 2″

“The Screaming Citadel” Screams Star Wars at its Scariest — Issues 1 & 2

N – Or the Frailty of the Non-Monster

n-picturePre-Reading Note:  My grad program has been time consuming, so I haven’t been able to post as regularly.  I hope to keep up a slightly more regular posting schedule, however, in coming weeks, my writing will be supplemented by the works of other bloggers who will add to my Walking Dead Series and/or write about their first frights! (Get excited!)

Funny Story: It took me a second perusal of the comic rendition Stephen King’s N to realize that the plot sits at the nexus of some of my favorite literary areas of exploration.  What – you were expecting a story that was literally funny?  Sorry to disappoint you.  This is a horror blog.  We don’t laugh here. Continue reading “N – Or the Frailty of the Non-Monster”

N – Or the Frailty of the Non-Monster

There’s Just Somethin’ About That Guy: My Fascination with The Joker

joker 2
Photo Credit – The Dark Knight

It’s happened to all of us: we meet that person who’s inexplicably captivating.  I admit, I’ve been enamored by people now and then after little more than a brief introduction.  But, usually those people are charming, witty, sometimes attractive, seemingly kind, and so forth.  Usually such people are not white-faced demons with flaming green hair and a pointed desire to “watch the world burn,” as they say in The Dark Knight.  And yet, I know now it’s not impossible to be fascinated by just such a person.  Much like psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel, who tragically transforms into Harley Quinn, the villainous Joker who sits opposite to the Batman captivates me, though, unlike Harley Quinn, I am (thankfully) not madly in love with him.

Continue reading “There’s Just Somethin’ About That Guy: My Fascination with The Joker”

There’s Just Somethin’ About That Guy: My Fascination with The Joker

The Killing Joke: The Horror Genre’s Greatest Unclaimed Masterpiece

Guest Writer: Michael J. Miller

Killing Joke 1
Photo Credit – DC C0mics The Killing Joke

In 1988, Alan Moore and Brian Bolland gave the world Batman: The Killing Joke, a graphic novel unique in both its depiction of depravity and the emotional toll it takes on the reader.  At first glance, a Batman comic may seem an odd choice for an article on a horror blog.  Yet, I’d argue no other piece of literature (comic book or otherwise) delves into the sadistic depths of darkness and evil quite like The Killing Joke.  In all I’ve explored of the horror genre proper, there are few works that make me cringe like this and even fewer that leave me as disturbed.  In The Killing Joke, the reader encounters an unflinching portrayal of evil.  And you can’t remain unchanged after reading it.

Continue reading “The Killing Joke: The Horror Genre’s Greatest Unclaimed Masterpiece”

The Killing Joke: The Horror Genre’s Greatest Unclaimed Masterpiece