Book
Review
Dark
Apostle (Warhammer 40,000)
By Anthony Reynolds
Published by: The
Black Library
Set in the dark futuristic
world of Warhammer 40,000 this novel sees an Empire planet mercilessly attacked
by the dreaded Chaos Space Marines and a horde of Chaos warriors intent on
enslaving the population and building a huge chaos tower for reasons unknown.
The Empire doesn't send their
finest, but the Imperial Guard and the Adeptus Mechanicus arrive in an attempt
to fight off the Chaos hordes before they reach their mysterious goal.
Fierce battles, in-fighting,
the sway of chaos, this is a novel which shows us the dark side of the Warhammer
40K world, through the eyes of the enslaved humans, the huge possessed and
daemon-infested Chaos Space Marines, plus the legions of the Imperial Guard and
the strange machine-like Adeptus Mechanicus.
This is a novel truly based on
the legendary tabletop war game, battles are at the heart of the story and
essential to the plot. The characters are well developed and this is one of the
first times we are given an insight into the evil intents of the dreaded Chaos
Space Marines. It’s strange and insightful to see how the Empire's major enemy
works.
Exciting gung-ho action,
intelligently and thoughtfully put together so that it’s much more than your
standard action-fuelled blast-fest.
Review by Stanley
Riiks
Film
Review
Doomsday
Starring: Rhona Mitra, Bob
Hoskins
Very few films have me leaving
the cinema with a wicked grin on my face. But after watching Doomsday I
couldn’t help it. Horror films at the cinema are few and far between these
days, especially if you don’t include sequels. So how about some good old
fashion gore, sprinkled with a near-future industrial gothic setting, a sexy
female lead, and a dash of humour thrown in for good measure…
A sexy British version of Mad Max anyone?
After a plague wipes out half of Scotland and is spreading fast, a huge wall is built to contain the rest of the
population before it can spread south. Whoever is still alive is left to die as
the authorities watch and wait. Murder, rape and anarchy spread throughout the
walled-off region until virtually everyone is dead.
For years everything is safe, the wall holds and the plague is contained.
Then the deadly plague appears in
London
. The government have little choice but to try to contain it, cut off
London
from the rest of the
UK
and flood it. But there is one last hope…
Enter Rhona Mitra’s character, a sexy policewoman sent into
Scotland
through the huge wall with a well-armed team to try to find a cure.
What they find is Mad Max-style anarchy, where Sol, a tattooed, pierced,
mohawked, cannibal Scotsman wants to eat her and her friends.
What follows is action packed, gore-infested mayhem of the highest order.
Gruesome, brutal, violent action with wit and a half decent story thrown in.
Doomsday is what horror has been waiting for, irreverent manic action-fuelled
terror.
Review By Stanley
Riiks
Book
Review
SUCKERS (An Andrew Mayhem / Harry McGlade Thriller) By
J.A. Konrath and Jeff Strand
www.jeffstrand.com, www.JAKonrath.com
www.deliriumbooks.com
The sixth and possibly final edition of Delirium Book's hardcover chapbook series is a collaboration between
J.A. Konrath and Jeff Strand, with each penning alternating chapters to tell the tale from their character's point of view. This type of narrative might wear out its welcome quickly, however both authors are adept at humorous horror and the ninety-six pages of this 4.5" by 6.5" book go by fast.
Harry McGlade has been hired to track down a wayward Goth teen (is there any other kind?) by her mother, who suspects she has taken up with a
'pire clan. As usual Andrew Mayhem trips into a situation that, by all rights, should kill him. He runs into McGlade as the 'assault' on the clan's stronghold is about to begin. Keep in mind that the clan leader is a mid-30's, fat, balding man in leather operating out of a nice, small house in the suburbs. Between the bickering, fighting and suburban Goth orgy (yes, it happens and is just as disturbing as it sounds due to a lack of Suicide Girls) all Mayhem wants is a way home. Meanwhile, McGlade is a legend in his own mind, here to save the day. The natural absurdity of suburban Goth vampire wannabees and a Three
Stooges-esque fight scene keep the story flowing from chapter to chapter.
Delirium's production values are consistently outstanding. The hardcover chapbook series is a small format with a full colour wraparound cover printed into the boards. All editions are signed and numbered, limited to 300, so if you spot a favourite author, ordering quickly is advisable. Suckers is well worth the asking price if you like humour with your horror and a touch of the absurd.
Review by Jim Lesniak
Film
Review
TEETH
94 mins.
Starring: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais, Hale
Appleman and Lenny Von Dohlen; Written and Directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein
www.dimensionextreme.com
Wow! Where do I begin on this one? What can I say that
hasn't already been said?
For those not in the know, TEETH is the timeless tale of
boy meets girl, boy seduces girl, boy … loses penis to girl's vagina
teeth?
That's right. Vagina Teeth
Dawn is a shy high school girl who has made the sacred vow
of abstinence before marriage. She's so pure she's the leader of a pledge group
that warns teens of the dangers of pre-marital sex. She's so pure she never
masturbates.
So, of course, how the hell are you supposed to know if
your vagina is equipped with snappers if you don't test the waters?
Alas, Dawn meets the new guy at school, who at first seems
like the real deal: a down to earth nice guy who just happens to be a born again
virgin.
Halfway through their courtship, this "nice guy"
informs Dawn that they can no longer see each other. The reason? His sexual
feelings for her are just too strong to resist, and he doesn't want to ruin
their pledge to remain sex-free.
Yep, this guy is SMOOTH.
But the two lovebirds just can't help themselves. Soon,
their making out … And (gasp!) … Our "nice guy" rapes Dawn!
But before you can say 'vagina dentata'… you guessed it:
The vagina teeth strike!
Dawn's life spirals out of control.
Every time she turns around another guy is trying to get
his hands on her: from her gynecologist to her stepbrother and everyone in
between! This is probably the most unrealistic part of the whole movie.
What, you ask. THIS is the most unrealistic part?! What
about the whole vagina teeth issue? Well, nope (shrugs), the vagina teeth are
pretty realistic.
Look, every guy in here is some creepy molester! Where the
hell does she live? In some sixth circle of Hell?
Lucky for Dawn, though, she's about to discover the true
meaning of girl power.
Hope you're not squeamish.
Reading
the above synopsis, or even the DVD box for that matter, makes you believe
you're in for a campy gory good time - and you are.
But TEETH is so much more.
It's everything from hilarious comedy to emotionally
gripping drama to flat out camp horror.
This movie does for the vagina what JAWS did for the ocean.
And if that doesn't peek your interest nothing will!
Review By Trevor Wright
Book Review
Zombie Factory: 27 Tales of Bizarre Comix Madness from Beyond the Tomb
ISBN: 1-4196-6748-3
www.ideamenproductions.com
B&W Graphic Novel, 192 pages
With the horror boom of the 1960's came many magazines eager to separate fans from their money. Some were highly-regarded class acts, with excellent art and first-class writing like Creepy and Eerie from Warren or the stable of publications from the revered
Skywald. Then, we come to Eerie Publications, Myron Fass' attempt to get his piece of the action. Eerie Publications used garish and violent covers to sell uncredited pre-code horror and its sometimes inept new commissions to a bloodthirsty horror clientele. There's no subtlety here, just vampires, werewolves, zombies, corpses, decapitation and revenge, sometimes all on the same issue.
After a brief, yet informative, introduction on Eerie Publications by Patrick O'Donnell, we get to the meat of the matter: 27 reprints of the best of Tales From The Tomb, Tales of Voodoo (a personal
favourite), Terror Tales and Witches Tales.
Due to the art styles and the sheer amount of gore and violence, it is very unlikely that any of these tales are pre-code reprints. The stories are very direct and lack the deft touch of
E.C. Comics or even 1950's Atlas. However, they have a certain bloody charm like a 1970's grind house film. You don't expect either to be high art; you're here for cheap disposable fun. This collection is capped off with an essay on the Comics Code Authority that neutered comic books in the U.S.
Zombie Factory has higher production values than the magazines these stories were taken from, with nice paper quality and crisp reproduction of the art. Nothing is missing in the black and white presentation, which is how these stories originally appeared. The main benefit of a compilation like this is the selection of some of the best tales from Eerie Publication's output. Anyone who's had to slog through the original magazines will surely appreciate the effort made to find these 27! Most of the time, the best thing about these magazines were the garish, nearly amateurish covers.
There are only minor quibbles with this collection. It would have been neat to have reproductions of more of the covers, but the attraction here are the stories, and the covers would have lost their power in black and white. Also, the conclusion felt superfluous as this is not a collection of pre-code horror, although Eerie Publications did reprint their fair share. That being said, this collection is on par with Idea Men Production's 'Monster of Frankenstein' collection. Zombie Factory, like the rest of IMP's output, seems to be print-to-order serviced by Amazon, so it would be difficult, If not impossible to browse before buying. This is a recommended purchase for horror comic fans that enjoy a wild, bloody, visceral ride
Review by Jim Lesniak
