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Hey there Boils and Ghouls. Welcome back to another installment of the Dark Delights. This week we dive into the dungeon of reviews and take a look at Mercy Me Book #1,  The Legend of Red #1, Shades of the Night #3, Jesus Hates Zombies featuring Lincoln Hates Werwolves Vol.1, Tomb of Bloke #1, Bone Chiller TPB, Rockabilly Roadtrip #1 and Chaos Campus Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #1
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Book : Mercy Me Book 1
Writer : Clay Parris
Artist: Erik Northfell
Release Date: 2009
Pages: 165
Price: $10

Welcome to the world of Rue Mercy. When he was a young child, Rue’s mother passed away and was taken to the Netherworld. Now older and living with his dreaded Step Mother and Brothers, Rue wants to see his mother once again. By tricking Death to take him to the Netherworld so he may once again see his mother, the real adventure has just begun. This book takes zombies, werewolves and vampires and gives new meaning to why they are what they are. A nice fun read that will have you waiting for more.

Artwork: 3.5 out of 5
I really enjoyed Northfell’s artwork on this. A nice cartoonish feel plays along well with the way the story is written. Some panels though I found confusing. And one one or two pages I got a bit lost in the flow of the story. But overall, nice steady work throughout. And yeah, I did enjoy the death scenes.

Story: 3.8 out of 5
A nice starting point for the series. I wasn’t introduced to too many characters too fast. They all came in at a good pace and were memorable. As I mentioned, I enjoyed the take on the typical monsters, which I will not ruin. Parris has a nice main plot going but I really want to find out how the underlying story will play out right now. What is confusing is how it appears and reads kinda childlike, but you know evil is abound.

Dying Breath: 3.7 out of 5
I really did like this. You know you have your fun and serious stories with monsters and horror, but to mock one off of a child-like idea is nice. Very Tim Burton Nightmare Before Christmas like. Overall I felt that the art and story meshed nicely together, and I can’t wait to see more. A great duo. I think if you’re looking for something a bit longer and more off the already used path, Mercy Me would be worth your time. So keep it coming guys, this is one reader who is on board.

For more info on Mercy Me and when it will be available please go to http://www.mercymestorybook.com/
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Issue : The Legend of Red #1 – Editor/Studio Edition
Writer : Victor Carungi
Artist: Antonio Brandao
Colors and Gray Tones: Marc Lewis
Letters: Brant Fowler
Release Date: June 2009
Pages: 32
Price: $2.50

A fast paced, well written first issue that had me hooked by the time I was on page 3. The Legend of Red begins with a very nice first issue that won’t leave you scratching your head wondering what is going on. The story follows a girl named Red who has just lost her family to werewolves, and has now been told she is the protector of a blade named Benevolence.

Artwork: 4 out of 5
Very nice artwork runs through the issue. I felt that the details on the werewolves stood out more than the people, but over all very nice work. The panels were very easy to follow with no confusion as to what was going on. Plus the death scenes were great.

Story: 3.8 out of 5
The problem you run into with first issues of a series is that there’s not enough info on what is going on. The Legend of Red though does a great job of building up the intensity of the story as it moves on. The story follows a nice line and I never had to stop and wonder what the characters were talking about.

Dying Breath: 4 out of 5
A great first issue overall. Nice art, nice story. The introduction to the the main characters were well written, and when you reach the height of the story you realize that the issue is over and you need more. I know I need more. Job well done to the guys at Paper Street Comics. Now back to work!

For more info on The Legend of Red please go to http://www.paperstreetcomics.com
If you would like to get issue #1 please go to comixpress.com
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Issue : Shades of the Night #3
Writer : Troy Hasbrouck
Artist: Erik Williams
Publisher: Jester Press
Release Date: May 2009
Pages: 29
Price: $3.49

I know what you’re thinking. It’s issue #3 DD, why are you starting there? Well, simple my review reading minions, it’s what they sent me. Jeez!  I know, it’s issue #3 and it is my first adventure into the world of Sabrina Voght. The Shades of the Night series is a group of stand alone issues that follow her past, present and future.

Artwork: 4.2 out of 5
Erik Williams’ work in this issue is flat out gorgeous. The panels read nicely and flow into one another. However there were a few that were close-ups on the female faces, which I found a bit off. But overall 98% of the issue looks amazing.

Story: 3.8 out of 5
Not knowing anything about the character of Sabrina made me scratch my head in the beginning of the issue. While I was not told 100% of who she was, I got a good understanding of the character. Nice interactions and a nicely done story overall really helped out. My only suggestion to the writer is since this series contains stand alone issues, give a quick recap of who’s who.

Dying Breath: 4 out of 5
The artwork is very solid. The story captured my attention right away. A great action scene to start it all off. I went into this kinda mesmerized by the artwork, and while I felt it came out a bit ahead, don’t think for a second I won’t be picking up all of the other issues. I want to know more about Sabrina Voght and her world.

For more info on Shades of the Night #3 please go to jesterpress.com and myspace.com/jesterpresscomics
If you would like to buy Shades of the Night #3 or any other Jester Press titles you can get them through Haven Distribution, Indy Planet and Drive Thru Comics

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Issue : Jesus Hates Zombies featuring Lincoln Hates Werwolves Vol.1
Writer : Steven Lindsay
Artist: Steve Cobb
Publisher: Alterna Comics
Release Date: September 2008
Pages: 64
Price: $7.95

What a gem in disguise this was! I will admit that I figured it just uses Jesus as a gimmick for sales. So if that’s true nice job, because the stories that are found between the thicker sheets of paper are fantastic. If you don’t believe me, ask me how much I hate gimmick books.

Artwork: 4.4 out of 5
What really caught me was the difference from the cover art to the insides. I felt that one of the two reasons this clicked to me was the interior art. It’s cartoonish and for stories as bizarre as these were, it works. I don’t want some realistic looking Jesus beating up the undead. I love how it was handled. Even the nice little back up Lincoln story at the end worked so nicely. Well done.

Story: 4.0 out of 5
So here is where I was worried the most. I figured going into it, a Jesus story = boring and Lincoln was only added for a more obscure reference to sell books. Lindsay’s writing made me feel like a fool thinking that. The story was well written, full of nice jokes. If I have to be down on one thing, it was the jumping back and forth between the two stories. It makes me think that in vol. 2 they will intertwine, but I found it semi distracting. Overall though I liked it.

Dying Breath: 4.2 out of 5
So how do you lock me in for the long haul? Horror and humor. That simple. This book works so well on all levels. I can honestly say I am searching for ways to dig up some more cash so I can get Vol. 2. Bottom line, great story and great art and one new fan.

For more info and to purchase Jesus Hates Zombies featuring Lincoln Hates Werwolves Vol.1 please go to http://www.alternacomics.com
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Issue : Tomb of Bloke #1
Writer/Letterer : Jason “Bloke” Crawley
Artist / Creator: Ju Gomez
Colors / Page Tech: Wulf
Publisher: Virus Comix
Release Date: June 2009
Pages: 28
Price: $2.99

Welcome to the world of Bloke. A security guard who just happened to work at the wrong test facility. Now that he is one of the living dead, we will follow him along and see what trouble ensues. This is a nice intro issue into his world that defiantly sets up the reader to expect the unexpected in this zombie populated world

Artwork: 3.7 out of 5
I think overall the book works nicely. Good flowing panels, really nice page textures and shading. You can see what I mean when I say texture by looking at the cover. However I did feel that some panels were a bit too dark and hard to decipher.

Story: 3.7 out of 5
The story starts off great, delivering the entire back story within the first two pages, so I knew what was going on. I like the idea of following one of the zombies around as he seeks his revenge. One thing that seemed a little off to me though, was how Bloke as a zombie was different in the way he thinks. Now granted we don’t get to jump into any of the other zombies’ lives, but the way they were described seemed to be more lifeless.

Dying Breath: 3.7 out of 5
I enjoyed my introduction into the world of Bloke. I feel that the story has a nice place to travel within so you won’t be delivered the typical zombie style story. Plus it’s being told from the zombie’s point of view instead of a living human. I think if you’re looking for the next new zombie story, then this one is worth checking out. Great introduction issue that I hope can build upon itself and deliver with each issue.

For more info on Tomb of Bloke please go to http://viruscomix.ning.com/ , http://www.myspace.com/tombofblokeonlinecomic and http://www.myspace.com/blokespitofhorror
If you would like to buy Tomb of Bloke #1 or any other Virus Comix titles you can get them through Indy Planet
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Writers: Robert Heske
Pencils: Preston Asevedo, Zeu , Reno Maniquis , Monty Borror, Adam Swiecki, Breno Tamura, Dirk Shearer, Alain Norte, Mark Chilcott, Jay Fife
Cover: Preston Asevedo
Publisher: Heske Horror
Release Date: January 2009
Pages: 120
Price: $12.00

Bone Chiller is the trade collection is Robert Heske’s Cold Blood Chillers series. It contains 10 great stories – 8 from the comics and 2 new ones. This trade stood out to me a bit more than some others because each story was really different from the next. Overall a great collection and a must have for a horror fan.

Artwork: 4.2 out of 5
I won’t break down each story, but I will say that art wise they were all fantastic. To me though Preston Asevedo’s work on “The Waiting Room” story stood out the most. I enjoyed the drawing and shading. Overall the stories flowed great and I can’t think of a time where I didn’t know what was going on. Job well done by all of the artists.

Story: 4.5 out of 5
Like I mentioned before. All of the stories are nice and they all stand alone in what they are about. Sure they all center on horror and death, but you don’t really get the same style of the genre twice. To me the best by far was “Alibi” because it was very well written, and other than being given images throughout, it’s a script, I got to imagine it how I saw it. I thought adding that style story into the collection was a nice break and a rare treat.

Dying Breath: 4.4 out of 5
Overall this collection has enough bite to grab some good attention. The nice variety of the stories and artwork kept it fresh from one page to the next. A great overall anthology collection, and I think for only $12 you’re missing out if you pass on this one.

For more info on Bone Chiller please go to http://www.coldbloodedchillers.com/
To order your copy of Bone Chiller head on over to indyplanet.com, coldbloodedchillers.com, and amazon.com
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Issue : Rockabilly Roadtrip #1
Writer : Jesse James Wroblewski
Artist: Preston Asevedo
Colors and Gray Tones: Preston Asevedo
Letters: Jesse James Wroblewski
Publisher: Puppet Terrors Press
Release Date: December 2006
Pages: 32
Price: $4.00

Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride as we tag a long with Nicky “The Pipe” on his first leg of the Rockabilly Roadtrip. A nice first issue that builds on who the main character is and what he is all about.

Artwork: 3.8 out of 5
I mentioned before how much I like Asevedo’s work (Bone Chiller). I think the art plays well with the story. Keeping it all up beat and action paced. He also does a nice job conveying the humor I expected to find in the issue. The cover is so Hot Rod/Rat Fink it puts a smile on my face. Nice work.

Story: 3.8 out of 5
The story progresses nicely as it goes along. Nice interactions and flow move the story along at a nice pace. I found it to be very catchy because once I finished one panel I was excited to read the next. There is a bit of humor involved as well and I think that you need that for a title like this. Fans of the genre know what to expect. No let down at all.

Dying Breath: 3.8 out of 5
A great first issue overall. Nice art, nice story. The nice pace of the story makes it stand out to me. The artwork flows so well with it that all in all you are treated to a nice book. I also have to say I enjoyed the ending because you know there is more to come. So now I gotta go find out what happens next.

For more info on Rockabilly Roadtrip please go to http://www.rockabillyroadtrip.com/
If you would like to get issue #1 please go to http://www.rockabillyroadtrip.com/catalog/index.php and indyplanet.com
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Issue : Chaos Campus Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #1
Writer : B. Alex Thompson
Artist: Christian Duce
Colors: Martin Coccolo
Letters: B. Alex Thompson, Richard Nelson
Cover Art: Alessio Nocerino
Publisher: Approbation Comics 
Release Date: April 2009
Pages: 24
Price: $4.99

Now that is like watching some B-Movie horror. What an amazing first issue. I can honestly say I felt like I was sitting back and viewing that one movie that everyone passes on but you know it’s great. Fantastic Artwork and nice quirky story that reads perfectly. Great job, great issue!

Artwork: 4.2 out of 5
I’m always critical on one thing. How big can the breasts get? It’s the only thing I think that holds me back from going a bit higher on the rating here. Visually though it falls right into the category of the great horror movie. Thompson does a great job from panel to panel of keeping it all looking great and setting the mood. Great job.

Story: 4.5 out of 5
The story progresses perfectly. I felt that this issue read so much like those Slumber Party horror movies, where everyone is joking and loose, and then “OH NO!” something has gone wrong. Great interactions throughout and great timeless jokes. There is no serious tone in the book, just fun. If you like the movie genre you will like this book.

Dying Breath: 4.3 out of 5
An amazing build up to this first issue. You really get that “I know who’s gonna die” vibe from the writing. I really feel bad for not knowing about this book sooner. Thompson did an amazing job visually and in the story telling, that I know I would not be disappointed in seeing where this series goes. Humor and Sex surround this great Zombie tale. A must for a fan of the genre.

For more info on Chaos Campus Sorority Girls vs. Zombies please go to http://www.approbationcomics.com/
If you would like to get issue #1 and other titles please go to http://www.indyplanet.com

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Now wasn’t that spine chilling! Don’t forget that if you want to check out any of these titles you can just follow the links. Any questions you have for me, shoot me an email. I will do my best to help you out. And of course if you have a horror comic that needs to be shared with the world, let me know and we can review it right here!

Decapitated Dan
decapitateddan@comicattack.net