In The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Kiersten White refocuses Mary Shelley’s original narrative structure on Elizabeth Lavenza and conjures a much darker and more cunning vision of Victor Frankenstein’s devoted wife-to-be.
Halloween Mini-Reviews Bonanza: Haunted Chunks to Chew On
It’s Halloween on Tuesday! Woah, scary! Want some comics with that? Yes you do! Try these. Coady and the Creepies Liz Prince (writer) and Amanda Kirk (artist) BOOM! Box October 11, 2017 Coady and the Creepies stars horror pop punk band The Creepies made up of triplet siblings Coady, Cory, and Criss. The band and…
“It’s better to be lonely together” – Isolation in Courtney Crumrin
Courtney Crumrin Written, Drawn, and Lettered by Ted Naifeh Colored by Warren Wucinich Collected Hardcovers, Oni Press, 2012-2015 Courtney Crumrin is, in a lot of ways, a typical protagonist for YA literature. She’s an outcast who hates the “phonies” who populate her school, and while not quite an archetypal Chosen One, her magic seems more powerful…
Grey Morality in Black and White: Guy Davis’ The Marquis
The Marquis: Inferno TPB Written, Drawn, and Lettered by: Guy Davis Colored by: Dave Stewart Dark Horse Books (originally Oni Press), 2009 I love horror films in black and white. Directors like Argento and Raimi can use colour masterfully, and Hammer Horror wouldn’t be what it is without buckets of too-bright red blood. Even so,…
“Sisterhood is Powerful”: Subverting Tropes in VAMPS
VAMPS Written by: Elaine Lee Art by: William Simpson Colours by: Stuart Chaifetz Lettering by: Clem Robins Vertigo Comics, 1994 Vampires have always been about sex. You’ll see articles popping up from time to time questioning this fact, or trying to blame the phenomenon on Twilight, or Buffy, or Anne Rice, and the list goes…
A World of Gods and Monsters: Science vs Superstition in Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Superhero comics have traditionally relied upon a clear denotation of right and wrong, a binary of good versus bad, that is easy for children to comprehend. In recent decades, we’ve increasingly seen fans calling for “realism” in superhero narratives, with grittier and morally fallible heroes. Look no further than Batman v Superman and the fact…
Monster Women: Harrow County and The Witch
Witches are tricky figures in horror fiction. It’s indisputable that witch hunts are a blight on human history, yet we’re still fascinated by their subject as instruments of terror. Maybe we fear an ability to interfere in our lives while hiding in plain sight, or maybe they still tap into uneasiness with feminine power. Look…
Fainted When She Saw My Body: Social Construction of Monstrousness in Saga
What is a monster? The easy answer is an “unnatural” being—your zombies, ghosts, or vampires. Stories from Frankenstein to The Walking Dead showcase the idea that humans can become monstrous through action, perhaps even more monstrous than the undead. Critics like David J. Skal and Stephen King argue that fictional monsters are metaphors, vehicles to…