Good Lord! Choke! I'm having a - GASP! - horror comics flashback! And so, it would seem, is Jason Paulos, the ink-stained auteur and all-round mad genius behind Australia's slickest horror comic, EEEK!If, like me, you grew up in the late 1970s and early 1980s, you'll remember the delicious fear that awaited you at your neighbourhood newsagency, or in the dark recesses of secondhand book exchanges, when the shelves were crawling - no, make that 'slithering'! - with blood-drenched horror comics that were guaranteed to warp your mind (or your money back!) Titles like Doomsday, Planet of the Vampires and Blade of Fear, along with Aussie editions of Warren Magazines' unholy trio, Eerie, Creepy and Vampirella.
Jason Paulos, best-known for that unhygienic gumshoe, Hairbutt the Hippo, clearly 'haunted' (sorry, couldn't help myself!) the same newsagencies that I did as a kid, and has resurrected his own fond memories of those outrageous horror comics in EEEK!, the latest issue (No.4) having just hit newsagency shelves. (Yes, that's right kids, you can buy it at a shop where they sell newspapers and lottery tickets - and for just A$3.00, that's a blood-drenched bargain!)
Paulos lovingly evokes the weird American-Spanish fusion art-style that typified many of those 1970s horror comics, while retaining his own distinctive, gritty style. He puts a sardonic twist on many staple horror comic plots and cliches, with a knowing nod to current pop-culture fads (The lead story, 'Zombie Chef', has the funniest line of dialogue I've seen in a local comic in ages: "Please, wait! Try the dipping sauce! ARRRGGHH!")
The stories in EEEK! No.4 are all ghoulish, light-hearted fun - a quality sadly lacking in a lot of contemporary comics (in Australia and the US) that try so hard to be serious, that they forget how to be entertaining. But once, just once, I'd really love to see Jason pull out all the stops, and try for a 28-page 'mini epic', which turns down the laugh-track, and cranks-up the terror.
But that's a minor quibble of what is otherwise an immensely enjoyable - and handsomely produced, I must say - comic book. So, break open that old Coffin Bank money box, prise out three measly dollars from its bony grasp - and put some EEEK! into your day. Bwwaahhahhhh.... (EEEK! No.4, Black House Comics, AUD$3.00)
2 comments:
Am loving "EEEK!" Great art and fun stories! Reminds me of all those terrific House of Secrets / Ghouls / Secrets etc stories from the 70s. And at $3 is half the price of current US fare. Well done Jason!
I think eeek is an awesome read and would gladly buy it over any u.s books on the shelf but i sure would like to see more Australian type stories within its pages this is the country that brought people Razzorback and mad max remember
Post a Comment