Some quick, or not so quick, thoughts on this week’s reading.
House of Mystery 175 - I liked the overall tone of the book, even though I thought the art was hit and miss. The first story The Gift of Doom was my favorite of the three, including All Alone. As I was reading The Gift of Doom I began to think about the movie It Follows. While the comic story goes in a different direction than It Follows, it definitely has that vibe. Once you are given something, you are unable to get rid of it, no matter how hard you try. There was a nice twist at the end of the story that I was not expecting.
All Alone was a nice short story that I was not expecting. When I think of comics, I don’t think of stories without comic panels. It did seem to meander for a bit but the ending was worth it.
The House of Gargoyles was not bad, not my favorite though. While the story was chopped full with background, I began to lose interest when it became a horrific tale of morality. Granted, I love 80s slasher movies which also had similar moral tones, this story seemed to turn a corner and then stuck with it. Understanding that this story was meant for kids and not an adult, I can give it a pass. Still, I am not sure if it would have scared kids in the 70s.
Elvira’s House of Mystery 1 - Elvira is officially in the DC universe and she makes a Bat-Cave joke within the first pages of this book. The art in Elvira’s House of Mystery is not bad, actually, I sort of really liked it. I am a sucker for 80s comic art and this book is no different. While it might not be the best, it quenched my thirst for the art style.
True to the 1980’s satanic panic drenched fear, The Realm tells a story of witches playing a Dungeons and Dragons style game. The game becomes more real than imagined. To be honest, the story sort of felt rushed on the last page or two and the ending fell flat for me.
Death Likes A Lullaby was a lot better than The Realm. It felt like an updated Edgar Allen Poe story. There was a bit of a 80s stranger danger vibe, once again proving this title was a creation of its time. There was definitely an eeriness in this story that will stay with me for a few days.
Once Upon A Time…much of this story feels like a fairy tale about dueling wizards set in Asia. Honestly, there wasn’t much in this story for me. I did find it to be better than The Realm and I did enjoy the art in this story. One aspect that was different from the other stories was the love story angle.
Vengeance in the Creature Feature was perfect for me. Within a the first two pages famed horror movie directors and make-up artists are named. Honestly, this is the story that made the most sense to be in an Elvira comic, however the host of this story was Cain. Outside of that, I enjoyed the story of a group of friends making a low-budget creature feature.
House of Mystery 1 - This has a completely different vibe than the previous titles this week. First thing, this is more gory. The way the stories are told, while being stand alone, feel interconnected with each other.
The Hollow is a story of Sally and how she met her husband. I was actually surprised where this story went and even more surprised that it oddly seemed a perfect love story, that is if you weren’t seeing the comic panels. I really enjoyed The Hollow and is probably my favorite story I have read from this week’s selections.
