BotTalk Reviews

Transformed into the Wolf Man, Adam stands over his father.  But, holding the pentagram necklace, the Wolf Man backs off.  The detective forces Adam's father to chase after him.  They return home and the detective confronts him over the death of his wife.  The Wolf Man comes upon the detective as his father stands outside and shoots paint cans, which burst into flames.  The Wolf Man comes crashing through a window carrying the detective and is soon confronted by his father.  He holds up the pentagram, which startles Adam, then takes a shot.  After multiple shots Adam reverts to his human form.  He comforts his son and as police arrive, realizes that he was bitten in the confrontation and walks into the woods.   Little time to catch our breath in this issue.  We learn the werewolf heritage comes from the maternal side of Adam's family.  The pentagram does its job, but is Adam's downfall as his father uses it to take his life.  I...

Adam is questioned about what happened.  He tells the detective he is a werewolf and he killed the people at the party.  He also shares what really happened to his older brother, that he killed himself.  As the detective takes Adam away he gets into an argument with his father.  He tears away the medallion from his neck and transforms into a werewolf in front of everyone.  The cops open fire but it has no effect.  He begins cutting down everyone in sight.  His father hides as the massacre continues and emerges from his hiding spot to find the Wolf Man standing over him. I feel like this is the first issue of this mini-series I have connected with.  No more beating around the bush.  Things are laid out clearly.  Adam is a werewolf.  His older brother killed himself and their father covered it up.  He then transforms in full view of everyone in the police station and goes on a rampage.  Will Adam, as a werewolf, kill his fat...

In therapy Adam relives a memory of being chased by wolves.  He gets angry and leaves the session.  Adam and his father argue but end up going to a supernatural bookstore.  There Adam learns about werewolves and sees a pentagram-wolf necklace.  He rushes home and finds one among his mother's things.  The police show up to talk to Adam.  His father tells them he's not home but Adam confesses and they take him away.   This all feels simple.  It is things we've seen in other movies or tv shows.  Repressed memories.  A rich family running out of money.  Troubled family.  Police investigation.  It is all... fine.  But I want more.  Maybe we'll get more next issue.  But I find it hard to be invested in any of these characters as they feel so cliché.   six out of ten.

Adam is taken to a hospital and tells his dad he believes something bad happened.  He begins to recall what happened... We see a wolf man tearing people apart at a party.  Two detectives attempt to question him, only for his father to rush him home.  They begin to argue when Adam coughs up an eyeball. This is certainly a wolf man story... Though unlike most of the other minis I don't see a connection to the Universal Monster films.  The story is... OK.  It is nothing original.  The beginning could easily be from any slasher.  A group of teenagers gathered for a party, surely nothing bad could happen here.  The art, like many of these minis, is the feature worth highlighting.   six out of ten.

Nearly 300 pages of classic horror stories with twist endings! What you'll actually find inside this Eisner-nominated collection: Super rare BERNIE WRIGHTSON stuff: Self-portrait from Squa Tront (1968) #2 Frankenstein cover for Rocket's Blast Comicollector (RBCC) #86 Back cover for Rocket's Blast Comicollector (RBCC) #72 w/ a cameo by Professor Simon Wright (The Living Brain from Captain Future) by Steve Hickman! An unpublished splash page for "Mother Toad" The revised letter page logo for Web of Horror #4 Preliminary sketch and final "Out on a Limb" cover for Web of Horror #4 Cover for I'll Be Damned (1970) #3 Frankenstein cover for Scream Door (1971) #1 Conan the Barbarian from Madstar Science Fiction Quarterly (1971) #1 Stake-Out, a 4-page homage to EC Comics from I'll Be Damned (1970) #2  Frankenstein inside front cover for I'll Be Damned (1970) #3  Inside front cover for Scream Door (1971) #1 "Curse of the Yeti" cover for Web ...

The Phantom takes Christine deep beneath the Opera House.  He tells her they can never again return to the surface, that he was the one behind everything.  He tries to calm her down by playing the violin when she has a revelation, the Phantom is her father.  She removes his mask and is astonished by his disfigured face.  The inspector arrives to save Christine.  The inspector pulls a gun on the Phantom, the Phantom saves Christine as the underground begins to collapse on the Phantom.  Christine picks up the mask of the Phantom and drops it into the water as they make their escape. At the risk of repeating myself with some of the adaptions I feel there is little new here.  It is the basic story we know, no real twists or turns... save one.  In this version the Phantom is Christine's father.  This is such a late development as to be almost baffling.  The art, which has been a highlight, at times feels muddled and confusing in several pages...

The Phantom comforts Christine as an arrest is made.  He makes a deal and has his play, an original composition, set to take over.  Encountering the previous prima donna, Christine begins to question why she wants the spotlight so badly.  The Inspector spots the Phantom observing his play and attempts to confront him.  The performance ends in a mass of dead bodies. Aside from the final pages this issue moves along fairly slowly.  Moments between the previous prima donna are interesting and give us some layers.  Why does Christine want the spotlight?  Why does she want to sing?  And will she be cast aside just as easily.  The final pages seem chaotic.  Perhaps on purpose, though it is a bit difficult to follow.  The Inspector confronts the Phantom.  There is some commotion and we see the audience seemingly dead.  The art, as with most of these Universal Monsters minis, is the highlight here.   five out of ten.   ...

Christine runs into Raoul Dubert, literally, and invites him to the play as the Phantom watches from above.  Later, Christine and the Phantom discuss her upcoming performance and he says the Inspector is but a distraction.  During her performance she collapses.  Megan, her understudy, receives a note that directs her to the roof.  She celebrates Christine's downfall, thinking it is her lover waiting... but it is the Phantom. Megan falls to her death.   As with many of these Universal Monsters minis the art is the prime attraction here.  Feeling like something from a 90s Vertigo book.  Even if you know little of the Phantom of the Opera I feel there is little of surprise as far as the story goes.  It moves from one thing to the next, rarely stopping.  But when it does offer a moment of reflection it is brilliantly rendered.   six out of ten.

A diva is murdered mid performance.  The Police investigate and Christine, the understudy, struggles with her performance.  A mysterious voice begins to coach her, greatly improving on her abilities.  From the darkness, the Phantom observes her. There is little original here.  This is a story told and retold many times.  In movies, on the stage.  What sets this telling apart from the others is the art.  Beautifully painted by Martin Simmonds.  Full of emotion.  Sadness, frustration, rage, longing.  It remains to be seen how closely this version will follow others.  At this point, I am here for the art.   seven out of ten. 

Three months pass and Dr. Jack Griffin lives with the fear that Tommy, his escaped ward, may come back and kill him.  He halts the experiments and tries to be patient.  One day a note arrives from Tommy, stating he will take everything from him.  But the invisible boy walks through flour and strangles a dummy.  Griffin is now invisible too and takes care of him, leaving his body in the snow.  With his death he becomes visible and is discovered.  Griffin leaves everyone and everything behind, takes a room far away at The Lion's Head inn and begins work on finding a cure. Having Griffin live in fear of the young Tommy was a nice way to turn the tables.  He thought to simply be patient and things would go back to normal, but for him that was never in the cards.  Griffin is not a man we can sympathize with.  Like any good villain, you can only go so far in understanding his side.  Ultimately, this comic ends where the original Universal 1933...

The experiments continue.  Dr. Jack Griffin takes a room in an unsavoury part of town and tests the invisibility serum on a boy living on the streets.  Instead of complete invisibility it simply makes his outer layer of skin disappear.  After months he is reduced to a living skeleton and finally, a pair of eyes that seemingly float in the air.  Finally achieving total invisibility the street urchin knocks Jack unconscious and escapes.   Again the theme of feeling like an outcast in society, invisible to the upper class, is present.  Jack spends much time simply sitting and trying to be invisible in public places by simply not moving, not drawing attention to himself.  The pressure continues to mount though, as his fiancé seems to find his increasing absence, attention lacking and his boss demanding to see results.  Going from animals to humans for experimentation is a logical step.  We shall see how the newly invisible Tommy uses his ability...