Bela Lugosi’s Tales from the Grave #2 (Comic Book)
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Written by various
Published by Monsterverse
Comic legend Kerry Gammil’s Monsterverse returns with the second issue of horror anthology Bela Lugosi’s Tales from the Grave. With a stunning cover by make-up legend Rick Baker, this edition contains five tales of horror and several other features, all starring or introduced by film legend Bela Lugosi.
As with the first issue (review here), the quality is outstanding. The art styles vary enough to keep things interesting while the stories swing from Lovecraftian unknowns to straight-up comedy.
Kicking off the book is “Strange to the Finish”, which is a very odd tale inspired by the creature creation on the cover of the comic. It’s clever and entertaining while still managing to be a little goofy.
What follows is the single misstep of this edition, “Walpurgis Knight”. This tale of luchadores just doesn’t really feel like horror, doesn’t have a very strong narrative, and has an extremely weird ending that left me with that “really, comic?” feeling.
Things pick back up with “Order In/Take Out Chaos”, which plunges us straight into Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Deep Won’s Wok features some very unique culinary creations that are taking the city by storm, but where are the recipes from, and what is their darker purpose? Great story, great art, strong addition to the book.
“Claws of the Werewolf” places us back into classic horror with a tale that’s somewhere between Carpenter’s “Cigarette Burns” and The Wolfman. What does this legendary lost film show that cost its creator his life? A movie fanboy with a website and a lycanthropy expert find out…the hard way. It’s lots of fun with more than a few jabs at a certain red-headed giant of a movie fan. Ain’t this story cool? Yes, yes it is.
Things wrap up with another photo-story of Dr. Vornoff & Lobo’s comedic adventures. Lugosi and Tor Johnson action figures tell a funny tale of a creature creation gone wrong in this one, and it’s a hoot.
Also included in this volume are a piece on zombies narrated by Lugosi, an interview with Baker, and another gallery of amazing Lugosi portraits by many different artists.
Clocking in at an astounding 50 pages, Bela Lugosi’s Tales From The Grave #2 is definitely worth the price of admission. This quarterly comic should be on your pull list if you have one. If not, you can get it from the EvilShop!
4 out of 5
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