I am a big fan of horror comics, and it is not until recently I've started checking out books from Zenoscope because other writers I really enjoy have published an issue or two through them.  Getting to preview H.H. Holmes by Jay Sandlin has me convinced to pull more books from this publisher! 

H.H. Holmes takes the story of America's first serial killer and brings him into the 21st century.  The story opens three months in the past with the death of a young woman (presumably via asphyxiation) in what we learn is the Gemini Hoel in Chicago (also the city where Holmes' murders took place).  However, three months after the death, the head of security Susan Murphy (a former Chicago police detective), suspects foul play and wants to investigate the room where the young patron died.

As she begins to explain her potential theory to Walter Lewis (her boss and owner of the Gemini), a private investigator named Harold Myers arrives indicating he is there to investigate on the behalf of the victim's family.  From that moment the insanity is dialed up to eleven.  We learn that hotel room 66 is under surveillance where a presumed killer could keep an eye on his victims as they slowly die.  As our party of Myers, Lewis, Murphy and the maintenance man Trevor begin to work their way through the innards of the hotel, we learn how the intricacies of the hotel match the famed murder palace of H.H. Holmes.

What transpires through the book's 74 pages is a harrowing tale of murder, horror, and a touch of the occult.  I got the exact same chills from reading this book as I did reading the works of Agatha Christie as a child.  Who is the killer?  How is something so elaborate built with nobody noticing (in both Holmes' case, and the present)? Will anyone make it out of the Gemini alive?

In one of the darkest things I've read of Sandlin's, I am truly appreciating the breadth of his writing style, as he has an intense murder-mystery which is perfectly wrapped up in such a short span!  Also the art of Xavier and Otero paired with the colors of Araujo and Andrade creates the modern murder palace of nightmares, and every single line or splash of color adds to the sheer terror of the murderous motel Sandlin constructs.

I can in full confidence recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of classic murder-mysteries, to comic serial killer classics like Nailbiter, to even fans of movies like Saw.  I'm glad I got to preview this book, and I need now, more than ever to start adding more Zenoscope books to my pull list, because this is the style of horror story which goes deeper and darker than any other publisher I've read crime/horror/mystery from. 

In a press release from yesterday, Source Point Press announced the return of their epic steampunk series Monstrous, which is the publisher's longest running title. It will be returning in a new miniseries called:

You can begin ordering Heartbreak and Blood Loss now, with an arrival date in shops of May 26th! 

The first question you may have in seeing a new mini from the longest running series at the publisher is probably "do I need to read all of Monstrous to be caught up?"  The short answer is no (but I think you should!), according to the press release:

In the gallery above, you can see the first 4 pages of the book.  I'm super intrigued by the idea of a haunted cave in Coldwater Point. I really dig the style of the art in each of the pages.  The unique nature of the art is what brings me to most Source Point Press stories. The art featured in this first book is all Rachel Young, with other artists rotating in on subsequent titles.   I think this looks like a fantastic 3-issue mini I hope to get lost in for a little while! I'm aware that it will be in my monthly subscription box I've also added it to my pull list, and think you should too! 

 One of the trippiest things to me during my adventures in blogging/vlogging is how many creators I've gotten to chat with on a frequent basis.  Sometimes the conversations and correspondence slowly disappear shortly after an interview is over, while other relationships have flourished.  It's been fun getting to know the Author of Broke Down over the past couple of months.  I first got to meet Travis on a Thursday Night Live where I got to chat with a handful of creators about Cthulu invades Oz.  After an epic evening on Comic Burrito, Travis joined the discord and has been in there chopping it up with us ever since.

We've gotten to know him pretty well.....in fact, he's one of the two people in the Burrito discord that I've seen without a shirt on...on a livestream (Cole). When he sent me issues 1-3 I was super excited to read more of his work, and sadly...today is the beginning of the end of his first series Broke Down & 4 Dead Bodies #4 which went live on kickstarter today.

Issues 1-3 of Broke Down tells the tale of Denver who is rising through the ranks of Mr. Washington's crime syndicate and Randy who's fresh out of prison and looking to do a simple drop and cash exchange to land back on his newly freed feet.  

However, shit goes bad......way bad....on like the 5th page of issue one, we learn why this book is called Broke Down & 4 Dead Bodies.  The rest of the series is a high-octane explanation of how Denver and Randy got themselves in a bit of a pickle and how they try to get themselves back home.

In terms of pop culture references, think of this book as: The scene where the Wolf has to show up in Pulp Fiction to clean up headblood...meets the Warriors.  While this sounds like a completely f-ed up premise, it works.  Travis' twisted mind and story is brought to life perfectly by Felix and James' art.  And of course, the book wouldn't be complete without the crisp lettering of Jerome.

If you want a high octane, over-the-top, absurd series in your life, you should pick this one up.  Especially because: 
1. You can get the whole series in digital for $10.

2. ​You can check out issue one for free right here!

3. Travis is the kind of person I LOVE to back on Kickstarter...why?  If you look at his profile, he has 8 KS projects to his name and 395 HE HAS BACKED!!!! Travis is the ideal kind of creator who gives back to the community he is a part of.  He is the loudest voice praising his fellow creators, and will not drag anyone down (unless its his playful shit-talking on Chuck or Stonie).  These are the kinds of creators worth supporting, they are the lifeblood of the independent comic community.

4. I've read other works from Travis in Cthulu Invades Oz and Voodoo nations, and it's high quality stuff!

For any other questions you may have, check out the full description on the kickstarter page! Ya'll know that I don't blow smoke, that I only write about the projects and/or publishers that I think are amazing, and not just any book which falls in my lap.  Please, do yourself the favor and back this book, and make sure Broke Down & 4 Dead Bodies #4 sees the light of day!  You won't regret it!

Every time it becomes easier for people to read comic books and/or graphic novels from an independent publisher, an angel gets its wings!  Yesterday, Source Point Press announced an AMAZING new partnership with Simon & Schuster.

In a press release from Source Point Press yesterday, they noted: 

I think it is amazing that people around the world can now easily pick up classics like: No Heroine, Dead End Kids, Rottentail, Floppy Cop, Ogres and more!  Partnering with a large distributor has to be in the best interest of both parts as SPP gets to increase their readership and Simon and Schuster get to diversify their offerings with a publisher as unique as Source Point Press partnered with them.  This is awesome news all around!

Oh man, one of the books from Scout Comics I was the most excited to check out this year was Black Cotton.  A world where the racial dynamics of black and white are reversed.  I never thought I would be excited to read a book where protestors don signs that say White Lives Matter, but it works.  This smash book from Brian Hawkins, Patrick Foreman and Marco Perugini got the amazing announcement tonight from Scout Comics that it's back for a reprint!!!!!

In a press release from Scout Comics, Scout's President James Haick says "We are so proud that the critically acclaimed Black Cotton #1 is going back to print. It's such a fantastic series and we want to be sure to get this first issue in our fans hands before the second issue comes out in May.  Request it now at you local comic shop using Diamond order code JAN218878!"

This is a book you definitely shouldn't sleep on as it will not only put forth an interesting conversation on race (much like the music video for T.I.'s Warzone) but there are also some intersectional undertones on sex and class in addition to the seeds being planted for some good-old family drama.  You better believe I'm reaching out to my shop to pick up a copy of the second printing!!!!!