Mountain Top Reviews: Comics

Reanimator Incorporated - A Lovecraft-inspired Graphic Novel

by Andy Perry & Lyndon White

Kickstarter campaign ends June 17th at 1pm EST.

The other day I was flipping around Kickstarter. I do this from time to time to see if I can spot any new comics or books that grab my attention. So on this day, as I go page to page, suddenly the word "Reanimator" catches my eye.

If you are a horror fan like me, the mention of Re-animator brings you memories of the classic movie of the same name from 1985, which in itself was a tale from the H.P. Lovecraft. The story of a young scientist Herbert West and his quest to understand death.

Now to me the movie (ok, maybe the 2nd movie to) are classic and to this day remain one of my favorites to watch over and over again.

So back to Kickstarter. After seeing the name pop up in the thumbnail, I had to click on it and see if it was really a adaptation of the classic Lovecraft character. To my surprise it was, and so much more.

Written by Andy Perry and Art by Lydon White, Reanimator Incorporated is not a retelling of the tale, it is a re-imagining. This tale takes place in modern day. Gone are the dimly lit labs and basements, for Herbert West is a man of technology and his new gleaming machines of science surround him. This is West for the 2020s. The obsession to understand and beat death is the same, but now we have corporate greed and family struggles added in to make the story even more complex.

I had the pleasure of reading the complete Chapter 1 and it was a well written, fast-paced tale that left me wanting more. There are some very visually striking panels and it was fun to see little nods to other Lovercraft themes in the story. This is a well crafted story of life, death, rebirth and the dark things that live between.

The Kickstarter has been fully funded, but you can still get in on it until June 17th

The book is available in softcover and a special hardcover edition.

Kickstarter: Reanimator Incorporated

OUR FINAL HALLOWEEN

By Mike Garley and Michael Lee-Graham

"Five kids wake up in an abandoned house. They don’t know why they're there, how they got there, or whose blood they’re covered in..."

And so starts OUR FINAL HALLOWEEN, a new 0ne-shot digital horror comic from Mike Garley (Adventure Time, Wallace and Gromit) and Michael Lee-Graham (Shortlist Magazine, Dead Roots).

I was lucky enough to get a early look at the completed project and I am thoroughly impressed by the truly frightening tale they were able to create in just 35 pages. This supernatural tale has a heavy Lovecraftian feel to it, with a bit of Amityville Horror and The Gate to round it out.

Hopefully you as a reader are not shy about blood! There is blood shed on almost every page. Not just a little, we are talking buckets and buckets. The blood is really important to the art style. A basic pallet of colors is used throughout the story. Heavy outlines and solid colors prevail and the blood red really makes the pages pop.

The art style and coloring match the feel of the story. The story itself is tight and well paced. We start right in the middle of the action and the story barrels along at a break-neck pace to a finale that will leave you guessing.

The comic is being produced as a digital release that will be delivered on October 31st, just in time for a great Halloween night read.

The Kickstarter campaign is now live and will end on October 30th. You can pledge to receive the comic for $4 and a Director's Cut for $7 that includes an alternate cover, a very in depth horror essay by Shaun Kimber, a collection of guest artist pin-ups and an original 6 track soundtrack by Ian Alex-Mac to listen to as you read the story.