The perfect comic brew … is a rich and addicting anthology book from the UK? Works for me.
The London Horror Comic #2
Writer: John-Paul Kamath
Artist: Lee Ferguson
Inker: Marc Deering
Letterer/Designer: Matty Ryan
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Summary: In issue two: a pair of priests test more than their faith after running over a sexy vampire, a daughter prepares a gruesome welcome party for her mother and the evils of celebrity culture tear apart an all-girl super team.
Collecting a series of short quirky and downright sinister tales, this book will have you rolling with laughter in scenes of social awkwardness one minute, while checking the locks on your doors the next.
Richly rendered by the talents of Lee Ferguson (Black Canary Wedding Planner) Marc Deering (Miranda Mercury) Matty Ryan (New X-Men), Hi-Fi Design (American Virgin) and John-Paul Kamath (Trailer Park of Terror), this book delivers the goods like four flavours of ice cream in one cone.
Review: Each issue of LONDON HORROR COMIC is an anthology of short comic stories—each of which is extremely well-written and boasts a unique style of art that cleverly fits that particular tale. I’ve had the pleasure of reading both issues of the comic so far (LHC #2 comes out in March), and none of the stories disappoint. Things are lookin’ good for LONDON HORROR and its creator/author, John-Paul Kamath.
LONDON HORROR COMIC #2 contains four stories: “Reach Out,” “Brother’s Keeper,” “Superhero,” and “Homecoming.” While the first lacks dialogue completely, the story brilliantly succeeds with a sweet moment at the beginning and a hilariously bitter ending. LHC isn’t all horror, by the way—it’s definitely for mature audiences, but it’s an engrossing blend of humor and the terror and gore you’d expect from a name like LONDON HORROR. The second feature, “Brother’s Keeper,” is a great example of what LHC has to offer: dialogue lines you’ll be quoting for days, ironic and cliche-breaking twists that make each story a page-turner, and a perfect balance of humor to top it all off. Goes down smooth, just like a good cup of coffee (erm, maybe I should get myself some caffeine now and quit with the coffee metaphors …).
“Superhero” takes mundane, well, superhero cliches and turns them upside-down, giving them a spin Kamath impressively attributes to every page of his 32-page comic. LHC also ends with a story that is all visuals (LHC #1 only had one, by the way), but that’s more than fine with me. Kamath succeeds at making them so curiously twisted and intriguing that you won’t even notice the absence of dialogue.
Kamath ends each issue with a letter from him to the reader about what he knows best: writing comics, and just writing in general. Funny, honest, inspirational, and overall memorable, they close the issue on just the right note. One thing’s for sure: Kamath possesses the imagination to keep making highly enjoyable comics that will keep you entertained every time. There’s no doubt about it—LONDON HORROR COMIC is one comic book that’s worth the four-dollar price.
Don’t forget to check out the preview. You can pre-order your copy now or wait around until its March 18 release date (3/12/09 for those in the UK). Either way, don’t miss it!
February 12th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
It’s an interesting premise, but the art is not nearly enough to make me grab it off a shelf and flip through it.
February 12th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
The art isn’t mind-blowing, yeah, but it’s still good. On the other hand, the stories are totally worth that flip through.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Those boobs frighten me. However, the book sounds good. Will it be at retailers in the US?
February 17th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
yeah, there’s some - uh - “interesting” anatomy going on in that cover art. though the premise sounds like it’s worth a look. i might wait for the trade paper, though, or maybe grab a sample on Free Comic Book Day if they have one.
February 17th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
March 18th!
I don’t believe so. Here’s the list for FCBD 2009: http://freecomicbookday.com/the_comics.asp
I recommend checking the issue out!