DRACULA AFTER MAN #1 AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY
Well this one is an intriguing mishmash of concepts which might actually work. After surviving for generations, Dracula and a few vampire associates realize that the end of the human race is upon them and fashions a bunker to survive in suspended animation. Unfortunately, the status chambers breakdown and malfunction killing everyone including Dracula’s mate Nuriya. Dracula awakens alone except for some strange rat like creatures. It is then that we go full sail into a Planet of the Apes movie except that the apes don’t own the world either and we end up in an alien invasion story. Surprisingly, writer Konstantine Paradias is able to blend these different genres while still keeping it a Dracula story. While a bit predictable, it still is an interesting read. And artist Gerardo Gambone manages to illustrate well the aliens, the ape people, and Dracula himself. This one is worth checking out. Let’s see where it takes up. 7 out of 10 Grahams.
GRIMM FAIRY TALES 2024 VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL
The good people at Zenescope bring us another holiday filled with stunning pin-ups along with a short story introducing us to Dragon Girl and a very unhappy robot maker. Writer Noah Mitchell manages to deliver a short holiday based tale that introdudes no future plot points nor some complicated crossover with the Grimm Universe. And these days, that’s a rarity! Then it’s straight into the Zenescope pin-ups that they are so famous for. Including some real doozies from the talents of Franchesco!, Jyn Leonard, Sun Khamunaki, and Paul Green (amoung others!) This is a perfect example of what we’ve come to expect from a Zenescope holdiday special. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
PENTHOUSE COMICS #1 BEHEMOTH ENTERTAINMENT
Return with us to 1994 thru 1998, a time where adult men’s magazines were cultivating a new grouping of comic creators including Adam Hughes, Kevin Nowlan, and Gary Leech. And with a budget that let the new endevor cherry-pick artists from both the US comic field as well as non US publishers. (The real life history of the original magazine is an excellent rabbit hole to get lost in for a while.) And now it’s back, highlighting a new crew of artists and writers. The ongoing stories are interesting and a bit politically incorrect. Plus this is not for everyone as the polybagged alternate covers prove. But with creative teams including Rafael Ortiz and Alain Queireix, they are something to see if you can produce the proper ID. 7 out of 10 Grahams.
