Frank Frazetta's Dracula Meets the Wolfman

"Both make man want."

I'm tired and I had a lot of work to do on the new Total Party Kill column today (due out Tuesday on Comics Waiting Room), and so my cerebreal cortex is somewhat fried. However, I would still like to throw something up here for the day, and I can think of nothing cooler Than this Dracula Meets the Wolfman comic I picked up.

Now, straight out the gate this has two elements going for it: 1) Steve Niles, who's a competent writer and knows this material cold; 2) Francesco Fracavilla, who's one of the best artists working in the field of comics today-- and he's a personal favourite of mine (The Black Coat, Zorro). So far, so good. Throw Frazetta (!!!!) into the mix and we have a cake worth eating.

To say this comic is a masterpiece would be an outright, bald-faced lie. But that's not to say it's bad. Oh no! It's quite entertaining, in fact. This is a comic inspired by a Frazetta painting or something, and the first pages set up the face-off between Dracula and The Wolfman. And there's a woman involved. Really, there's no "meeting", unless you count deadly combat as "meeting".

Ha! Who am I fucking kidding? There's a lot of poeple who I'd like to "meet", so it's all good in the horror b-movie hood.

Francavilla is the real star here, providing some outstanding pulp-noir fight scenes that kick some serious ass. That's not to say Niles doesn't make a good showing. He sets up the brutal fighting quite nicely, and I'm very sure he came up with the story-- and it's a real hoot. Honestly, watching Wolfman and Dracula fight take me back to being a little kid, sitting there with popcorn while my dad tells me that a mummy or the Creature from the Black Lagoon should show up and pound them into paste. So, thanks goes out to the creators here for this whip-cracking hella good time.

Where does Frazetta fit into all of this? Have you seen the cover? Killer.

All in all, a fun comic. I felt that the ending was kind of jarring, what with the large time-jump happening, but it's only for three pages and then it ends. If you are an old horror movie goober like me, and like seeing stories inspired by Frazetta's remarkable and stunning art, this is for you. Money went spent for a good time.

Find out more here... if you dare!


Lethality: Three out of the five party members are decapitated, while one lost his legs. Though one got away unscathed, she'll always tremble at the sight of blood and dig a hole to hide in when the full moon is hanging in the sky.

Golly #1

"Fuck if I care-- how's my Spongebob look?"

I'm an unabashed fan of Phil Hester, so when I heard he was doing new book about the apocalypse and carnies, I was like "Hells yeah!". I will tell you this right off the bat, folks: Golly! is fun comic.

Imagine, if ye will, mashing together the best aspects of shows like Brimstone and Carnivale, and comics such as Hellboy, Proof, Preacher and The Goon. Now, shake them up together sewn into a human-skin bag marked NASCAR with some blood, Budweiser and hookers mixed in too. Got that? Okay, now imagine contortionist clowns playing with this bag. Sound unbelievably messed up? It kinda is. And I love it. Now, to be fair, the first issue isn't THAT messed up. It's not like jumping into Gutsville (another fantastically whacked comic I love), but it sure hints at it.

Golly, the main character, is a white-trash dude with a mullet who likes chew and works for a carnival as a mechanic and driver. He's not too sharp, talks like a goddamned sailor, but seems to be a good guy. When Ex-fatlady-now-strongwoman Pig knocks him out, he's visited by an angelic angel who digs earthworms who offers for him to become the Chosen One and fight daemonic baddies for Gawd.

Well, you get the idea.

And the art is excellent and done by Brook Turner. Honestly, when I first heard of this project, I thought Hester would be doing art (loved his stuff on Irredeemable Ant-Man). Then when I discovered there would be another artist, I was a tad apprehensive. But as you can plainly see here (courtesy of CBR), the illustrative duties are being handled in a manner most, well, excellent.

Yes. I meant to do that.

The writing is interesting, paced perfectly, and made me laugh out loud more than once... or twice... I lost track half-way through, actually. This is prime-cut Phil Hester bringing it and calling down the hellfire.

If you are looking for something fresh and new, yet with some of those familiar adult-humoured elements we all know and love, you cannot go wrong with picking Golly! up. I mean, seriously, how can you look at those preview pages up on CBR and not want to go forth and consume? How, I say?!

Great characters, great story, great art. This is why I read comics, man. Yeah, I'm lovin' it.

Get more information about Golly! here, y'all.


Lethality: TPK. Without a doubt. Some of them were melted, others were buggered to death with nasty pikes. It was horrible. The adventurer's families dead fainted upon hearing the news. They then called up some guys with mops and tweezers to clean up the mess.