My life is kind of horror show lately.
I hate to always start this column off by linking my tragic, tragic life with a comic book- but lately it’s all I got.
I digress. I was never a huge horror comic fan growing up. Well, I mean, it wasn’t really the right era for such a thing.
Tales from the Crypt started getting big in the 1950’s…
And it was way way WAY ahead of its time.
Why? Because it was one of the first comics that played around with genre. That is, it was part of a genre (horror)- but it was also very very clued in to your (the readers) expectations for that genre. And they played around with you. Consequently, this gave Tales the edge it needed to really hit you where it counted. You always knew it was going to a very horrible place- but along the way it would make you laugh, make you cry, or even turn you on. But suddenly? Yikes.
So yeah, never read Tales much. But I remember being taken with the HBO series that came out in the nineties. They did such a great job of grabbing the spirit of the comic…but then again, it took the movie,
Demon Knight, to REALLY make me a Tales fan.
I know what you’re thinking: you’re either thinking “what the hell is
Demon Knight?” or “are you kidding!? That movie SUCKED”.
Although this Tales From the Crypt movie might leave a thing or two to be desired, I love the premise of the movie- it’s really Tales From the Crypt does ‘Good vs. Evil’. Evil, of course, has good outnumbered and outgunned- but I just like seeing that dark, dark style applied to a different kind of story.
The second thing it has going for it? Billy Zane. He is frickin’ HYSTERICAL in this movie. If you haven’t seen it- take this opportunity to witness one of the greatest performances as a villain I have ever seen. Really, just off the hook. You’ll be in shock the first time- but then later, you’ll laugh.
Well, this is all a roundabout way of getting towards my topic- that is, Aleister Arcane.
I love IDW’s selection more and more. At first it was really just the licensed stuff- Buffy and Angel, Dr. Who, Trek…now, they’ve got some of their own quality stuff working. I know I’m a few years late on this score, but what can I say? Just read it… Arcane is the fictional name of a Tales from the Crypt-ish T.V. show host. When the actor who plays him, Aleister Green, is fired, he leaves a little going away present for the town who he feels turned his back on him…
Namely a whole slew of H.P. Lovecraft-esque monsters…
Again, I love how this comic plays around with genres (props to Steve Niles, the writer)...but the real genius behind it is the art. Breehn Burns, the illustrator, draws with the kind of artistic flair that you see in Arkham Asylum and Sandman.
Really, great book. Must read. If you can handle it…
My life is kind of horror show lately.
I hate to always start this column off by linking my tragic, tragic life with a comic book- but lately it’s all I got.
I digress. I was never a huge horror comic fan growing up. Well, I mean, it wasn’t really the right era for such a thing. Tales from the Crypt started getting big in the 1950’s…
And it was way way WAY ahead of its time.
Why? Because it was one of the first comics that played around with genre. That is, it was part of a genre (horror)- but it was also very very clued in to your (the readers) expectations for that genre. And they played around with you. Consequently, this gave Tales the edge it needed to really hit you where it counted. You always knew it was going to a very horrible place- but along the way it would make you laugh, make you cry, or even turn you on. But suddenly? Yikes.
So yeah, never read Tales much. But I remember being taken with the HBO series that came out in the nineties. They did such a great job of grabbing the spirit of the comic…but then again, it took the movie, Demon Knight, to REALLY make me a Tales fan.
I know what you’re thinking: you’re either thinking “what the hell is Demon Knight?” or “are you kidding!? That movie SUCKED”.
Although this Tales From the Crypt movie might leave a thing or two to be desired, I love the premise of the movie- it’s really Tales From the Crypt does ‘Good vs. Evil’. Evil, of course, has good outnumbered and outgunned- but I just like seeing that dark, dark style applied to a different kind of story.
The second thing it has going for it? Billy Zane. He is frickin’ HYSTERICAL in this movie. If you haven’t seen it- take this opportunity to witness one of the greatest performances as a villain I have ever seen. Really, just off the hook. You’ll be in shock the first time- but then later, you’ll laugh.
Well, this is all a roundabout way of getting towards my topic- that is, Aleister Arcane.
I love IDW’s selection more and more. At first it was really just the licensed stuff- Buffy and Angel, Dr. Who, Trek…now, they’ve got some of their own quality stuff working. I know I’m a few years late on this score, but what can I say? Just read it… Arcane is the fictional name of a Tales from the Crypt-ish T.V. show host. When the actor who plays him, Aleister Green, is fired, he leaves a little going away present for the town who he feels turned his back on him…
Namely a whole slew of H.P. Lovecraft-esque monsters…
Again, I love how this comic plays around with genres (props to Steve Niles, the writer)...but the real genius behind it is the art. Breehn Burns, the illustrator, draws with the kind of artistic flair that you see in Arkham Asylum and Sandman.
Really, great book. Must read. If you can handle it…
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