INTRODUCING: COSMIC HORROR MONTHLY

Cosmic Horror Monthly ~ the first four issues

We're now halfway through the month of October -- or, as I prefer to call it, "Halloweenuary" -- and as the days grow short, I know some of you are on the prowl for reading material to put a chill in your bones to match the chill in the crisp Autumn air.

If you're a fan of the creepy, the macabre, the monstrous or the otherwise otherworldly, then you owe it to yourself to explore the newly minted online literary journal, Cosmic Horror Monthly. 

You can either subscribe for a very low fee, or dip into the numerous samples -- a wonderful mix of old and new, of classics and obscurities -- offered up for free at their website. Either way, the price is right, they publish new cosmic horror works of the absolute top rank, and it's not too late to get in on the ground floor of an enterprise that I suspect will soon become a vital force in the world of serious horror literature.

I hope to see you there!

STEP INTO THE WORLD OF THE NIGHTMARE ARTIST

Zdzislaw Beksinski was a Polish painter of the fantastique whose work reacted to the horrors of war that he saw all around him. The video above is a short documentary about his life and his work, and the video below is an extended exploration of his work. He was very prodigious, constantly working and constantly producing masterpiece after masterpiece. Enjoy discovering your new favorite artist!

"MAMMON" A GRAPHIC NOVEL BY MICHAEL HAGUE

With Dark Horse's recent release of renowned fantasy illustrator Michael Hague's millennia-sweeping Decadent/Gothic epic vampire graphic novel Mammon, a new high water mark for illustrated horror has been set, and I imagine it will be a long time before it's bested.

Simultaneously beautiful and brutal, Hague's narrative begins in the early 1920's, following a journalist, Mr Meeks, whose obsession with vampires brings him to the attention of a reclusive, wealthy, Eastern European aristocrat who promises to reveal all he knows about the subject, as long as Meeks agrees to trust him unconditionally. Anxious for adventure, Meeks eventually meets his mysterious benefactor, who goes by the name Mammon.

To reveal more about how Mammon unfolds would rob the reader of the great pleasure of the story's unfolding. Suffice it to say that Meeks soon becomes Mammon's amanuensis/apprentice, and has to reckon with his host's bizarre double-transgression, which includes an absolutely twisted conversion story in which monsters formerly in league with Satan embrace the power of Christ... but on their own, incomprehensibly vile terms.

.So, if you've ever wondered what a full-fledged graphic novel by, say, 19th century Decadent Satanic fin-de-sciecle artist Felicien Rops might have looked like -- put together in a beautiful hardcover package, with the greatest attention paid to aesthetics -- wonder no more. Mammon is a top notch entry in a genre you probably didn't know you needed in your life. Serious horror aficionados owe it to themselves to reckon with this work on both the literary and artistic levels. Hague has produced a masterpiece.

RAFAEL GRAMPA'S MESMO DELIVERY

This review of up and coming Brazilian artist/writer Rafael Grampá's stand-alone book for Dark Horse, entitled Mesmo Delivery, is going to be short and sweet.

Short, because there's not much to say. The proof really is in the pudding with this book, which features a pared down, bare bones story about a couple of mysterious truck drivers--one big and burly, the other small and wiry--hauling a mysterious load across a desolate American industrial hellscape. The big one needs to take a leak, so they pull in to a truck stop, where trouble and highly stylized fisticuffs ensue.

Sweet, because every square inch of this book, from front cover to back, is simply gorgeous... like inky fireworks trapped on paper for our eyeballs' titillation. It's also very funny, both narratively and visually. Fans of martial arts movies, underground comix, and subtle Apocalyptic imagery will find a feast, here. Me, being all three, I love this damn book to pieces.

So why not pick up a copy of Mesmo Delivery for yourself or a friend to get a taste of what the next generation of comic industry greats has in store for us? You won't be disappointed, and if you use the link provided to buy it from Amazon, I'll get a few pennies in my beggin' cup!

MOX NOX ~ SEQUENTIAL, ILLUSTRATED THEATER OF THE ABSURD

Monoglots, rejoice! You don't have to be able to read Spanish to enjoy Joan Cornella's beautifully painted, multi-panel, single page comic strips. That's because this Spanish artist has chosen to leave her work wordless, a decision that ends up making just as much artistic sense as it does from a marketing standpoint. 

Mute as they are, Cornella's little stories practically scream for attention. Paradoxical in every conceivable way, these delicately savage non-allegories often achieve a near transcendent level of surrealism, displaying a paradoxically violent beauty via Cornella's delicately simple representation.

The gags don't always land, but they certainly do often enough to warrant giving each and every one of them the benefit of the doubt. And even the pages that fall flat often still contain something that makes them worthwhile... a strikingly beautiful design element, for instance, or a never-before-seen juxtaposition that stays with you, like an odd passing glance from a stranger on the street.

The book itself is also a thing of beauty. Bibliophiles will marvel at the design work that Cornella's North American publishers, Fantagraphics, have put into this product. Producing adult-oriented content with the colorful sturdiness and rugged durability of the best in children's publishing is a brilliant idea, and it's one that I hope more publishers will consider copying.

Ultimately, what we have here is a traditional European style "funny book" that can also easily be considered a collection of postmodernist sequential paintings that builds on the surrealist traditions of Dali and Bunuel. Fantagraphics is to be commended for helping to spread this artist's work beyond her home continent of Europe, and for making MOX NOX such a ridiculously low-priced bargain.

If you're thinking about purchasing MOX NOX via Amazon.com, please consider doing so through the links provided here. Much obliged!

DEBUT ISSUE OF NOW, FANTAGRAPHICS' NEW COMICS ANTHOLOGY

Fantagraphics has debuted NOW, their new comics anthology in which they showcase new work for mature audiences from their broad stable of established and up-and-coming artists... and it's a triumph. From the explosive cover art by Rebecca Morgan, to the innovative formatting (the table of contents is on the back cover?!), NOW feels fresh and essential in a way that I haven't experienced since... damn. I might have to go all the way back to my late-70's love affair with Heavy Metal to find a magazine I've been this excited about. 

Here's how the product is described over at the Fantagraphics website:

We live in a golden age of quality comic art and stories. Graphic novels have never been more popular. But where to start? Now aspires to be an affordable and ongoing anthology of new comics that appeals both to the comics-curious as well as the serious aficionado. In the age of long form graphic novels, Now also intends to provide a platform for short fiction, experimentation, and for showcasing diversity in the comics field. The only common denominator to each piece is an exemplary use of the comics form. 

Fantagraphics is proud to launch this showcase of all-new short comics fiction with a lineup of established and up-and-coming talent from around the globe. The first issue includes new work from acclaimed creators such as Eleanor Davis (How To Be Happy), Noah Van Sciver (Fante Bukowski), Gabrielle Bell (Lucky), Dash Shaw (Cosplayers), Sammy Harkham (Crickets), and Malachi Ward (Ancestor), as well as international stars such as J.C. Menu, Conxita Herrerro, Tobias Schalken, and Antoine Cossé. Plus strips from rising stars Tommi Parrish, Sara Corbett, Daria Tessler, and newcomer Kaela Graham, as well as a gorgeous painted cover by artist Rebecca Morgan. With a frequency of three times a year, Now is the brainchild of Fantagraphics Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds, who previously edited 22 volumes of the fondly remembered anthology Momefrom 2005-2011.