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EXCLUSIVE: Review Of ‘Day Of The Dead: Desertion’

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I’m going to quote BC before we start this review and just say that Full Disclosure: ‘Day of the Dead’ is my favorite Romero film. Now I’m not saying I don’t love ‘Night’ and ‘Dawn’, but there is something about Romero’s third film in the ‘Dead’ series that just appealed to me more than the rest. Perhaps it is the career defining work of one Tom Savini who meticulously rendered so many trend-setting make up and prosthetic FX scenes in the film’s unforgettable finale. Or maybe it was that amazing character named Bub, who came out of nowhere and made an a-typical Romero flick a CLASSIC one. The idea that Bub presented, one of hope and prospect, added a whole new dimension to the film and gave viewers a brand new iconic cult character. That is why I went into ‘DESERTION’ a bit pessimistic and came out the other side very pleased. Read on for the full review.

Ever since I heard that Barry Keating, Stefan Hutchinson, and Jeff Zornow were attached to the project that would give Bub his backstory I was hesitantly positive about it. The writer duo of Keating and Hutchinson had a lot of potential to make something unforgettable together based on their past performances, and Jeff Zornow is simply the pinnacle of horror illustrations in comic books. If it were any other project I would be jumping up and down and screaming it from the roof-tops. (To much?) But like the day when I heard the news that Rob Zombie was taking on the ‘HALLOWEEN’ franchise I reserved my opinion until I read the finished product. So when I received the envelope containing my screener copy of ‘The Day of the Dead’ special edition I skipped right to the book and planted my ass in the nearest seat. (If anyone had been there before me I’d have probably sat right on top of them)

‘DESERTION’ the entirely abysmal and nihilistic telling of Bub’s past on his last day as a human being. Left in the ever capable hands of Stefan Hutchinson (a man who is absolutely no slouch when it comes to working on these types of projects) the story is allowed to explore any area it wants to, and in doing so depict whatever it wants as well. This is not an easy read for anyone who is just an ‘average’ horror reader. Reading ‘DESERTION’ is like sitting through a thesis on the human condition with your eye-lids stapled to your forehead. The story never lets go of readers (and it really can’t afford to at a short 24 pages) and it is never an octave below disturbing. The things that you witness within this story will stay with you for days after you’ve finished it. Much like a film such as ‘MARTYRS’ or ‘INSIDE’ your mind is given an image that is burned into its memory banks, one that you will never be able to tear out. It will leave you exhausted emotionally, and like the hordes of the undead themselves, you’ll be craving more.

Everything here is polished to a near perfect shine. Zornow does what he does so well by presenting readers with macabre imagery that is as close to real as one can get by looking at hand drawn artwork. The characters such as Bub, and the few others that are lifted from the film, are all rendered fantastically and with great detail. It is baffling to me how Jeff Zornow hasn’t been given more recognition for his work in the field of horror, and once you’ve picked up the blu-ray on the 29th and read the book yourself you’ll see what I mean.

When all is done and read ‘DAY OF THE DEAD: DESERTION’ is one of the best and most faithful renderings of a horror icons’ back story ever written. Many have tried to make th transition from film to comics and explain these types of things, but never does it feel as if our beloved characters are treated with the respect they are owed. Keating and Hutchinson had their work cut out for themselves big time on this project and they deliver a one-two punch that nearly knocks the reader out. With its beautifully rendered moments of violence and hopelessness both artistically and narratively ‘DESERTION’ is a must own for fans of the original classic.

4.5 Skulls Out of 5

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[Review] Graphic Novel ‘Tender’ Is Brilliant Feminist Body Horror That Will Make You Squirm & Scream

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Tender Beth Hetland Graphic Novel

Beth Hetland’s debut graphic novel, ‘Tender,’ is a modern tale of love, validation, and self-destruction by way of brutal body horror with a feminist edge.

“I’ve wanted this more than anything.”

Men so often dominate the body horror subgenre, which makes it so rare and insightful whenever women tackle this space. This makes Beth Hetland’s Tender such a refreshing change of pace. It’s earnest, honest, and impossibly exposed. Tender takes the body horror subgenre and brilliantly and subversively mixes it together with a narrative that’s steeped in the societal expectations that women face on a daily basis, whether it comes to empowerment, family, or sexuality. It single-handedly beats other 2023 and ‘24 feminine horror texts like American Horror Story: Delicate, Sick, Lisa Frankenstein, and Immaculate at their own game.

Hetland’s Tender is American Psycho meets Rosemary’s Baby meets Swallow. It’s also absolutely not for the faint of heart.

Right from the jump, Tender grabs hold of its audience and doesn’t let go. Carolanne’s quest for romantic fulfillment, validation, and a grander purpose is easy to empathize with and an effective framework for this woeful saga. Carolanne’s wounds cut so deep simply because they’re so incredibly commonplace. Everybody wants to feel wanted.

Tender is full of beautiful, gross, expressive artwork that makes the reader squirm in their seat and itch. Hetland’s drawings are simultaneously minimalist and comprehensively layered. They’re  reminiscent of Charles Burns’ Black Hole, in the best way possible. There’s consistently inspired and striking use of spot coloring that elevates Hetland’s story whenever it’s incorporated, invading Tender’s muted world.

Hetland employs effective, economical storytelling that makes clever use of panels and scene construction so that Tender can breeze through exposition and get to the story’s gooey, aching heart. There’s an excellent page that depicts Carolanne’s menial domestic tasks where the repetitive panels grow increasingly smaller to illustrate the formulaic rut that her life has become. It’s magical. Tender is full of creative devices like this that further let the reader into Carolanne’s mind without ever getting clunky or explicit on the matter. The graphic novel is bookended with a simple moment that shifts from sweet to suffocating.

Tender gives the audience a proper sense of who Carolanne is right away. Hetland adeptly defines her protagonist so that readers are immediately on her side, praying that she gets her “happily ever after,” and makes it out of this sick story alive…And then they’re rapidly wishing for the opposite and utterly aghast over this chameleon. There’s also some creative experimentation with non-linear storytelling that gets to the root of Carolanne and continually recontextualizes who she is and what she wants out of life so that the audience is kept on guard.

Tender casually transforms from a picture-perfect rom-com, right down to the visual style, into a haunting horror story. There’s such a natural quality to how Tender presents the melancholy manner in which a relationship — and life — can decay. Once the horror elements hit, they hit hard, like a jackhammer, and don’t relent. It’s hard not to wince and grimace through Tender’s terrifying images. They’re reminiscent of the nightmarish dadaist visuals from The Ring’s cursed videotape, distilled to blunt comic panels that the reader is forced to confront and digest, rather than something that simply flickers through their mind and is gone a moment later. Tender makes its audience marinate in its mania and incubates its horror as if it’s a gestating fetus in their womb.

Tender tells a powerful, emotional, disturbing story, but its secret weapon may be its sublime pacing. Hetland paces Tender in such an exceptional manner, so that it takes its time, sneaks up on the reader, and gets under their skin until they’re dreading where the story will go next. Tender pushes the audience right up to the edge so that they’re practically begging that Carolanne won’t do the things that she does, yet the other shoe always drops in the most devastating manner. Audiences will read Tender with clenched fists that make it a struggle to turn each page, although they won’t be able to stop. Tender isn’t a short story, at more than 160 pages, but readers will want to take their time and relish each page so that this macabre story lasts for as long as possible before it cascades to its tragic conclusion. 

Tender is an accomplished and uncomfortable debut graphic novel from Hetland that reveals a strong, unflinching voice that’s the perfect fit for horror. Tender indulges in heightened flights of fancy and toes the line with the supernatural. However, Tender is so successful at what it does because it’s so grounded in reality and presents a horror story that’s all too common in society. It’s a heartbreaking meditation on loneliness and codependency that’s one of 2024’s must-read horror graphic novels.

‘Tender,’ by Beth Hetland and published by Fantagraphics, is now available.

4 out of 5 skulls

Tender graphic novel review

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