Review: Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer Vol 1 TP

Consider this your sneak peak at Comic Stars #2! Here is my review of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer Vol 1 TP that is part of our zine/anthology this year. If you are interested in a copy just track us down at HeroesCon, we should have some on us!

Leave your preconceptions at the door. All of them. This isn’t a gimmicky re-imagining of the Pinocchio story like those mash-up novels, nor is it like the “happily ever after” Disney animated feature. Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer is a well-told continuation of the original Carlo Collodi tale. Van Jensen and Dusty Higgins make this clear right away. Don’t skip over the forward or the summary of the original, it is essential to the basic framework of the story about to unfold. Familiar faces, like the Talking Cricket and the Blue Fairy, blend with new characters, like Master Cherry, seemlessly in this new world.


The premise is simple, Pinocchio (who is still a puppet) is charged with the task of hunting and killing vampires which are taking over and killing those he loves. This is made easier for him with a seemingly endless supply of wooden stake noses. This first volume sets up the larger, epic story that follows in Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer and the Great Puppet Theater and Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer of Wood and Blood parts 1 and 2. There are hints at villains to come and prophecies to be fulfilled. You get a solid introduction, but the story doesn’t get bogged down with set-up. The action quickly escalates.

The premise is simple, Pinocchio (who is still a puppet) is charged with the task of hunting and killing vampires which are taking over and killing those he loves. This is made easier for him with a seemingly endless supply of wooden stake noses. This first volume sets up the larger, epic story that follows in Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer and the Great Puppet Theater and Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer of Wood and Blood parts 1 and 2. There are hints at villains to come and prophecies to be fulfilled. You get a solid introduction, but the story doesn’t get bogged down with set-up. The action quickly escalates.

Reading this did inspire me to seek out the original. I found a retelling by Freya Littledale from Scholastic which does include the original illustrations of Attilio Mussino. In the beginning, Pinocchio comes across, at best, as a naive jerk. By the end he does redeem himself (I suppose), but by no means is Pinocchio a likeable character. Reading the original gives me a better appreciation for Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer and their characterization of Pinocchio. He is a well-rounded character who, despite his flaws, is witty, entertaining, and kind-hearted.

Jensen’s writing is sharp and quippy. I was really struck by how genuinely funny the book is. It is a thrilling, emotional roller coaster ride, but it is the humor that makes this book so enjoyable. The character interaction is natural and the character development is well paced. I love the way they play with the concept of Pinocchio’s nose growing as he tells a lie, even though sometimes he doesn’t know he is telling a lie until his own nose grows. The dialogue and characterization engage you as a reader and make you invested in the story.

The art helped strengthen the storytelling. The panel layouts and the sketchy black and white art helped keep the story at a steady pace. I enjoyed the intelligent use of different art styles. In particular, when Pinocchio is telling the Talking Cricket what happened to Geppetto the art is reminiscent of woodcut prints which lends itself perfectly to comparisons of fairy tale art. At times the Zip-A-Tone (or screentone) is a little distracting, but it isn’t used in the following volumes so the art work is clearer and easier to read.

Creator/Artist Dusty Higgins (http://dustyhiggins.com/) can also be seen on Knights of the Living Dead. Writer Van Jensen (http://vandotjensen.tumblr.com/) has two big upcoming projects: Snow White: Through a Glass, Darkly and Green Lantern Corps. If you liked Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer you should definitely check out their other work!

Episode 301: Comics Elimination 2013 Round 1

Image by Robert UllmanWell, it’s that time of year again… a few months ago.  It’s that time again for the Dollar Bin crew to put their vote where there mouth is and work together to decide the greatest comic series of our time.  Or, at least what’s cool.  This is Round One of comics elimination.  Anything that’s gets past us here is a least worth checking out.

Runtime 51 minutes 49 seconds

Episode 301: Comics Elimination 2013 Round 1

Episode 300: Free Comic Book Day 2013

Image by Duane BallengerAs usual, Adam and Shawn made their tour of a few shops in the Carolinas to celebrate Free Comic Book Day.  First stop, Richard’s Comics and Collectables.  Next, Borderlands Comics and Games.  To close out the night, Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find.  Many interesting people.  Many great free comic books.

Runtime 53 minutes 32 seconds

Episode 300: Free Comic Book Day 2013

Comic Reviews: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward & Gettysburg: The Graphic History

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

The parents of Charles Dexter Ward are very worried.  You see, the Wards have tried very hard to hide that they are the descendents of an evil New England necromancer from hundreds of years ago, and Charles has found out about the family’s little secret.  And what’s more, his appearance bears more than a passing resemblance to that ancestor Joseph Curwen, now since long dead and feels a connection urging him forward to learn more of how his ancestor achieved his power over the dead.  Unfortunately for his family the further Charles digs the stranger he acts prompting the family to call on their family physician, Dr Marinus Bicknell Willett to find out the cause of his strange behavior. 

Years pass and Dr Willett continues his pursuit of the truth as Charles continues his descent into madness until the young man is finally incarcerated in a mental hospital.  Dr Willett finally puts the pieces together and learns the horrible truth and enters the institution for a final confrontation with Charles.  Dr Willett is the last person to see Charles before the young man vanishes from a room whose window is 60 feet from the ground and no one has left by the door.  The question you must be asking is what is the secret that is uncovered?  If I told you that I would ruin the joy for you of watching the mystery unfold before you like a Russian matryoshka doll.  I will say that Lovecraft plays completely fair and the clues are all there for you to figure it out.

H.P. Lovecraft.  I love H.P. Lovecraft.  The man could write scary like nobody’s business; of course when you look like Batboy I guess your life choices are somewhat limited to horror writer or sideshow freak.  Even his name sounds dark and ominous.  Lovecraft is adored by legions of fantasy and horror readers everywhere but his reputation outside this somewhat small group is dim to say the least.  Attempts to adapt his works into movies, TV, or even comics have met with almost across-the-board miserable failure.  And while most adaptations in comic form have failed miserably the just released The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, adapted and illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard is a giant step in the right direction.

When you read a Lovecraft story the atmosphere is what strikes at you the most.  The feeling of dread and dangerous forces gathering just beyond your ability to fully comprehend them literally drips from every page of a Lovecraft story and Culbard’s style captures that perfectly.  If you are a big fan of Guy Davis’s art style and his work on B.P.R.D. or The Marquis you will absolutely love the art.  And matching his art is the story itself.  The original story was told mainly through written letters and found documents and while there is plenty of that to be found here Culbard doesn’t rely on that solely and I think that this version actually in a lot of respects is a more fluid read than the original source material.  This book is an easy recommendation for fans of Lovecraft or horror comics in general.  I have waited a long time to read a Lovecraft comic done right and Culbard has given it to me.

Gettysburg: The Graphic History

In an attempt to force Northern lawmakers to consider a compromise with The South General Lee marched his troops from war-torn Northern Virginiaand began his second Northern campaign.  What would follow would result in the largest single loss of American lives ever in US history.  The losses inflicted from this battle would weaken the Southern army to such a state that it would never fully recover and insure the eventual Northern win.  In a war filled with bloody battles Gettysburg casts a long shadow.  Grab anyone off the street and ask them to name a Civil War battle and I bet 9/10 times you’ll get Gettysburg as the answer.  July 1, 2013 will mark the 150^th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg and just in time is a new book written and illustrated by Wayne Vansant called Gettysburg: The Graphic History.

Vansant does a great job of making the almost overwhelming complexities of the battle itself easy to follow.  You know who the major players are, where they fought, at what time they fought, the outcome, and how each small skirmish fits into the complex whole of the battle itself.  At no time was I confused about what was going on or why it was happening.  This is the perfect book for any 8^th grade American history class to have as an introduction to this battle or the Civil War in general.  In fact, I would say this book does a better job of explain everything than any text book out there and I’ll even say it’s better than most of the “scholarly” books as well.

However, I did have a few problems that I wish Vansant would address for any future books he does. His style of story-telling is just too much like the comics of the 1940’s.  At the top of a panel he will describe what you are looking at in the panel.  And every now and then he’ll throw in a few word balloons.  The art form has come a long way in 70 years.  While this is perfectly fine for a historical retelling I would have preferred if he had gone the extra little bit and told the story from a character’s point of view, engross me in the conflict; give me someone to root for.   I understand that is a personal preference and may not be what the author intended and if his entire goal was a straight retelling of the conflict and not as an actual story then he did a wonderful job.  I was hoping for more though.  What a great back drop this could have made for a real story of brothers fighting or better yet, tell the story from Lee’s point of view.  With that said, if you have any interest in the Civil War at all this is a great place to start.

Episode 291: PreFCBD and Borderlands' Geek Trivia Night 4-30

In celebration of Comics Geek Week at Borderlands Comics and Games, Rob hosted a very special Geek Trivia Night to countdown to Free Comic Book Day 2013.  Don’t forget FCBD is this weekend, May 4th.

Runtime 41 minutes 42 seconds

Episode 299: PreFCBD and Borderlands' Geek Trivia Night 4-30

Episode 298: Dollar Bin Awards Best of 2012

This year the Dollar Bin Awards was quite a roller coaster ride.  We closed the polls earlier than ever and then couldn’t get together to present the dang things.  Well, here it is, your 2012 best of comics according to you, the Dollar Bin listeners.

Runtime 1 hour 29 minutes 54 seconds

Writer of the Year:  Scott Snyder
Artist of the Year:  Greg Capullo
Laura Martin Colorist of the Year:  *Rico Renzi (People’s Choice Francesco Francavilla)
Cover Artist of the Year:  Paolo Rivera
Issue of the Year:  Love and Rockets New Stories #5
Best New Series:  Saga
Series of the Year:  Saga
Graphic Novel of the Year:  Crogan’s Loyalty
Best Web Comic of the Year:  Battle Zoo
Best Minicomic of the Year:  The Time I Was Treed by Cows (Shawn Daughhetee)
Publisher of the Year:  Image
Comic Book Related Media of the Year:  Avengers
Best Moment of the Year in a Comic Book:  I’m sure there is something that I can’t think of
Moment of the Year Related to the Comic Industry:  Disney Buys Star Wars
Most Under Appreciated Book/Series of the Year:  Mind MGMT
Most Suprisingly Enjoyable Book of the Year:  All-New X-Men
Most Confusing Book of the Year:  Action Comics
Most Anticipated Book of 2013:  Locke & Key’s Conclusion
Dollar Bin Interview/Guest of the Year:  Danny Kilpatrick (Talking About Valiant)

Episode 298: Dollar Bin Awards Best of 2012