Chew the Fat: Mystery, Horror, Suspense and Halloween!

Martinex1: Let's Chew the Fat on all things mysterious, suspenseful, horrific, and terrifying.  Halloween is just around the corner, so consider the following questions and let's discuss your opinions about the strange and weird genre that permeates movies, television, and of course comic books.

Do you have a favorite horror and suspense comic? Is there a series you followed or collected?  Or is there an individual issue you recommend?  Did you like the monsters turned "heroes" or did you prefer the weird anthologies?

 

Do you have a favorite horror or suspense movie, franchise, or series?  Do you prefer the classic Universal or Hammer films?  Or are the modern monsters like Jason, Freddy, and Michael Meyers more your style?  Do you like horror films or do you tend to avoid the macabre movies? What are your recommendations?

Who do you think are the best creators for the horror genre in comic books?  My favorites are Bernie Wrightson and Mike Ploog...who are your preferred creature creators?  Writers? Artists? 

Is horror a genre you seek out or seek to avoid?  Did you geek out over Halloween?  What are your favorite Halloween memories whether scary or benign?

Cheers to all!  We look forward to your comments.

All New, All Different Sunday! Halloween Part 2: Marvel Monsters!

Martinex1:  Today we are bringing you a little treat, rather than a repeat trick, with a new Halloween topic to mull over.  Since we are upsetting the normal Sunday vibe, we will keep it simple - did you read and follow any of the Marvel monster mags of the Bronze Age?  When Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, and the Werewolf started appearing on the spinner rack were you there?

Artists like Mike Ploog and Gene Colan brought us some wonderfully creepy stories of the classic monsters meshed with an eerie Marvel feel.

 I did not delve into these four color tomes until much later in life, but I have come to appreciate the intricacy and storytelling.  Particularly The Monster of Frankenstein and The Tomb of Dracula were of interest as they generated rather complex tales and emotion, while the art was overall quite good.   Werewolf By Night was a bit more campy and seemed to trip into the superhero realm more than the others; or maybe because the book introduced Moon Knight I am just more sensitive to that theme.

Believe it or not, my initial introduction to these characters was through youthful glimpses at Universal  monster movies.   As a child, my father watched the Abbott and Costello comedies that featured the characters with me.  That may have colored my early perception, but as I said more recently I've begun to enjoy these missed gems.

 Along the way, I also stumbled upon Marvel's Supernatural Thrillers and I was surprised that I enjoyed the Living Mummy issues.

 That title also carried some adaptations of classic horror tales that I found to be well-crafted considering the truncated length and any limits of the medium.  I found that the covers really caught my eye; there was some interesting art throughout.

 So if you were a collector of these classics from the 70s, speak up and share your thoughts!  Comments are welcome this fine October Sunday!   Cheers (and fears) as we celebrate Halloween throughout the month!

The Brave Or The Bold: Nighthawk Or Moon Knight?

Martinex1:  Batman is everywhere!  The DC character has been so popular over the decades that Marvel created a handful of variations, mimics, and knock-offs along the way.    We are going to compare a couple of them and see how you feel they measure up.


So today we look primarily at Nighthawk and Moon Knight.   (And a little later we will include a few more of the mirror entities if you would like to comment on those as well).


Kyle Richmond has a storied career starting as an enemy of the Avengers and pawn of the Grandmaster as a member of the Squadron Sinister.   Another version of Richmond was the leader of the heroic but misguided Squadron Supreme.  The Sinister one turned good, changed costumes and joined the Defenders. Richmond was a wealthy industrialist in both worlds and actually was the President on the Supreme's planet.  In both versions, he is extremely athletic but even moreso at night.   Got that?


Marc Spector has many personalities.   He is a rich entrepreneur and a cab driver and a mercenary.   Oh, and he is Moon Knight.   He first appeared in a couple of issues of  Werewolf by Night, as a silver-weaponed hired assassin.  His most respected run may be under the pencils of Bill Sienkiewicz. In a later series he revealed his Egyptian mystic background as the resurrected Fist of Khonshu and his powers increased under the light of the moon.  In the dark of night, he hunts the thugs and villains that endanger the city.


So which do you prefer?   They have both lived in the Marvel universe for decades.   Moon Knight has had a few series, and Nighthawk has mainly been a team player.   Did they ever evolve past their seeming DC inspiration?   Do you have any episodes to recommend?  How about their look; what do you think about their design?


Since we're in the midst of a long weekend, don't stop there - what do you think about the Shroud, or the Black Fox from the Lost Generation, or even Daredevil?    Were they also knockoffs of Batman or did they have enough of their own character beats to earn them their own stature?  All Batman descendants are open for discussion - so let the comparisons fly.  Who is the best?  Who is the worst?  Why was Batman such a significant influence on comic characters? And recommend the best stories please.

But let's get started with the colorful high flying swashbuckler and the silver-and-black mystery man.

Shroud

Daredevil

Black Fox