Greetings ghosts and ghoulies and welcome to The Theatre of Terror the home of horror comic news, reviews, classic comic scans and creepy art from around the world. Just remember, it's not for the nervous!
If you haven’t already delved in to the world of Locke & Key then this handy sale over on Comixology should give you the final push you need. Writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez have crafted a wonderful story centered on Keyhouse, an old estate filled with magical keys which open doors in to other worlds and grant their users special powers. It’s a delight to read, offering a youthful cast and thrilling adventures, and packed full of great ideas.
There’s only 4 days left to get your votes in for the 10th annual Rondo Hatton Awards. Since 2002 the Rondos have been fandom’s only true classic horror award. They are decided by fans, for fans. Every Rondo nominee has been recognized for a significant achievement in the genre during the year of 2011. This year’s nominees for best horror comic are:
EDGAR ALLAN POE’S TALES OF MYSTERY (Graphic Classics). Includes Murders in the Rue Morgue.
FLESH AND BLOOD: BOOK ONE (Monsterverse). The Hammer film that never was, by Robert Tinnell and Neil Vokes.
GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS (IDW). Eric Powell tells a human story amidst the monster rallies.
BOB HOWARD: Plumber of the Unknown by Rafael Nieves and Dan Dougherty. Ordinary jobs don’t stop this monster hunter.
HELLBOY: THE FURY (Dark Horse). Can this really be the end? Mike Mignola surprises everyone.
MONSTERS AMONG US (monsters-among-us.com). Celebrating the four-color fun of monstrosities.
PLANET OF THE APES (Boom!) Daryl Gregory and Carlos Magno pick up the story from Battle.
THE STRANGE CASE OF MR. HYDE (Dark Horse). Jekyll is dead. Then who…? By Cole Haddon and M.S. Corley.
30 DAYS OF NIGHT (IDW). Steve Niles and Sam Kieth revive the true world of vampires.
THE WALKING DEAD (Image) Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard go far beyond the TV series.
XOMBI (DC). John Rozum and Fraser Irving resurrect David Kim in this dark tale of snow angels and mummies.
There are plenty of other horror categories all competing for the coveted awards so get yourself over to the website and vote quickly, before something terrible happens!
We at Back From The Depths are once again looking for contributors for our free, annual pdf horror comic, HALLOWSCREAM…
…but…
we’re also looking for contributors for something else.
That’s right. This year we’re doing not one but two creepy comics, and we need all the scares we can get. What is this second scare-filled tome? I’ll tell you what it is – it’s a Christmas special.
It’s yet to be named, but we’re looking for yuletide based horror yarns along with the more general stuff.
HALLOWSCREAM GUIDELINES
Ideal submissions should be horror orientated and must be weird or spooky to make the final cut. We are mainly looking for completed comic strips between 1-7 pages in length. Script submissions should also preferably be around 1-7 pages in length. Eerie illustrations and artwork along with interesting horror/comic articles, scary short stories, petrifying poems or anything just plain creepy will also be considered.
XMAS SPECIAL GUIDELINES
Identical to the Hallowscream guidelines, but submissions must have either a Christmas or winter theme. Anything which doesn’t meet that criteria will be more likely to end up in Hallowscream.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
If you’re looking to illustrate something, get in contact and we’ll give you details of available scripts.
We’ll also consider material previously published elsewhere, as long as the contributors own the copyright.
Completed artwork can be either colour or black and white, and should preferably be A4 (21cm x 29.7cm) 300 dpi jpegs.
As this is a non-profit, small press publication, contributors will not be paid but they will retain copyright on any material submitted.
DEADLINES
Deadlines for the Hallowe’en and Christmas editions are identical. There’s no need to point out which issue your story is meant for, as it should be obvious from the story’s content.
Scripts, articles and text submissions : Sunday 22nd July
Artwork : Sunday 7th October
Completed strips : Sunday 21st October.
The finished issue of Hallowscream will be available online for FREE on October 31st. The finished issue of the Christmas special will likely be available online for FREE mid-December.
You will also be able to purchase print version via the online publishing site Lulu.
Fans of indie horror comics, who like to feel the rustle of paper against their fingers, will be pleased to know that you can now purchase print versions all all 3 Hallowscreams from Lulu. Revel in the gloriously glossy covers and steel your nerves for the beautiful black and white horror filled pages inside.
For those who just want to see what all the fuss is about before you part with your hard earned cash, you can download all 3 issues of Hallowscream for FREE in the left hand menu of this site. Don’t forget to check out the BlackFriars special by Michael Crouch too!
We’re massive fans of anything zombie, so when someone brings out an intercative zombie web comic, we can’t help but get a little bit excited. Built using HTML 5 and featuring a musical score, sound effects, and a rather neat slidey-scrolly way of reading, Zombies Eat Republicans is a novel and entertaining attempt at an interactive comic.
An up-an-coming idealistic, conservative Republican press secretary from San Diego gets a crash course in survival when the Presidential campaign trail takes a sudden expected turn as he discovers everything he thought he knew about party loyalty and social ties comes into question as he tries to save the country from a zombie attack and potential nuclear annihilation.
It’s fascinating to see that Hype Comics have attempted elements of transmedia with Zombies Eat Republicans. The atmospheric music certainly adds tension and the groaning zombie sound effects are used well, even making us jump a little the first time we heard them. They made a video to go with it too.
Sadly, as with most things these days, if you want to read more than just the 13 intro panels, you need to open your wallet. However, $5.95 isn’t too offensive a price for being entertained, and we appreciate they have to make their money somehow.
There are plenty of web comics freely available on the interwebs, but quality can’t always be guaranteed. Getting the finances right for a web comic is tricky and most comic creators will struggle to raise enough cash to pay even the hosting fees. Kudos to Hype for trying to monetise the comic via subscription fees and an online shop. If they can make a web comic commercially viable, we’ll not only see an improvement in the quality of the content of interative comics, but the development of even more unusual online story telling techniques, as more people try to get involved in what is still a fairly unexplored territory.
Altough the scrolling feels very much like a page turn, purists will argue that the platform itself means that ZER shouldn’t be compared to a print based comic. The comic industry is still trying to find a viable way of embracing the online revolution, with similar examples of interactive comics popping up around the web. Zombies Eat Republicans is an excellent example of an interactive comic, but a normal comic it ain’t.
Cryptozoic Entertainment, a premiere developer of original and licensed games and makers of the World of Warcraft trading card game, last month announced the launch of Locke & Key: The Game, an all-new card game based on the critically acclaimed comic series Locke & Key from IDW Publishing.
The high-flying original comic series Locke & Key is created and written by acclaimed suspense novelist and New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill (Horns, Heart-Shaped Box) and features astounding artwork from Eisner nominated Gabriel Rodriguez. Entering its fifth volume in summer 2012, Locke & Key tells the tale the Locke family and Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion. The mystery of Keyhouse is the magical keys and fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them, and a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all.
Competition and cooperation meet in this card game that dares you to overcome the supernatural challenges of Keyhouse. You and your fellow players will face these horrors together, but who will be by your side when the dust settles? On this journey, you’ll make decisions on when and where to help your fellow players, but your resources are not endless. Through careful management of your cards, you can help the family overcome challenges, and you’ll be rewarded for the assistance . . . sometimes.
Locke & Key: The Game boasts enthralling competition for three to six players, and includes 150 strength cards, 19 challenge cards, 15 specially designed key cards based on the powerful keys in the series, plus one 3D stand-up, an initiative marker and a comprehensive rulebook. Players compete to acquire strength cards and key cards to overcome the various challenges on the path towards victory. Players can mix and match these cards to create powerful combinations and new strategies as they decide whether to compete or cooperate with the other players to overcome the supernatural challenges of Keyhouse. Take a look at what cards you can expect in the game in our gallery below.
D.O.G.S. Of Mars is four issue mini-series created by Johnny Zito and Tony Trov (Black Cherry Bombshells and Moon Girl), Christian Weiser, with Paul Maybury on art duties. The series was initially released direct to digital on ComiXology but soon Image Comics will be releasing a new edition in print.
Nocturnal monsters stalk astronauts marooned on Mars. Zoe is the swashbuckling captain of Earth’s first off-world colony. Isolated on the farthest frontier of civilization, order breaks down when the unfamiliar hostile invades. Zoe faces mutiny, death and dishonor; she must sacrifice her humanity if she hopes to survive. It’s Star Trek meets Lord of the Flies for horror fans.
The series follow the tale of the isolated captain Zoe on Earth’s martian colony as she encounters a group of less than friendly beasts. Her struggle to survive is not a pretty one to say the least. The awesome red and black color theme adds a great sense atmosphere that pulls you right into the book. Take a look at this cool trailer…
Check out the covers from the initial run in our gallery below.
The Ghastly Award Judges are proud to announce the 2011 Nominees. The nominees, which were chosen by the entire comic creating community, reflect the wide range of horror material being published in print and web comic form today.Named for acclaimed comics creator “Ghastly” Graham Ingles, the awards are in their 1st year. Created to honor excellence in Horror Comics, every comic creator has a say in who the nominees are by nominating for their favorites throughout the year.
The 2011 Nominees are:
Best Ongoing Title:
Animal Man (DC)
The Goon (Dark Horse)
Walking Dead (Image Comics)
Sixth Gun (Oni Press)
Hellblazer (Vertigo)
Best Mini-Series:
Hellboy: The Fury (Dark Horse)
Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom (IDW Publishing)
Witch Doctor (Image Comics)
The Vault (Image Comics)
’68 (Image Comics)
Best One-Shot:
Hellboy – Buster Oakley (Dark Horse)
Locke & Key: Guide to the Known Keys (IDW Publishing)
’68 Hardship (Image Comics)
Hellblazer Annual (Vertigo)
Fail of the Dead (Antarctic Press)
Best New Series:
Animal Man (DC)
Witch Doctor (Image Comics)
Green Wake (Image Comics)
Hellraiser (BOOM! Studios)
I, Vampire (DC)
Best Anthology:
Hellraiser Masterpieces (BOOM! Studios)
Creepy (Dark Horse)
Fubar 2 (Alterna Comics)
Strange Aeons Magazine (Strange Aeons)
A Very Zombie Christmas (Antarctic Press)
Best OGN:
Flesh & Blood (Monsterverse)
Crossed 3-D (Avatar)
Black Fire (Archaia)
Deadworld: Last Siesta (IDW Publishing)
Dear Creature (Tor)
Best Archival Collection:
Awakening Omnibus (Archaia)
Best Writer:
Cullen Bunn – The Sixth Gun
Joe Hill – Locke & Key
Robert Tinnell – Flesh & Blood
Steve Niles – Doc Macbre, Criminal Macabre
Robert Kirkman – Walking Dead
Best Artist:
Gabriel Rodriguez – Locke & Key
Riley Rossmo – Green Wake
Neil Vokes – Flesh and Blood
Garrie Gastonny – The Vault
Jacen Burrows – Neonomicon
Best Inker:
Mark Bloodworth – Deadworld Last Siesta
Riley Rossmo – Green Wake
Jonathan Case – Dear Creature
Charlie Adlard – The Walking Dead
Terry Moore – Rachel Rising
Best Letterer:
Thomas Mauer – Awakening Omnibus
Kelly Tindall – Green Wake
Menton Matthews III – Monocyte
Marshal Dillion – Skullkickers
Terry Moore – Rachel Rising
Best Colorist:
Dave Stewart – BPRD
Matt Webb – Flesh and Blood
Jay Fotos – Locke & Key, ’68
Misty Coats – Skullkickers
Atilla Futaki – Severed
Best Web Comic:
Disappointing Monsters
Tales of Mr. Rhee
Romantically Apocalyptic
Sex and Monsters
Frankenstein Superstar
CROSSED: WISH YOU WERE HERE follows two dozen human survivors who survived the Crossed plague, a worldwide outbreak that transformed a percentage of the populace into violent, insatiable murderers. While other CROSSED tales follow people who are constantly on the move and trying to avoid detection by bloodthirsty hordes, Spurrier and Barreno’s tale sees a group determined to hold their own, to convert an island into a defensible stronghold.
March is going to be a head-burstingly exciting month for fans of insane apocalyptic horror series Crossed. Beginning on March 14th, 2012, the much-anticipated Crossed: Wish You Were Here webcomic will be available over on www.CrossedComic.com. This new weekly series web comic, written by Simon Spurrier and illustrated by Javier Barreno, originally pencilled in for October, is now just weeks away!
Wish You Were Here artist, Barreno, also supplied the art for Crossed Volume 2: Family Values so has the pedigree to pull-off another exceptionally horrific story. We hope this is the case as the web comic format the have adopted for the new series has the potential to run for a long time. Avatar Press have already seen success in the area with Warren Ellis’ FreakAngels, an on-going story that is looked upon by many as the blueprint for a successful web comic.
The Crossed universe, created by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows, already has several volumes under its belt and has proven to be hugely popular thanks to its extreme content and anything goes attitude. On May of 2011 Crossed released a 3d version which caused some uproar with its deplorable imagery popping straight out the page thanks to some very lovely Crossed 3D glasses.
The web comic launch will coincide with the worldwide ‘C-Day’ celebration of all things Crossed, including the new bi-weekly Crossed: Badlands print comic series, which sees Ennis and Burrows return to their monstrous creation for the first story arc. ‘C-Day also sees the release of David Lapham’s Crossed: Psychopath miniseries as a collected trade paperback. It’s sure to be a day that will live in infamy.
We’re massive fans of Crossed here on The Theatre of Terror and whole-heartedly recommend all the disturbing books that this series spews out in to the world. They’re sick, but then so are we!
Do you want to join the Scream team? We're looking for enthusiastic people to contribute articles on horror or comics here on The Theatre of Terror. Contact me for more info.
There’s only 4 days left to get your votes in for the 10th annual Rondo Hatton Awards. Since 2002 the Rondos have been fandom’s only true classic horror award. They are decided by fans, for fans. Every Rondo nominee has been recognized for a significant achievement in the genre during the year of 2011. This year’s nominees for best horror comic are:
The web comic launch will coincide with the worldwide ‘C-Day’ celebration of all things Crossed, including the new bi-weekly Crossed: Badlands print comic series, which sees Ennis and Burrows return to their monstrous creation for the first story arc. ‘C-Day also sees the release of David Lapham’s Crossed: Psychopath miniseries as a collected trade paperback. It’s sure to be a day that will live in infamy.
