Review: New World Monsters by Chris Mcauley and Jeff Oliver

cover of New World MonstersNew World Monsters by Chris Mcauley and Jeff Oliver
Hellbound Books (October 2022)
130 pages; $29.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Dr. Chris Mcauley is a writer of prose novels, magazine short stories, video and tabletop games and audio dramas. Chris has been given the Reggie Bannister award for excellence in Horror writing and is nominated for a similar award in science fiction. Jeff Oliver writes that he “began writing Dark Poetry at just 11 years old. Transferring darkness to paper at such a young age. There are thoughts about a troubled childhood, thoughts of love and imagination that never elude his pen. A poet by passion and a father of 8 beautiful children. Yes you read that right 8! His dedication to his family & his craft is second to none.” Their newest collaborative collection is New World Monsters, which is illustrated by Dan Verkys. Continue Reading

Review: Not a Princess, but (Yes) There was a Pea, and Other Fairy Tales to Foment Revolution by Rebecca Buchanan

cover of Not A Princes...Not a Princess, but (Yes) There was a Pea, and Other Fairy Tales to Foment Revolution by Rebecca Buchanan
Jackanapes Press (September 2022)
170 pages; $15.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Rebecca Buchanan is the editor of the Pagan literary ezine Eternal Haunted Summer, and is also a regular contributor to ev0ke: witchcraft*paganism*lifestyle. She is also the editor-in-chief of Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the publishing arm of Neos Alexandria. Her newest collection of fairy tale poems is Not a Princess, but (Yes) There was a Pea, and Other Fairy Tales to Foment Revolution.Continue Reading

Review: Artemis Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer

cover of Artemis Made Me Do ItArtemis Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer
Central Avenue Publishing (September 6, 2022)
184 pages; $16.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Trista Mateer is the award-winning and bestselling author of multiple poetry collections, including the feminist greek mythology retelling, Aphrodite Made Me Do It. Mateer is a passionate mental health advocate, currently writing in South Carolina. Her newest collection is titled Artemis Made Me Do It.Continue Reading

Review: He Who Fights with Monsters by Francesco Artibani and Werther Dell’Edera

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of He Who Fights With MonstersHe Who Fights with Monsters by Francesco Artibani and Werther Dell’Edera
Ablaze (August 30, 2022)
144 pages; $24.99 hardcover
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Francesco Artibani has long worked for the Walt Disney Company Italia, where he writes many tales for Topolino, PK, and W.I.T.C.H., of which he’s been a scriptwriter and story editor for three years, and has created the science fiction series Kylion. Werther Dell’Edera is an Italian comic book artist who provided interior art for the unreleased comic Aliens: Colonial Marines – Rising Threat for Dark Horse Comics, as well as Marvel Comics, and BOOM! Studios hit Something is Killing the Children. Their newest collaboration is the WWII graphic novel He Who Fights With MonstersContinue Reading

Review: Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Over My Dead BodyOver My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo
HarperAlley (August 30, 2022)
240 pages; $24.99 hardcover
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Sweeney Boo is a comic artist and illustrator living in Montreal, Canada.

When she’s not busy drawing witchy girls and hairless cats, she works with various publishers including BOOM! Studios, Archie Comics, IDW, Marvel, Image Comics and DC Comics. She is also the author and illustrator of graphic novel Eat, & Love Yourself. Her newest graphic novel is Over My Dead Body.Continue Reading

Review: Endymion or The State of Entropy: A Lyrical Drama by Kurt R. Ward

cover of EndymionEndymion or The State of Entropy: A Lyrical Drama by Kurt R. Ward
Self-Published (July 2022)
88 pages; $21.99 hardcover
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Kurt R. Ward has privately published numerous poems as well as a recording of his jazz compositions for solo piano. His newest collection of poetry is Endymion or The State of Entropy: A Lyrical Drama.Continue Reading

Review: Recursion’s End by Emma Groom

banner that reads The Comic Vault

Recursion’s End by Emma Groom
U-26 Comics (July 2022)
189 pages; $15.00 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

By day, Emma Groom is an undergrad biologist. She’s an entrepreneur specializing in aquaponics and exotic plants/animals with prior work experience in prairie restoration. By night, however, Groom is a comic book artist, and her newest graphic novel is the epic Recursion’s EndContinue Reading

Review: Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of BlackwaterBlackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham
Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (July 19, 2022)
304 pages; $24.99 hardcover; $17.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Jeannette Arroyo was born and raised in New Mexico but recently relocated to the rainier Seattle area. She has done freelance in animation and children’s book illustrations. A huge fan of the horror genre, Jeannette likes to mix in some lighthearted spooky elements in her work.

Ren Graham is a fiction writer and illustrator currently residing in the rainy Pacific Northwest. They have B.A. in Art History and a graduate studies certificate in Science Illustration, so biology, world mythology, and natural elements tend to influence and reappear in their work. Ren is interested in spooky stories, chilly hikes in the woods, and the ways in which art and science intersect. Co-created, Blackwater is their debut graphic novel. It’s a fabulous horror story geared towards a teen audience.Continue Reading

Review: Black Mass Rising by Theo Prasidis and Jodie Muir

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Black Mass RisingBlack Mass Rising by Theo Prasidis and Jodie Muir
TKO Studios (May 2022)
170 pages; $19.99 paperback; $7.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Theo Prasidis is the author of The Doomster’s Monolithic Pocket Alphabet (Image Comics), Black Mass Rising (TKO Studios), and Swamp Dogs: House of Crows (Black Caravan). A fantasy devotee and cult media specialist by degree, he’s a zealous propagator of the magical and the mystical, the nostalgic and the psychedelic, the pulp and the weird. He lives a rather undramatic life in his hometown Drama, Greece, with his wife and two sons, heirs to a kingdom of horror books, heavy metal vinyl, and more band t-shirts than any sane person should ever be allowed to own. Jodie Muir is a freelance illustrator, based in the UK. Having previously worked in comics (Marvel, TKO) and concepting, she is currently an illustrator on Magic: The Gathering. Their newest book is Black Mass Rising, a sequel to Bram Stoker’s DraculaContinue Reading

Review: Venomous Words by Jeff Oliver and Gordon Reilly

cover of Venemous WordsVenomous Words by Jeff Oliver and Gordon Reilly
Blurb (May 2022)
126 pages; $148 deluxe hardcover edition (buy direct from Blurb)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Born in Baltimore Maryland in 1982, Jeff Oliver has been writing from his soul for many decades. Gordon Reilly is a Special Operations Veteran who found macro photography of scorpions and invertebrates as a hobby. Their newest collaboration is Venomous Words, a collection of macro photos of scorpions and other invertebrates combined with poetry. Continue Reading

Review: Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Cat's Cradle

Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux
First Second (June 21, 2022)
128 pages; $21.99 hardcover; $14.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Jo Rioux is an author, an illustrator, and a life-long space cadet who flies by the seat of her rocket pants. Since graduating Sheridan College in illustration, she’s illustrated picture books and novels, but her favorite medium remains comics. Her debut graphic novel, Cat’s Cradle, was recently printed by First Second Books.Continue Reading

Review: Black Beth: Vengeance be Thy Name by Blas Gallego, Alec Worley, DaNi

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Black Beth

Black Beth: Vengeance be Thy Name by Blas Gallego, Alec Worley, DaNi
Rebellion (June 7, 2022)
80 pages; $24 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Black Beth was a one-time character published by Scream in the 1980s. She was a combination of Red Sonja and The Punisher, an armor-clad woman warrior who sought vengeance against the tyrants that slaughtered her love and her village. Aided by her mentor, the blind wild man Quido, she sought vengeance for 23 pages before disappearing into the memories of comic aficionados until 2016, when Rebellion purchased the rights from the original publisher. Alec Worley and artist DaNi have reinvented Black Beth for modern audiences in a dark fantasy tale that is sure to thrill readers. Continue Reading

Review: Witch 13 by Patrick Delaney

cover of Witch 13Witch 13 by Patrick Delaney
Oblivion Publishing (June 7, 2022)
358 pages; $28.99; $17.99 paperback; $3.99
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Award-winning author Patrick Delaney grew up in varying cities in the greater Los Angeles County, where he attended Canyon High School. Throughout his childhood he pursued various forms of art, from writing short stories to drawing and modeling. Throughout his undergraduate career he gradually polished his debut novel Dante’s Town of Terror, which would go on to win the gold medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards(IPPY) in the horror category for 2018. His most recent novel is Witch 13.Continue Reading

Review: Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum

cover of HelpmeetHelpmeet by Naben Ruthnum
Undertow Publications (May 24, 2022)
94 pages; $11.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Naben Ruthnum is the author of A Hero of Our Time, and Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race. He lives in Toronto and also writes thrillers as Nathan Ripley. His newest horror novella is Helpmeet.

“Helpmeet” is an outdated term for a spouse. Updated to “help mate,” it’s defined as “a helpful companion or partner, especially one’s husband or wife.” In this novella, Dr. Edward Wilk is dying of a disease that’s rotting him from the inside out. His wife, Louise, is there to support and help him until his dying breath, but she realizes that his ailment is not actually a disease, but merely a transformative phase leading to something far darker or insidious than readers could possibly imagine. Continue Reading

Review: Silk Hills by Brian Level and Ryan Ferrier

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Silk HillsSilk Hills by Brian Level and Ryan Ferrier
Oni Press (May 24, 2022)
176 pages; $24.99 hardcover
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Brian Level is a cartoonist, tattooer,  and a writer who has contributed to premiere comic books including Star Wars, Batman, Spider-Man, Avengers and Deadpool. Ryan Ferrier is a Canadian comic book writer, published by every major North American comics company, and best known for his original comic series such as Kennel Block Blues, Death Orb, I Can Sell You A Body, the highly celebrated D4VE trilogy, and the acclaimed graphic novel Criminy. Ryan has also written for some of pop culture’s most beloved properties, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel’s Deadpool, DC’s Batman, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, G.I. Joe, and Planet of the Apes. Their newest graphic novel is Silk Hills, a really strong paranormal horror story that is sure to entertain readers.Continue Reading