If I had ever formed a comic book company, The movies I would have wanted to adapt were Fast and Furious, Fearless Vampire Killers, and Bubba Ho-Tep. Of course, Bubba Ho-Tep is no longer possible thanks to IDW (watch someone read this review and adapt the other two now, lol) This issue opens with what appears to be a homeless man breaking into a junkyard. Then we cut to a hotel in Las Vegas where Johnny Smack, bodyguard to Elvis Presley, is engaged in an intimate relation with a nameless female. This comic is taking us where no rock stars…including Kiss, have never gone before in the pages of a comic book.
The Creative Team:
Joshua Jabcuga Is having a great time with the characters. Poking fun at the Elvis mythos while all the timed showing a reverence for the King. Jabcuga has Elvis bloated manager, Colonel Tom Parker, talking to then President Richard Nixon. Nixon is concerned about something he found in one of Elvis movies. If you watch the movie with sunglasses, shades of the John Carpenter film They Live, you’ll see something not detectable with the naked eye. Elvis hooks up with a strange group of paranormal investigators to take on a mission from the President himself and it’s a strange blend of ’70’s pop culture, humor and horror. Great stuff includes a smoking hot lady known of as Raven, real name Jenny Jo Dallas and a vampire attack not far off Bourbon street that turns into the hunter becoming the hunted. This is a great start to what could be a great series.
Tadd Galusha brings a comedic touch to the art work. His Elvis is a curious blend of the real deal and Bruce Campbell. the panels are pretty straight forward and bring the story to the reader in a curious way. The art and colors remind me of the old EERIE type of comics done in the ’50’s just before the creation of the comics code. Highlights include the arrival of the steamboat The Nocturne on the banks of the Mississippi, and the aforementioned vampire attack off of Bourbon street.
In Conclusion:
This comic book is strange but fun. I had a good time as I turned each page and found at least one laugh per page and some horrific goings on. Add this one to the ranks of Evil Dead, Zombieland and Return of the Living Dead as a classic in the horror/comedy genre. I don’t know if this is what Don Coscarelli had in mind as a sequel to his movie Bubba Ho-Tep, but if it is, then it’s a shame that it hasn’t got made (yet, anything’s still possible, I guess) and the final panel is awesome when we return to the junkyard and find…to be continued. **** (8.8 rating)
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer – Joshua Jabcuga
Art – Tadd Galusha
Color – Ryan Hill
Letters – Tom B. Long
Publisher – IDW
Author Profile
- Kevin Given has studied with “ Longridge Writers Group †and “ Writer’s Boot Camp †a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the “ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter †franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of “ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter †# 1 and “ Files of Karl Vincent †# 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series “ Dracula Rising †(working title) and developing “ Foul Blood †into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given
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