The Walking Bread

Fed by corporate greed and high profits, the irradiated un-dead yeast rises to end life as we know it. Only Janitor Joe and Mechanic Zoey stand between the murderous baked goods and total destruction. But will they be enough to stop THE WALKING BREAD?

Zombie bread, now that is a completely new take on the ever popular genre for sure.  I can’t say I would have ever been prepared for something like that.  Well let’s be honest, who really would be?  Death by loaf is definitely a rough way to go.  But in the world of the The Walking Bread, it’s not the carbs you should be afraid of.

How exactly does one come upon the undead bread apocalypse?  By using irradiated yeast so that it never expires of course!  With the world now threatened by this terrible horde, our unlikely heroes fight for their lives – by stopping at the army surplus naturally.  And when all else fails, they do what seems like the next best plan and let the birds clean up the mess.

The pencil work is in the rougher, sketch style that you sometimes see in books.  It doesn’t have any trouble visually telling the story, but the loose feel may not be up everyone’s alley.  I did like that it was in black and white though, that suited the book very well.

I have to say, this was a creative “zombie” twist like none I’ve ever seen.  Chock full of tacky one liners, puns and all the B-movie style humor you’d expect, it’s a funny ride.  If you love zombies, it’s worth giving this one shot a read.  If not, the cheesy factor just may be enough for you.

For more information on Troy Hasbrouck and his work, check out Jester Press.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer...who we hope didn't have a sandwich for dinner last night...

Shades of Night #1

This NIGHT spin-off comic is a continuity free series featuring stories from FBI Agent Sabrina Voght's past, present and future.  Each issue is designed to be a stand alone issue featuring artists specifically chosen for artistic style to match the story.  In this issue, Clayton Moore provides the pencils as Voght investigates a zombie sighting in a small southern town.  She finds more than she expects between the gravestones and vampire-zombie-werewolf action ensues.

Time to dabble in the world of Night once again, but this time in a spinoff.  Having previously spent some time with the Ms. Voght and the supernatural, I was ready to see what curious place we’d follow her to next.  I wasn’t quite expecting this journey, but that made it all the more interesting.

In this new “solo” story, we find Sabrina in a quiet town not quite prepared for one of her bizarre adventures.  Then again, most of us probably aren’t either given the events to follow.  Namely, that of a battle with zombies and werewolves.  Unusual, I know, but oddly enough it’s rather fun to see.

Each issue had its artist individually picked out to compliment the story, which is a cool idea.  So far, I think this is working out well and I’m sure that will stay true.  The only thing I would have liked to see continue was the color they eventually adopted, but that’s a minor thing.

Obviously enough with it being a standalone book, anyone can check out Shades without any prior series knowledge.  If anything, these would be the perfect way to dip your feet into the dark world the FBI agent lives in.  With various stories and a different artistic take, these are sure to keep things fresh with each issue.

For more information on Troy Hasbrouck and his work, check out Jester Press

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Night Vol 2 Issue 1

Sabrina Voght awakes in a lavish state with no memory of her torture at Elizabeth Bathory’s hands but appearances are deceiving as her situation quickly deteriorates to combat and she finds herself once again fighting for her life.

As a disclaimer before I continue, I did fast forward from Volume 1 Issue 1 up to this point.  Understandably so, this did leave me feeling a bit lost going into this issue.  Fortunately the beginning of this book gave a “what you missed so far” briefing which helped picking it back up.

Given my love of the supernatural genre, It was still great to jump back into the Night series again.  The main character is actually one who was briefly encountered in the first issue, and it was quite interesting to see where she is now.  With how intense the series started off, the current events seem to fit in well..

 

It was good to see that both the writing and art have improved as the series continued on.  The plot catch up that was described at the start of the book shows that they have progressed the story along well.  Also of particular note, the artwork is now in full color which certainly adds to the overall quality.

Those who have a fondness for the world of vampires will especially enjoy this book.  I can’t speak to any of the issues I missed, but this one serves to show promise in the long run.  With how well the second volume has started, I would say it’s worth getting all the issues prior.

For more information on Troy Hasbrouck and his work, check out Jester Press

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Destiny of the Dragon: The Daughters of Merlin #4

The daughters successfully find Avalon and Merlin tasks them with rebuilding the Knights of the Round Table. Before their quest can begin, however, the dragons reveal where they have been hiding all these centuries. Hiding in the form of humans! Using time travel as a weapon, Mina and Breeta are transported to some distant future where they meet a Dragon rider by the name of Cyneska but is she friend or foe?

The Good

Knowing this was the final part of the 4 part series, I expected to get good things and I was certainly pleased with Daughters of Merlin 4.  The story was continued in the same intriguing manner and gave us more fun writing to enjoy.  The scenery was beautifully done, and served as a wonderful backdrop for all the gorgeous battle with both spell and steel. 

The Bad

I thought it was a little hard to believe how easily the dragons were dealt with in some scenes to be honest.  There was also one minor character that had a brief scene, who if not expanded on later on, seemed unnecessary.

The Summary

With this being the final issue in the mini-series, I am glad to have been able to read them all.  There was more than enough magic, battle, and dimensional travel to please any fantasy fan.  If these books are any indication of the content in the Destiny of the Dragon series to follow, I can definitely see myself enjoying the next part of the tale.

For more information on Troy Hasbrouck and his work, check out Jester Press.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. So far as we know, no magic spells were cast upon Brian and all thoughts, comments and opinions belong totally to him.

Destiny of the Dragon: The Daughters of Merlin #3

Camelot has fallen to the dragons and all is lost. Merlin has no choice but to escape with his charges. They are the last hope to salvage anything that remains of the once mighty kingdom. They are the daughters of Merlin.

The Good

We have already been treated to plenty of good content in this series, and Daughters of Merlin 3 gives us plenty more.  Two of our heroines are in full force now, and I liked seeing them both in action with magic and might.  I also really appreciated the well done flashback that we get in this book.

The Bad

The only minor thing that I wasn’t a big fan of was Merlin’s character design, but that’s really because I’m so used to his classic portrayal.

The Summary

We’ve already seen the world of Merlin taken in a different direction, and this issue keeps bringing on the twists.  The final pages really set the story up for a big event in issue four.  I am certainly looking forward to seeing how this great mini-series wraps up.

For more information on Troy Hasbrouck and his work, check out Jester Press.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Destiny of the Dragon: The Daughters of Merlin #2

Separated from Breeta in the time stream, Mina slams to Earth in a strange land with many unbelievable machines and sights. She has landed in modern times. Will her wizardry prove helpful in such a chaotic time of highways and the internet? One can only hope!

The Good

This second issue wastes no time jumping right back into the action in Daughters of Merlin 2.  Even though it isn’t action based, we get some interesting use of spells which I was happy to see again.  Interaction between characters was done pretty accurate to how it would likely be, especially given the situation they’re in.

The Bad

So far things are all consistently being done well, and haven’t had any negative components to speak of.

The Summary

Things really open up in this part of the story where magic meets modern world.  The story is progressing nicely, with a nice start on setting up the new world the characters have been forced into.  This is still proving be a good set of books to own and I’m looking forward to reading the rest.

For more information on Troy Hasbrouck and his work, check out Jester Press

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinnions are those of the individual reviewer.

The Daughters of Merlin

Camelot has fallen to the dragons and all is lost. Merlin has no choice, but to escape with his charges. They are the last hope to salvage anything that remains of the once mighty kingdom. They are the daughters of Merlin. Number 1 of a four issue mini-series kicking off the Destiny of the Dragon series of books from Jester Press. 24 pages, full color.

The Fall of Camelot was just the beginning...

The Good

It’s hard to go wrong with a story involving Merlin.  I definitely enjoyed the first issue of Daughters of Merlin and its new approach to the land of Camelot.  It gave us a good amount of action and of course, plenty of magic which is always fun to see.  I particularly enjoyed the scenes where he displayed the immense magical powers that he possessed while fighting off foes.

The Bad

As a whole, this just being the first issue, it  was done well, so I don’t feel there was anything of mention that wasn’t up to par.

The Summary

I liked this creative twist to the myriad of Merlin tales we’ve seen.  It gives us enough to relate to classic tellings while still being able to enjoy the variation in this book.  I’m confident it has potential to tell a really cool story in issues that follow.  This is probably a sure win for all the fantasy fans out there.

For more information on Troy Hasbrouck and his work, check out Jester Press

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book in exchange for this review. No magical spells were cast upon Brian as he read it. All thoughts, comments and opinions are totally his.

Night

NIGHT , the series, written by Troy Hasbrouck, is not just another vampire of werewolf story but encompasses each and every creature of the NIGHT. Future issues include everything from Zombies to Minotaurs and don't be surprised if some old horror favorites show up too.

The Good

Stories involving werewolves or anything supernatural are ones I’m always glad to read.  Issue one of Night was a good start, and has me curious about the characters presented so far.  The two most prominent characters towards the end in particular are of course the ones I’m most interested in exploring.

The Bad

Certain components of the artwork looked a bit off, but they didn’t completely ruin the experience.  The other thing that bothered me a little in the first issue was that the ending felt cut off a little too early, even if it was meant to be a cliffhanger.

The Summary

This is a nice change of pace from all the sparkly vampire craze lately (sorry Twi-hards.....but not really).  So far, this has caught my interest and I’d like to see what else it brings.  All around, it’s a good read, especially if you enjoy stories involving werewolves.

For more information on Troy Hasbrouck and his work, check out Jester Press.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book. All thoughts, comments and opinions belong solely to the individual reviewer. We cannot guarantee that a sparkly vampire did not place him under a thrall.

Witch Hunter/Night

 “A vampire and a werewolf working together to fight evil?  Your earth makes horror fun.”

                                                            -Witch Hunter

This one-shot comic creates a team up that would make anyone chuckle.  First you have Sabrina Voight and David Skinner.  Voight is an FBI agent who just happens to also be a vampire.  Skinner is her companion who as it turns out is a werewolf.  Voight and Skinner take on macabre cases no other FBI agent will touch.

While investigating the disappearances of several small children, they cross paths with Witch Hunter, an extra-dimensional hero who seeks to hunt down evil witches.

There are so many things to say about this book, it is difficult to know where to start, so on with the good, the bad and the ugly.

THE GOOD:  The writing is first rate.  Vincent Ferrante and Troy Hasbrouk show great mastery of story and dialogue in this book.  It does get a little over-geeky at one point when Witch Hunter says to Voight “What do you want?  An origin story?  Time is short so you get the short version.”  He then goes on to give a succinct story taking up all of one panel and four comment boxes telling where he comes from.  Other than that, the writing is awesome, with some excellent dialogue between the characters.  Beyond fabulous writing, there is also incredible artwork.  Elias Martin’s artwork, combined with Perry McCants’ coloring gives the book incredible visual appeal and depth.

THE BAD: It is a one-shot.  They left the ending open for a follow up, which if this team decided to do, I would be right there snapping up a copy.

THE UGLY:  To be honest, the way Voight is drawn, she kind of reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Gellar, not Swanson).  Not that I am complaining .. she was hot.  Witch Hunter looks a little smarmy with his pony tail, and he is drawn with very stereotypical superhero lines, from his perfect hair (I admit it, I am jealous) to his bulging chest (ditto).   Also, Skinner spends most of the book stopped halfway through his transformation between his human and werewolf forms.  The Vampire god that they encounter reminds me of Jaba the Hut, so that makes him about the ugliest thing in the book.

MY TAKE:  This one is a must-read.  Monarch Comics (http://www.monarchcomics.com) who brings us Witch Hunter, and Jester Press (http://www.jesterpress.com), which gives us Night have hit a home run on this one!

Review Submitted By: Jim Smith

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All comments, opinions and envy belong to the individual reviewer.