By MATT SCHORR
Well, folks, Halloween is just days away. This is the last column I’ll be able to churn about before October 31, and I wanted to cap this off with what I felt was the biggest horror series to hit the shelves in recent years. So, with that in mind, I give you Avatar Press’s line from New Line Cinema’s House of Horror license, featuring the likes of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Leatherface!
Avatar published these bad boys in 2005, with Brian Pulido mostly at the helm. They all started with an introductory one-shot special, followed by a three-issue miniseries and final Fearbook special. Jason was also afforded a second series based on Jason X.
Pulido and his cohorts have a real love for the horror genre, and working with Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface was likely a wet dream come true for them. Their love really shines here. They love the material and the characters, and they took these assignments very seriously.
Every series is a collectible, but I do have one critique. At times, the images are almost too gratuitous. Sometimes, they reach the point of feeling like a goofy porno. For instance, in the introductory Nightmare on Elm Street issue, the protagonist is a glam-goth girl dressed in a tiny midriff, an even tinier miniskirt, and what is clearly a thong with the hems peeking out. Now, I’m not a high school teacher, but I’m pretty sure no public school would allow a student to wear that in class. Also, other girls in skirts featured throughout are often angled so we can conveniently see up their skirts.
Ahem!
That aside, these are all very worthy installments to their respective franchises. I would’ve preferred The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to be patterned after Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece rather than Platinum Dunes’ bastardization, but they worked well with what they had. (In case you weren’t aware, Platinum Dunes remakes all suck.)
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th: Special One-Shot
Friday the 13th: Bloodbath #1-3
Friday the 13th: Fearbook One-Shot
Although Jason’s outings are the most outlandishly gratuitous, he’s also one of the most entertaining. Land developers of Crystal Lake have finally realized that Jason is a reality, and they’re actually taking steps that just might work. (Yea, right.)
Jason really shines here. Pulido not only lets Crystal Lake’s least favorite son slaughter naughty teenagers, he also kicks some serious ass. Out of five stars, I’m giving these a four.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Special One-Shot
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Paranoid #1-3
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Fearbook One-Shot
Even though this series gives us a girl in ridiculously revealing clothing, it also gives us one of the more intriguing continuations of the Nightmare saga. Following the events of Freddy vs. Jason, the Springwood kids aren’t too keen on being doped up with hypnocil anymore. They don’t want to hide from Freddy; they want him gone.
Like Jason, Freddy’s given his time to shine, but Pulido also pits him against some teens that give him the first real challenge he’s had since Alice in Nightmare 4, which is a good thing. Another four stars out of five.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Special One-Shot
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind #1-3
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Fearbook One-Shot
Leatherface shares the spotlight with his family members here, and the Hewitt clan slaughters those dope-dealing, hippie teens from the 70s better than anyone. I won’t pretend it’s not amusing seeing Junior brutalize some flower children, and Leatherface is every bit the beast he is in the Platinum Dunes remake.
Of course, therein also lies its flaw, as far as I’m concerned. I hate the new film, and these comics, however well done they may be, don’t change that. I could rant on and on about everything wrong with that film, but that’s a whole other column. I’ll just give this three stars out of five, and be done with it.
Jason X
Jason X: Special One-Shot
Friday the 13th: Jason vs. Jason X
These issues were…odd. According to the one-shot, the final events of Jason X were a ruse created by a holodeck, and following that, additional remains from Jason’s former body are somehow used (along with other victims) to recreate the original Jason…who meets and fights Jason X. I’m sure you can guess how that ends.
I’ve read this story several times now, and I’m still not clear on how it fits in with the film….or why the two Jasons fight. Jason X looks cool, though. I actually enjoyed that movie, so it’s nice seeing him again. But this was just…weird.
I’m giving this one two stars, but it’s still entertaining enough. Like I said, these are all collectibles. So if horror’s your thing, seek these out wherever you can. It’ll be well worth your while.
Avatar ultimately lost the rights to these characters to Wildstorm (which is now defunct), who published another list of worthy comics. Unfortunately, Avatar was all we had time for, and this is the last retro review for October. Jim Lee’s lost line of comics will have to wait until next year.
Oh, and of course, Happy Halloween!
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