​If there’s one thing that I love when it comes to geek/nerd culture and our endless love of comic books, it’s the fact that there are particular books that actually hold great meaning for all of us. Sometimes the first comic that we ever picked up is the one that is near and dear to our hearts and other times, it’s a powerful story or moments that were present in a book that gave us a special kind of pause. But one way or another, we all have that book, and for me…there are oddly several books that hold that incredible meaning for me.
 
If anything, those stories hold special meaning since they were a part of or remind me of certain moments in my life and the one book series I’d like to talk about today, is the comic adaptation of Dawn of the Dead, which came out in 2004, and I love this adaptation, simply because it reminds me, every time I pick it up, of the moment I truly fell in love with cinema. For Dawn is my all-time favorite motion picture and when I heard this comic book series was coming out, I made sure to get my hands on it as soon as I could. In part to add it to my growing collection of Romero related goodies, but more so, to see a different interpretation of this horror classic and man, I was definitely not disappointed once this trilogy of issues arrived in my hot little hands.
 
Because Steve Niles does a phenomenal job of creating a sense of claustrophobia within the pages of this book, something that I didn’t expect to find in a story that quite frankly is epic and sprawling. But once the group arrive at the mall, you feel trapped within its walls and the wonder of his work doesn’t end there. For Niles takes the time to toy with how the living dead look, removing the bluish tint that was present on the dead in the motion picture, instead presenting them with muted or washed out tones that show a flesh devoid of blood and life and he enhances that look further by giving the dead a slack-jawed appearance, reminding us that they are indeed bastardized versions of humanity.
 
Yet, what’s equally as important is that Niles finds a way to inject the dark humor present in the film, into this book, by way of the dead, since there are little sight gags present to give you a twisted chuckle. But what matters most, is that the spirit of the story is present here. Every single important moment from the film plays out on the page in the goriest of fashion and every single splatterly frame and gooey zombie feast, allows for me to vividly remember the wonder and gravity of the gore in this tale and how much the blood and guts terrified me the first time I watched this movie all those years ago.
 
If anything, this is truly a treasured piece of my Romero collection, and I honestly do pick this series up and scan through them more often than I thought I would in part because it’s cool to own the comic book adaptation of my favorite movie, but also because…this series serves as a wonderful trip down memory lane and you can never go wrong with a little personal nostalgia. Sadly, this is another set of comics that are out of print, so if by chance you want to read it for yourself, you have a little work to do, but…it is worth the hunt. For this is a beautiful and haunting adaptation of a magnificent horror classic.  

​One of the great wonders of the comic book universe, is the sheer fact that it is the only medium out there where it is okay for writers and artists to plunge characters we know and love into alternate universes and unique and unprecedented situations. And this exclusive venture into the world of ‘What if?’ has produced some incredible stories throughout the years since it allows for iconic characters such as Superman to become the villain, without any of the consequences that would come about from him turning on Metropolis.
 
Yet, what’s truly magical about this particular wrinkle to the comic book world is that it extends far beyond the mainstream books that we often enjoy, it’s also been extended to horror. And back in 1993, FantaCo Enterprises decided to explore an alternate sequel to Night of the Living Dead, one that took some incredible liberties with George Romero’s universe in chilling and outright breathtaking fashion by way of a zombie story set across the pond and well, Night of the Living Dead: London remains to this day, one of my favorite ‘elseworlds’ stories because of the incredibly bold story that it bothered to tell.
 
Set immediately after Night of the Living Dead: Aftermath, we come to learn that the woman who hopped a plane with a bite on her shoulder turned an entire plane into a cargo hold of the dead and unleashed them upon jolly old England. Which of course led to disaster and the end of the civilization in the U.K. and twenty five-years after the plague we are thrown into the thick of things at Buckingham Palace, wherein the royal family and everyone living there has in essence lost their minds and we simply sit back and watch the madness unfold as people work toward their own twisted and ugly agendas, unaware of the threat that walks amongst them.
 
Now, what makes this comic series so incredibly unique, is the sheer fact that it goes to some dark places as it tells its tale. Because there are some shocking moments to be found in this one, the kind that definitely drop your jaw. But what really surprised me about this story, was its exploration on the darkness that resides in humanity, specifically, how we can be totally fine with abandoning what makes us better without giving it a second thought when the rules are no longer in place and how some are able to simply ignore their disturbing actions while in that mindset and carry on about their day as though nothing bad just happened.
 
Much of that comes courtesy of the fact that horror legend Clive Barker and comic legend Steve Niles worked on the script for this book and the writing definitely draws you in, but the art is equally as haunting in this story. For the same nightmarish look and aesthetic that was present in the NOTLD adaptation continues here, and it’s enhanced by the decaying look of a Kingdom long gone and the hideous corpses that are still shambling about twenty-five years after the world came to an end and sadly, like its predecessor, this one is hard to come by. But if you find a copy of this one, get your hands on it immediately, because it really is a quality read, one that will definitely unsettle and disturb you. 

If there’s one thing that I think we can all consider to be a constant in the geek world/community, it’s that when a major motion picture comes out, we can most certainly enjoy the movie again and again in the most unique way imaginable when the comic book adaptation of that blockbuster arrives in stores. These are books we’ve all seen time and time again, and they often catch our eyes when we’re comic book shopping simply because they offer up a unique take on the movie that we and so many others enjoyed.
 
Because in many ways, these adaptations are a wonderful way to see how others see the movie in their mind since artists often offer up different looks when it comes to iconic scenes in a particular film and personally, I’m a huge fan of these books and I scoop them up often for that different visual perspective. But while it seems more modern films receive this printed treatment on a fairly consistent basis, sometimes there are companies out there that make a point to recreate the classics in this unique medium and back in 1991, FantaCo Enterprises brought forth one of my favorite adaptations of all time when they put Night of the Living Dead into comic book form.
 
Now, at first glance, this seems like something supremely boring to write about, simply because it’s a well-known fact that these adaptations follow the story closely, but this particular six-part series offered up some surprises when it comes to this incredibly iconic film. Because it actually features a prelude and a coda, and respectively, one takes the time to give us the origins of the cemetery zombie, and fill in the blanks on much of the horrors mentioned throughout the film and the coda, well at first glance it seems as though it’s setting up the power and wonder of Dawn of the Dead since we clearly see that the dead are beginning to rule the earth, but there’s a twist there that we will discuss another time.
 
But what makes these additions to the story so impressive, is that they actually work and feel as though they’re an organic extension to this iconic tale and that’s a feat in its own right since NOTLD doesn’t need anything extra to tell its story, and the wonder of this series doesn’t end there. Because what truly motivates me to revisit this comic book set from time to time, is its utterly haunting artwork. For every single frame in this series pops off the page in stunning fashion and the black and white atmosphere present here is only further enhanced by the terrifying look of the dead since these corpses look like something straight out of our nightmares and their shambling nature in print stays with you long after you’ve closed the final chapter in this book.
 
If anything, it’s inherently clear that FantaCo and everyone involved with this project wanted to stay true to the terror that George A. Romero projected onto the screen ages ago and they succeed at that because despite knowing what is headed your way, you’re still unsettled and uncomfortable as you turn each page, because you don’t know what kind of artistic interpretation of the dead, or their hunger will appear in front of you. But sadly, while this comic is quite the sight to behold it’s not as easy to find as it once was. For FantaCo eventually went out of business before being resurrected in 2013, and copies of this one is rare to say the least. But if you get your hands on this one, it’s definitely worth your while because it is a true horror gem through and through. 

​I have to admit to you, dear reader, that this is a review that I outright struggled with from the get-go. To the point where I more or less stared at the screen for a good long time before putting any words to digital paper because sometimes, I find it difficult to get started on a particular piece, when said piece involves bidding farewell to a story that brought me incredible joy. Because putting my thoughts together in print, only adds to the finality of what I’ve just experienced and while in a way that can be cathartic, when the story is truly something magical, seeing it come to an end is tough, since you know that the joy that said story brings will no longer be waiting for you just over the horizon.
 
But at the same time, despite the difficulties that lie in saying farewell to a tale, it is equally as important for us to talk about the ending, and outright celebrate it, when it is good. Because a top-notch finale is hard to come by in the creative world and talking it up only reinforces the quality of the story as a whole and hopefully, it motivates others to embark upon the journey you’ve traversed and experience the joy you did and well, that’s what we are here to discuss today, an incredible ending, one that quite frankly left me with a grand smile on my face when all is said and done because the only proper way to refer to Issue #5 of Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers is to call it a masterpiece.
 
For this grand finale to the King’s fight with monsters from another dimension delivered in just about every single way imaginable. After all, it had heart, since our characters actually took the time to mourn the now deceased Jack and acknowledge the hurt that comes about when someone that matters goes missing in our lives and thankfully, our heroes used that pain in the right kind of way since the King and Jenny used their quiet time to come up with a plan on how to defeat the Grand Poobah of monsters, and in the most heroic of fashion, Elvis and Jenny put their lives on the line to silence this dimension of evil once and for all and man, it really doesn’t get more satisfying than that.
 
But believe it or not, this particular issue had more to offer than merely wrapping up this nightmare with a neat and sticky little bow. Because the coda for this tale, did a magnificent job of tying itself to the titular first issue of this series, which if you will recall…set the tone for this series by recreating the magic that Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli brought to life in 2002’s Bubba Ho-Tep and that matters because, the connective tissue present in the final pages of this issue is downright perfect and satisfying and it leaves the reader with a little mist in their eyes since they know what those final images mean and really when all is said and done, this is an outright perfect ending through and through.
 
Which, much of the credit there goes to writer Josh Jabcuga, whose care and passion for properly adapting Joe R. Lansdale’s magnificent story is what made this series so immersive and difficult to put down and well, while I am sorry and sad to see this saga comes to its close, I am truly in awe of how damn good this finale turned out to be because perfect endings are no easy task for any writer and Josh accomplished such a feat in the smoothest of fashion. But all celebration of the story aside, this is the end my nerdy friends, and Elvis has indeed left the building and well, all that is left to do, is express my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved with this beautiful project.
 
So, on that note, thank you Joe Lansdale, for dreaming up an Elvis Presley that was all about TCB when it comes to the creepy crawlies that lurk in the shadows. Also, many thanks to Josh Jabcuga for putting together the finest adaptation I’ve ever read and for being so gracious toward myself and Nerds That Geek, because it is quite the honor to have signed copies from this series and a blurb of our reviews featured on the trade paperback listing for this comic on Amazon, and I cannot thank Josh enough for that. Plus, I have to thank artists Tadd Galusha and Horacio Domingues for providing us with a feast for the eyes and might I add Mister Domingues’ work on this issue was outright outstanding since it was filled to the brim with fascinating details and surprises.
 
And many thanks to colorist Ryan Hill, who helped bring that 1970’s vibe to life and he is equally as integral to the success of this series and last but certainly not least, my thanks go to IDW for publishing this series and giving it a voice. So, now that this series has come to a close, I suppose the only way to ease the proverbial sting of its farewell is to read it all again in one sitting, and bask in the wonder and the glory of Elvis Presley’s secret career and how he made everything evil in this world and the next, aware of the fact, that you don’t mess with humanity, or the King…

If you’ve read my rather heated review of Moon Knight #199 it will come as no surprise to you that I opened Max Bemis’ final chapter with understandable apprehension. The previous issue did not ‘ruin my childhood,’ fly in the face of the ‘spirit of the character,’ or anything so dramatic as those clichéd fanboy hardlines, it was simply a poorly written issue. So as I read the landmark 200th issue of Moon Knight I was admittedly guarded, but also hopeful. Was Bemis able to cap off his 13-issue run on Moon Knight with a winner? The answer is Yes and No.

​The most consistent problem with this final stretch has been with pacing and despite having 7 extra pages to play with in this issue, the book still manages to feel rushed. With more than a few microwaved subplots hurried along and sidelined in favor of the team-up between Moon Knight and Sun King (SK) which dominates much of the issue, #200 is oddly structured with much of the necessary stakes-making exposition taking place just moments before the final clash. Still, the issue is a fun ride if a convoluted and rushed one.

After being defeated by Marc on Isla Ra, Sun King and the Truth are checked into a mental health facility and on their way to rehabilitation when Ernst arrives and breaks them out in order to enlist them in the Society des Sadique. Ernst is unsuccessful in converting SK who arrives after the society’s leader is killed by Moon Knight. In classic Marvel team-up fashion the two punch for a bit and then decide to become allies to combat the rising tide of society sadists left after the demise of Uncle Ernst. As Moon Knight, the Sun King, and the newly recruited Lunar Legion (from the end of issue #193) dispatch the remains of the Society of Sadists, Sun King eventually explains that Ernst’s master plan was to manipulate the Truth as a one-man weaponized propaganda machine to subjugate the masses under the society’s heal. The newly christened False Truth turns Ernst’s version of history on Marc’s mind and is rather anticlimactically defeated by Moon Knight’s vaguely defined, ‘Power of Crazy’ which Bemis has leaned on before. The society is defeated, the Truth is released, the Sun King returns to his mental health facility, and Marc walks shirtless through the rain to join his family for a long awaited rest.

It’s a wordy comic with much of the expositional weight being carried by the returning SK, whose effusive philosophizing is just a little too close to the previous issue’s frustrating narration for comfort. The narrative framework is pretty sound: Moon Knight’s first and formative enemy recruits his latest and greatest in order to defeat him, but he miscalculates as the former foes work together to dismantle the larger scheme. But because Ernst died in the previous issue the threat which unites Moon Knight and his former enemy in this issue, the rest of the Society of Sadists, is an ill-defined, faceless, and utterly toothless foe. Also, with Ernst gone the super villain monologuing duties fall to Sun King who is an odd combination of moral center, narrator, and scheme summarizer in this issue. For a character we’ve only known as a villain to be absent from the comics for 6 issues and then return as a functionally redeemed antihero carrying all of the issue’s exposition is a lot of mental footwork for the audience to process and it ultimately unbalances the issue. 

I did quite enjoy the Sun King/Moonie team-up quite a bit, despite how rushed their reconciliation felt, and the image of Marc on the back of SK’s motorcycle is about the most shippable image in Moon Knight comics to-date (and I most definitely ship Moon King).
​
Though issue #198 was a much better showing for artist Jacen Burrows than the bizarre misfire of #197, Burrows’ mere 3-page flashback section at the beginning of this issue seems to make him a tourist in the book he defined the visual style for. This is truly a shame because Burrows was a big part of why I loved that first arc so much. That being said, I can’t really lament the return of Paul Davidson in this issue, especially when his 2 dual page spreads in this issue are so dynamic and chaotic, and his renditions of SK and Truth are so stunning. In this issue we also have writer and artist extraordinaire Jeff Lemire treating us to a page of Diatrice’s comic book depicting Old Man Spector, Marlene, and herself as a future space-suited Lunar Legionnaire which was outstanding. And closing out the artist section of this issue we must praise the return of Moon Knight hall of fame artist Bill Sienkiewicz whose final page illustration of a triumphant Marc Spector in the rain with Khonshu in the sky was utterly gorgeous.

With the departure of Max Bemis as writer and no announcement of a new creative team or a renewal of the series in sight, this is perhaps the last we will see of Moon Knight for a while, and that’s perhaps what is most disappointing about this lackluster finale. I will be awaiting the return of the jet and silver avenger with baited breath, and I can assure you dear readers that when he returns, I will be hard at work reviewing his exploits for you once again! Until Next Time, Geek On!