Creepshow Vol 3 #5 Review

 

Writers: Ed Brisson & Kami Garcia

Artists: Kael Ngu & Isaac Goodhart

Colorists: Kael Ngu & Miquel Muerto

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran; Kael Ngu; Steve Beach

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Designer: Jillian Crab

Production: Richard Mercado

Masters Of Horror: Greg Nicotero & Brian Witten

Additional Creep Art: Michael Broom

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: January 22, 2025

 

Online dating can deliver a dream or a disaster. A new home can usher in tranquility or tragedy. What will Kristin and Agnes discover when they open new chapters of their lives? Let’s leap into Creepshow Vol 3 #5 and find out!

 

Story: Tent Revival

Jeff likes hunting and camping. But Kristin is surprised when he takes her on a backpacking trip. So many men have lied in their online profiles that she has considered closing her account. But Jeff is the outdoorsman he professed to be. When they reach a clearing facing the lake, Kristin revels in the sunset. But as night falls, and they sit by the fire sharing their tattered dreams of finding love, a woman walks through the trees and asks if she can join them by the fire.

 

For this first story in Creepshow Vol 3 #5, Ed Brisson delivers a classic Teens In The Woods horror tale. Kristin suspects that Angie isn't on the level. But who can she call on for help? Tent Revival reminds us that there is a natural order and that violence knocks that system out of balance.

 

Art: Tent Revival

While Jeff strides ahead, Kristin holds back, leaving ample space between them on the narrow path. But once they reach the clearing, she pushes past him to stand near the rocky edge. Instead of looking away from him like on the path, Kristin watches Jeff build the fire. She wraps her arms around him as they sit on the log. Jeff and Kristine shoot to their feet when a shadowy figure creeps up. But illuminated by the fire, they resume their seat, clutching each other, as Angie makes her request.

 

Kael Ngu’s panels resemble oil paintings in Creepshow Vol 3 #5. While Kristin sports pink and yellow, Jeff embodies the bulk of Ngu's palette in his ivory, gray, black, and red. The yellow fire forms a link to Kristine's boots and the jacket tied around her waist. After the first page of daylight, red seeps into the surrounding darkness. It makes Kristine's lips and hair glow. Crimson also colors Jeff's shirt collar. Disturbingly, red lurks everywhere in Tent Revival. It lingers on the edge of Jeff’s axe, adorns wood, suffuses leaves, and speckles characters and backgrounds.

 

Story: Prize Possession

Despite warnings of a mysterious death, a couple buys a house along the cliffs. Amid the grandeur of the three-story Victorian house, trouble sets in. When Mom and Dad celebrate their daughters' birthdays, Agnes likes her present, but Katherine disdains hers. Her parents don't know how to ease Katherine's growing unhappiness. Katherine seems determined to terrorize Agnes.

 

Kami Garcia tackles sibling rivalries and bullying in this second story in Creepshow Vol 3 #5. Prize Possession is a reminder that everything has a spirit, and we should notice how places and objects affect us. The story also pits rationalism against spiritualism. Like Star Wars, Prize Possession reveals the power (and costs) of embracing the Dark Side.

 

Art: Prize Possession

Isaac Goodhart begins by taking a leaf out of Wes Anderson's book. Panels reveal interior scenes within an exterior shot of the house while a raven watches the empty porch. Mom runs the household with her opening declaration, photographing the birthday party, and intuiting Katherine's emotions from her body language. When Dad tries to reason with Katherine, Mom lays down the law, just as she dismissed a local's reservations during their viewing. Agnes only gets a few moments of guarded happiness and clings to her doll.

 

Miquel Muerto brings a bright, cheery palette to Goodhart’s traditional comic art in this second story in Creepshow Vol 3 #5. Anges wears blue overalls and a white shirt, a pink nightshirt, and a white dress, while Katherine wears a black dress in the first half of Prize Possession. Later, she relaxes in black and gray. Her red sneakers link with the words in Agnes' diary.

 

Lettering & Additional Creep Art

Pat Brosseau lavishes black, uppercase words in ivory dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, swell for volume, and rarely shrink. Sound effects help us hear a hardworking axe and a character getting her just desserts.

 

Michael Broom introduces Tent Revival with the Creep backpacking through the woods toward a skeleton. After forging this link with Jeff, the Creep ends the story by toasting marshmallows like Angie. He hovers over the Victorian house in Prize Possession, anxious to show his prized doll house. But the Creep closes this tale of domestic disharmony by revealing that appearances can be deceiving. Thanks to Image Comics and Skybound for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Kristin and Agnes discover that they are cherished and wanted. Kristine and Angie feel wronged. As in Friday The 13^th and Dark Shadows, vengeful spirits haunt picturesque settings in Creepshow Vol 3 #5.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Alpha Flight #2 Spotlight

 

Writer: Ed Brisson

Artist: Scott Godlewski

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3,99

Release Date: September 20, 2023 

 

Round up all the mutants and send them to Mars. That's what the Canadian government wants to do. But Alpha Flight--the government's officially sanctioned mutant superteam--has a better idea. Instead of imprisoning them in internment camps and plopping them down amid Arakko's civil war, they want to operate a Shi'ar underground railroad. Doing so will mean getting around Department H director Erika Doiron and her towering Iron Man Sentinels.

Alpha Flight #2 boasts colorful characters, heartfelt drama, and one mutant's poignant letter home. It's a beautifully drawn and colored comic that continues the Fall Of X story. The issue boasts a lot of mutant-tiny dialogue and supplementary material, making it a substantial read. I didn't quite understand the surprise ending, but it features an explosive confrontation between Erika's Box Sentinels and a mutant in Bend, Oregon.

For more:
Preview Alpha Flight #2 at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Check Out The New Predator

 

Predator #1 Cover A by Leinil Francis Yu

There's a new Predator in town, and she isn't what she appears. I've been eagerly awaiting this series for two years, and after the excruciating delay, the first issue doesn't disappoint. The story begins with a battle, then opens up to reveal the central character's backstory, and help you understand what drives her. 

 

The chronology summarizes the first and second movies, Predators, and Shane Black's latest film. Surprisingly, although Marvel has released a full year's worth of Alien (12 issues, 1 annual, and a one-shot sequel to Aliens), no mention is made of the Aliens Vs Predator films. But that particular match-up began in comics before it ventured onto the big screen, so if Marvel's efforts with both franchises prove successful, perhaps that's a possibility for the future.

 

 The first few pages are mostly action, so let's get into the battle. Enjoy!

 

 

 

After this first battle, you'll find more compelling art and plenty to read. The remainder of the issue intertwines the main character's backstory with her current desperate situation. It's not just exciting, but heartfelt too.

 

 

I heartily recommend Predator #1, which gives you more pages for $4.99, before the series reverts to its usual length and $3.99 price. If you enjoyed the movies, give Predator #1 a try. I did, which is why I'm recommending it to you.

Dragon Dave

P.S. This, and previews for many other great comics, can be found at Comiclist.com