Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs #4

Spoilers Ahead

After the last two issues of Reign of Frogs, particularly the deeply uninspired third issue (read my review), I wasn't holding out much hope for #4. Once again my cynicism pays off.

With Alan Frog having been bitten, it's even more critical for the Frogs and Sam to find and kill the Widow Johnson (aka the Black Widow of Santa Carla) in order to release all the half-vampires (including Michael and Sam's grandpa). What seems like a cake walk, however, becomes slightly more complicated when it turns out the Widow's "throne room" is guarded by a behemoth of a vamp (you know he's tough because he's got nipple rings). Grandpa is soon dispatched by scythe (a moment of mourning, please, for one of my favourite characters from the movie), leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Actually, it mostly seems to be Edgar fending for all of them (no doubt in anticipation of his promotion to Big Hero in The Tribe). He fights the behemoth with what looks like a Samurai sword, a nifty stake-spewing machine gun, and his own sheer awesomeness. In the fracas Alan disappears and Sam is apparently having a breakdown.

Back to 2007 and we find out that was the last time Edgar saw Alan. He continues to refuse to train the still-nameless kid as a hunter, and tells him to forget everything he's heard. Conveniently a vampire interrupts, attacking Edgar and demanding to know (on David's behalf) where Michael and Star are. Edgar, about to become a snack, has his neck saved by the kid. After admitting most of his story to the kid was "embellished," he "finally" offers to train the kid as a hunter. Who could have seen it coming?

Another flashback, this time to Santa Carla in 1987 and the beach party that David and the gang attacked in The Lost Boys. What we didn't get to see in the movie is that one of the victims survived and is turned. Crawling into the ocean, he attracts and then feeds on sharks--points for creativity here. Afterwards, since his friends are all dead, he decides to make a new family, the way his "half-brother" David did; a new family like a pack of wolves. Like a tribe. And now we're ready for the next movie.

Okay, I didn't hate this one quite as much as #3. Maybe that's just because my expectations were so low. But the flashback to Santa Carla wasn't half bad, not only because it was basically a cut scene from The Lost Boys, but I really liked the artwork, particularly the colouring--all shades of grey and black with just the right amount of red. The pacing was good, not rushing when it could easily have done so. The writing was only so-so, not least because it was too obviously a set up for The Tribe. There's a fine line between foreshadowing and TME (too much exposition).

As for the rest of the issue, the first part was okay, mostly thanks to Edgar's fight with the behemoth (I'd really like to know what kind of vampire that's supposed to be. All the other ones in the Lost Boys universe look more-or-less human). The middle part, with grown-up Edgar and the kid, is just bad. Predictable and anti-climactic, it displays the pacing, creativity, and tension you would find in a cheesy sitcom (minus the humour). It also suffers from overload of obvious. At least the vampire is cute.

So was Reign of Frogs worth reading? Meh. It's good to know all the back story (middle story?) for The Tribe, but I have the feeling it'll all be explained (and over-explained) again anyway. If you're a huge fan of The Lost Boys, it might be worth it for the extra moments with the characters, as well as getting the complete story (if you're into that sort of thing). But if you're just a fan of the genre in general, you can probably safely give RoF a miss.

Text Bites

Edgar Frog: Sayonara, suckmeister!

Kid: I could help you. We could go find this Black Widow together and kill her.
Edgar Frog: It's too late for that. Alan's already turned. He's lost. Lost in the shadows.

Beach vamp: I can start building a new family. A pack...like wolves. A tribe.

Lost Boys Reign of Frogs #4; art by Joel Gomez. Written by Hans Rodionoff. From DC Comics/WildStorm.

[Edited to update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com] 

North 40 #2 "An' the Word Was Law"

Spoilers ahead

Okay, so no vampires in North 40 #2 other than a passing mention, and it looks like the two from issue #1 won't be coming back, but that's all right. This issue is about our heroes, as well as establishing the main baddie (at least until the really scary monster shows up). There is talk of "things" that are still in hiding, though, so let's hope some of them are of the fanged variety. Besides, you can't not like a comic that opens with a giant stepping on a bug-man.

The giant is the aforementioned main baddie, aka Dave Atterhull. Former drunken miscreant, he's the new alpha in the Atterhull clan (all of whom seem unaffected by recent events), and has decided to take control of the local dive ("The Howdy Holler"). His super size comes along with super strength (the kind that lets one throw a truck through a wall should he be so inclined--and he is). He doesn't really seem so bad until we find out he's been holding the dive's waitress for some future nefarious purpose. Lucky for her, Sheriff Morgan can outsmart Dave even if he doesn't stand a chance fighting him.

Sheriff Morgan is one of the few white hats left. Without any apparent powers of his own, and not exactly a young man, I'm wondering how long before he wears himself out fighting the chaos that's taken over Conover County. At least he's getting help in the form of telepathic messages from Amanda, and crow-delivered notes from Luanne.

Luanne is the stereotypical good girl, working at the cafe on a Friday night instead of going out and partying with the other kids. When all hell broke loose (apparently literally), Luanne woke up with glowing green eyes and the ability to "see" everything going on. She's the one who told the Sheriff (via bird) that he needed to save the waitress from the Atterhulls. She also warns of the things that are still hiding, and that a barrier is preventing anyone from leaving (or presumably entering) Conover County. It seems she can also project her consciousness into animals, although that occasionally leads to unexpected screaming and fainting when one of the poor things gets killed.

Amanda, meanwhile, has been in training with a nameless, ancient witch in the hopes of ultimately being able to defeat the evil that's still on its way. Carrying a scythe, she's sent out to find the two idiots who accidentally invoked the evil in the first place. Along the way she comes across the Sheriff and gets him to give her a ride. After she finds the crater where the library (and the idiots) used to be, she reminds the Sheriff that she told him (telepathically) not to let the super-farmboy out of his sight. Too bad he has more than that to worry about with the latest missive from Luanne.

"Super-farmboy" is Wyatt, apparently impervious to harm and with the handy ability to fly. He's too preoccupied to really test out his powers, though, what with the uncertain fate of his father and the bullying he still has to endure (you'd think the bullies might have better things to worry about). But it seems now that his main tormenter, Dwyer Martin, has been endowed with telekinesis, he's decided to finish Wyatt off. Wyatt proves to be more of a challenge, however, and even more than he normally would be as he's helped out by the sudden appearance of a man-eating mound of dirt that looks uncannily like his dad.

Issue #2 propels the story forward nicely and gives us a chance to get to know the main characters better. I expect now that we have a sense of the good guys, we'll be seeing more of the assorted monsters and demons in Issue #3, including, from what we see at the end of this issue, some upcoming zombie action. With any luck, vampires won't be long in following (on a related note, any future reviews of North 40 will be limited to the issues that include vampires).

Text Bites

Sheriff Morgan: These are what they call "interestin' times," Mr. Atterhull. In light of that, I'm willin' to let a few things slide.

Sheriff Morgan: You appear to have soiled your farmin' equipment, Miss Amanda.
Amanda: Yeah, and if somethin' eight feet tall with six legs files a complaint, you can arrest me.

Miss Sparks: (on seeing the traumatized waitress) You poor dear. Come inside, and don't mind the coffee-drinking demon. Jesus protects us.

North 40 #2 "An' the Word Was Law"; art by Fiona Staples, written by Aaron Williams. From DC Comics/WildStorm.

[Edited to update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com] 

Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs #3

Spoilers ahead

Right, so if you'll recall my review of Issue #2, I wasn't overly impressed with the direction Reign of Frogs seemed to be going in. Unfortunately, Issue #3 has not redeemed it.

The story starts off right after the big reveal of the last issue that grandpa is one of the undead. Sam defends him against the overzealous Frog brothers, who are convinced he's been the head vampire all along. Grandpa, meanwhile, claims he's merely a half vampire who's never tasted human blood--and proves it by taking out his denture-fangs. There's no explanation why he has denture-fangs, but presumably it's so he can feed on the vermin and rodents that sustain him (according to Gramps, squirrel blood is particularly delicious). He claims feeding on animals keeps him from turning into a full vampire, as well as providing raw material for his taxidermy business.

So, cue the next major revelation: the head vampire is... the Widow Johnson, aka the Black Widow of Santa Carla. Partial to the ever-popular dominatrix look, the Widow apparently took a cue from Bordello of Blood (coincidentally also featuring Corey Feldman) when choosing her career path. I have to take a moment here to question: was nothing from The Lost Boys considered sacred? Even the Widow Johnson's minor role has to be rewritten and expanded unecessarily. Was the writer given a limit on introducing new characters, or something? Did they get a deal on printing costs if they re-used all the old characters? Maybe the creators are just super dedicated to recycling. Whatever it is, I think it was applied to the use of original ideas as well. David and the Widow's big plan seems to revolve around getting Sam and the Frogs to her den of iniquity (housed, as they all apparently are, in a Victorian mansion) in order to kill them and, thus, lure Michael and Star back to Santa Carla. Can you tell yet that I'm not loving this?

Also, I'm not sure if I'm missing something but in one panel the whore who invited Grandpa in to wait for the Widow locks him into the room, and a couple of panels later (after he's let the boys in through a window), they're all stalking through the halls, weapons at the ready. This is where an editor comes in handy (or at least a few lines of clarification--did they break the door down? Was there a secret passage? Did they teleport?...)

Miraculously clear of the locked room, their next move is to head to the... wait for it ...dungeon. That's where the real partying happens... blah, blah, blah. Well, it is a vampire brothel in a Victorian mansion--we all knew there would be a dungeon at some point. It's also no shock that the raiding party is beset upon by a horde of scantily clad vampires as soon as they reach the dungeon. Sexy (sort of) bloody action ensues, followed by the one plot development that actually works: Alan is snatched in the confusion and turned. What was probably an inevitable occurrence was well executed and even a little surprising.

So, the pacing and length of the story are still good. The artwork is where it was in the last issue (decent, although a little too stylized); same goes for the framing (acceptable if mediocre). The real disappointment is the writing. The first two issues of Reign of Frogs at least maintained the spirit of the original movie. In Issue #3 the spirit gave up the ghost. The story seems to have degenerated into cliches. The characters have lost their personalities. And even the dialogue--a high point up until now--is lacking. It's like everyone involved just decided to stop trying. My lingering hope that The Tribe will be worth watching is shriveling right along with my enjoyment of Reign of Frogs. It's a shame, really--it started out so well. I wish I could say I'm looking forward to Issue #4 (the final one) to see what happens, but really, I'm looking forward to it so I won't have to keep subjecting myself to this downward trajectory. Too bad.

Text Bite

Edgar Frog: Come on, you damn leeches! Bring it on!

Lost Boys Reign of Frogs #3; art by Joel Gomez. Written by Hans Rodionoff. From DC Comics/WildStorm.

[Edited to update links. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com.]

North 40 #1

Spoilers Ahead

Although it's not strictly about vampires, I'm glad I finally got a chance to read and review North 40. For those of you unfamiliar, it's a Lovecraft-esque tale about ancient evil unleashed on a small Midwestern town. After a couple of bored teenagers unwittingly invoke said evil, the townspeople lose consciousness only to wake in a world of nightmares. Some have been turned into horrific creatures (a living dead girl obsessed with her boyfriend, a man with eyes covering his forehead), some have become mere fodder, and some (Sheriff Morgan--seemingly okay but possibly hearing voices; Wyatt--formerly bullied and now impervious to harm; and Amanda--armed with a scythe and being trained to fight the ultimate evil) have been given the means to fight the monsters that have invaded, and the even worse one that's on its way.

The story is well-written and well-paced. You get just enough to know what's going on, but not so much that you don't want more. You also get a good sense right away of who the characters are--but that could be because they don't stray too far from the stereotypical (the one real weakness with the introduction). At least they don't stay that way for long. I already found myself caring about them and what happens to them. Always a good sign.

The artwork is lovely--very expressive without being over the top (nice for those who like their horror with a minimum of gore). The colouring is soft and subdued, well-suited to the setting.

The vampire (or vampire-like) characters have already made their presence felt. The more classically vampiric character is a grey-skinned woman, with claws, fangs, wings, and bat features. Claiming to be burning with hunger, the story breaks with tradition here as she doesn't seem to be similarly burning from the sun. She also can apparently be killed with a regular bullet, but it isn't clear yet if she's actually dead. Hope to see her again (or another similar character).

The other vampiric character is a man with an unnaturally gaping mouth (think 30 Days of Night) full of pointed teeth, and a taste for flesh along with his blood. His fate was left unclear so we may be seeing him again as well (and hopefully learning more about him).

Overall, Issue #1 is a good start to what seems to be a promising series. Definitely looking forward to reading more.

North 40 #1; art by Fiona Staples, written by Aaron Williams. From DC Comics/WildStorm.

[Edited to update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com.] 

Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs #2

Spoilers Ahead

The second installation of Reign of Frogs starts off back in the comic shop in Santa Carla in 1990. The Frog brothers, jubilant after their success in ridding Washington DC of truly bloodsucking politicians, arrive home only to be greeted by the prone figures of their parents and a less-than-welcoming David. Yes, David--Kiefer's character in the movie. It turns out those antlers through his chest missed his heart and now he'd like a little payback (not just for the impalement but for the loss of his "family" too). He'd also like to know where Michael and Star are, and he's brought along several of his creepy vamp buddies to back him up. But just when things are looking bleak for the Frogs, cue the triumphant (and timely) arrival of Sam and Nanook.

Okay, so David's return is big. A little too big, maybe? It's not exactly unheard of to have vampires return from the dead (or only seeming dead). And I can buy that the antlers missed his heart. I can also see why someone would want to bring David back--he's a great character. The problem I have with this storyline is that the comic is a bridge to the next movie, and the movie might include David but it definitely does not include Kiefer. Not only is it annoying when different actors take on the same role (within a continuing storyline, that is--it's not the same when a series gets rebooted. The Tribe is supposed to be a continuation of The Lost Boys), but as I pointed out in my review of The Lost Boys, I can't see anyone but Kiefer Sutherland playing David.

But David coming back isn't the only major new development introduced in RoF #2. It turns out Sam and Michael's Grandpa is a vampire, and was all along. Yeah, I'm not sure about this one. In the movie he was most assuredly running around in the daylight. Even if he's only a half-vampire, where was the lethargy displayed by Michael, Star and Laddie? Where was Nanook's recognition of and animosity for the undead? Making him a vamp (or half-vamp) now seems to be stretching it more than a bit. And granted, rumour has it that Grandpa was originally supposed to be a vampire in The Lost Boys and that his character was changed at the last minute. But I think it's a little late to go back to a discarded concept. On top of which, taking everything that made the character who he was (the untouchable food in the fridge, the obsession with taxidermy, the general wackiness...) and making them mere side-effects of vampirism takes a great quirky character and makes him...kind of lame. I guess we'll see how it all plays out.

I'm also a little disappointed with the artwork in this issue. What was a bit of stylizing in issue #1 makes the characters suddenly unrecognizable in issue #2. I wouldn't have known Sam at all if his name hadn't been mentioned. David's scarier looking, but again--does he need to be? He also looks a lot older, which not only makes no sense in the context of vampires, but is pointless in a story about teenage vampires. At least the pacing and length are good, although the framing is pretty standard and not overly exciting; it's always nice to get a fully rounded comic and not something that feels like half an episode.

What saves the issue is the humour and the writing that is a perfect echo of the original movie. When you read the dialogue, you can forget all those nagging doubts about the story and artwork. You can just remember how awesome The Lost Boys really is. Here's hoping they find the plot again in the next two issues...

Text Bites

Kid: I'm sorry about your folks, man.
Edgar: Don't be. Turns out they were just sleeping after all. But a lot of good comics were lost in that fire. Like a full run of Watchmen in mint condition. That's the real tragedy.

Edgar (to Sam): But the fact remains...your gramps is a suck monkey. (Offers Sam a stake.) Kill your grandpa. You'll feel better.

Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs #2; art by Joel Gomez. Written by Hans Rodionoff. From DC Comics/WildStorm.

[Edited to fix typo and update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com.] 

Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs #1

Spoilers Ahead

I was excited to stumble across Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs, a four-issue comic that bridges the original movie (see my review) with the direct-to-DVD sequel, Lost Boys: Tribe (review coming as soon as I'm done with the comics). My feeling was the more Lost Boys the better, and issue 1 of RoF didn't disappoint.

Starting off in 2007, Edgar Frog has left Santa Carla for a life of shaping surf boards in a cross-encrusted warehouse in Luna Bay, California. A young boy (unnamed) shows up and tells him he wants to be his apprentice--not in making surf boards, but in hunting vampires. Edgar is less than receptive. He flashes back to 1990 in an attempt to dissuade the kid, starting his tale in Washington DC as he and his brother, Alan, take stakes to congress and the senate. Although entertaining (particularly as he tries to convince the kid that America's founding fathers were vampire hunters), the story really gets interesting when the Frog brothers return to the boardwalk at Santa Carla.

The writing is good, really capturing the voices of the Frog brothers and the original movie. The artwork is also good, clean and uncluttered--it moves the story forward as all good comic art should. And while the characters are all recognizable, the art does veer in the direction of stylized rather than ultra realistic. The characters don't look so much like themselves as themselves after spending a hell of a lot of time at the gym. Santa Carla is still, however, incontrovertibly itself and I know I got a little jolt of excitement seeing it again.

All in all, RoF #1 is a good reintroduction to the Lost Boys world, and it left me anxious to see more.

Text Bites

Edgar: Nosferatu, your time of reckoning has come!
Alan: Prepare to meet the fury of the Frog brothers!

Vampire: Your fate is sealed, insect.
Edgar: Seal this, death breath!

Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs #1; art by Joel Gomez. Written by Hans Rodionoff. From DC Comics/WildStorm.

[Edited to update link, Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]