Publisher: Jason Crawley
Writers: Jason ‘The Bloke’ Crawley, David Brana & Troy Vevasis
Artists: Mike Hoffman, Scott Shriver, Antonio Di Cieeo, Carlos Valenzuela, Ronn Sutton, Angel Alonso, Santos Zaballos & Bernadinus Gita
Cover: Mike Hoffman
Editorial Assistance: Keith Braun
Release date: OUT NOW!!!
Price: $8.95

The number thirteen, unlucky they say for some, but not for Jason Crawley’s near one-man onslaught on the neglected horror anthology comic book. Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13 is clearly a labour of love but not, thankfully, a gauche one. Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13 is not some fannish doodling and copycat writing nor is it an awkward mix of the amateurish and the substandard. There is much more to Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13 than that.

In a nutshell or coffin, if you prefer, Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13 is a very professional ode to EC’s comic code killed horror line and a solid tribute to Warren Publishing’s black and white horror anthology magazines, Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella published over three decades from the 1960s. It is DNA line Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13 lives up to and, in many ways exceeds.

Too many comic book readers are quick to yap about the death of comic books containing short stories. I point these people to 2000 AD, although then I get the lame ‘exception that proves the rule’ BS. And it just that: BS. Because (I’ll start a sentence with any word I like; I am the writer, you are the reader, I outrank you! To paraphrase Kenneth Mars), the two most underrated genres science fiction and horror are poorly served by the comic book industry. Considering the popularity of both on television and in book sales, the perceived lack of an audience is no defence.

I would argue the problem is one of respect, few, if any comic book publishers treat horror with respect. Which brings me back to Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13, Jason Crawley as publisher and writer respects the subject matter. Crawley, I suspect, is not just biding his time waiting for the call to write capes and spandex or the latest cross-over, reboot, re-launch, death of a ‘yawn’ superhero. No. I suspect horror, is very much, in Jason Crawley’s blood. Live with the word play, I have to get on with the review.

So five stories sit professionally between the covers of Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13, ‘I, She, Us’, with artwork from Santos Zaballos stands out for the clarity of its draughtsmanship and restrained writing from David Brana. ‘Bloodline’ from Crawley and Di Cicco takes the staid vampire hunter storyline and breathes some new life into it. ‘Power From The Sky’, Crawley and Alonso looks at that old chestnut of great power and great responsibility to a conclusion Stan Lee would never have considered. ‘No Such Thing’ from that writing machine Crawley and artist Sutton offers the clever notion of childhood nightmares written large. ‘The Cactus’ rounds this issue off; writer Vevasis and artist Gita succinct look at a very prickly revenge.

Do yourself a favour; take a detour from comic book buying intransigence and pick up a copy of Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13. And you do not have to like horror either, because what you will get here is a sense of passion for comic books and not the mass-produced fodder you may currently be buying. If Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror #13 asks one thing, be an individual comic book buyer and not a sheep.

 

Reviewer: Steve Hooker