Our Fresh Friday Features come rolling back in with some stories that don't seem quite right! Dysfunctional electric system or an undead serial killer? Hero, or delusional supergirl? A shop where you might get more than you bargained for. An educational park to teach humans about Yokai? Sign me up!
This week, Shane from Comic Book Squares, @byrononeal from Comic Book Yeti, and ArtCrumbs have picked out four titles that they feel deserve more reads! In our line-up this week, we've got one comic from each category to give you a varied list of must-reads for your weekend!
- Comic - Leave on the Light: In a small town near New York, an undead serial killer has begun claiming the lives of children by using the city's electrical system.
- Graphic Novel - Insane Jane: Trapped in a "Hospital for the Mentally Unhinged" our loony lion-heart must fight for her freedom and survival. With the help of her trusty new side-kick, the forces of evil are on the run. Or, maybe she's just imagining this.
- Anthology - Run by the mysterious Shoppe Keeper, customers can browse through cursed records, evil sheet music, and instruments of the damned! Our host has dozens of spooky stories to tell you from some of the top names in comics.
- Manga - Toritsuki Hiyori works at a very common Yokai garden. Under the guidance of Mutsu Goro, a yokai doctor, Toritsuki takes on the task of raising yokai...?
Now that we've met our four fresh picks, let's dig into each of them!
Leave on the Light, 24 pages - Published by SECOND SIGHT PUBLISHING, (cc/ @Secondsightpublishing01)
Brace yourself for a shocker of a horror story! In a small town near New York, an undead serial killer has begun claiming the lives of children by using the city's electrical system
Story and Art by SECOND SIGHT PUBLISHING
Comments from Shane @Comic Book Squares:
Dark horror with a hard grizzled cop is my jam.
If you like a hard nosed detective story with a gruesome murder and a mysterious killer, then this is the read for you. It’s a fast paced story that leaves you wanting more. The artwork by Alex Sarabia is fantastic, it’s dark and he understands how to use light as well as dark to make each panel stand out. I loved the way he showed rain, it reminded me of Sin City.
The writing by Golden and Aguilar is tense and fast paced. Our lead, Detective Marshall is interesting and adds some interesting twists on the typical grizzled detective. They leave little bread crumbs for us to follow and keep us engaged to learn more about the history of the killer.
I’m hooked and ready for more.
Insane Jane, 245 pages - Published by TidalWave Productions, (cc/ @ddavis)
Comic's most crazed champion is back! Trapped in a "Hospital for the Mentally Unhinged" our loony lion-heart must fight for her freedom and survival. With the help of her trusty new side-kick, the forces of evil are on the run. Or, maybe she's just imagining this. Either way, Jane's back and she's crazier than ever!
Story and Art by Joe Phillips and Marc Shapiro
Comments from Shane @Comic Book Squares:
Jane has a few issues to deal with and I’m all in for the ride.
I’m a sucker for characters that have some issues to work through. I was a big fan of Badger back in the 80’s and Jane has a similar feel. This first book really sets up the world that all the characters live in as well as the relationships. I get that sense that everything in the book is going to come back at some point.
The artwork by Mendoza is fun and energetic. I absolutely love the artistic choice to keep Jane in color and the rest of the characters in black and white. I wonder if I’m reading too much into it, but I get the sense that Jane feels like she is an outsider and not connected to anyone. By keeping her in color and then rest in black and white it emphasizes her distance from everyone else.
The writing is really tight and not a line of dialog is wasted. The characters are interesting and distinctive even when they are only on a page or two. I’m excited and engaged to keep reading to see where the story goes.
Dead Beats, 335 pages - Published by A Wave Blue World, (cc/ @tyler)
The Dead Beats music shop is filled with deadly secrets. Run by the mysterious Shoppe Keeper, customers can browse through cursed records, evil sheet music, and instruments of the damned! Our host has dozens of spooky stories to tell you from some of the top names in comics. You're gonna wanna put on your favorite album.
Story and Art by Christof Bogacs, Mark Bouchard, Renfamous, Tyler Chin-Tanner, Vita Ayala
Comments from @byrononeall:
In the vein of classics like Creepy or Tales From the Crypt, Dead Beats Volume 2 is the second installment of the horror anthology series from publisher A Brave Blue World.
Rocketing and rocking into the modern era our journey begins with our host, the far too hip Shoppe Keeper, introducing us to the hub of the action, a cursed music store. Flipping the page to the Table of Contents, laid out like a music box, the tone is set for what is a pleasurable romp through twenty-eight music themed horror shorts.
After spending 15 years in the music industry myself, this was a real treat. Editors Joe Corallo and Eric Palicki have amassed a gorgeous collection of comics shorts of varying lengths. Covering the genre in diverse and devilish ways, we are treated to the stylings of some of the heavy hitters in the indy comics scene including Jarred Lujan, Liana Kangas, and Micah Myers while still offering a space for standout newcomers. I love tales of obsession and The Instrument from Ron Marz, Salvador Velazquez, and Taylor Esposito was a personal highlight of the read through.
Everything I love about comics anthologies is on display here. They provide spaces where people can take wild swings. It’s a landscape that promotes experimentation and growth, not unlike the musical overlay it aims to represent. There’s immense pleasure in the collected controlled chaos herein that is sure to fright and delight its readers. They say music captivates the soul, let’s hope it doesn’t capture it. Cue evil laughter.
The Youkai Caretaker, 482 pages - Published by MediBang Inc., (cc/ @MediBang)
Toritsuki Hiyori works at a very common Yokai garden. Under the guidance of Mutsu Goro, a yokai doctor, Toritsuki takes on the task of raising yokai...?
Story and Art by MediBang Inc. and Michihiko Fujiei
Comments from @ArtCrumbs:
What a curious life it would be to take care of all sorts of Youkai! This plays on the "demon a day" feeling of a lot of familiar manga, like InuYasha and Mushishi, however with the opposite goal. Instead of defeating the youkai, our protagonist Toritsuki helps them live fuller, happier lives in the Youkai Park!
The art is simply beautiful and humor isn't cheap. It's full of heartwarming stories and laughable moments that are episodic in nature. A lot of lore is explained about each youkai as well as providing a lesson in listening to each creature. Toritsuki is a natural at caring for youkai and tries to help all of them from curious "shin-snugglers" to youkai with scholarly aspirations. It's a really fun read for the slice of life enjoyer as well as those who love mythology! What a perfect blend of both.
I was only able to finish Volume 1 this week, but I'll definitely be reading the rest! Great job Michihiko-Sensei! I loved this work and I'll definitely be looking forward to more!
That's all for now, but we'll have another set of Fresh Friday reading recommendations next week. If you're looking for more recommendations, make sure to opt-in for our weekly reading list email! You can find that in your User Profile Notification settings. You can also browse through our Featured Comics news section!
Check out more amazing stuff from Comic Book Squares, @byrononeal and ArtCrumbs below.
Comic Book Squares
Byron O'Neal
ArtCrumbs