Help Kickstart Epic Lesbian Werewolf Revenge Quest comic “Anathema”

 Okay, now that I’ve caught your attention with a sensational headline that appeals to your baser instincts, here’s a chance to redeem yourself by exercising your philanthropy and love of werewolves at the same time (philycanthropy?). Anathema is a horror comic project by writer Rachel Deering, artist Alan Quah Chris Mooneyham and colourist Jorge Maese.

The story focuses on a huntress named Mercy Barlowe, who falls in love with the daughter of a local reverend. When the romantic nature of their relationship is discovered, the reverend cries heresy and vows to see both women tried as witches. Mercy escapes, but the reverend’s daughter is sentenced to burn. The agony and torment of the burning lures wicked creatures from the darkness, who attack the village and steal the souls of the dying women. Mercy vows to track the evil beings to the ends of the earth and vanquish them to reclaim her lover’s soul, even if it means taking on dark powers of her own.

What sort of dark powers might Mercy take on, do you think? Hmmmmmmm. What web site are you on right now?

They are looking to raise $6,000 through Kickstarter by Friday September 2nd, which will pay for the first issue’s art and printing costs. That sounds pretty reasonable to me! As with all Kickstarter projects, the more you contribute the more sweet stuff you get in return. You were pretty quick to follow the link here, so you must be totally jazzed to help out, right?

Jul. 19th 2011

Legend of the Superbeasts: The Wolfman Versus Godzilla

Werewolf News reader Komodo recently brought this delightful project to my attention, saying it was interesting but maybe not worth its own post. I think it has just the right amount of esoteric 80’s monster movie kitsch for a Monday morning. I’ve added a few links to Komodo’s text to help those who are, like me, unfamiliar with the world of the daikaijū.

In the mid eighties, when Toho was gearing up to release its first Godzilla film after a decades-long hiatus, the Godzilla fandom received a massive boost in activity. Part of this was the release of fan films, most of which are sadly forgotten and unavailable. One of these films was a little movie called Legend of the Superbeasts: The Wolfman Versus Godzilla.

Considering this was a fan film made in the eighties, the suits are very high quality in my honest opinion. The Godzilla suit was based on the 1962 Kingugoji, infamous as being the version of Godzilla who fought King Kong. The werewolf suit is a bit cheaper looking but I can easily imagine it being something that Eiji Tsuburaya would create were he asked to create a werewolf suit.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to locate anything more about the film and it remains lost to history. It’s pretty old news among the Godzilla fandom, but I think it’s rather unknown among werewolf fans.

It’s not even 9:00 yet and my day is complete. Thank you, Komodo! If anyone out there has anything more on Legend of the Superbeasts: The Wolfman Versus Godzilla, do the right thing: share it with us!

Images from Toho Kingdom Forums.

Jul. 18th 2011

Track 1 of David Bowie’s album “Hunky Dory”

Just a heads-up: the site will be getting a visual and functional overhaul over the week, and things might look a little weird in the meantime. For instance, I upgraded the commenting system over the weekend, but it’ll look a little weird until I can theme it properly. Don’t be frightened.

Jul. 18th 2011

Great werewolf cover art for “Bela Lugosi’s Tales from the Grave” issue 3

Nothing too earth-shattering here, just some sweet art to check out on a lazy Friday when you should be working. Yes, you. No, Google Reader doesn’t count as work. Anyway. Dread Central has a sneak peak at the cover of Bela Lugosi’s Tales from the Grave issue #3, which comes out this October. To quote Kris Straub (who wasn’t talking about this, but I love how he says this line in TMH so whatever): you’re gonna like it.

Did you like it? I liked it. Billy, you’re fucked. I’m looking forward to reading this. Check out Monsterverse for more details on the “Tales from the Grave” series – their site is still showing issue #2, but hopefully they’ll update it soon.

If you’re curious, David Hartman is responsible for this deliciously malevolent cover, and I recommend you check out his site for even more excellent horror art (hint: frequent werewolves).

via Dread Central

Jul. 15th 2011

First Trailer for “The Howling Reborn”: questionable dialogue, (glimpses of) cool werewolves

Despite posting about it twice last year, I’d forgotten that the Howling franchise is about to get another entry (or is it a reboot? I can’t tell). Here’s the first trailer, brought to my attention by HorrorBid.

Questions: why does that guy look like Harry Potter? Why does this remind me so much of An American Werewolf in Paris? Why are people still writing lines like “I don’t bite… much.”? And when do we get to see more of those werewolves? I had an email conversation with someone involved in the production last year, and this person indicated that the blurry mobile phone photo that leaked didn’t do the werewolf design justice at all. This person also mentioned female werewolves, which I suppose isn’t much of a surprise after seeing this trailer.

Jul. 14th 2011

Werewolf bikini set from Iron Fist

Last year Iron Fist brought you werewolf-themed high heels, flats and clutch purses, and now their product designers have turned their sights on the beach scene with this werewolf print bikini set. This is good. This is sensible. This is how you build a brand.

The regular price is $48.00 US, but as of this post the bikini set is on sale for $30.00, and sizes run from XS to 2XL. If you are a lady of any shape or size and you are reading this web site, I have a suggestion: buy this bikini, get in touch with others who have done the same, and form an official opposition to the Swedish Bikini Werewolf Destruction Unit.

Jul. 9th 2011

Say “Hi” to (a nice big photo of) Teen Wolf’s Alpha Werewolf [spoilers]

If you’ve been watching MTV’s Teen Wolf (if you haven’t been, smarten up), you’ve caught a few glimpses of the Alpha werewolf responsible for Scott’s bite and subsequent transformations. Want a better look at him? Here you go.

Remember my “Okay I guess I’ll try it” post about Teen Wolf back in May? The one where Jeff answered a shitload of questions and showed me an image that I wasn’t allowed to share but that totally sold the show for me? Yeah, this was the image. Thanks for sharing, Jeff! I’m looking forward to seeing more of this guy – and having just caught the end of episode six, I don’t think I’m going to be disappointed!

Jul. 5th 2011

Comics Review – “Thicker Than Blood”

A three-issue miniseries sporadically published between late 2007 and late 2008, Thicker Than Blood is written by Simon Reed, with pencils/inks by Mike Ploog (known for being the initial artist on Ghost Rider and Werewolf By Night) and paints by Simon Bisley, perhaps best known for his work on 2000AD.

Given the artists’ pedigree, I was expecting good things from this book, and it didn’t disappoint. The story’s reminiscent of old-school horror, a feel which is aided by the Victorian setting, and the artwork complements the writing well; an exaggerated style is used for the human characters, verging on caricature, which gives a good visual description of their traits. While the plot’s not complex, revolving around two brothers, one of whom has become a werewolf through circumstances unknown and the other trying to cure his condition, it’s pretty well-executed. The werewolf is particularly notable as being perhaps the best-drawn aspect; of the half-wolf big muscular type (with no tail!), it’s a fairly standard design but the way he’s drawn really brings attention to the strength and ferocity of the creature.

After a strong first issue, the second part of the miniseries stumbles a little with a plotline revolving around one of the main characters becoming some kind of were-monkey; the art doesn’t seem as strong in this issue and the story is advanced little except at the beginning and end of the issue.

By the time of the third and final instalment, however, the art has reached its peak and, as I’m sure readers will be pleased to know, features the most werewolf action of the series. Much of the issue is very visually striking and it’s certainly the most memorable part. The dialogue and writing in general are also notably sharper in this issue, with the story building to a crescendo and featuring a neat little twist at the end.

Overall it’s one that I’d recommend, chiefly for the artwork though the story itself is perfectly servicable. It’s available from Reed Comics for around £9 ($15) plus shipping, with each issue available in two different covers. It’s very much a genre piece, pretty much adhering to the tropes and conventions of the classic horror style, but that’s not to be counted against it. I’ve got a number of reviews lined up that to one extent or another break the stereotypical werewolf mould, so keep an eye out for those.

Jun. 16th 2011

Universal “Wolfman” reboot may actually be a (semi-?) original film called “Werewolf”

A while back word was going around that Universal was looking to reboot their Wolfman franchise again after the disappointing performance of 2010’s remake. According to Moviehole’s exclusive (but presently un-cited) report, there’s a script in the works and it appears to be for an original film, rather than another remake.

Michael Tabb’s script is being rewritten and reworked to be an original film – almost a reboot of the classic Universal monster movie series. If anything, this new film – they’ve yet to decide on a title though I hear “Werewolf” is popular -will share a link to the original George Waggner film (from 1941) rather than Joe Johnston’s ill-fated 2009 remake. Maybe.

The Moviehole post goes on to mention that the studio is said to be talking to prospective directors, and that casting will be starting soon in advance of an autumn shooting schedule.

The Internet seems really excited about this information, but there’s not much new meat on this bone, other than the name of the screenwriter and the fact that Universal is actually thinking about doing that thing they said they were going to do. I’ve never seen anything written by Michael Tabb so I don’t have an opinion on his attachment to the project. It’s unclear to me whether Universal is doing a film “inspired” by the original 1941 Wolfman or if Tabb is writing an original film to take the whole franchise in a new direction, and until somebody asks him “hey, so what are you actually doing?” and he provides an answer, I don’t think there’s much reason to get giddy about this. Yet.

Jun. 8th 2011

A Werewolf Nerd’s Reaction to the First Episode of Teen Wolf

There comes a point a little more than halfway through the first episode of MTV’s Teen Wolf where I was certain the show (or at least my interest in it) was slipping into a death spiral. Charming everyhunk Scott and mysterious new girl Allison, both drenched in rain and hormones, exchange uncomfortable “I got a crush on you” bon mots over an injured dog that Scott’s rescued with his capable hands and nascent wolf powers. Scott manages to arrange a date with Allison, then goes home to lay in bed and gaze dreamily out the window at a nearly-full moon. The show had built up a lot of goodwill over the first 20 minutes, balancing wry humour, earnest performances and a few genuine scares, but for me, these two connected scenes threatened to undo it all with its textbook puppy-love schmaltz.

Then Scott rolls over and his clean white sheets become the leaf-strewn floor of a forest that may or may not be a dream, and I’m hooked for the rest of the episode. From that point on I couldn’t say I was watching it just so I could say I’d seen it – I was watching because I wanted to know what would happen next. I made a few guesses, most of which turned out to be correct, but that didn’t take away from my genuine enjoyment of the episode’s second half. There was a lot to like in Teen Wolf, and a lot of the things I was afraid of were either tempered by positive elements, or were entirely absent. Let me break it down for you, list-style.

The Good

  • No dancing around the word “werewolf” or the reality of same. There’s some requisite incredulity at first, but the episode doesn’t torture the audience by making us wait ages for the main characters to catch up with what we already know: there really are werewolves in the area, and Scott’s now one of them.
  • Tyler Posey‘s Scott is way more likable than I was expecting, but I was particularly entertained by Scott’s friend Stiles, played with twitchy, wide-eyed energy by Dylan O’Brien. He’s not the life-of-the-party goofball from the film, but he’s got a manic enthusiasm that’s complimented by genuine sincerity and concern for his friend.
  • Scott’s werewolf transformation. Solid, well-executed effects that all look like they were done via practical methods (other than the yellow eye-glow, which wasn’t as cheesy as I feared), and the way the change is shot is efficient, effective and striking. I liked Scott’s werewolf form better than I thought I would.
  • Jeff Davis’s screenplay had some genuinely funny lines in it – Scott’s comment about where he gets his juice made me laugh out loud. The show is definitely a drama, not a comedy, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the moments of humour are effective.
  • Allison’s dad is a werewolf hunter is played by JR Bourne. He’s got almost no dialog so far but that guy is scary.
  • The soundtrack. What can I say? I like Deadmau5.

The Bad

  • This is supposed to be a show about high school kids, but the main players all look like college juniors. That’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s a little weird seeing all these decidedly adult-looking “young adults” worrying about who’s getting invited to the party this weekend.
  • The jocks/bullies. I know this is just the first episode so there’s not a lot of space to develop the lacrosse field antagonists into rounded characters, but they still seemed especially two-dimensional. We see enough of Scott’s physique to know that he’s got no real reason to fear bullies, so it’s hard to feel worried when he’s threatened.
  • Derek Hale and his leather jacket cut a very imposing figure, but his role so far seems like a borderline caricature of the Mysterious And Aloof Mentor. He even says “The bite is a gift.” Hopefully this (clearly integral) character gets a bit more nuance in later episodes.

The Ugly

  • I’m just going to come right out and say it: the romance between Scott and Allison bores me to nerdy tears. I understand why it’s part of the story, but my Lord, that scene at the animal clinic nearly did me in. This is obviously a part of the show geared towards a demographic other than my own, and that’s fine, but that scene and the (mercifully short) scene at the party both dragged the energy of the episode down like buckets of lead.

What does this all mean? Well, I liked it. It’s fair to say that I liked it a lot. I didn’t see anything revolutionary, but it’s early times yet, and I know enough about some of the later episodes to be keenly interested in how the story’s going to unfold. I’ll definitely be watching the next few episodes, and if they provide me with more of the same, I’ll be well-satisfied.

So that’s what I thought. What’d you think?

    Jun. 7th 2011