Kelley Jones' The Hammer: Uncle Alex, by Kelley Jones

(pb; 1998: single-shot comic book.  Loosely connected follow-up to Kelley Jones' The Hammer and Jones's story "The World in Which We Live," published in Dark Horse Presents, issue 129)


The plot:

A new infernal threat presents itself, in the form of the worm-like Alexander Eastman - a.k.a. "Uncle Alex."  When Eastman was a human sorcerer, he "defiled women and corrupt[ed] men"; now, as a transformed being, he devours townsfolk within his backwoods hell-portal.

Alaric Malleus - "The Hammer," in modern English - and his human associate (Carl, also from the first Hammer miniseries) become aware of Alex's earthly presence via Malleus's quirky food version of reading tea leaves, and off they go, to take down this loathsome man-worm.


Review:

Uncle Alex has all the humor, ickiness and pulp-horror charm of its source miniseries.  If you liked that miniseries, chances are that you'll enjoy this single-shot comic book.

Malleus's next appearance, also created by Jones, was in a two-page installment miniseries, "The Sticky-Fingered Homunculus," which ran in several issues of Dark Horse's Diamond Previews magazine.  Malleus later appeared in the three-issue miniseries Kelley Jones' The Hammer: The Outsider.

Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll, by Ann & Nancy Wilson with Charles R. Cross

(hb; 2012: rock 'n' roll memoir/autobiography)


From the inside flap:

"The mystery of 'Magic Man.'  The wicked riff of 'Barracuda.'  The sadness and beauty of 'Alone.'  The raw energy of 'Crazy On You.'  These songs, and so many others, are part of the fabric of American music.  Heart, fronted by Ann and Nancy Wilson, has given fans everywhere classic, raw and pure badass rock and roll for more than three decades.  As the only sisters in rock who write their own music and play their own instruments, Ann and Nancy have always stood apart - certainly from their male counterparts but also from their female peers.  By refusing to let themselves and their music be defined by their gender, and by never allowing their sexuality to overshadow their talent, the Wilson sisters have made their mark, and in the process paved the way for many of today's female artists.

"In Kicking & Dreaming, Ann and Nancy, with the help of. . . music biographer Charles R. Cross, recount a journey that has taken them from a gypsy-like life as the children of a globe-trotting Marine to the frozen back roads of Vancouver, where they got their start as a band, to the pinnacle of success - and sometimes excess.  In these pages,  readers will learn the truth about the relationship that inspired 'Magic Man' and 'Crazy On You,' the turmoil of inter-band romances gone awry, the reality of life on the road as single women and then as mothers of small children, and the thrill of perfoming and in some cases partying with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, Van Halen, Def Leppard, and other rock legends.  It has not always been an easy path.  Ann struggled with and triumphed over a childhood stutter, body image, and alcoholism; Nancy suffered the pain and disappointment of fertility issues and a failed marriage but ultimately found love again and happiness as a mom.  Through it all, the sisters drew from the strength of a family bond that trumps everything else, as told in this intimate, honest and uniquely female take on the rock and roll life."


Review:

Different, fun, lovesome page-turner - what sets Kicking & Dreaming apart from other rock bios is its focus on women's issues and the importance of family (blood kin and chosen), without sacrificing the rock 'n' roll vibe of the book. 

Worth checking out, this.

**One of my erotic poems, baise moi: San Francisco, was recently published on the Pink Litter site

Baise moi: San Francisco, a trashy poem about two road-tripping, homicidal lesbian wrestlers, was published in the fourth issue of Pink Litter. It is, as you probably guessed, a “for mature readers only” read.

Adding to my above delight is the fact that Baise is sharing space with two writing friends, whose works consistently wow me – Richard Cody, who penned another sweet, brief  poem (“I enter”) and Peter Baltensperger, who authored the sensual, balance-themed microstory “For the Sake of Symmetry”.

Check these works out, if you're so inclined!

Kelley Jones' The Hammer, by Kelley Jones

(pb; 1997-1998: four-issue comic book series)


The plot:

1977. When two short-sighted teens in Pawtuxet, Rhode Island resurrect the decades-dead “Witch of Aberdeen,” Isobel Grierson, they set into motion a Lovecraftian battle of cataclysmic wills between Grierson and Alaric Malleus, a warrior who loathes evil – a battle that will take place twenty years later.

1997. Alaric Malleus, “roughly translated, The Hammer,” is a cocoon-like alien creature that attaches itself to the head of a human host (as it does with Professor Wilcox, a willing flesh partner). It imbues its host with preternatural powers, an über-muscular body and other properties, all the while incorporating its flesh partners’ tastes – in Wilcox’s case, a yen for Charlie Parker’s music and greasy fast food.

What has woken Alaric, currently residing in Briggstown, Massachussetts, is the near-fruition threat of Isobel Grierson. In the twenty years since her physical rebirth, the scantily-clad, sexually promiscuous cannibal witch has become a celebrity psychotherapist whose “advice” (embrace, act on one’s anger) is preparing the world for the arrival of the Lovecraftian demons Grierson means to bring into our world.

Now, chauffeured and battle-aided by Carl (an ex-student of Professor Wilcox/The Hammer) and Alex Maybridge (a cranky medical intern), The Hammer is slicing, smashing and spell-casting his way toward Grierson, who’s well aware of her approaching nemeses. . .


Review:

Kelley Jones writes and illustrates this wonderfully dark, meaningful and hilarious comic book mini-series, which mixes satire (e.g., Grierson’s slutty outfits), uncomfortable veracities about humanity, H.P. Lovecraft's atmospheric horror and Robert E. Howard-eseque/pulpish action.

Take into account Jones’s effective, character-centric plot twists and his penchant for having The Hammer utter straight-faced one-liners (e.g., “Thankfully, I can count on your human capacity to commit genocide when the time comes.”), and readers like myself get a character and a comic book that delivers landmark thrills, laughter and chills.

Worth owning, this.

The Hammer made his next appearance in a comic book short, “The World in Which We Live”. This story was published in Dark Horse Presents, issue 129 [February 1998]. Regrettably, I don’t own this, though I do own The Hammer: Uncle Alex [1998, a single-issue comic book], the third comic book appearance of Malleus/The Hammer.

Jones's four-issue/original miniseries, as well as the story "The World in Which We Live," was later brought together in graphic novel form: this graphic novel is called Kelley Jones' The Hammer: One Big Lie.

The Lovers by Vendela Vida

(hb; 2010)


From the inside flap:

"Twenty-eight years ago, Peter and Yvonnne honeymooned in the beautiful coastal village of Datça, Turkey.  Now Yvonne is a widow, her twin children grown.  Hoping to immerse herself in memories of a happier time - as well as sand and sea - Yvonne returns to Datça.  But her plans for a restorative week in Turkey are quickly complicated.  Instead of comforting her, her memories begin to trouble her.  Her vacation rental's landlord and his bold, intriguing wife - who share a cruious marital arrangement - become constant uninvited visitors, in and out of the house.

"Overwhelmed by the past and unexpected dislocated by the environment, Yvonne clings to a newfound friendship with Ahmet, a local boy who makes his living as a shell collector.  With Ahmet as her guide, Yvonne gains new insight into the lives of her own adult children, and she finally begins to enjoy the shimmering sea and relaxed pace of the Turkish coast.  But a devastating accident upends her delicate peace and throws her life into chaos - and her sense of self into turmoil. . ."


Review:

A dreamy vibe suffuses Vida's emotional (but not bathetic) tale about a woman who's adjusting to her new life and evolving outlook regarding her family, and situations, past and present.  Many of Yvonne's clarifying moments are brought into sharper focus by her quiet revelatons, as well as external, surreal events and elements (I particularly appreciated Vida's inclusion of the owl and the fairy chimneys  in this wise, humane and exotic tale).

Worth owning, this.

Unmasked, by Kane Hodder and Michael Aloisi

(hb; 2011: biography/nonfiction.  "Foreword" by Adam Green)


From the inside flap:

"Kane Hodder.  To fans, this name is synonymous with horror, an icon on the level of Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price.  Kane has appeared as a stunt man and actor in more than two hundred television shows and movies, in a career spanning over thirty years.  His role as Jason Voorhees in four consecutive films of the Friday the 13th series came to define the character feared by millions of fans the world over.  The man behind the hockey mask would seal his fate as horror royalty years later by starring as the monster Victor Crowley in the Hatchet series.

"Unmasked documents the unlikely true story of a boy who was taunted and beaten relentlessly by bullies throughout his childhood.  Kane only escaped his tormentors when he moved to a tiny island in the South Pacific where he lived for all of his teen years.  After living shirtless in a jungle for  awhile, he headed back to America where he fell in love with doing stunts. . . only to have his love burn him, literally.  For the first time ever, Kane tells the true story of the horrific burn injury that nearly killed him at the start of his career.  The entire. . . story of his recovery, the emotional and physical damage it caused and his fight to break back into the industry that almost killed him. . . and triumphant rise to become a film legend are told in Kane's own. . . voice."


Review:

Fun, interesting, warm and blunt read that may disturb readers who aren't into horror films (particularly slasher films) or are afraid of their own darkness - it may, however, prove engrossing for those who are into Kane's oeuvre, gore and monster flicks, and behind-the-scenes takes on cinematic stunt work. 

Worth owning, this.

Cabal, by Clive Barker

(hb; 1985, 1988: horror anthology)

From the inside flap:

"Cabal. . . is the story of a young woman willing to cross the borders of the human to be with the man she loves.

"That man is [Aaron] Boone, a beautiful, tortured soul who believes himself responsible for atrocious crimes.  He has taken refuge in a necropolis situated in the wilds of Canada, beneath which all the last great monsters of the world - the nightbreed - are in hiding.  They are possessed of extraordinary powers; so is Boone.  And in the hunt for Boone, they, too, will be hunted.  Can they survive when the colder, deadlier monsters of the twentieth century are on their heels?  And can Lori's love withstand the extraordinary truth of Boone's soul?"



Overall review:

Above-average novella/story anthology that showcases Barker's trademark, sometimes eloquent, sometimes gory meld of the beauty and darkness.

Worth owning, this.



Novella/stories:

1.)  "Cabal": See "inside flap" description.  Good, entertaining read.

The resulting film, retitled Nightbreed, was released stateside on February 16, 1990.

Clive Barker directed the film from his screenplay.

Craig Sheffer played Aaron Boone/Cabal.  Anne Bobby played Lori.  David Cronenberg played Dr. Phillip K. Decker.  Debora Weston played Sheryl.  Charles Haid played Captain Eigerman. 

Hugh Ross played Narcisse.  Doug Bradley played Dirk Lylesberg.  Catherine Chevalier played Rachel.    Kim Robertson played Babette.  Malcolm Smith played Ashberry.  Bob Sessions played Pettine.  Oliver Parker played Peloquin. 

John Agar played "Decker's Victim".


2.)  "The Life of Death":  A woman's brush with mortality during surgery portends her further, more complex association with that irrevocable element. 

Excellent, gripping story, with a stunning and darkly hilarious finish.


3.)   "How Spoilers Bleed":  Three European imperalist men, in contentious negotiations with an Indian tribe over land rights, find themselves on the business end of a terrifying and relentless curse.

Good, moralistic tale.


4.)  "Twilight at the Towers":   The possible defection of a high-ranking KGB agent (Mironenko) sparks a cycle of deceit, bloodshed and revelations.

Good, twist-pretzeled story that melds the milieus of John le Carré's spy world and grisly violence.


5.)  "The Last Illusion":  A private detective (Harry D'Amour) discovers that his gig babysitting a famous magician's corpse is more difficult and hellish than he thought it would be.

Entertaining, distinctive mix of noir, humor and the supernatural.

The film version, retitled Lord of Illusions, was released stateside on August 25, 1995.

Clive Barker directed the film from his screenplay.

Scott Bakula played Harry D'Amour.  Kevin J. O'Connor played Philip Swann.  Famke Janssen played Dorothea Swann.  Barry Del Sherman played Butterfield. 

Daniel von Bargen played Nix.  Vincent Shiavelli played Vinovich.  Wayne Grace played Loomis. 

Solo by Jack Higgins

(hb; 1980) 

From the inside flap

"John Mikali, the central character of Solo, has three superior talents. He is a world-famous concert pianist. He is a lover of remarkable accomplishments, who plays at lovemaking with the same brilliance with which he dominates an enthralled audience. And unknown to anyone except a lawyer named DeVille, he has become the perfect assassin, who at first killed only for revenge and now has become the ultimate international hit man. 

 "Of the many women who come fleetingly within Mikali's embrace, only one attracts his continued attention, perhaps because she is beautiful, or intelligent, or possibly because Dr. Katherine Riley is America's foremost authority on the terrorist killer mentality. 

"As Solo opens, Mikhail shoots at point blank range. . . a Londoner named Maxwell Joseph Cohen, chairman of the largest clothing manufacturing firm in the world. As Mikhail makes his escape by car, the police in pursuit, he finds himself in a long, narrow tunnel, and what happens in that tunnel clinches Mikali's fate for it brings Colonel Asa Morgan after him. 

"Morgan is a soldier's soldier, a magnificent fighter. . . What Asa Morgan wants now more than anything else on earth, is the life of the man whom the police know only as the Cretan Lover. Morgan has few clues to the Cretan's identity, but his relentless pursuit brings him to the expert on terrorists, Dr. Katherine Riley, who finds him as attractive as he does her. Thus begins. . . a triangle [in which] a woman finds herself in love with two men determined to destroy each other. . ." 

 Review

Solo is a lean, gripping, waste-no-words, near-impossible-to-set-down thriller, with well-developed characters. One of my all-time favorite reads. Worth owning, this.

Carrie, by Stephen King

(pb; 1974)


From the back cover:

"Carrie may be picked on by her classmates, but she has a gift. She can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. This is her power and her problem. Then, an act of kindness, as spontaneous as the vicious taunts of her classmates, offers Carrie a chance to be normal. . . until an unexpected cruelty turns her gift into a weapon of horror and destruction that no one will ever forget."


Review:

Carrie, King's first published novel, is raw (in comparison to his later novels) and ambitious for a first effort.

More than a well-written - if jump cut-laden - story of a telekinetic teen lashing out at her tormentors (her classmates, and her religious nutjob mother), Carrie is also a cut n' paste tale of a town (Chamberlain) undone by a shocking horrific event.

Parts of this novel are pre-mid Eighties Stephen King amazing (with proper editing, the man is an excellent writer), showing the cinematic verve that King would later display in his more accomplished, but no less worthy, works.

Worth checking out, this.

#

Carrie has inspired three film versions, and one cinematic sequel.

The first version was released stateside on November 3, 1976.

Sissy Spacek played Carrie White. Piper Laurie played Margaret White. Amy Irving played Sue Snell. William Katt played Tommy Ross. Nancy Allen played Chris Hargensen. John Travolta played Billy Nolan.

Betty Buckley played Miss Collins. P.J. Soles played Norma. Edie McClurg played Helen. Priscilla Pointer, Amy Irving's real-life mother, played Mrs. Snell.

Brian DePalma directed the film, from Lawrence D. Cohen's screenplay.

#

The Rage: Carrie 2 was released stateside on March 12, 1999.

Emily Bergl played Rachel Lang. Jason London played Jesse Ryan. Dylan Bruno played Mark. J. Smith-Cameron played Barbara Lang.

Amy Irving, who co-starred in the original film, reprised her role of Sue Snell.

Mena Suvari played Lisa. Eddie Kaye Thomas played Arnie. Zachery Ty Bryan played Eric. Gordon Clapp played "Eric's Father". John Doe played Boyd.

Katt Shea, who also directed the film, played "Deputy D.A." Rafael Moreu wrote the screenplay.

#

The second version of Carrie, a telepic, aired on American television on November 4, 2002.

Angela Bettis played Carrietta "Carrie" White. Patricia Clarkson played Margaret White. Emilie de Ravin played Chris Hargensen. Rena Sofer played Miss Desjarden. Kandyse McClure played Sue Snell.

Tobias Mehler played Tommy Ross. Jesse Cadotte played Billy Nolan. Meghan Black played Norma Watson. Chelan Simmons played Helen Shyres.

David Keith played John Mulchaey. Laurie Murdoch played Principal Morton. Michael Kopsa played John Hargensen. Jodelle Ferland, billed as Jodelle Micah Ferland, played "Little Carrie" [Carrie as a young child].

David Carson directed the film, from a teleplay by Bryan Fuller.

#

The third version, now in post-production, is scheduled for stateside release on March 15, 2013.

Chloë Grace Moretz played Carrie White. Julianne Moore played Margaret White. Judy Greer played Miss Desjardin. Portia Doubleday played Chris Hargensen. Gabrielle Wilde played Sue Snell. Ansel Elgort played Tommy Ross. Alex Russell played Billy Nolan.

Skyler Wexler played "Young Carrie". Cynthia Preston played Eleanor Snell.

Kimberly Peirce directed the film, from a screenplay by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

Gustav Gloom and the People Taker by Adam-Troy Castro

(hb; 2012: first book in the Gustav Gloom series. Cover and interior illustrations by Kristen Margiotta)


From the back cover:

"Gustav Gloom's neighbors think he is the unhappiest little boy in the world. But what they don't know is that the strange, dark house Gustav lives in is filled with more wonders and mysteries than could ever be explained. But explain is exactly what Gustav needs to do when Fernie What moves in across the street. And that's when the adventure really begins. . .

"When her cat chases his own shadow into the Gloom mansion, not only does Fernie get lost in Gustav's house full of shadows, but she also finds herself being chased by the mysterious People Taker. With Gustav's help, Fernie must save herself, her cat, and ultimately her family from what lurks in the Gloom mansion."


Review:

This is one of the most fun, imaginative and offbeat kid's books I've read in a long while, with something for both children and adults.

One of my favorite lines in the book: "This struck Fernie as the worst thing he had done yet. Taking people and throwing them into a bottomless pit to become slaves of a guy named Lord Obsidian was evil enough, but promising them pancakes first and not giving them any added an entirely different level of cruelty."

If my girlfriend and I had a child, this would be one of the first books I'd include in his/her library (for when he/she was old enough to understand/read it).

Fans of Tim Burton, Roald Dahl, Henry Selick and the film ParaNorman may especially enjoy this shadow-themed and ultimately heartwarming (sans sappiness) treat.

Wonderful work, this, between the dark, kid-friendly charm of Adam-Troy Castro 's story and characters, and Kristen Margiotta's perfect-for-the-book illustrations.

Followed by Gustav Gloom and the Nightmare Vault.

The Ghosts of Sleath by James Herbert

(hb; 1994: second book in the David Ash series)


From the inside flap:

"Sleath. Quiet, peaceful. A small village hidden away in the Chiltern Hills, almost forgotten by the modern world. Nothing much seems to happen here, little disturbs the centuries-old tranquility.

"Until the ghosts begin to appear. And frighteningly bizarre events begin to occur.

"Psychic investigator David Ash, a man burdened by the dark secret of his own past, is sent to Sleath to investigate the phenomenona and his discoveries there drive him to the very edge of sanity. The incidents grow worse, until, in a final night of horror, awesome and malign forces are unleashed in a supernatural storm that threatens to consume the village itself.

"For Sleath is not what it seems. And the dead have returned for a reason."


Review:

Sleath is a solid, if initially slow-moving, sequel to Haunted. As he did in that first David Ash novel, Herbert favors a classic - read: slow character- and tension-build - approach to his tale, perhaps prompting readers used to quick thrills/fast action to get impatient with Sleath (I did) or drop the novel for another book.

What made Sleath worth reading, for me, is that, along the way - even during the slow-build parts - Herbert's interesting variations on the ghost genre, as well as his variations on his first book, stood out. Sleath's characters were like those out of one of the better Hammer films, and the explicitly laid out horrors were intense, cinematic and creative in their unveilings.

The ending is borderline apocalyptic for those in the village, simultaneous terror, gore and violence for all involved - that is to say, while familiar, it's a satisfying finale to an "Old School" horror tale.

Decent read from an excellent author; worth checking out, this. If you purchase it, make sure you don't pay full price.

Followed by Ash.