As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Halloween Comics! Page One - Hector Plasm: De Mortuis

MunchMunch Registered User regular
edited November 2009 in Graphic Violence
The butcher knife goes in, first, at the top
And carves out the round stemmed lid,
The hole of which allows the hand to go
In to pull the gooey mess inside, out -
The walls scooped clean with a spoon.
A grim design decided on, that afternoon,
The eyes are the first to go,
Isosceles or trapezoid, the square nose,
The down-turned mouth with three
Hideous teeth and, sometimes,
Round ears. At dusk it's
Lighted, the room behind it dark.
Outside, looking in, it looks like a
Pumpkin, it looks like ripeness
Is all. Kids come, beckoned by
Fingers of shadows on leaf-strewn lawns
To trick or treat. Standing at the open
Door, the sculptor, a warlock, drops
Penny candies into their bags, knowing
The message of winter: only the children,
Pretending to be ghosts, are real.


It's that time of year again; Halloween season. While I have, in recent years, outgrown the Trick or Treating and mischief making most often associated with the holiday, I've discovered other activities that get me into that festive feeling; drinking strange alcoholic concoctions, attending Halloween parties, and perhaps most importantly, consuming all the Halloween entertainment I can withstand.

There's something extremely satisfying, even as an adult, about kicking back and watching Halloween television specials or horror movies. And reading Halloween and horror comic books, of course. It is in the spirit of the season that I've decided to share some of my favorite supernatural, horror, and Halloween comics. Some you may have heard of. Some, maybe not. Hopefully you'll enjoy them, and be motivated to share some of your own favorites.

Hector Plasm: De Mortuis by Benito Cereno and Nate Bellegarde

50mzcm.jpg

Wikipedia wrote:
The Benandanti, which included both male and female members, were a small group of Shamanic witches that ensured the protection of the crops and villagers. Unlike most other occult organizations, the Benandanti were born, not made: only children born with "the caul," or the amniotic sac partially covering their face were destined to join the ranks of the Benandanti. The Benandanti were Shamanic witches, and their practices were quite unusual for shamanic magic. Reportedly, they commonly shapeshifted into mice, cats, rabbits, or butterflies. They used their powers to fight malignancy, decay, corruption, or anything symbolizing poor harvest or harsh weather. At some point, groups of these Shamans became the "bad walkers" who had been influenced by Christianity. The Benandanti would fight off the "bad walkers" using stalks of fennel, protecting the harvest, village, and the children from these "bad walkers."

Hector Plasm is one such Benandanti; raised by a variety of mystics and spirits, he exists as an ambassador between the spirit world and our own. Aided by two spirits, one a Sinner, and one a Saint, he and others like him walk the Earth, using their unique gifts to aid both the living and the dead.

mw35ub.jpg

The threats he faces are numerous and varied, changing from region to region, and spirit to spirit, constantly forcing him to change his approach. Of course, not all situations are resolved through violence, and not all ghosts are hostile.

35m1jdu.jpg

Some might ask, how is this book different from Hellboy? Or even Atomic Robo? Well, for one, Hector hasn't yet fought any Nazis. But more importantly, Cereno pulls inspiration primarily from folklore concerning ghosts, spirits, and the like, with Hector's purview rarely extending to the infernal, the Lovecraftian, or the fae. No, he deals in the things people speak about over campfires, the things children whisper amongst themselves during sleepovers. He deals in the everyday eerie.

What also distinguishes the book is is its tone. Hector handles the strange, varied circumstances he finds himself in with a world-weary attitude, and a dry, been-there-done-that, sense of humor that's really engaging. However, it should be stated that this is not really a humor book. Because while you'll often find yourself smiling along with Hector on his adventures, you'll just as often suffer an emotional punch to the solar plexus. Hector does, after all, deal primarily with people who died in one terrible way or another.

If you can find it, I really recommend you purchase Hector Plasm: De Mortuis. Failing that, check out the next installment, hitting shelves tomorrow, October 14th, Hector Plasm: Totentantz. If your comic shop failed to order it, bug them a little and, if they're worth a damn, they can probably get it for you in time for Halloween. That said, I leave you with a short Hector story, in its entirety.

345hjs3.jpg

ncy45e.jpg

28umiaq.jpg

Munch on

Posts

  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    hey munch dogg you wanna do a juan chupacabra story

    The Lovely Bastard on
    7656367.jpg
  • RingoRingo He/Him a distinct lack of substanceRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Well that looks like just about everything I could want

    I'm confused though, is the collected one-shot a floppy or a trade?

    Ringo on
    Sterica wrote: »
    I know my last visit to my grandpa on his deathbed was to find out how the whole Nazi werewolf thing turned out.
    Edcrab's Exigency RPG
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    hey munch dogg you wanna do a juan chupacabra story

    TLB, what did I say to you weeks ago?
    Munch wrote:
    hey, if you ever want to do a Juan Chupacabra comic, hit me up. I had fun drawing him.

    Ball's in your court sir.
    Ringo wrote:
    Well that looks like just about everything I could want

    I'm confused though, is the collected one-shot a floppy or a trade?

    The stories are collected in oversized floppies. The first, De Mortuis, collected Hector's appearances from the Invincible back-ups he appeared in, as well as some appearances in various anthologies, like Western Tales of Terror. The new one coming out today, Totentantz, collects a bunch of stuff that previously appeared only on the internet. Both feature neat extras, touched-up art and lettering, and that kind of thing.

    Munch on
  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    awesome

    gonna come up with a story now

    it will be the best juan chupacabra story ever

    The Lovely Bastard on
    7656367.jpg
  • HenslerHensler Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    A fun set of comics I like to dig out for Halloween are the Malibu/Bravura Nocturnals books from the 90's. I discovered them one day when I bought a collection of every Malibu comic book. They are some beautiful, fully painted books in town where it is basically Halloween all year round. The main character is The Boogeyman and his daughter is Halloween Girl, who carries around a plastic pumpkin full of evil toys and candy. I haven't found any scans online, but I've seen new collected editions from Image in stores recently.

    51KF4C0J6ML._SS500_.jpg

    Hensler on
  • 143999143999 Tellin' ya not askin' ya, not pleadin' with yaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    I would read the hell out of a Juan Chupacabra Dia de los Muertos special.

    143999 on
    8aVThp6.png
  • The Lovely BastardThe Lovely Bastard Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    trust me I got ideas for a halloween special

    The Lovely Bastard on
    7656367.jpg
  • 143999143999 Tellin' ya not askin' ya, not pleadin' with yaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Calaveras? Catrinas? Marzipan?

    143999 on
    8aVThp6.png
  • DMACDMAC Come at me, bro! Moderator mod
    edited November 2009
    This is pretty rad. They took the Danse Macabre comic from the new Hector Plasm and set it in time to the song as it was intended to be read:

    http://vimeo.com/7303524

    (Caution: includes illustrated nudity)

    DMAC on
  • KiwiKiwi Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    So I've had this for like a month now, and finally got around to reading it. Holy crap, it's awesome. I'm definitely going to hunt down De Mortuis now.
    DMAC wrote: »
    This is pretty rad. They took the Danse Macabre comic from the new Hector Plasm and set it in time to the song as it was intended to be read:

    http://vimeo.com/7303524

    (Caution: includes illustrated nudity)

    This is fantastic. I tried reading this to music, but it made my brain freak out and I ended up finishing the story in like 2 minutes. Man, if motion comics were more like this, I wouldn't make fun of them so much.

    Kiwi on
Sign In or Register to comment.