The Horror! The Horror!: Stranger Things, Penny Dreadful, & Hatchet

Finally! An ongoing monthly article that makes you face the monsters in the closet. You can run, but you can't hide from our selected ghoulish items in PREVIEWS that will make you flee and scream bloody murder. Horror fiends: let the madness begin! This is the run-down on what ghastly items can be found in this month's PREVIEWS catalog, and if you can't take the chills, TOO BAD! This is where the children of the night gather, and howl at the moon without apology.

Stranger Things #1

It's at the top of the food chain on "Must-See-TV" listings for Netflix for a reason. The guys who made the show are big fans of all things 80s culture, and have a lot of love for nostalgia like Dragon's Lair to VHS tapes. That grainy 80s feel seeps into your flesh when you watch their show, and the same effect holds true when you pick up the comics adaptation from Dark Horse Comics. The Stranger Things #1 (JUL180419) comic book adapted by writer Jody Houser and artist Stefano Martino does real justice to it's TV counterpart. Will Byers and his buddies are threatend (along with their town) by decay and destruction, which cultimates in the pursuit of the deadly Demogorgon which hails from the depths of the Upside Down. Leave the nightlight on, and check out this new book in the Premier Comics section of the July PREVIEWS catalog!

Call of Duty: Zombies 2 #1

War is as old as man himself. So is evil. The question is, what happens when you put the two factions together? What's the end result when you take man's inherant nature for war, combine it with the ever-present threat of evil in the world, then hit "bake" on the fireplace in your crematorium? Does the cooked carcass look something like a zombie? The answer to that question would be "yes," especially when you leaf through the pages of the upcoming Call Of Duty: Zombies 2 #1 (JUL180429) from Dark Horse Comics. In 1910 Morocco, a commanding officer in the French Foreign Legion is about to learn that the flesh-hungry undead are about to be the fruits of his labor as he fights to possess an artifact of unspeakable power. Check it out in the Premier Comics section of the July PREVIEWS!

Hatchet: Vengeance #1

Every horror buff loves a good sequel. It's the reason why movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday The 13th have gone on to becomes legendary properties in the world of horror movies. Not to let valuable lessons like that linguish in lost text books, writer James Kuhoric and artist Puis Calzada scrape the bottom of the swamp for screams and sorrow that play out in Hatchet: Vengeance #1 (JUL181547) from American Mythology Productions, because this sequel to the original Hatchet series proves how things die hard in the swamp. Maybe they don't die at all. But the people around them sure die, quite painfully in fact, and there's no absence of blood and gore. That's for sure. The mess left behind will require more than a case of Band-Aids. Bring a bucket, a sponge, and a good supply of body bags for the aftermath of this bloody monster free-for-all! Check it out in the Comics/Graphic Novels/Print section of the July PREVIEWS!

Fantasmagoría #1

Starburns Industries Press is relatively new to the comics scene, but they are in no way, shape, or form late to the party in knowing what works well with horror fans. There's this format that has been endeared to us since the hey-dey 1950s when EC Comics and other publishers unleashed upon us what we would later know as the "pre-codes." Books that gave us stories deemed "toxic." The stories focused on things like cannibalism, and other tasty deviant habits which many thought was sensory overload for young skulls full of mush. Fantasmagoria #1 (JUL182148) shows us once again the nature of those cancerous comics by serving up stories that feature undead luchadors, evil piñatas, and hot vato vs. vampire action! Fantasmagoría is what would happen if Telemundo locked down the rights to The Twilight Zone. Look for it in the Comics/Graphic Novels/Print section of the July PREVIEWS!

Penny Dreadful: The Awakening HC

Do you know the lonliness tha comes with being an outcast? It is a state of mind where color has no meaning, nor does time, nor does love. Being an outcast means you are cursed. All happiness is fleeting. You may taste from the cup of kindness, but don't expect to savor it's flavor for long. Before your taste buds can register a sense of joy, there will be a darkness that prys open your mouth to pour sadness into your soul. This is the life you will lead if you are an outcast in Penny Dreadful: The Awakening HC (JUL182171), in which we examine the void that is left behind after Vanessa's death, and Ethan and Sir Malcolm must now search for a new meaning in life without the fleeting joy of Vanessa's gaze, soft touch, and dark foreboding beauty. Abandon all hope, and look for this tome of tears from Titan Comics in the Comics/Graphic Novels/Print section of the July PREVIEWS!

Hope you liked this month's line-up of creepy crawly things. See you here next month for another installment of PREVIEWS' ongoing editorial, The Horror! The Horror!