Leroy Douresseaux on ABATTOIR #6

ABATTOIR #6 (OF 6)
RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
CONCEPT: Michael Peterson
WRITERS: Rob Levin and Troy Peteri
PENCILS: Wayne Nichols
COLORS: Andrei Pervukhin
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Tae Young Choi
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Radical Publishing’s Abattoir comes to an end.

This is the horror comic book miniseries created by Darren Lynn Bousman (the director of three films in the Saw franchise). Set in the late 1980s, Abattoir follows real estate agent, Richard Ashwalt, who was struggling to sell a house where a brutal massacre took place. Richard falls into a murderous conspiracy involving a strange old man named Jebediah Crone, who buys the house in spite of Richard’s tremendous efforts to stop him.

In Abattoir #6, Richard has finally discovered Crone’s Abattoir. Crone wants Richard to be the curator of this monstrosity. To say no could mean the end for Richard and for his wife and daughter.

While the sixth and final issue of Abattoir has pretty much the same vibe and mood, as well as characters, plot, and settings as the rest of the series, I am disappointed. I don’t like how it ends, although most of this issue is quite good. Actually, this is the ending that I expected, and Bousman was bound to leave an opening for a sequel, just as he did in his three Saw films.

Overall, this is a riveting, scary tale that doesn’t skimp on the blood, gore, and brain matter. And yes, it does matter that Vertigo and IDW not be the only big publishers (relatively speaking) that publish horror comics. So I go for Radical Publishing’s Abattoir. It is a real deal true bloody horror comic book.

B+

Leroy Douresseaux on ABATTOIR #5

ABATTOIR #5 (OF 6)
RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
CONCEPT: Michael Peterson
WRITERS: Rob Levin and Troy Peteri
PENCILS: Hugo Petrus
COLORS: Andrei Pervukhin and Drazenka Kimpel
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Tae Young Choi
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

American filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman directed Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV. His latest creation is Abattoir, a horror comic book miniseries from Radical Publishing.

Set in the late 1980s, Abattoir follows real estate agent, Richard Ashwalt, who was struggling to sell a house where a brutal massacre took place. Richard falls into a murderous conspiracy involving a strange old man named Jebediah Crone who buys the house in spite of Richard’s best efforts to stop him. Soon, Richard is also the lead suspect in a homicide investigation.

In Abattoir #5, Richard’s friend and former colleague, police Detective Al Sperry, continues his investigation of Crone. Sperry receives a visit from a very strange old man with intimate knowledge of just how much darkness is behind Crone. Meanwhile, Richard finds the horrible mansion Crone has built, or has he?

I said before that Abattoir is a comic book that reads like a horror novel or suspense thriller. I’ve also said that the series improves with each issue, but #5 is the least of the series yet. The part of #5 that deals with the old man recounting his past with Crone to Detective Sperry is riveting and intriguing, and I wanted more. The half of the story that belongs to Richard’s surreal journey into manse Crone is part good and part story padding. Still, it does set up for a potentially great final issue.

B

Leroy Douresseaux on ABATTOIR #4

4

ABATTOIR #4 (OF 6)
RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
CONCEPT: Michael Peterson
WRITERS: Rob Levin and Troy Peteri
PENCILS: Wayne Nichols and Rodell Noora
LAYOUTS: Bing Cansino
COLORS: Andrei Pervukhin and Drazenka Kimpel
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Tae Young Choi
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

The horror comic book miniseries from Radical Publishing, entitled Abattoir, is the creation of Darren Lynn Bousman. Bousman was the director of three films in the Saw franchise. The Abattoir comic script is written by Rob Levin and Troy Peteri with Bing Casino and various artists illustrating the script.

Abattoir is set in the late 1980s and follows real estate agent, Richard Ashwalt, who was struggling to sell a house where a brutal massacre took place. Then, a strange old man named Jebediah Crone wanted to buy the house before Richard even finished cleaning it. Richard comes to see Crone as the source of all his problems, including being the lead suspect in a murder investigation.

In Abattoir #4, Richard convinces his friend, police Detective Al Sperry, to help him continue his investigation of Crone. However, Newt Washington, the elderly gentleman who decades earlier had a run-in with Crone, helped Richard. Now, Newt faces someone else who was supposed to be Richard’s friend. Meanwhile, Richard thinks that he has discovered a pattern behind Crone’s activities.

Although Abattoir is a comic book, it reads like a fine horror novel and suspense thriller. The series is also improving with each issue, and I think that by publishing it in a traditional comic book format, Radical heightens the tension and thrills Abattoir offers. This story is a like cliffhanger with Hell the destination, and every horror comic book should aspire to be as exciting to read.

A-

Leroy Douresseaux on AFTER DARK #3

AFTER DARK #3

RADICAL PUBLISHING

 

CREATORS: Antoine Fuqua and Wesley Snipes

WRITER: Peter Milligan
ARTIST: Leonardo Manco
PAINTS: Kinsun Loh, Jerry Choo, Sansan Saw
LETTERS: Clayton Cowles
COVER: Tae Young Choi
56pp, Color, $4.99

His legal troubles did not stop movie producer and actor Wesley Snipes, best known for the Blade film franchise, from helping to create a comic book. With director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Snipes created After Dark, a science fiction comic book miniseries from Radical Publishing. Hellblazer alums Peter Milligan and Leonardo Manco actually produce the comic book, with Milligan the scriptwriter and Manco the artist.

Set in the future, After Dark takes place on an Earth that exists in a state of near-perpetual darkness. Civilization is mostly confined to domed cities, with Solar City being the most populated. The populace either lives in a drug-addled stupor or engages in rioting because of boredom. The rulers of Solar City decide that Angel, a messianic figure who hasn’t been seen in decades, can tame the populace. They enlist Omar, a Bedouin drifter, to guide a rag-tag team composed of specialists and known criminals into the wilds outside Solar City to find Angel.

As After Dark #3 opens, words gets out that Angel has been found and that she is coming to Solar City. That means a happy ending, right? It’s not that simple and neither is Angel, and friends become enemies.

I give credit to the creators for making this last issue of After Dark so… dark. It’s gritty, violent, tragic, and even for a few, small moments, poignant. At 150 pages of narrative, one would think that this story is long enough. It’s not. After Dark isn’t a miniseries so much as it is an epic, and there needed to be much more room in the story for the characters. It is almost as if Peter Milligan’s storytelling is too big for this miniseries. Still, After Dark is an interesting, darker-than-usual, dystopian fiction that offers a large, rich assortment of attention-grabbing ideas and elements.

B+

Leroy Douresseaux on ABATTOIR #3

ABATTOIR #3 (OF 6)

RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATOR: Darren Lynn Bousman

CONCEPT: Michael Peterson
WRITERS: Rob Levin and Troy Peteri
ARTISTS: Bing Cansino, Rodell Noora, and Dennis Calero
COLORS: Andrei Pervukhin
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Tae Young Choi
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman directed Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV, among other movies. He enters the world of comic books with Abattoir, a horror comic book miniseries from Radical Publishing.

Abattoir is set in the late 1980s and takes place in a Middle America of hidden darkness and brutal murder. The story follows real estate agent Richard Ashwalt, who was struggling to sell the Mitchell house, where a brutal massacre took place. Then, a very strange old man, Jebediah Crone, shows up, wanting to buy the house even before Richard finishes cleaning it. Richard resisted the old man’s attempts, but Crone got the house anyway.

In Abattoir #3, Richard comes to see Crone as the source of all his problems, including being the lead suspect in a murder investigation. He continues his own investigation of Crone, which leads him to Newt Washington, an elderly reclusive man who once dealt with Crone. Meanwhile, the police continue to track Richard.

Although Crone only appears in flashbacks this issue, his presence hangs over the ghoulish proceedings. Gothic and macabre, Abattoir is also something of a mystery tale – a whodunit that travels along the border of the fantastique. The best thing about this is that it always leaves you wanting more.

A-

Leroy Douresseaux on Abattoir #2

ABATTOIR #2 (OF 6)

RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATOR: Darren Lynn Bousman

CONCEPT: Michael Peterson
WRITERS: Rob Levin and Troy Peteri
ARTIST: Bing Cansino and Rodell Noora
COLORS: Andrei Pervukhin and Drazenka Kimpel
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Tae Young Choi
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Like quite a few Radical Publishing titles, the new horror comic book miniseries, Abattoir, is the creation of someone involved in the filmmaking industry.  Abattoir is the creation of screenwriter and movie director, Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV).

Set in the late 1980s, Abbatoir takes place in a sunny Middle America that is also home to hidden darkness and brutal murder.  The lead character is cop turned real estate agent, Richard Ashwalt. Struggling to sell the Mitchell house where a brutal massacre took place, Richard meets a very strange old man, Jebediah Crone, who wants to buy the house before even before it is finished being cleaned. Richard’s problems mount when he learns that he is the subject of a homicide investigation.

In Abattoir #2, Jebediah Crone continues to push Richard into selling him the Mitchell house by visiting Richard’s own home for dinner. Richard also learns that he is definitely tied to a brutal murder by physical evidence. He comes to believe that Crone is the reason for the strange turn his life has taken and begins an investigation of the old man.

Although it is as ghoulish, if not as brutal, as Bousman’s Saw films, Abattoir is turning out to be an exceptional horror comic book. As the American comic book market needs some diversity in genre, Abattoir is perfect for readers looking for something different in comic books. Gothic, macabre, and mysterious, Abattoir, with this issue, slowly creeps into Lovecraft territory, with its ghastly dreamscapes and a sense of an overwhelming, but mysterious supernatural.

While the writers get all the genre bits right, they don’t seem to be as committed to the characters, all of whom are either shallow or just types. Still, the writers and artists have come together as one twisted creative unit and have presented a horror mystery that is a dark and tasty spin on the whodunit while staying true to the scary.

It seems from the get-go that Abattoir is determined to give its characters and readers scary story fun. Fans of horror comics will love this kind of hell.  I like this second issue more than I liked the first, and I'm certainly looking forward to the next issue, which is scheduled to ship in February.

B+