IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Joshua Jabcuga (based on the novel by Joe R. Lansdale)
ART: Tadd Galusha
COLORS: Ryan Hill
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Joe Hughes
COVER: Baldemar Rivas
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Tim Truman; Baldemar Rivas; Tadd Galusha
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2018)
“Bubba Ho-Tep” is a 1994 novella written by short story author, novelist, and comic book writer, Joe R. Lansdale. An “alternate history” tale, “Bubba Ho-Tep” was first published in, The King is Dead: Tales of Elvis Post-Mortem, an Elvis Presley themed anthology.
Filmmaker Don Coscarelli (Phantasm) wrote and directed a film adaptation of the novella, which earned a cult following. Also entitled Bubba Ho-Tep, the film starred Bruce Campbell as Elvis and the late Ossie Davis as “Jack,” a black man who claimed to be the President John F. Kennedy.
Lansdale wrote a novel, Bubba and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers (2017, Subterranean Press), that was a prequel or background story to “Bubba Ho-Tep.” IDW Publishing is currently publishing a comic book adaptation of the 2017 novel. Entitled Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers, the comic book is adapted by writer Joshua Jabcuga; drawn by Tadd Galusha; colored by Ryan Hill; and lettered by Tom B. Long. The comic book follows Elvis who works for a secret government organization, fighting monsters along with a team of operatives.
Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1 opens in the penthouse suite of a Las Vegas Hotel. It introduces Johnny Smack, a bodyguard for Elvis Presley. Smack narrates the story, claiming that Elvis retired from being a recording artist and music performer. An “Elvis impersonator” now pretends to be the “real Elvis,” while the real Elvis pretends to be one of many Elvis impersonators.
Elvis works for a secret government agency, with his activities overseen by his manager, “The Colonel” (based on the real-world Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker). President Richard Nixon calls “The Colonel” into his secret lair where he informs him about an alien threat that must be stopped. However, this threat is unlike anything Elvis and company have ever faced.
Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1 is one of the best first issues that I have read this year. It is already one of my favorite comic books of the last several years, so I hope that this first issue is not a fluke. A blend of B-movies, weird fiction, Southern Gothic, monster movies, horror, and Elvis Presley subculture, Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1 offers a lot of background information and action for a first issue, especially since so many current first issue comic books amount to teaser trailers or vague prologues. Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1 is only 20 pages long, but it reads like a 32-page tale.
I have not read Lansdale's original novel, but Joshua Jabcuga's adaptation delivers a superb first issue. He made me immediately want to read the second issue. Tadd Galusha's art has a funky vibe that reminds me of the art in alt-comics and Underground Comix that were homages to classic EC Comics. Think the late Rand Holmes and underrated genius, Rick Altergott. Ryan Hill's garish, day-glo and back-lit colors are perfect for the Bubba Ho-Tep concept. Tom B. Long packs the thick dialogue and heavy exposition into neat boxes and balloons in a way that helps the weirdness of this comic book go down smoothly with southern fried aftertaste.
I highly recommend Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers #1. I already hope that this team produces more Bubba Ho-Tep comic books series.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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