Corey's Comic Corner Week #7: Corey takes us on a
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Welcome to Corey’s Comic Corner where Corey shares his POV on all things Comic and Pop Culture Related!
We’re back with another wacky and wild edition of Corey’s Comic Corner! Pull up a seat and let the good times roll for what you find below will both shock and astonish you…. We’ve got some comic reviews, some movie reviews and we’re even tossing in some snack reviews this week. We’ll get to all that but first I wanted to talk about a movie my family and I went to over the weekend.
We finally managed to get out of the house this month together for a scary movie in the theater. The movie, “Smile”, has been in theaters for 3-4 weeks now and it’s still raking in the dough. It was released by Paramount pictures and crossed the $130 million mark over this past weekend. That is no small feat for a R rated movie. We learned why all the fuss was warranted first hand! I had heard the reviews were solid but set my expectations low to be safe as I always do. I try to not let reviews or public opinion affect my thoughts when diving into movies, books, music or anything else of that nature. Let me start by saying this movie is BONKERS! My wife, daughter and her friend all had to turn away, look down and made some pretty scared faces over the course of this movie. haha. It starts right out of the gate with some pretty dark and depressing imagery and it doesn’t take its foot off the gas the whole movie. Sosie Bacon, the lead actress, is just fantastic in this role. She does an amazing job dealing with fear, anger, grief and just about every other emotion you can imagine. Trust me! She runs the gamut of feelings here. She plays a therapist who sees one of her patients die horrifically and violently right in front of her and after that she can stop seeing visions of this person and other coincidences that are taking a toll on her job, personal life, etc. She starts connecting the dots and this leads her down a path where she must deal with prior tragic events in her life and face down her current demons as well. The special effects, music and dark tone make this movie unsettling to begin with. Once you add in all the jump scares, some pretty gnarly gore and an evil entity that nobody can initially see, you are in for a pretty wild ride! This is probably one of the best horror movies I have seen over the past 5-10 years. If you are a fan of “The Ring” or “It Follows” you will be a huge fan of this movie. We all loved it and I can’t wait to purchase it for my collection. Check it out! It will be on Digital and On Demand soon.
Over the weekend Jason also gave me some interesting snacks to try that they have at POP ROC. As you know, if it’s pop culture related, unusual, unique or something you might not have tried before…Chances are you might find it at POP ROC!! My daughter and I both sampled Lays Cucumber chips out of China as well as some Churros with Cheese Cream snacks out of South Korea. Sadly we devoured the evidence before I decided it might be cool to show the actual contents! Note to self for next time.
As you can imagine, Cucumber flavored potato chips are not something we think of as appetizing here in the US. Most of us anyways! This is one of those things that plays tricks with my brain. You want and expect them to taste one way but your taste buds go running in the exact opposite direction. They were definitely an acquired taste. Do they taste like Cucumbers? Yes! 100%! They actually pulled this off. Pretty wild really. At first we both were a little turned off at the flavor but that didn’t stop us (mostly me) from finishing the can during work today! haha! Once you get through that fresh Cuke taste they are actually pretty close to the crunchy, salty original. Now this is not something I would go out of my way to buy when perusing the snack aisle but if I ended up locked in a fallout shelter with nothing but these chips, I would survive!! It’s totally doable! You might even like them. We had a lot of fun just opening the can and seeing how differently they do things compared to here in the US. For example, all the chips were safely stored inside a small plastic tray inside the can. This actually resulted in no broken chips! It was a fun experience!
The Churros were actually quite delightful and tasted almost exactly as we expected. Just like the slightly crunchy, cinnamon and sugar coated snack but with a center full of creamy and sweet cheese filling. I could see myself snacking on these on a regular basis. My daughter thought they were pretty yummy too! They more or less had the texture of a Cheese puff but with all the flavors I noted above. Definitely snack worthy, even for us picky Americans. With all that being said, if you like trying new things in general and are curious about the snack game in other countries, stop in and see what else is in stock. You never know what you might find!
Now on to our weekly comic book reviews….. Sticking with our October theme.
This week I had a chance to review “Night of the Ghoul #1”, “Tomb of Dracula #1” and “Archie’s Halloween Spectacular 2022”
Night of the Ghoul #1
Published Dark Horse Comics
Written by Scott Snyder
Penciled by Francesco Francavilla
Rated M for Mature
Available now!
Night of the ghoul is a fantastic and creepy story about a 1940’s director who’s on his deathbed and a middle aged family man who recovers and watches one of the director’s lost pictures. An uncompleted movie reel that is both cursed, and also holds the true reasons the film was buried and never completed in the first place. Secrets that will have lasting implications for both the director and this middle aged man’s family. The series was originally released as a Comixology Original and after it’s growing popularity is now finally in print.
First of all, I’m a huge fan of Snyder and Francavilla. Both of them have several prior horror books they were involved with and they each excel in this genre. The colors, the characters and setting paint a startling and dark portrait of fear, anxiety and fear. Weaving together the horrors of the WWI battlefield and the filmmaking of those times with a setting at a creepy nursing home where the director is dying Instantly sets the tone for this book. Right off the bat you get the feeling that something is amiss. The first issue setup details a man and young son arriving at a nursing home where they had tracked down the aged director, a patient now using an alias to clearly leave his history behind. He lies in his bed near motionless and without much regard for his visitors. That is until the dad mentions he knows who the dying man really is and that he also has a long lost uncompleted reel from what would have been the director’s last film. Suddenly the old man is wide awake and utters “How much did you watch and who else have you shown this film?” This is when you know you are in for a hell of a ride. Let the fun begin! This issue is a great setup to what will be the first of six issues. If you like mystery, horror and suspense this is a can’t miss title from two of today’s best talents! Check out this book. One of my favorite reads of the past year. Pick up a copy in POP ROC today!
Tomb of Dracula #1 facsimile edition
Published by Marvel
Written by Gerry Conway
Pencils by Gene Colan
Rated T for Teen
Available now!
This classic horror comic from 1973 is now back in facsimile form for a new generation to enjoy all over again. Frank Drake the descendant of Count Dracula has inherited the castle of his late relative in Transylvania and hopes to turn it into a museum or tourist attraction of sorts but when they arrive at the castle they learn something still lingers within the castle walls. Something that is both yearning for companionship and thirsting for life.
I’m lucky enough to own a copy of the original issue which I hold dearly to my heart. There’s just something classic and undeniable about those old style horror stories. This comic has been a major influence on almost everything we see and read today. It’s no wonder the prior reviewed comic is so similarly titled. Just looking at the cover alone. The old-timey art. The lettering. The fog and dripping moss with the full moon and castle way in the background. If I’m a kid in 1973 and I see this issue on the rack in the local soda shop I’m not leaving without grabbing this comic! Conway’s writing also is vivid and detailed. Each turn of the page pulls you into the story as you wait for Dracula to strike. The craziest part is there is not a drop of blood or a bit of gore within these pages but it remains as effective as ever. If you’ve never had the chance to read this classic comic I highly recommend picking up an issue. It’s only 12 issues later that Blade the Vampire Hunter arrives on the scene and really starts to shake things up!
Archie Halloween Spectacular 2022
Published by Archie Comics
Written by various
Pencils by various
Rated All Ages
Available now!
Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica are back with this year’s collection of Halloween themed stories. Written by various artists including long time Archie writer and artist Dan Parent. Lead off by a new story featuring two new characters “Trick & Treat”. 5 stories, some old and some new, each with that classic Archie and gang flare!
What can I say? Archie is something I was turned on to as a child as it was one of my dad’s favorite comics growing up. I read a lot of Archie growing up and that’s not a bad thing. Archie has a rich history and it’s almost as American as Apple Pie. I think one of the things that makes Archie so enjoyable is that it’s just so innocent and light. It can be read by anyone at any time and is always accessible. It’s one of those comics where if you are having a bad day you can pick up an issue and it will have you laughing, or at least smiling by the end. It’s also a great introduction to comics for kids of all ages! This particular Halloween one-shot is mostly reprinted stories but they also add 1-2 new stories to mix things up a bit for new and old readers alike. The new story is kind of short but it’s funny all the same. The art has that classic Archie and Gang style. While it’s serviceable it’s the classic, light hearted stories and heart that keep fans coming back for more. If you are a fan of Archie you can’t go wrong with this issue even though it might contain some stories you have already read. The new characters are quirky enough and there are always enough laughs to make the $2.99 price tag a steal. Inquire about Archie and some of these other comics at POP ROC.
Lastly, I will leave you with my week 3 horror movie recommendation!
The Evil Dead
New Line Cinema
Released in 1981
Rated NC-17
Easily in my top 5 horror movies of all time. “The Evil Dead” starring Bruce Campbell and written and directed by Sam Raimi broke new ground as a horror film and was an instant classic paving the way for both Raimi and our hero Ashley “Ash” Williams. A group of college students head out to camp for a weekend at a remote cabin and unleash flesh-hungry demons from a book they find in the basement called the Necronomicon. Dumb kids, beer and scary looking cabin in the middle of the woods??!! Nothing good can come of this right? Of course not! When the demons are unleashed this movie goes from creepy to full on terror and horror in the blink of an eye. It’s literally bonkers from there until the end as our campers are dwindled down to one lucky survivor. Is he really lucky though? You’ll have to watch to find out! Trust me, you won’t be able to take your eyes off the screen. Bruce Campbell is great and Raimi is literally among the best when it comes to unleashing terror on an audience and that’s exactly what they did with this movie. They rarely make movies like this anymore. The special effects for the time, while mostly practical, are fantastic. The film is just so utterly terrifying and gonzo wild it will become a regular staple of your Halloween viewing for years to come. Let me know what you think!
That wraps up our blog for this week. I hope you enjoyed reading along. Stay tuned for more and don’t forget to stop in POP ROC soon. We’d love to see you!
Corey Newell
“Just a guy who loves comics”
⁃ Independent blogger, dad, dork, comic nerd and pop culture lover hailing from Spencerport, NY