Book Review: SEX AND HORROR: THE ART OF EMANUELE TAGLIETTI

SEX AND HORROR:  THE ART OF EMANUELE TAGLIETTI 
Published by Korero Press


  If you have never heard of Emanuele Taglietti, don't worry, I hadn't either.  But if you are a fan of horror comics like I am, then it is a name you need to know.   I don't know how I have never heard of Mr. Taglietti, but I am glad that I have finally made acquaintance with his amazingly beautiful artwork!    Luckily we don't have to go round up all his comic book art to look at, as Korero Press has compiled some of his greatest works into this beautiful coffee table art book.   Here is a description of the book from the Korero Press website:

In the late 1970s and early ’80s Italy became crazy about the 'fumetti sexy', a home-grown style of erotic comics that subverted every genre with its own brand of twisted humour, violence, and up-front sensuality. Wilder and weirder than you can imagine, they were some of the most outrageous and shocking comics ever produced – most wouldn't be allowed today. These weren’t underground comics: they were totally mass market and their highly erotic covers were seen on every news stand and kiosk across the country. At their peak leading publishers were releasing a new 100-page comic every few days, with artists having to draw 150 to 200 pages a month. In the late 1980s, the advent of video and the global mono-culture of international media companies brought it all to an end. However, the work of one of the leading fumetti cover artists, Emanuele Taglietti, remains highly collectable and has been brought together for the first time in this book, providing a long-overdue look at this forgotten genre.


  This is one of the most beautiful comic art books I have ever seen.  It is a nice, thick book clocking in at 160 pages, all in full color.  Along with each painting that is seen here, there is a brief description telling you the title of the comic it was from, the issue number, and the publication month and year.  Some of the more popular comics have a brief description telling you what the general plot of the comic was.  The book also has a small section at the front that gives some brief biographical info on Mr. Taglietti. 


CLICK HERE to purchase SEX AND HORROR:  THE ART OF EMANUELE TAGLIETTI

Book Review: HORROR COMICS IN BLACK AND WHITE: A HISTORY AND CATALOG, 1964-2004

HORROR COMICS IN BLACK AND WHITE:  A HISTORY AND CATALOG,  1964-2004
By Richard J. Arndt
Foreword by Stephen R. Bissette
Published by McFarland &Company, Inc.

I am a huge fan of horror comics, but I didn't really get into them until back in the early 2000's when a friend introduced me to Steve Niles great comic book, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT.  Ever since then I have been a huge fan of horror comics, especially zombie comics which there are tons of.   I've collected almost all of the horror related comics since then, but there is no telling how many great horror comics I missed out on before then. 

Along comes the great reference book, HORROR COMICS IN BLACK AND WHITE:  A HISTORY AND CATALOG,  1964- 2004 by Richard J. Arndt.   This is a very in-depth and informative book that has been a blast to look through.  Here is a description of the book from the McFarland website:

In 1954, the comic book industry instituted the Comics Code, a set of self-regulatory guidelines imposed to placate public concern over gory and horrific comic book content, effectively banning genuine horror comics. Because the Code applied only to color comics, many artists and writers turned to black and white to circumvent the Code’s narrow confines.

With the 1964 Creepy #1 from Warren Publishing, black-and-white horror comics experienced a revival continuing into the early 21st century, an important step in the maturation of the horror genre within the comics field as a whole.

This generously illustrated work offers a comprehensive history and retrospective of the black-and-white horror comics that flourished on the newsstands from 1964 to 2004. With a catalog of original magazines, complete credits and insightful analysis, it highlights an important but overlooked period in the history of comics.

The book starts off with in-depth descriptions of CREEPY and EERIE magazines, including info about the cover art and each story that is in each issue of the magazine.  From there it jumps to the VAMPIRELLA comic magazines of the 1970's and then all the rest of the horror comics up until 2004. Each entry about a comic contains great info including the titles of the stories contained in each book, the cover art info, and notes containing interesting facts and info about the comics.

If you are a fan of horror comics, you will definitely want to get your hands on a copy of this book.  This is a great reference to have.  You can use the book as a checklist to look for all these great old comics and magazines.  I highly recommend this to all my blog readers.

You can call McFarland's toll free order line at 1-800-253-2187 to purchase this book or order directly from McFarland's website by CLICKING HERE.

http://www.mcfarlandpub.com

Graphic Novel review: SOMETHING ANIMAL from Fanboy Comics

 
SOMETHING ANIMAL
Written by:  Sam Rhodes and Bryant Dillon
Art, Photography, and Design by:  Robert Burrows
Original Story by:  Ben Rhodes
Edited by:  Barbra Dillon

A while back I wrote about a graphic novel and short film called SOMETHING ANIMAL from Fanboy Comics.  Well, the graphic novel is finally out and I recently got my hands on a copy.  For those not familiar with the story, here is the basic plot synopsis from the official website of the graphic novel:

After witnessing his sister's brutal murder, Jack struggles to cope with the disturbing, psychological aftermath. Tormented by images of the attack, Jack finds himself physically ill and unable to eat.

Scared and alone, he is forced to confront a growing thirst for blood and the harsh reality that either his sanity is quickly crumbling or that he is turning into something else... something dark... something animal...

I liked this graphic novel a lot...it is a very simple story and really doesn't have much dialog for a graphic novel.  The majority of the story is told through the artwork of Robert Burrows.  I mentioned in my last post about SOMETHING ANIMAL that the art style is not polished at all.  It is rough and a little distorted at times, but it works perfectly for this dark subject matter.  

I like the story a lot, but I did feel it ended rather abruptly and left many questions to be answered.  I have a feeling this is a just a drop in the bucket of the SOMETHING ANIMAL story.  I think this graphic novel is just setting the background for us and I think this story is really going to take off in a future follow up book.

Get your hands on a copy of SOMETHING ANIMAL before they sell out!  You can get a copy off of the Fanboy Comics website for only $9.99 + shipping!  


CLICK HERE to purchase the graphic novel
CLICK HERE to visit the official website of SOMETHING ANIMAL
CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Fanboy Comics