What are you reading?

[Marshall Crist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marshall Crist]

Surprise! Three years later (1985) and suddenly ALTERNATE EXISTANCE #2 appears. This time it's a standard-sized color comic published by Dragonmaster Comics out of Atwater, CA. It starts off with a 15-page Poltergeist story, the first four pages of which are recap. Perfectly understandable given the gap between issues and the obscurity of the previous one. The art here is not as fluid as the earlier installment. Then there's a 10-page story about a new character, a lady spy named Janitt Targitt. I like to think she's related to Atlas Comics' '70s character Targitt, but there is no evidence to suggest this. Things end on a lame note with a colorized reprint of the enigmatic Dr. Barnes story from issue#1. There is an ad for a third issue, but neither it nor any additional comics from Dragonmaster seem to have materialized. I could have done with more of this.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

HELL CITY HELL #1 (1998) appears to be the only comic published by Los Angeles' Diablo Musica. It seems that they are/were primarily a record label, and while surprisingly the story does not reference the label's roster or songs, the back cover promises a multi-media experience which is likely a tie-in album of various artists. I would characterize this as a variation on SIN CITY, with exotic dancers and on-stage self-immolation. Not as good as it sounds, due in part to bland (if technically competent) artwork. In color.

I wonder if the Supersuckers were on that V/A album (assuming it came out). They had a song called "Hell City Hell" on their first album - which was on Sub Pop.

edit - actually not their first album - The Songs All Sound The Same is - but first for Sub Pop.

[Marshall Crist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marshall Crist]

There is an ad in the comic for a Supersuckers product on Interscope that appears to be titled 1999 666. Hard to tell because of the way the text is laid out. Acts listed as featured on the HELL CITY HELL album (if that is indeed what it is) are Puff Daddy & The Family, Fastball, Supersuckers, and Samiam.

[Marshall Crist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marshall Crist]

Hey, another one-off that I didn't particularly like is TRIBAL FORCE #1 (1996), the sole effort from Costa Mesa, CA's Mystic Comics. It pits pissed-off, super-powered Native American beings against the US military. Great concept, but I was not drawn in. Once again, this suffers from unrealized ambitions which would have extend beyond the first issue, which is exposition-heavy. In color.

[Lorne Marshall Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lorne Marshall]

I oftentimes select a couple of titles off a bookcase containing books I picked up years ago. Right now I'm going through the 2002 anthology SHIVERS (edited by Richard Chizmar) and Richard Laymon's RESURRECTION DREAMS (1988). I have a lot of titles I've picked up in the last couple of years that I should get to soon, like DON'T DISTURB THE DEAD (about the Bollywood brothers who specialized in horror), which I first read about in this forum.

Thanks for starting this thread, Newt. It will nudge me to crack open books more often than I have lately.

[Marshall Crist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marshall Crist]

Just ordered a wad of vintage noir books by Gil Brewer. It remains to be seen if they get read soon. Great author, though.

Lorne, do you have any favorite Laymon books? I sure do.

[Lorne Marshall Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lorne Marshall]

Lorne, do you have any favorite Laymon books? I sure do.

I'm embarrassed to admit that this is only my second one. I read THE CELLAR when it was first published, then a few years ago my buddy was getting rid of a bunch of the author's paperbacks and I took them. I'm now trying to go through them in chronological order, though it will be a while before I finish, I'm sure. Perhaps some of your favorites are among the ones I have?

[Marshall Crist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Marshall Crist]

I had read THE CELLAR in the 90s, I think. Thought it was great, and wondered what ever happened to the guy. Later I realized that he had a ton of books in print in England. I acquired and read them chronologically. His second book might be my favorite: THE WOODS ARE DARK. Try to get a fairly recent copy if you can, because they put back in all the stuff that the US publisher cut out. Such a fantastic book. The shit starts going down on page 2 and just never lets up. Would make a fantastic movie. It's like OFF SEASON, but doesn't take one hundred pages to get going. Hope you like it--your mileage may vary. He's got plenty of other good ones.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

The was an old thread dedicated to what people are reading, but I always forgot to post in it; a new one is always welcome :)

Currently I am reading Susan Hill's THE MIST IN THE MIRROR. This is one of Hill's books that I've had for many years but have never bothered reading. It's okay. The central premise works well, and there are some very evocative/atmospheric passages, but in other respects it's a bit of a slog. The pacing seems all over the shop. Not on par with THE SMALL HAND, say.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

I had read THE CELLAR in the 90s, I think. Thought it was great, and wondered what ever happened to the guy. Later I realized that he had a ton of books in print in England. I acquired and read them chronologically. His second book might be my favorite: THE WOODS ARE DARK. Try to get a fairly recent copy if you can, because they put back in all the stuff that the US publisher cut out. Such a fantastic book. The shit starts going down on page 2 and just never lets up. Would make a fantastic movie. It's like OFF SEASON, but doesn't take one hundred pages to get going. Hope you like it--your mileage may vary. He's got plenty of other good ones.

I read quite a lot of Laymon back in the 90s. My memories are fairly vague, though THE WOODS ARE DARK, THE BEAST HOUSE and THE ISLAND were my favourites, I think. Enjoy the ride, Lorne!

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

The was an old thread dedicated to what people are reading, but I always forgot to post in it; a new one is always welcome :)

Currently I am reading Susan Hill's THE MIST IN THE MIRROR. This is one of Hill's books that I've had for many years but have never bothered reading. It's okay. The central premise works well, and there are some very evocative/atmospheric passages, but in other respects it's a bit of a slog. The pacing seems all over the shop. Not on par with THE SMALL HAND, say.

The old thread was great, but I lost interest because it turned into the "What Comics Have You Been Reading?". I do like comics, and read them occasionally, but I don't like 'em that much.

[David H Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close David H]

I think we did have a previous thread, maybe it was "Currently Reading". I'm too stressed to read books right now but I am reading the new issue of Decibel magazine with a look back at 1995 and the At The Gates/Dissection tour and ratings of all the extreme metal albums that came out that year. It's amazing how many great albums were released in 95.

I'm reading this as well. One of their best issues in awhile, which is bittersweet because it's the last issue of my subscription that I've had for 10 years. It's too pricey with the vinyl insert and I'd feel incomplete if I had the sub w/out the vinyl, so I didn't renew.

Also reading THEY CAME FROM WITHIN: A HISTORY OF CANADIAN HORROR CINEMA; just read an old Master of Kung Fu comic that hasn't held up that well- it's a Gene Day art-issue, which is fine, but I prefer Gulacy; and just got 4 old MAD paperbacks in the mail (Hopping Mad, Mad in Orbit, Clod's Letters to Mad, and another one I'm blanking on).

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

The old thread was great, but I lost interest because it turned into the "What Comics Have You Been Reading?". I do like comics, and read them occasionally, but I don't like 'em that much.

I took a load of comics, including some Judge Dredd comics, out at my local library back in Feb/March. The loans have been extended to September because of the lockdown. However, I haven't read a single one of them.

I may be getting old :D

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

I'm reading this as well. One of their best issues in awhile, which is bittersweet because it's the last issue of my subscription that I've had for 10 years. It's too pricey with the vinyl insert and I'd feel incomplete if I had the sub w/out the vinyl, so I didn't renew.

Also reading THEY CAME FROM WITHIN: A HISTORY OF CANADIAN HORROR CINEMA; just read an old Master of Kung Fu comic that hasn't held up that well- it's a Gene Day art-issue, which is fine, but I prefer Gulacy; and just got 4 old MAD paperbacks in the mail (Hopping Mad, Mad in Orbit, Clod's Letters to Mad, and another one I'm blanking on).

They Came From Within is a terrific book, I thoroughly enjoyed that one.

I only have a couple issues left on my Decibel sub and I'm torn on renewing. As you say, the new issue is one of the better ones they've done recently but some have been a lot of coverage of Decibel Metal and Beer fests and Decibel tour stuff (obviously pre-virus). It all seemed too in-house and more advertising than anything else.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

Went to a bookstore for the first time since early March yesterday. I just found out Sunday that Stephen King has a new book out, and having some credit left on a gift card I decided to pick it up. If It Bleeds is a collection of 4 novellas. The titular one is what made me want to grab this, it's sort of a sequel to The Outsider. Holly Gibney from that book and the Bill Hodges trilogy is in it and investigating a television reporter who seems to have a knack for being first on the scene of a tragedy. I'm only about a third in so far but already hooked. I really loved The Outsider and this is a cool follow up.