ben templesmith |

If you see Ben Templesmith on the cover, you know the series you are about to read is going to be full of horror, death, gore, and insanity. Choker is chock-full of that. The story revolves around an ex-cop, Johnny Jackson, who gets called back by his old boss to bring a prisoner who escaped back. It doesn’t turn out well, as the department is using a steroid-type drug on their cops called Man Plus, which is somehow connected to the prisoner’s drug ring. The story takes a long time to catch your attention. It starts out with you completely lost and characters talking like you already know what’s going on. Later issues backtrack to catch you up until you hit the final wall.

Choker isn’t the best series I’ve read, but I read it mainly for Templesmith’s art. His sick and twisted watercolor drawings are fantastic and one-of-a kind. He’s one of my favorite comic artists. Sure, it looks messy and sloppy compared to most artists, but it’s unique in a way that it matches the story it’s telling. Choker doesn’t have the most memorable characters; it’s too short to keep you hooked for long, with only six issues; and the story is kind of predictable. The whole 20-minute-in-the-future setting is nice, with a scummy city like Gotham City or even Neo Tokyo. I wanted to know more about Shotgun City and its inhabitants, maybe some side stories.

If you like crime dramas, you will like Choker. It has vampires, gore, cops, mutants, and crazy characters. Just don’t expect to be in it for long because it ends before you even realize it started.

I usually don’t care much for vampire stories, but 30 Days of Night hits the nail on the head. This comic is so dark and vile that it made me uncomfortable, and that was good. The writing is fantastic, and it sucks you in from the beginning. There’s a tiny little start-up with a husband and wife Sheriff duo of Barrow, Alaska. It’s dark for 30 days out of the year between November and December. They watch the final sunset, and then suddenly things start attacking the remote town.

The two sheriffs do their best to try to round up the town, but they get wiped out quickly and can only save a few. There’s a mysterious man who is sent via helicopter by his mother to take reconnaissance photos; you never find out who this mystery man is either. The leader of the vampires shows his face and runs amok. I won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say it’s very heartbreaking and pretty emotional. This three-part mini-series does an amazing job of providing excellent character in such a short time.

Ben Templesmith’s art style is something to be desired; it’s an acquired taste. If you read the recent Dead Space comics, you would know what I’m talking about. His art is very messy and spidery; it is one of a kind, but not exactly detailed. It’s all about the atmosphere he gets across. Barrow is a remote town, so you feel claustrophobia when you read it. You know there’s nowhere for these people to go, and you feel the fear as they only have a couple of miles of buildings to hide in. The part about Ben’s art is during fight scenes. He highlights the blood and gore, and you can really get the idea across. He uses side-shot silhouettes and up-close shots of the vampire that look frightening. It’s a very stylized art style, and Ben draws like no one else in the industry. Many people accustomed to Zenescope’s art with rich, vibrant colors and scantily clad women may not like this series. I say dig in because horror comic fans will find a long-running series to dive into and keep busy for days. This is just the tip of the iceberg.