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Book Review: Ouija by Elysia Dobbins


Ouija by Elysia Dobbins

Newman Springs Publishing, 2019

ISBN 978-1-64096-675-8 (paperback); ISBN-978-64096-676-5 (digital)

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Ouija by Elysia Dobbins takes place somewhere on earth and sometime in the future. Humans and non-humans have paranormal powers and gather at a gala convention showcasing vendors of magic and classes on the supernatural. Jesse Monroe, a pretty young witch, befriends Nako, a winged seraph cat, and Louis Lygtbut, a humanoid doctor with a scaly torso from another planet. The leering owner of the enormous casino hotel where the convention is being held, invites them to a demonstration of a new virtual Ouija game, unbeknownst to the knowledge that Charlie, a malevolent spirit, has hacked into the software. The casino hotel was built on the ruins of a mental hospital, where patients were tortured, a meat-packing plant where humans were butchered, and a church. Ages ago, a cataclysmic battle was fought between forces of good and evil at the site.

When the program is activated, Charlie materializes and opens a gate to the spirit world. Crazed ghosts of patients, nurses, butchers and monsters come through. Charlie seizes control of the service and security robots. They begin massacring the guests. Jesse and her friends seek refuge in the hidden, astral remnant of the church. Aegis, the powerful, winged angel, who failed to save the church and its priestess ages ago, guards the remnant. Can Jesse and her friends save themselves and win the new battle?

Young adult readers will appreciate the short, 126-page novel. The plot moves along quickly and many new and familiar characters, vampires, ghost dogs and spirit hounds make appearances. The novel has a lot of action, but not too much gore.  Fair warning: the publisher probably used a digital editing program, as there are frequent grammatically incorrect, but not misspelled words, that interrupt the reader’s flow. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee

Posted on June 22, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola


 

Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola

Dark Horse, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1-50670-666-5

Available: Kindle edition, paperback

 

Hellboy’s complete story is presented in chronological order in Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction. This is a massive tome, at over 300 pages, written and drawn by Mignola. We read from Hellboy’s summoning during his World War II origin all the way to his confrontation with the mad monk who brought him to Earth. Hellboy continually resists accepting his alleged fate as the harbinger of the end of the world while he is fighting the supernatural. Hellboy’s career at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is bolstered by the aid of the noble Abe Sapien and firestarter Liz Sherman at his side.

Volume 1 reprints Hellboy’s adventures from 1994-1997, Seed of Destruction, Wake the Devil, and the stories “Wolves of St August,” “The Chained Coffin,” and “Almost Colossus” from The Chained Coffin and The Right Hand of Doom. Included in the last pages of this book is a sketchbook with character designs from the earliest versions of Hellboy, Abe, and Liz to the current iterations. The sketches show the physical evolution that Mignola explored as he created his epic characters.

I would recommend this book particularly to readers new to the world of Hellboy and fans of the big red lug with the red right hand alike. It was great to be able to read the story of Hellboy in chronological order in one sitting to get the whole saga. Highly recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on June 1, 2018 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin, art by Jill Thomspon

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin, art by Jill Thompson

Dark Horse, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781506706368

Available: Hardback, paperback, Kindle ebook

Burden Hill is a peaceful suburb like any other, with well-kept yards, families, and their adoring and loyal pets…some of whom happen to be paranormal investigators. Witches, demonic frogs, werewolves, and zombie dogs are a few of the problems these brave investigators face in Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites.

The main characters in this are a group of dogs and one sassy cat. Wise dogs are summoned by the neighborhood dogs when they need guidance, something these brave souls are always ready to give. There is a black cat “familiar” looking to redeem herself in the eyes of the animals she once tried to kill. Humans have very little influence on the story, and when they are interjected into the story, it is heartbreaking and powerful simply because of the choices the animals in the story make willingly or are forced to make at the power of the supernatural.

Dorkin expertly weaves tales about loyalty, courage, acceptance, personal accountability, and a host of other very human emotions all bundled in these animal bodies. Each creature has a distinct personality. They even have their own religion, which the reader gets a glimpse of when the dogs hold a funeral service for dogs who were killed because of careless drivers. Adding Thompson’s beautiful artwork makes Dorkin’s story even stronger. It’s easy to take a few minutes to get lost in some of the fine details she includes in the panels, especially regarding the story of Hazel needing help finding her lost puppies.

Award-winning comics creators Evan Dorkin (Milk & Cheese) and Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother) first introduced the characters of Beasts of Burden in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings. They both won Eisner awards for Best Short Story (Dorkin) and Best Painter (Thompson). Animal Rites collects the earliest stories and the four-issue comic series Beasts of Burden. This isn’t exactly a kid-friendly read, so if you have young readers of Scary Godmother, be aware that there is content that may be disturbing. This would be a good read for YA and above depending on how well they do with such. I will say that there were a few times I had to take a few minutes between stories because of how much this team is able to call up emotions so effectively using animals as the storytellers. It’s truly beautiful, terrifying, heartbreaking, and hopeful all in one book. Highly recommended.

 

Contains: blood, brief nudity, mention of animal abuse

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 28, 2018 by , Reply
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