Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - Undertaker Halloween Special

 Welcome to Longbox Junk, where I just keep on writing comic reviews even though nobody asked me to!

Halloween is almost here!  There's a chill in the air, a full moon glowing in the sky, and Christmas movies 24 hours a day on the Hallmark Channel!  Here at Longbox Junk, 'Tis the Season to be jolly. . .er. . .I mean, 'Tis the season for spooky comics!

I love spooky comic books.  My collection is absolutely PACKED with horror and suspense comics ranging from the Golden Age to. . .well, just this week!  One might say my collection is top-heavy when it comes to horror comics.

As I was digging through some boxes for find some more comics for the Longbox Junk Halloween party, I came across the comic at hand.  I found it in a bargain bin quite a while ago and just bought it for the cover.  I've never actually read it.   I passed it by, because I was ACTUALLY looking for something with vampires in it.

But THEN I remembered I have a friend who is a HUGE wrestling fan.  And here we are!

This one's for you, Jared! Happy Halloween!

Let's do it.

UNDERTAKER HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Chaos! Comics (1999)

COVER: Dan Brereton

THE COVER:

Apparently,  I have a limited edition Dynamic Forces variant cover that's supposed to have a Certificate of Authenticity included.  I bought this comic for a dollar and there's no certificate to be found.

But what I DO have is a banger of a Dan Brereton painted cover!  Personally, I have a thing:  I see Dan Brereton on a comic cover. . .I buy that comic.  I'm a sucker for his dark and twisted painted art.  

Mr. Brereton did a FINE job of capturing not only the likeness, but the essence of the wrestling anti-hero, Undertaker.  It's dark, it's mysterious, I really like the title with the crackling red outline.  I can't find a thing I don't like about it!

This is another reliably great piece of work from Dan Brereton.  I haven't found a bad one yet.

Let's get inside!

THE STORY:

I'm not familiar with the comic book adventures of The Undertaker, but Chaos! Has helpfully provided what this story is all about right there on the first page!  

" This year, an evil Halloween force known as Samhain, The Lord of the Dead, reveals he has abducted the souls of The Undertaker's dead parents and wants control of Stygian in exchange. The Undertaker must go back to the ruins of his childhood home to encounter an evil he has never faced and could never be prepared for. Will he restore his parents' souls to rest? Can he survive alone? Read on and find out!"

Nice! Now I don't need to read OR review this comic!  

Just kidding.  Let's GO!

The Undertaker

SCRIPT: Jim Monti & Dan Monti

PENCILS:  Leonardo Jimenez

INKS: Don Hillsman

We begin our tale at midnight, Halloween night.  At a graveyard.  The Undertaker is there to visit the graves of his parents.  It is his yearly pilgrimage.  But THIS year is different. . .

A mysterious bearded figure, surrounded by a baleful green light appears!  He taunts Undertaker, showing him the figures of his parents being tormented!  

The mysterious figure introduces himself as Samhain, Lord of the Dead.  He demands that Undertaker surrender the Stygian. . .Book of the Dead and the source of Undertaker's powers.  Only then will he release the souls of Undertaker's suffering parents!  Undertaker has twelve hours to deliver the Stygian at the appointed place. . .

IN THE MEANTIME. . .

In the small town of Percy, Texas, brothers Billy and Oscar prepare for a fun night of Halloween trick-or-treating.  Their mother warns them to stay away from the old Funeral Home.  It's been the site of tragedy and there's nothing good to be found there.

But boys being boys, Oscar bullies his brother into going to the Funeral Home despite their mother's warnings. When they knock on the door, it's opened by a fearsome character!  None other than Paul Bearer!

MEANWHILE. . .

Undertaker arrives at the site of his parent's death. . .a pile of long-burnt rubble.  He demands Samhain show himself.  The mysterious figure appears, surrounded by a bodyguard of twisted demonic creatures!  

Samhain demands the Book of the Dead.  Undertaker refuses, demanding in turn that Samhain release his parents or face his wrath!  Samhain orders his demons to attack and capture Undertaker!  They quickly overpower Undertaker, Samhain takes the book, and they bring Undertaker to Samhain's lair!

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE FUNERAL HOME. . .

Paul Bearer invites Billy and Oscar into his evil lair.  The brothers manage to escape his clutches, but Paul Bearer pulls a switch that completely seals the funeral home's doors and windows.  The brothers now have no choice but to run from Paul Bearer through his twisted maze of a home!

MEANWHILE. . .

Undertaker wakes in chains.  The mad figure of Mankind is scuttling around the cell muttering deranged questions to a sock puppet on his hand he calls Socko.  Undertaker learns from Mankind that he's a prisoner in Samhain's castle.  Mankind doesn't really remember how he got there.  Undertaker demands the deranged man help him escape.  Mankind frees Undertaker and tells him he owes him now. . .

IN THE MEANTIME. . .

Back in the funeral home, Billy and Oscar continue to flee from the relentless pursuit of Paul Bearer.  They find themselves in the mortuary and take refuge in a coffin, but Paul Bearer knows where they've hidden and throws another switch, activating the crematory furnace and the conveyor belt.  The coffin the boys are hiding in slowly begins moving toward the flames!

We interrupt this story to present this dramatic double page foldout Undertaker photo poster, which means we're already halfway through this comic!  Time flies when you're havin' fun!

BEHOLD!

As Undertaker makes his way through the twisted passages of Samhain's lair, Mankind decides he doesn't want to be Undertaker's friend anymore and surprise attacks him!

The two begin fighting, but are interrupted by a trap door opening above them, dumping a giant pile of snakes and lizards on the two of them.  Mankind goes down under them, throwing Socko to safety as Undertaker continues on his way. . .

Undertaker finally makes his way to Samhain's inner sanctum, a place of fire, chains, and hanging skeletons.  Samhain is chanting a ritual from Undertaker's Book of the Dead!  It's the conjuration of the Fire God!  Undertaker is determined not to let the ritual be completed and throws a sharpened bone, skewering Samhain and killing him!  

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE FUNERAL HOME. . .

It seems that although Samhain's ritual wasn't completed, it still summoned something. . .the mysterious being known as KANE!  He appears in Paul Bearer's mortuary and stops the conveyor belt.  Tearing the lid off the coffin, he saves Oscar and Billy! They quickly flee Paul Bearer's evil lair. . .

BACK IN SAMHAIN'S LAIR. . .

Guess what?  Undertaker didn't kill Samhain!  The mysterious sorcerer rises from his apparent death and attacks Undertaker!  Our hero fights back, using his own powers of death to finally defeat Samhain and free the souls of his parents!

But wait. . .WAIT! Hold on! Samhain STILL isn't dead! He rises AGAIN!  This time in the form of gigantic, fiery demon!  But even so, he's STILL no match for the powers of the Undertaker!

Undertaker declares himself Lord of the Darkness, gathers his rage, and blasts Samhain once and for all!  As the slain Samhain's lair begins to collapse around them, Undertaker and Mankind make their escape. . .

But it's not over just yet.  There's still one more thing Undertaker needs to do.  Returning to the graveyard, he uses his powers of Darkness to finally give the disturbed souls of his parents peace.

 The End.

THE REVIEW:

Well, okay then.  There is is.  The Undertaker Halloween Special.  Let's break it on down!

What we have here is a fun bit of cross-media promotion.  It's definitely going to appeal more to readers who are fans of the WWF era of pro wrestling and even more so to fans of The Undertaker in particular.  But that's not to say it isn't a fun read.  

The "Billy and Oscar Escape From Paul Bearer" side story seems a little tacked-on, but without it, this comic would only be about 10 pages long (okay . .15 pages.  There's a full five pages of advertisements in the back).  So even though it feels somewhat thrown in to fill space, it's okay.

The story is extremely simple.  It reads very quickly and has a somewhat abrupt ending.  It's no masterpiece, but like I often say, not EVERY comic has to be a masterpiece.  Sometimes you just want to read something fun.  This is fun.  It's pretty forgettable, but still fun.

On the art side of things, it's pretty 90s-tastic.  It's not the WORST 90s art I've seen, but you can take one look at any page of this comic and immediately peg the time frame as late 90s.  There's a few cool moments. . .the artist makes Paul Bearer hilariously creepy. . .but overall, the artist doesn't try too hard to stand out.

CONCLUSION

When I say I'm not a big fan of pro wrestling, that doesn't mean I'm COMPLETELY ignorant of it.  In the late 90s I was in a relationship with a woman whose whole family were wrestling fans.  So I basically spent about 3 years deep in it.  

At the time, Undertaker was probably about the biggest ticket there was, along with Kane and their ongoing drama with Paul Bearer.  So I can definitely see why Undertaker got his own comics around that time.  Kane and Undertaker had a dark and dramatic story that could translate well to comics.

Overall, I found this to be quick, fun, and forgettable.  But if you're a big wrestling fan, you might get more out of it than I did.  I don't think I'd recommend this to anyone who ISN'T a 1990s wrestling fan.

I'm not sure how rare this is. . .I've only seen the one copy in a bargain bin.  So if you want to check this one out, I see plenty for sale online.  It seems that there was also a Chaos! ongoing Undertaker series that went for 10 issues.  I've never seen any issues of it, but if you're an Undertaker fan and didn't know, now you do!

Up next. . .

The midnight hour draws near.  Halloween is almost here!

But there's still enough time for a little more Longbox Junk Halloween party.

Stick around and see what I dig up next!

Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - Night Of The Living Dead #1

 Welcome to Longbox Junk, where I write comic reviews that nobody asked for!

October is winding down. . .only a couple more weeks to go.  But there's still some Halloween fun to be had here at Longbox Junk!  

It's been a pretty fun Halloween party so far.  We've had ghosts, werewolves, hostile aliens, demons, a mad scientist. . .not bad.  Not bad at all.  But it just feels like SOMETHING is missing.

Zombies.

The wandering undead corpses, risen from the grave to feast upon the living. Zombies!  Let's invite some zombies to the Longbox Junk Halloween party, shall we? WE SHALL!

The comic at hand is an official adaptation of THE iconic zombie movie, George Romero's 1968 horror classic, Night of the Living Dead.  I JUST picked this one up from a thrift shop last weekend and haven't had the time to read it until literally right now as I type these words, so I have no idea what I'm getting into here.  You can find out with me!

Let's GOOO!

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD #1

FantaCo (1991)

COVER: Carlos Kastro

THE COVER:

As soon as I spotted this cover in a battered longbox of comics at a local thrift/antique store, I HAD to have it!  I mean. . .just LOOK at it!  If THAT'S not an awesome Halloween cover, I don't know what is.

Even if the story isn't good, I'm so glad I found this comic just for the cover alone.  It's superb.

Let's get inside!

THE STORY: 

Night of the Living Dead Chapter One

SCRIPT: Tom Skulan, Eric Stanway, George Romero (Original Screenplay), John Russo (Original Screenplay)

PENCILS:  Carlos Kastro, Eric Meheu

INKS: Carlos Kastro, Eric Meheu

Brother and Sister Johnny and Barbra drive to a remote cemetery in rural Pennsylvania to visit their Father's grave.  Johnny isn't happy with the idea of continuing the long drives into the country every year, as they've done since their Father's death, and the two of them argue as they travel. . .

Finally arriving at the gravesite, the two siblings pay their respects, but Johnny doesn't really have much respect about it.  He taunts Barbra as she prays over their father's grave, upsetting Barbra as he tries to scare her. . .

Johnny's disrespectful graveyard antics are interrupted when a pale man wearing a tattered suit slowly strolls up and attacks Barbra!  Johnny tries to fight the attacker, but gets his head smashed against a tombstone for his trouble. . .

With Johnny dead, the man turns his attention back to Barbra, who runs back to the car with the mysterious man in hot pursuit. . .well, sort of a slowly jogging pursuit, but anyway.  She discovers that Johnny still has the keys to the car.  While she frantically tries to figure out what to do, the man arrives and starts trying to bash the car's windows with a brick!

Barbra releases the emergency brake and she starts making a slowly-rolling getaway.  But the man still follows.  In her panic, Barbra crashes the car into a tree and she's forced to make a run for it!

Terrified, Barbra spots a nearby farmhouse and runs inside.  Heading to the kitchen, she finds a butcher knife.  Peering out the window, she discovers to her horror that not only is the man outside and trying to find a way into the house, but that there are two more figures shambling out of the woods to join him!

She tries the phone, but it's not working.  She decides to hide upstairs, but on the way she discovers the corpse of a woman. . .her face frozen in a scream, the flesh chewed from her skull!  Barbra completely loses it over the gruesome sight and she runs back out the front door of the farmhouse!

Outside, she's stunned by the glare of headlights.  There's a car pulling up to the house!

A man gets out of the car, he's holding a tire iron.  He sees Barbra, then sees the figures approaching.  Thinking quickly, he rushes her back into the house and bolts the front door. . .

The Stranger (Ben) mistakes Barbra for the owner of the farmhouse and demands the key to the gas pump he spotted outside.  He tells her that they can escape if he can get some gas for his car.  Ben tries the phone and discovers it's dead.  Barbra doesn't speak, she just stares in shock. . .

Ben figures out that Barbra is hiding just like him.  He frantically tells her that they've got to get away and find some other people.  He starts searching the house for anything useful.  In the meantime, Barbra just sort of stumbles around in shock.  Everywhere she looks, she sees blood!  She starts screaming in panic. . .overwhelmed by everything going on.

Ben hears smashing sounds outside and realizes their pursuers are destroying his car.  Barbra falls into a state of catatonic shock as Ben runs outside to try to stop them from damaging their way out.

Outside, a brutal battle ensues as Ben takes the crowbar to the two attackers outside.  He's quickly forced to fight for his life as he realizes they're a lot stronger than he thought!  But eventually, he beats them both down. . .

Exhausted, Ben goes back into the farmhouse, only to find another attacker about to grab the nearly-catatonic Barbra!  He manages to kill the attacker with his tire iron, stabbing it through the forehead, but to Ben's horror, he sees more coming!  A lot more!

Ben desperately tries to fight off the attackers as they come into the farmhouse, and he manages to take a few of them down, but there's too many!  

Ben slams the door shut and begins trying to barricade it.  Terrified, Barbra wants to know what's going on.  Ben tells her that they know they're in there!  Outside, a crowd of zombies begins completely surrounding the farmhouse. . .

To be continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

Okay, okay. . .not bad.  Let's break it on down!

So what we have here is pretty much a scene by scene re-telling of the original 1968 movie, with very little added beyond a bit more lingering on some of the gore.  The dialogue and action is almost the same as well, with just a few different "camera" angles on scenes here and there.    

This first issue covers roughly the first twenty minutes of the movie (I actually put my DVD on and watched it as I read this comic, to see how closely they matched).  It cuts off right before Ben and Barbra discover there are more people hiding in the basement.

So. . .as an official adaptation based on the original screenplay, this comic does a great job.  Maybe it does TOO good of a job.  It doesn't step outside the lines very much, so if you're a fan of the movie version of Night of the Living Dead (like I am), there's not much new here to see.

Like the adaptation of Re-Animator I reviewed a couple of posts back, you might get more out of this if you aren't overly-familiar with the source material.  If you're coming at this with fresh eyes, you'll get a tense and nightmarish quickly-paced story that's extremely tight and well done.  And you'll get the same thing if you ARE a fan of the movie, just not so much.

Where this adaptation DOES kick it up a notch is with the art!

The movie is crisp and clean.  Showing every detail.  Like the script, the movie is extremely tight and well-done.  It's a classic for a reason.  The art in this adaptation is blurry, twisted, and nightmarish. It has a frantic energy about it that the almost sterile perfection of the camera work in the movie lacks.  The art REALLY stands out when contrasted to the familiar scenes and dialogue. 

CONCLUSION

Overall, this is a stellar re-telling of George Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead.  For fans of the movie, it will seem familiar. . .the dialogue and scenes are almost note for note.  But the art gives this adaptation a nightmarish flavor that I REALLY liked a lot.

This is only the first issue of a four issue series, and I really wish I had the other three issues.  I'd never heard of this adaptation or seen it in bargain bins or back issue bins, so I did a little research and found out that there ARE plenty of copies for sale online for less than ten bucks, so they're out there.

It looks like all four issues have been collected several times and are also for sale online.  I usually don't buy comics online, but I'm definitely considering buying one of the collected editions of this series.

All in all, this was a great read.  Check it out, if you can get your hands on it!

Up Next. . .

I don't hear no bell!  It ain't over yet!

MORE Halloween fun!  Be there or be square.

Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - The Spectre #5

 Welcome to Longbox Junk, the place to find all the comic book reviews you never wanted!

October is almost over, but the Longbox Junk Halloween Party is still going!  It's been a good time so far. . .I mean, at least the neighbors haven't called the police yet, right?  It's like I always say: There ain't no party like a Longbox Junk Halloween party, 'cause a Longbox Junk Halloween party don't stop!

Well. . .I guess it stops in November.  But for now, we ain't stopping!

This time out we're going to take a little trip to HELL with DC's Supernatural Superhero, The Spectre.

Sound good?  You in?  LET'S GO!

THE SPECTRE #5

DC (1993)

COVER: Charles Vess

THE COVER:

It's a cover by the great Charles Vess.  

Here's my policy when it comes to Charles Vess:  If I see Vess. . .I buy Vess.  Simple as that.

In MY humble opinion, he's one of the greatest fantasy illustrators out there.  Unfortunately, he seems to be a bit overlooked when the conversation turns to great comic artists, but in MY house Charles Vess is a hero.

So. . .great cover.  Let's get inside this thing!

THE STORY:

A Rage In Hell

SCRIPT: John Ostrander

PENCILS: Tom Mandrake

INKS: Tom Mandrake

We begin our tale on a rainy night.  A police chase ends in a fiery crash.  But these aren't just petty criminals meeting their fate on a rain-slick highway.  They're kidnappers who have taken a child and buried him alive.  They were on their way to pick up the ransom when they ran a stop sign and attracted the attention of a random patrol car. . .

As they rush the lone survivor of the crash to the Emergency Room, the devastating situation becomes clear.  He's the only one left who knows where the child is buried!  The Detectives in charge of the case and the child's parents are quickly summoned to the hospital, but it's too late.  The kidnapper dies, taking his knowledge to the grave. . .

The situation is beyond grim.  The child's parents are in a panic.  Nobody knows where their son is buried and he's sure to die soon!  The Detectives can bring them no comfort.  They have no leads, no clues, nothing.  

But then Jim Corrigan arrives.  He's a friend of Amy, one of the Detectives.  Corrigan is a "Psychic Detective" and he tells them he's there to help.  Head Detective Kane is skeptical, but Amy has seen Corrigan at work before.  

Amy is well aware of Corrigan's supernatural powers.  She follows him into the room with the dead body of the kidnapper.  His name was Eddie Vega.  Corrigan tells Amy he's going to follow Vega's soul to wherever it may be, but she needs to watch over him and maintain his connection to this world.  Amy reluctantly agrees, and Corrigan goes to work. . .

Corrigan enters the dead body of Vega, changing into the form of Supernatural Avenger, The Spectre!  

He follows the thin thread of Vega's soul, first trying to catch up to it in the Land of the Recently Departed, but Vega's soul is nowhere to be found.  Spectre knows that Vega must already be at his final destination. . .HELL!

Upon his arrival in the infernal realm, Spectre is immediately assailed by the tormented spirits of some of those he has sent to this place.  Spectre ignores them and demands that the Lord of Lies present himself!

A powerful demon called Shathan The Eternal appears in answer to Spectre's demand.  It seems the two beings know of each other and have fought before.  Shathan is still healing from his defeat at the hands of The Spectre.  He demands to know Spectre's purpose.

Spectre tells Shathan that he's there for the soul of Eddie Vega.  Shathan mocks Spectre and shows him Vega being tormented.  Spectre demands Vega.  Shathan refuses to give up his new plaything.

  He declares that Spectre has no power in his realm, and taunts the hero by saying the life of the child doesn't matter to Spectre. . .he's only there because HE didn't get to deliver judgement on Vega.

Enraged by the demon's taunts, Spectre let's Shathan know that his wanting Vega is NOT a request!  He grows and attacks Shathan, who continues to taunt Spectre, telling him he's outstepped his bounds.

And it's ON!  Shathan fights back, continuing to taunt Spectre as he inflicts some of the same torments the Spectre has used in judgement of others upon him.  Spectre dies in agony again as again as Shathan boldly declares that the Spectre has no power in HIS realm.

Even weakened by Shathan's relentless attacks, The Spectre manages to find the will to fight back!

He declares that his powers derive from the unavenged and he wields their rage everywhere. . .and ESPECIALLY in Hell!  Re-energized, Spectre breaks free of Shathan's mental torture!

Spectre attacks Shathan with renewed energy, forcing the demon to experience his own fearsome hellfire!  It's too much.  The Spectre prevails and takes the soul of Eddy Vega from Shathan.

The triumphant Spectre thanks the defeated demon lord for the entertainment, then takes his prize and readies to leave the infernal realm.  But Shathan bids him to wait. . .taunting Spectre one last time with rumors he's heard that the Spectre is actually half demon, but doesn't even know it.  Spectre dismisses Shathan's words as lies. . .but ARE they?

Leaving Shathan and his rumors behind, Spectre takes the soul of Eddy Vega to the gates of Hell, where he demands the information about the kidnapped child's location. . .

Vega's pathetic soul, overjoyed at being released from torment at the hands of Shathan, gladly blurts out the information the Spectre needs.  The child is buried in a graveyard in a nearby city under a headstone marked "Krause".

But Vega's joy is short-lived.  Once Spectre has the information he wants, he casually tosses Vega's soul back into Hell to continue with its deserved eternal torture.

BACK ON EARTH. . .

At the hospital, Detective Kane hears screams and finds Amy in the room with the dead body of Vega.  The corpse is standing and telling them where the child is buried!  Kane can't believe his eyes, but he rushes out to summon some officers and the child's parents to go with him to the graveyard. . .

While Amy remains at the hospital, helping Corrigan leave the dead body behind, Kane and his officers find the grave and dig it up, rescuing the boy.  Detective Kane wonders what just happened, and what Amy has gotten herself mixed up in.

The End. . .To be continued.

THE REVIEW:

A harrowing trip into hell, a battle against a demon with a child's life hanging in the balance.  Such a great little story! 

Although this issue IS part of the ongoing continuity of the 1992 Spectre ongoing series, it reads well as a one shot story.  You don't need to know too much background to understand that Spectre is a powerful being willing to go to hell and fight a demon to save an innocent soul.

So the story is pretty good, but the Golden Ticket HERE to me is the fantastic Tom Mandrake art!  

Mandrake is someone that I feel is a bit underrepresented when it comes to conversations about great comic artists.  I know his work best from this run of Spectre, as well as Batman, Grimjack and Sgt. Rock, but he did a LOT of solid work over his career and probably deserves more mentions than he gets.

My source for this high opinion of Mandrake?  EXHIBIT A:  Just look up above at the scans from this one single issue!  Mandrake's brutal vision of Hell is about as disturbing as it gets.  When he inks his own work (as he does here), his art hits HARD.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I give this issue a certified Longbox Junk Gold Seal of Approval™.  It's got an engaging story and is PACKED with superb artwork from the great Charles Vess cover to the final page.  

I hope that by spotlighting this single issue within the run, that someone out there who might not have read the 1992 Spectre run, or who might not have thought about reading a Spectre comic at all might change their mind and take a look at this series. 

It's a fairly lengthy run for the 90s at 63 issues and an Annual, but it's a solid read all the way through.  

You can find issues in the bargain bins, but I think this is a series not many people get rid of, so they're a bit sparse.  There are collections that can be found pretty easily, though.  This is still a popular series even after almost 35 years.  It's one that's managed to ride out the scorn heaped on a lot of other 90s comics, due to the quality of the stories and art.  Check it out!

Up Next. . .

October ain't over, so the Longbox Junk Halloween Party ain't over, either!

Be there or be square.

Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - Re-Animator

Welcome to Longbox Junk, where we only use science for GOOD. . .most of the time.

We've been having a nice little Halloween party here at Longbox Junk, but I can't help but notice that there's something missing.  What we need here is a good old-fashioned MAD SCIENTIST!

Science gone wrong has been a staple of horror media since Robert Louis Stevenson put pen to paper in 1886 to give us the gothic tale of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  There's just something about a story of someone who thinks they can play God and gets proven wrong that appeals to horror fans, and for good reason!

The dark laboratory, the forbidden experiments, the temporary victory followed by the crushing reality that man can only imitate God for so long before it all goes wrong.  It's a perfect horror formula for the modern world of science and technology, and a story we're seeing play out right in front of us as mankind stumbles blindly into the future.

What we have here is a short three issue series that's a comic adaptation of a movie that was loosely-based on a short story (By H.P. Lovecraft) inspired by yet another story (Frankenstein).  Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present. . .RE-ANIMATOR!

RE-ANIMATOR

Adventure Comics/ Malibu (1991)

SCRIPTS: Steven Phillip Jones

PENCILS: Christopher Jones
INKS: Christopher Jones ( Issue #3 by Terry Pallet)

ISSUE ONE

COVER: Dave Dorman

THE COVER:

I'm an absolute sucker for a Dave Dorman painted cover!  And this is a great one.  It perfectly captures the likeness of the actors from the movie this comic adapts, while giving it an extra kick of Dorman flair.  This is one of my all-time favorite Halloween covers!

Let's get inside.

THE STORY:

We begin our dark tale with introductions. Lots of introductions.

We meet Dan Cain, 3rd year medical student, brilliant and devoted.  He's engaged to Megan, the daughter of Miskatonic University's Dean Halsey. . .a man desperate to keep funding to his struggling University strong.  

The source of that funding is famous brain surgeon and researcher, Doctor Carl Hill, who is Miskatonic U's most prestigious instructor and who has wanted Megan since she was young, even though he's much older than she is.

Last, but not least, Herbert West.  Recently arrived from Switzerland under mysterious circumstances, son of a wealthy family, and regarded as the possible future of brain research. He's been lured to Miskatonic by being promised a prestigious scholarship. . .a scholarship that WAS going to Dan Cain.

Introductions over, let's get this story going!

Stung by his loss of the scholarship, Dan is surprised to find Herbert West at his door answering an ad for a roommate.  West tries to make amends by paying three months in advance and Dan reluctantly accepts.

West immediately begins acting strangely, taking over the building's basement as his own and forbidding Dan access.  West also starts making waves at school when he disrupts Doctor Hill during a lecture, publicly disagreeing with the distinguished professor.  Megan also confesses to Dan that she's got a strange feeling about his new roommate.

Megan decides to do a bit of checking up on West and sneaks into his room while he's gone.  To her horror, she discovers Dan's pet cat dead in West's refrigerator!

When West returns, Dan confronts him, not only over the dead cat, but over the drugs and chemicals also in the refrigerator.  Dan strongly suspects West has stolen them from the University.

West claims he found the cat dead already and was just keeping it cold for when West returned so he could tell Dan the bad news.  As for the chemicals, West tells Dan that's none of his business.

LATER THAT NIGHT. . .

Dan hears strange howling noises coming from downstairs.  Creeping down to investigate,  he is shocked to discover Herbert West being attacked by his presumably dead cat!  Dun-Dun-DUNNNNN!!

To be continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

So I said not long ago that I was wanting to stick to single issues for a while here at Longbox Junk, but when I decided to check out Re-Animator for the Halloween party, I realized that this three issue series probably COULD have just been two issues.  There's really not much going on in this first issue apart from introduction and setup.  So I decided to just go ahead and do all three issues.  The first issue alone wouldn't have made a good Halloween review.

Like I said, there's not much going on except introduction and setup, but it's well-written and engaging enough to make me want to read more.  I'm a fan of the cult classic 1985 movie and this follows the story pretty closely, with a few small changes here and there that aren't really worth pointing out.

Christopher Jones' dark and somewhat gritty art, with extremely dark inks, is really well suited to this story.  His style gives everything a nice, creepy feel, even when the story isn't being particularly creepy.

So, overall a good first issue that passes the Longbox Junk "First Issue" test by introducing the characters and their situations in a new reader-friendly way and making me want to read more.  

Let's get into Issue Two!

ISSUE TWO

COVER: Lurene Haines

THE COVER:

Well, I guess we couldn't get lucky enough for Dorman to do all three covers, but Haines does a fine job here with a fantastic mad scientist cover, showcasing the creepy Doctor West in search of his next subject.  I REALLY like the "lighting" effect here.  Very nicely-done!

THE STORY:

Continuing from last issue, West and Dan are forced to kill Dan's cat.  West reveals that what he's been working on is a reagent that re-animates the dead. . .but it seems there are still a few kinks to work out.  Dan doesn't believe West, so he brings the dead cat back to life again!  

Unfortunately for Dan and Herbert, Megan walks in on the scene of the gruesome experiment and is mortified by what she sees.  She leaves and immediately goes to her father, the Dean of Miskatonic,  to tell him what's going on in her fiancée's basement. 

The next day, Dan is called to the Dean's office, where Doctor Hill is also waiting.  Dan tries to convince the Dean that West has made a medical breakthrough and that re-animation of the dead is possible.  He's seen it with his own eyes!

Dean Halsey and Doctor Hill don't believe him.  They call both Dan and West mad and the Dean withdraws Dean's funding and scholarships, effectively expelling Dan from the University.  Worse, Halsey also forbids Dan from seeing his daughter again.

But Dan KNOWS that West is onto something and he wants to be a part of it.  So he agrees to sneak Herbert into the University Hospital Morgue, where Dan has been working nights.  It's time to test West's reagent on a human specimen.  If this works, then Dan and Herbert's reputations and medical careers MIGHT still be salvaged.

They manage to find a suitable specimen.  A man recently dead from natural causes.  They inject the reagent and the corpse re-animates. . .but like the cat, it's frenzied and violent.  

While West and Dan try to subdue their subject, Dean Halsey has decided to visit Dan at work and let him know that perhaps he was too harsh about him not seeing Megan.  Unfortunately for all involved, Halsey walks in on the aftermath of the experiment and the re-animated corpse attacks him!

A nice little two page spread!

West manages to kill the re-animated corpse with a bone saw, but not before it kills Dean Halsey!  Dan panics, but West keeps his cool. . .NOW they have an even fresher subject to work with.

The two of them quickly inject Halsey with West's reagent.  Doctor Hill arrives at the morgue, intending to talk Halsey out of relenting on forbidding Dan and Megan getting married.  The scene at the morgue is chaos. 

Security tells Hill that Halsey confronted Dan and West and a violent argument broke out.   Halsey went mad and cut up a corpse with a bone saw.  Or. . .at least that's the story according to Dan and Herbert.

When Hill insists on speaking to Dean Halsey, he is shocked to discover that the Dean is in a catatonic state. . .

To Be Continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

Okay, now we're getting into the meat of the story!  The slide into chaos is pretty steep here, going from dead cats to Dean Halsey quickly.  Things are getting out of hand and Herbert West just ignores everything with an air of smug delusion.   

Unfortunately, this is also where the limits of a comic adaptation of a movie start to show.  The frantic, comedic physical action of the movie doesn't translate well as I wish it would onto the printed page.  Not that the artist doesn't do a fine job.  His style is dark and creepy, even in scenes that aren't really SUPPOSED to be creepy. 

 That said, if you look up to the double page spread I posted, you'll see two little panels of the re-animated corpse bursting through a door and slamming it down on top of Dean Halsey.  In the movie, it's a shocking, laugh out loud moment.  In the comic. . .it's just two panels.  Just one example of how this comic is a good adaptation AND a not-so-good adaptation at the same time.

Let's get into the final issue!

ISSUE THREE

COVER: Lurene Haines

THE COVER:

Haines delivers another great cover, with the smug Doctor West as the centerpiece and doing a very nice job of capturing the likeness of actor Jeffrey Combs.  This is dark, spooky, and just a really nice Halloween cover!

THE STORY:

Continuing from last issue. . .

Doctor Hill takes charge of Dean Halsey and puts him under observation.  He gets permission from Megan to do exploratory surgery to find out the cause of his sudden collapse into psychosis.  

In the meantime, Megan confronts Dan about what REALLY happened.  Dan confesses everything.  He tells Megan that her father isn't insane. . .he's dead.  He tells her about everything that has happened since Herbert West walked through his door.  Megan is understandably shocked, but agrees to help Dan somehow salvage the situation.

Doctor Hill goes forward with experimental laser surgery on Dean Halsey's brain and is surprised to discover the same thing Dan has just confessed to Megan. . .Halsey is dead!

Doctor Hill confronts Herbert West in his basement laboratory and attempts to blackmail him into surrendering his reagent and notes, hoping to take credit for West's discovery.

In the meantime, Dan and Megan break into Hill's office at the University, hoping to find anything that Hill may have that would incriminate Dan.  What they find instead is a file that Hill has been keeping on Megan for years!  He's been stalking her.

Meanwhile, in West's makeshift laboratory, he tries to talk his way out of Hill's blackmail, but eventually realizes there's only one way out.  He offers to show Hill something interesting, and when he's bent over the microscope, West hits the Doctor with a shovel. . .and then chops off his head!

Seeing the fresh opportunity before him, West decides to see if he can re-animate separate parts of a person by injecting his reagent into Hill's severed head!

West manages to re-animate both Hill's head AND body.  While West is questioning Doctor Hill's head and taking notes, Hill's body sneaks up behind him.  West is astounded that somehow Hill is able to telepathically control his body, but his joy of scientific discover is cut short when Hill's headless body knocks West unconscious!

Dan arrives at the basement lab and revives West, who is horrified to find that Hill is gone, along with West's supply of reagent and his notes!  Dan tells Herbert about the file on Megan they found and Herbert tells Dan to go to her while he tries to find Doctor Hill.

At Doctor Hill's office at Miskatonic University, we discover that somehow, Hill has gained the ability to mentally control not only HIS body, but the bodies of other corpses re-animated with West's reagent. He commands the body of Dean Halsey to return home and get Megan.  

Dan is attacked by Halsey right as he arrives and begins telling Megan the danger she's in.  Her father's corpse overpowers Dan and carries Megan back to the University Hospital, where the re-animated Doctor Hill is waiting.

Herbert finds Dan and realizes what's happened.  The two of them quickly rush to the University Hospital, where Hill, using the re-animated Dean Halsey as an assistant, has already stripped Megan and is preparing to use the experimental laser on her in order to kill her and then re-animate her under his control!

His diabolical plan is interrupted by the timely arrival of Dan and Herbert.  West distracts Hill while Dan tries to free Megan, but Doctor Hill was ready for them!  He's already re-animated several corpses from the morgue and is able to control them.  He directs them to attack and it seems that Hill and his undead minions have the upper hand!

However, Megan's voice reawakens a protectiveness in her father that remains even past death!  Dean Halsey crushes Doctor Hill's head, and then he turns to attack West as the other corpses go into a violent, mindless frenzy.  West is seemingly killed by Dean Halsey as Dan and Megan fight for their lives!

Unfortunately, as Dan and Megan make their escape from the carnage in the operating room, one of the re-animated corpses grabs Megan and strangles her!  Dan fights off the attacking corpse and rushes Megan into the Emergency Room, where he tries to save her life. . .but fails.

BUT. . .

Dan had managed to grab West's reagent as he fled the operating room!

He injects Megan's lifeless body with it.  The scene fades to black.

Had to do a bit of amateur editing to post this on Facebook

The End.  OR IS IT? 

THE REVIEW:

Like the third act of the movie, the third act of this adaptation makes ABSOLUTELY no sense.  It's gore, it's chaos, it's people running back and forth.  It seems like things are just made up as they go along, and that's part of what makes the movie a cool little cult classic.

But like I said in the review for the second issue, it doesn't translate that well to the page.  Don't get me wrong, it's still a gory, frantic, action packed ending to the story and it's pretty good, but without the campy acting, gruesome practical effects and weird camera angles of the movie, it just feels a bit weak.

There's also an unfortunate shift in the art with Christopher Jones not inking his own pencils in this issue, along with some pretty glaring coloring issues (see the first page I scanned for a good example) here and there that just takes the visual appeal down a notch.

What I DID like here a lot is that they actually changed the ending slightly.  In the movie, there's no doubt that Dan manages to revive Megan.  The scene fades with her screaming in the background.  Here, it's left a little more ambiguous.  It's a good little change.

CONCLUSION

As you can probably tell, I'm a fan of the 1985 movie version of Re-Animator.  If you haven't seen it yet, and you are looking for a campy, gory, horror/comedy (although I'm not sure the comedy is intentional) then you might want to go check it out.  It's not the best movie ever, and it firmly falls into the "So Bad It's Good" category, but if you're into that sort of thing, it delivers.

Overall, this is a pretty good adaptation.  The writing is solid and the art is nice.  Like I pointed out above, Christopher Jones makes even non-creepy scenes a little creepy, so nicely done there.

But it DOES sort of fall flat in being unable for the most part to translate the campy fun of the movie onto the page.  The creative team tries, but there's really no way to recreate the acting of Jeffrey Combs (Herbert West) and David Gale (Doctor Hill) on paper. 

 It might be a bit unfair to compare a comic with a movie, and I get that, so I'll say that if you haven't seen the movie then you might like this a lot more.  

If you want to check out Re-Animator, the first issue isn't hard to find in the bargain bins or back issue bins.  I see it fairly often.  But I've NEVER seen the second or third issue for sale in a comic shop.  I got mine from a comic-con for probably more than I should have paid (five bucks each).  I wonder if it's because the first issue really doesn't have much going on and readers dipped out before buying the rest of the story. . .

It also doesn't look like it's ever been collected, so you'll have to hunt down the individual issues.  You can probably find them online, if you want to go that route.  But no matter how you hunt these down, I'll recommend Re-Animator as a pretty nice little chunk of Longbox Junk worth finding.

Up Next. . .

MORE Longbox Junk Halloween fun!

How about a little trip to the Land Down Under with DC's supernatural superhero, The Spectre?

And I'm not talking about Australia.  I'm talkin' about HELL!

Be there or be square.