Longbox Junk - The Skunk #1

 Welcome to Longbox Junk, where the reviews are free and if you aren't satisfied, we offer a 100% refund!

Sometimes when you go digging through a bargain bin you find something. . .different.  There, among all the Valiant and early Image comics you find something that just catches your eye.  Something you've never seen before.  Something that quietly whispers that you need to pay a buck and rescue it from the bargain bin prison.

This is one of those comics.  

I've never heard of this series.  I've never seen another issue of it.  Information online about it is EXTREMELY sparse.  Basically cover scans and a bit of creator information.  

I'm willing to bet a dollar that this will literally be the first and only full review of this comic that has ever been done and ever will BE done.

But this is Longbox Junk.  And that's what we DO here!

So, let's do it.

THE SKUNK #1

Entity Comics (1996)

COVER: Bill Maus

THE COVER:

So this cover made me buy this comic book.  It's 90s-Tastic in every way!  The colors are great, the title font is cool, and it's just really eye-catching.  Is it the greatest cover in my collection?  Not even close, but there's just something about it that I like a lot.

Let's get inside this thing!

THE STORY:

Uno

SCRIPT:  Bill Maus

PENCILS: Bill Maus

INKS: Bill Maus

We begin our tale in New York City, where two garbage collectors discover a giant man wearing a strange costume laying in the trash in the back of their truck. . .

The mysterious figure is weak and disoriented for some unknown reason.  He doesn't remember who he is, where he is, or what day it is.  But it begins to slowly come back to him. . .

IN THE MEANTIME. . .

We shift scenes to a beautiful young woman whose car has been stolen while she was returning overdue video tapes (Welcome back to 1996, folks!).  All that's left is the steering wheel with her anti-theft device still attached.

Unfortunately for the thieves, they crashed the car a few blocks down the street. . .because it had no steering wheel.  Now they've returned to steal whatever else the girl has.  She informs the idiot thieves that her wallet is still in the car.

It turns out that she's in the clutches of the Sticky Boys!  They grab the girl and tape her to the wall, planning on letting her die of embarrassment. . .

And THAT'S when our mysterious hero arrives on the scene!

He leaps into action, easily defeating the Sticky Boys.  He saves his mightiest attack for last. . .a blast of foul gas from his, er. . .behind!  He declares that Justice has a new smell, the smell of THE SKUNK!

After the girl is rescued, we learn her name is Macy.  She takes The Skunk to her apartment.  On the way, they run into her creepy landlord.  Ever since he was struck by lightning on the rooftop of the building, he doesn't take off his sunglasses.  

WE see that the landlord's sunglasses actually give him the ability to see people without their clothes. . .BUCK NEKKED!

In her apartment, we learn that Macy is an artist.  She makes art from the junk and trash she finds in the alleyways of New York City.  Being a creature of the trash himself, Macy's art touches the Skunk's dark soul.

A week later, Macy and The Skunk have become a couple.  Between her kindness toward him and her art, The Skunk feels that he's found the connection he's been looking for.  He now knows what he must do. . .

Later, The Skunk begs Marcy to become his. . .partner in fighting crime!  His side-kick!  She agrees!

A quick costume change and the two of them begin to patrol the city together, a new force for Justice!

EPILOGUE. . .

In Macy's building, the Landlord with the strange glasses goes to do his laundry in the basement.

He's confronted by a terrible creature. . .barely human and wrapped in strips of cloth.  He tells the Landlord he's out for revenge because he was evicted.

He's been hiding in the dryer and has been tumble-dried so many times, he has become. . .THE ROLL!

DUN-DUN-DUNNNN!!

To be continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

Okay, there it is.  The Skunk #1.  Let's break it on down!

So. . .it's not great.  Let's just get that out of the way.  That said, I often say a comic doesn't always NEED to be great.  Sometimes you just want to read something fun.  This comic IS sort of fun, but it tries a little too hard to squeeze that bit of fun out.

It's basically a parody of grim-n-gritty 90s comics, which a bit of research shows me that both Bill Maus (the guy wearing all the creative hats here) and Entity Comics were known for.  But like I said just above, it tries a little TOO hard to be clever.

The story is extremely light and very abbreviated.  This comic is LITERALLY half advertisements for Entity back issues and upcoming titles.  I see that there are actually six issues of this series out there, but truthfully, there's probably only enough story for three, based on this first issue.

So, those of you who have been reading Longbox Junk for a while know that I base my opinion of a first issue on TWO questions. . .and if you are a new reader, WELCOME!  And by the way, I base my opinion of first issues on these TWO questions:

First. . .Does it introduce the characters and their situation in a new reader-friendly way?  Well, that would be a no.  There's hardly any actual introduction or explanation of anything.  This story is so short that it just sort of slams from one thing to another and it's over before you know it.

Second. . .Does it make me want to read more?  That would also be a no.  Although this comic is sort of 90s-Tastic fun, it's SO light and forgettable that I think I can do without looking for any other issues of the series.  

Two for two on the wrong side of the dial.  Not good.

CONCLUSION

They can't all be winners, right?  And The Skunk isn't a winner.  It's barely okay.  It just tries TOO hard to be a parody of the grim-n-gritty 90s.  It comes off as smug and sort of full of itself.  Like someone who laughs hardest at their own joke.

This is the only issue I've seen of this series, but I see that there are six of them out there.  The Skunk also made some guest appearances in other Entity comics.  The one I see mostly mentioned is "Fart Wars", a parody of Star Wars.  You can find issues of both The Skunk and Fart Wars for sale online.

Bill Maus is probably better known to con-o-sewers of black and white indie comics as the guy behind Zen, The Intergalactic Ninja.  So if you dig the exaggerated art style in the pages I scanned above, finding some Zen might be a bit easier.  I see them pretty often in the bargain bins. 

Overall, this comic is so light on story and so heavy on forced humor and ads that I can't recommend it to anyone other than fans of Bill Maus.  There's better stuff to find in the bargain bins.

That's it for this one.  

Stick around for more Longbox Junk, and until next time, remember that comics are worth more than money!

Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #54

Welcome to Longbox Junk, where the comics are cheap and the reviews are FREE!

Tick. . .Tick. . .Tick. . . The hands on the Grandfather clock move toward midnight. The witching hour.  But the chime hasn't tolled yet and there's still a little life left in the Longbox Junk Halloween party!

In 1989, DC came up with what is, in my humble opinion, THE best format for Batman stories.  

Legends of the Dark Knight was an anthology title with short story arcs (No longer than 5 issues) and one shot issues done by a constantly rotating roster of some of the best creative talent working at the time, so that no two stories looked or felt the same.  

It lasted for an astounding 214 issues, along with a good handful of annuals and specials.  A rare feat for a 1990s comic, making the run a little harder to collect than your average 90s title.

The stories were (mostly) set outside of then-current Batman continuity and ranged from gritty crime noir to standard superheroics to science fiction, fantasy, and yes. . .horror.

Which brings us to the comic at hand. 

Since this will be the last entry in the Longbox Junk 2026 Halloween celebration (I'm going to be out of town over the next few days) I thought I'd go ahead and throw in one of my personal favorites to close it out, which is this weird little Batman horror story.

You ready?  Let's do it!

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #54

DC (1993)

COVER: Mike Mignola

THE COVER:

My personal "Mount Rushmore" of favorite comic artists is as follows: 

Joe Kubert, Timothy Truman, Jim Lee and. . .Mike Mignola.

I absolutely LOVE his super dark and weird art style.  The cover of this comic is one of my favorite pieces by Mignola.  I like everything about it.  The bold red perfectly setting off his signature pure black spaces REALLY catches the eye.  It's surreal. It's got a creepy gothic feel to it that just sort of grabs you.

  I have this cover in a frame on my office wall as part of my Halloween comic cover display RIGHT NOW.  I had to take it down to read and scan pages from it for this review.  It's going right back up when I'm done.

Mignola really outdid himself on this one.

Let's get inside!

THE STORY:

Sanctum

SCRIPT: Dan Raspler & Mike Mignola

PENCILS: Mike Mignola

INKS: Mike Mignola

We begin our tale late at night, in a graveyard under a full moon.  A serial killer named Lowther mutters to himself as he traces elaborate designs in blood on an old, overgrown crypt. . .

The killer is interrupted by Batman!  Determined that tonight is the last night Lowther will kill, Batman leaps to attack.  The two of them fight, Lowther is tricky and unpredictable, he manages to stab Batman several times. . .

Desperately trying to defend himself from the deranged killer, Batman accidentally kicks him into a spiked metal fence, impaling Lowther and killing him!  Weakened by loss of blood, Batman passes out, falling onto the crypt Lowther had been painting with blood and collapsing its roof. . .

Batman wakes in a strange place.  An underground space filled with odd Victorian statues, photographs, and other strange knick-knacks and decorations.  Confused, the Dark Knight begins to explore the strange place, which seems like some sort of strange, dusty museum more than anything else. . .

Batman wanders the musty halls of the place until he comes to a large room, where he is greeted by a strange, skeletal man.  Batman demands to know where he is and what's happened to Lowther.  

The mysterious stranger informs Batman that his name is Osric Drood, and that Lowther is dead by Batman's hand. . .and that Batman himself is dead as well!

Batman refuses to accept that he is dead and attempts to attack Drood, but falls to the floor as he feels a sudden weakness come over him.  Drood mocks Batman and tells him that it is Batman's murderer's blood that now sustains him and makes him stronger even as Batman becomes weaker. 

And indeed, we see that Batman is laying on top of Drood's skeleton in the crypt, his blood draining onto the long-dead bones. . .

Batman kneels weakly before Drood, protesting that he's not a murderer, Lowther was killed in self defense! Drood mocks Batman's justification for the death.  Visions of the past begin to appear as Drood somberly recounts the story of how he came to be in this strange place. . .

The visions take Drood and Batman back to Victorian-era Gotham.  Where Osric Drood was the leader of a mystic cabal. . .a secret organization known as the Order of the All-Seeing Eye. 

 The Order lusted for secret, forbidden knowledge, but were unsuccessful in their rituals. . . until the night Drood murdered his wife after she stumbled upon his diabolical doings.  

Using the blood of the murdered woman, Drood was FINALLY able to evoke the "Elder Ones" and beseech them for the gift of omniscient vision. . .the sight that would show all that was hidden!

While it seemed at first that the forbidden knowledge was denied to him, after burying his wife's body in the basement and returning to his studies to try and discover what he'd done incorrectly, Drood suddenly was blasted with horrific visions!

The relentless horror revealed beyond the limits of human sight and knowledge were too much for Drood.  He took his own life. . .

The visions pass and Drood once again tells Batman that it is his murderer's blood that has revived and sustained him.  Batman insists that he's no murderer and Drood tells Batman that fate has decided otherwise, and the best thing Batman can do now is to willingly give up his life force to Drood so that at least one of them can live again. . .

Batman tries to escape Drood by throwing himself out of the large window in the room.  He's growing weaker and more skeletal as Drood grows stronger and more lifelike.  

Outside the strange abode, Batman continues to waste away under a weird red sky while Drood watches from the broken window.  Batman demands to know what Drood is scared of. . .

Enraged by Batman's challenge, Drood leaps from the broken window and begins to pummel the nearly-powerless hero.  At this point, Batman is just a skeletal husk and Drood is nearly as he was when alive over a hundred years ago.  Drood demands that Batman willingly give up what remains of his life so that he can live again!

But now that Drood has left his Sanctum, Batman can once again fight back.  The two of them trade blows, while Batman mocks Drood for meddling in things humans should have no knowledge of!

With each blow he lands, Batman gains a bit more life and energy while Drood slowly returns to his skeletal form.  Batman has learned Drood's secret. . .

Others fear death because it's the great unknown.  Drood fears death because he knows EXACTLY what is waiting for him on the other side!  As the beings that lurk beyond the edges of human vision and knowledge reveal themselves, Drood howls in agony as the last of Batman's stolen life force returns!

Let's pause for just a moment here to savor what is. . .in MY humble opinion. . .one of the most epic comic pages Mike Mignola has ever done.  Thank you, Mr. Mignola! 

Batman wakes!  He rises, bleeding, from Drood's crypt.  He tries to understand what just happened.  Was it real?  Was it a hallucination? He stumbles out.  There's a strange tremor.  He spots Lowther's impaled body on the spiked fence.

Suddenly,  a blast of lightning strikes Drood's crypt, destroying both it and Lowther's body as the badly-wounded hero scrambles for safety!  

Later, back at Wayne Manor, Bruce is haunted by what he believes was a dream or hallucination brought on by blood loss.  Drood's voice accusing him of being a murderer still whispers to him.  Could he have saved Lowther?  Did he even want to save Lowther? Did he unconsciously let a man die? WAS he a murderer? The questions gnaw at the Dark Knight's very soul.

During his time healing from his wounds, Bruce investigated and discovered the location of Drood's house.  He ponders whether or not to search the basement for the body of Drood's murdered wife.  But what OTHER truths would be revealed if he did solve a murder hundreds of years old?

Bruce decides that it's better to just leave it alone.

The End.

THE REVIEW:

This story isn't really "scary".  What it has is a creepy, strange atmosphere that digs its hooks into the reader.  I like that they left it ambiguous as to whether or not it really happened at all, and ended it with Bruce deciding that maybe it's just better if he doesn't know the truth.

This contrasts nicely with Drood becoming a twisted wraith on the edge of life and death because of his insatiable lust to know the truth about everything.  

This story owes a LOT to the work of H.P. Lovecraft.  From the creepy Victorian atmosphere to the seeker of knowledge learning a little TOO much, to the "Elder Gods" that inhabit the spaces beyond human knowledge or vision.  Take Batman out of this story and it could easily be something Lovecraft wrote.  As a fan of Lovecraft's work, I can appreciate a good homage and this is definitely a good one.  

On the art side of things.  As you can probably tell from my look at the cover of this issue, I'm a HUGE Mignola fan.  As far as I'm concerned, this weird little Batman horror story is some of Mignola's best work.  The page I scanned above with Batman confronting Drood with the truth of why he refuses to die while the weird beings beyond human understanding writhe in the crimson sky is probably my favorite single page that Mignola has done.  

This comic is absolutely PACKED with great Mignola art.  From the fantastic cover, to the final, dark and moody page of Bruce Wayne deciding he doesn't want to know the truth.  If you're a Mignola fan and haven't read this comic, you NEED this issue in your collection!

CONCLUSION

Reading this issue for review just makes me realize how much I miss Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight.  DC really did hit on the perfect way to tell Batman stories with this long-running series.  

Don't get me wrong.   It's not ALL good.  There's bad stories.  There's AWFUL stories.  But there are also good and great stories.  This is one of the great ones, and a fine example of why Legends of the Dark Knight was such a good idea for a series.

If you are a fan of Mike Mignola's art, Lovecraftian (is that even a word?) storytelling, or darker and off the beaten path Batman stories, then I highly recommend this issue.

I've spotted this issue from time to time in the bargain bin.  I see it more often in the regular back issue bin, where you might need to pay an extra buck or two.  It's also been collected several times (at least three times, from what I can see).  So it's not hard to find.

BUT. . .

While you're looking for THIS particular issue, check out some more of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight if you haven't before.  There are a LOT of issues and you can find most of them pretty easily (The back half of the series IS a bit harder to find.  I guess it was lower print run).  

Not every story is good, but it's probably the widest variety of Batman stories that's ever been put on the stands.  I mean. . .where else are you going to get a Lovecraft-inspired Mignola-illustrated Batman horror story?

Well. . .there IS that great 3 issue "The Doom That Came To Gotham" Elseworlds mini-series (With Batman, Starman and HELLBOY).  But other than THAT. . .well, you get my point.  This is a great story, but there are quite a few other great stories in Legends of the Dark Knight you might want to check out.

And that's it for the 2026 Longbox Junk Halloween party.  I had a great time this year.  I hope you did as well!  We had a pretty good mix and I got quite a few reviews in.  Twelve this year.  Not bad.  The record is 16 reviews back in 2022, but still not a bad little party.

What's next?  Back to Longbox Junk business as usual!  What does that even mean?

Stick around and find out.  And remember. . .comic books are worth more than money!

Longbox Junk Halloween 2026 - Vamps #1

Welcome to Longbox Junk, the place to find a bunch of comic reviews you never asked for!

October is fast drawing to a close.  There's a chill wind in the air. . .a wolf howls at the moon.  A silent, bloodthirsty predator stalks the shadows. . .the vampire smells blood in the air and smiles.

*Record scratch - Freeze frame*

Wait. . .wait.  Hold up.  Where are the vampires at?  There's no vampires. THERE'S NOT A SINGLE VAMPIRE!  What kind of second-rate Halloween festival is THIS?  No vampires.  Pfff!

It's just not Halloween without vampires.  Here's some vampires.  

VAMPS #1

DC/Vertigo (1994)

COVER: Brian Bolland

THE COVER:

Now THERE'S an awesome Halloween cover!  The great Brian Bolland delivers again!  The vampire girls front and center are cool, but what REALLY makes this cover for me is the one in the background, fangs bared, looking feral and VERY deadly.   There's not one single thing I don't like about this cover!

Let's get inside!

THE STORY:

Freedom

SCRIPT: Elaine Lee

PENCILS: William Simpson

INKS: William Simpson

We begin our tale with a late night motorcycle ride.  Five beautiful women directing five bikers deep into the woods.  They've picked the men up at a nearby bar, promising them a party they won't forget.

But when they reach their destination, there's no party. . .only death!  A bloodthirsty creature that looks like a man leaps out of the shadows and attacks.  As the women look on, feeling the gnawing hunger inside, their vampire Lord greedily drains the blood from the victims his "brides" have brought him.

When the bloody feast is done, the vampire called Dave lies bloated and helpless.  It's then that his five brides attack!  They'd been planning this for a while. . .waiting for their moment.  That moment was now!  

As Dave howls in protest, unable to fight back in his sedated, bloated condition, the women chain him to the bikes and then tear his limbs from his body!  A stake through the heart completes Dave's brutal death.  The five brides are free!

In the aftermath of Dave's death, the former brides sate their hunger with the one remaining live biker.  They steal the gang's clothes and bikes, and head out onto the highway, intending to put as much distance between themselves and the vampire who had made them his slaves as possible.

Later, as the former brides enjoy their newfound freedom riding the open road, we're finally introduced to them:  Skeeter, Screech, Mink, Whipsnake, and the narrator of the story, Howler.

Later that night, Mink seduces and enslaves a truck driver.   They ride through the day hidden in the back of his truck safe from the sun among the meat in the trailer.  When they awake at sunset, they feed on the trucker, except for Howler, who agrees to stand watch over the rest when they are blood-drunk and helpless.  They don't want to repeat Dave's mistake. . .

With the trucker dead and Howler still needing to feed, the five vampires head to a nearby roadside bar, where Skeeter distracts the rest of the room while Howler seduces her chosen prey and leaves with him, unnoticed by his friends . . .

After preventing Skeeter from brazenly feeding on a man in the parking lot of the bar, the rest of them head out to find Howler.  She's in the middle of feeding on her prey when they find her, blood-drunk and almost feral.  They protect her as she protected them as they go to find a place to rest during the day. . .

As they search for a resting place, Howler thinks back on how she ended up in this situation and we get a short flashback to her time among the living.  The State removed her children from her custody because in desperation she had turned to prostitution.  All she wanted to do after that was to die.

That was when Dave came into the picture, offering her the chance to gain the power to get even with everyone who had ever hurt her.  She took the offer, but it turned out Dave was full of crap and just wanted another bride slave to hunt for him.

EPILOGUE:

The vampires find a graveyard and burrow into the ground, hiding from the sun during the day.

While they rest, we switch scenes to the highway, where the police have discovered the abandoned semi-truck the vampires had ridden in the day before.  What they've found inside has prompted the Sheriff to bring in a special investigator. 

 Even though he THINKS he's seen it all, he's still shocked by the carnage in the trailer. . .the unlucky truck driver torn to pieces during the vampire feeding frenzy.

To be continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

Okay. . .NOW we have vampires.  A little bit of an unusual vampire story, focused on the "brides" that usually linger in the background of most vampire tales.  I like that this story puts what are normally secondary characters front and center.  It's an interesting and unusual take on a well-worn story path.

This is the first issue of a six issue series, and I only have this first issue.  But it IS a first issue, so I'm going to give it the tried-and-trued Longbox Junk two question treatment.  That's where I ask just TWO questions about a first issue:  First. . .does it introduce the characters and their situation in a new reader-friendly way?  Second. . .does it make me want to read more?

For introductions. . .it does okay.  In this first issue, the main characters are just sort of sketched out.  We get a little bit of background on the narrator, but everyone else is just sort of there for the ride.  We DO know that the main characters are all vampires and former slaves of another vampire.  The story tells us that the old stake through the heart and having to hide from the sun are definitely parts of the lore.  

It's a somewhat weak yes for the first question, but I guess I'll still give it a yes.  I have the feeling that more information is forthcoming in the other issues, and this is probably a story better read as a whole.

For the second question. . .does this make me want to read more?  That one is a definite yes.  I've actually had this issue for years.  I bought it long ago just for the cover, but this is the first time I've ever read it.  The twist on the standard vampire story, focusing on the background "brides" is good enough that I'd really like to track down more issues of this to find out where it's going.

On the art side of things, it's. . .okay.  The artist tells the story, but doesn't really try to go any farther than he needs to.  There's some pretty cool moments scattered here and there through the issue, but that's all they are. . .small moments.  The art isn't bad, it's just in total service to the story.  

CONCLUSION

This is a vampire story that tries to step outside the box.  I liked it a lot and want to try and find some more issues of it.  I've never seen any other than this first issue in the bargain bins (they must have printed a lot of them, because I see this issue fairly often), so I may have to dig through some regular back issue bins and pay a few more bucks.

The bad part about it is that, even though I enjoyed this first issue, I don't know what the quality of the story as a whole moving forward is.  I've read plenty of short series that completely go off the rails a couple of issues in.  So I guess I can recommend THIS issue, for an interesting little taste of a different kind of vampire story, and for that GREAT Brian Bolland cover.  As for the rest of the story?  *shrugs*

Like I said above, I see this issue fairly often in the bargain bin, but haven't spotted any others.  There are two sequels, "Hollywood and Vein" and "Pumpkin Time".  I see issues from all three series being sold online pretty cheaply, if that's how you like to get your comics.  I also see that all three series have been collected in a fairly pricy combined edition that I think I might be interested in buying a copy of.

Overall, if you're a fan of vampire stories and are looking for something a little different, then Vamps looks like a good read, based off of this first issue.  

Up Next. . .

It's getting close, but the midnight hour hasn't tolled just yet!

MORE Longbox Junk Halloween fun coming up.  

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!