Longbox Junk Haloween Horror 2022 Part 13 - Friday the 13th #1

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HEY-O! It's the thirteenth entry in this year's Longbox Junk Halloween Horror party!  So, to mark the occasion, let's take a look at a Friday the 13th comic book.

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of the Friday the 13th movies.  They're okay and I'll watch them, but they aren't exactly the kind of thing I'll purposely look for, and I'm no expert on the timelines and trivia of the franchise.  The movies to me are just okay.

Don't get me wrong. . .there's nothing wrong with it at all if you happen to be the biggest fan of Friday the 13th there is.  We're all fans of something and that's what makes the world a great place in my book.

ANYWAY. . .

Back in 2007 Wildstorm (DC) got the comic rights to Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Nightmare on Elm Street.  They WERE going to try and set up a whole horror comic mini "universe" with rebooted ongoing monthly series for all three franchises. 

 How it ended up was that the comics weren't as popular as they THOUGHT they would be, so the ongoing monthly titles were quietly changed to miniseries and future projects were standalone one shots and minis until the whole thing just sort of faded away after a while. . . another failed and forgotten project in the wonderful world of comics.

What we have here is the first issue of the Friday the 13th series.  Let's take a look inside and see if we can find out why this title only lasted six issues.  Was it just a bad break for a good comic, like I've seen quite a few times?  Or does this series deserve its current home in the bargain bin?

Let's find out!

FRIDAY THE 13TH #1

WILDSTORM/ DC (2007)

COVER: Ryan Sook

FRIDAY THE 13TH

SCRIPT: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti

PENCILS: Adam Archer

INKS: Peter Guzman

THE COVER:

Ryan Sook is a great modern comic artist, and he doesn't disappoint here!  It's a simple, detailed portrait of the iconic slasher, Jason Voorhees. I really like the overall composition, with the unusual angle of view on Jason and the victim reflected in his machete. No doubt about it, this is a fantastic Halloween cover!  Let's see what's inside. . .

THE STORY:

We begin with a short prologue.  A young blonde woman is being chased through the forest by Jason Voorhees.  She stumbles into the road, where an elderly couple find her and take her to the local hospital.  

Later, we see that she's incoherent and lashes out at anyone coming near.  The doctor tells the Sheriff that he'll probably never be able to get her to talk about what happened at camp Crystal Lake.

Flashing back to two weeks previously, we are introduced to a group of young men and women making their way to Camp Crystal Lake.  They've been hired to clean and prepare the camp for a re-opening.

The new owner explains that he plans to make a big profit from the camp's deadly history, exploiting the reputation of "Camp Blood" by appealing to those who enjoy the thrill of staying in a place where multiple gruesome murders have been committed.

We follow the young workers as they make themselves comfortable in their new temporary home.  While some explore the cabins, a group decides to go swimming in the lake.  One of them, a bit of a social outcast, has researched the history of the camp and tells the rest of them the gruesome details of Camp Crystal Lake.

As the rest listen to the bloody history of the camp, one of the group goes swimming.  To her horror, she finds herself being dragged down into the depths by (what I assume are) the spirits of those killed over the years at the camp.

The rest notice her struggling and manage to pull her out of the water, but it's too late.  She's drowned. Camp Crystal Lake has claimed another victim!

To be continued. . .

THE REVIEW:

Okay. . .Hmmm. . .  Let's break it on down!

When it comes to first issues of a new series, I have a pretty low bar for what I consider success.  Two things.  Just TWO things!  You'd be surprised how hard it seems to be for publishers to get over that low bar.

 First, does it introduce the characters and their situation in a new reader-friendly way?  In other words, can I just come right in on the first issue and understand what's going on?  Second, does it make me want to read the next issue?

This issue spends a lot of page space on exposition regarding the history of Camp Crystal Lake.  Truth be told, this issue is MOSTLY setup and introduction.  Not that it's a bad thing. . .after all, this WAS supposed to be an ongoing monthly instead of a six-issue mini.  

So, I'll give it a half and half on the first one.  It does a good job of introducing the characters and their situation. . .unfortunately, the characters just aren't that interesting.  You KNOW from the prologue that all of them are going to die except one.  This doesn't put much of a burden on the writer to make the characters interesting.

As far as the second point goes.  Does this make me want to read the next issue?  Well. . .not really.  It's sort of bland, while at the same time, it tries a little TOO hard to be "adult" with profanity liberally sprinkled throughout (see the page scans above.  I had to edit them because there is barely any pages that don't have profanity).  

I know my swear words.  I even still use them now and then when my wife isn't around.  I ALSO know that profanity is like black pepper. . .a little sprinkle is fine, but too much ruins the flavor.  There's a little too much pepper in this one.  They try too hard to spice up a pretty bland and uninteresting story.

As far as the art goes.  It's. . .okay.  If I had to describe it in one word, that word would be "Serviceable".  It helps tell the story but doesn't try to do anything over that bare minimum requirement.  About the only standout moment is a nice double page spread of the first victim being dragged down into the lake I forgot to put above, so I'll put it here. . .

Click to expand for full effect!

But other than that, the art is just sort of. . .there.  I have to admit that IS a nice double pager, but that's it for good art moments.

CONCLUSION

Truthfully, this issue doesn't really have much going for it unless you happen to be a Friday the 13th superfan.  If you ARE, then I think you'll definitely like this series.  If you aren't, then it's probably safe to say that you can skip this one and read some better horror comics that are out there.

With most of the issue being taken up with exposition and background, it DOES do a good job of introducing the characters and their situation.  Too bad both are sort of lackluster.  Aside from the fantastic Ryan Sook cover and a nice double page spread, the art is just sort of there. . .telling the story. . .not trying very hard to do anything else.

Overall, I can see why this series didn't really take off.  It didn't get an opening issue that would hook anybody but big fans of all things Friday the 13th.  For casual readers, it's very skippable.  

Disappointing, but I guess they can't ALL be winners.

Up Next. . .

It ain't over until it's over!  MORE Longbox Junk Halloween Horror to come!

Be there or be square.

Longbox Junk Halloween - Friday The 13th: Abuser And The Abused

Sad to say, but the Longbox Junk Halloween Party is ALMOST over.

So let's see. . .

Superheroes on Halloween non-scary Horror

Infection/Body Transformation Horror

Lovecraftian Creature Horror

Twilight Zone-ish Supernatural Horror

Sexploitation Horror

Elseworlds Superhero Deconstruction Horror

Classic Movie Monster Horror
Zombie Apocalypse Horror

B-Movie Sci-Fi Horror

Not bad.  Not bad at all.  

That's a decent batch of Halloween horror comics right there.

Hmmmmm. . .there's STILL something missing, I think.

*Ponders a moment*

Got it. 

PSYCHO SLASHER HORROR!

Let's do this!

FRIDAY THE 13th:

THE ABUSER AND ABUSED

WILDSTORM/DC (2008)

SCRIPT: Joshua Hale Fialkov

PENCILS: Andy B  (Belanger)

COVER: Brandon Badeaux & Carrie Strachan

The story goes like this:

Maggie is a high school girl with a rough life.  She's got abusive, alcoholic parents. She's bullied at school. She has a boyfriend who regularly beats her.  

She's seen school counselors, psychiatrists, and even a priest, but nobody seems to be able to help her.

But then one day, after a particularly brutal beating from her boyfriend Maggie snaps, goes a little insane,  and decides that the only way she's going to solve her problems is to solve them herself.  

She lives in a town nearby the legendary Camp Crystal Lake, and everybody knows the story of the mysterious serial killer, Jason Voorhees.  Maggie decides to use the local legends to her advantage.  That night, she kills her parents and calls her boyfriend for a midnight makeout session at Camp Crystal Lake, or as the locals call it. . .Camp Blood.

At Crystal Lake, Maggie stabs her unsuspecting boyfriend, but as she gleefully tortures him, guess who shows up to interrupt her murder party. . .none other than the legendary killer, Jason Voorhees!

Instead of being terrified by the sudden appearance of Jason, Maggie gets extremely mad when he brutally finishes off her boyfriend. . .screaming at Jason that he was HERS to kill.  Maggie and Jason engage in an epic battle with blood flying everywhere as they hack at each other, finally ending with a massive explosion as Maggie sets her boyfriend's car on fire.

Both Maggie and Jason barely survive the explosion.  Maggie decides to try and reason with Jason, telling him that she's a monster like him. . .that she was made into a monster the same way he was, and that Jason inspired her to let the monster inside her out. 

Jason hesitates and allows Maggie to embrace him, but then to her horror he chops her head off.  As Jason silently drags Maggie's headless body into the woods, it's pretty clear that there can only be ONE monster at Camp Blood.

The End.

Well. . .that was actually better than I thought it would be.

It's an extremely short and quick read, thanks to the oversized panels of art, but I really liked the idea of someone being driven to think they're a monster and then discovering what a real monster is.  I liked that Jason didn't show up until the end of the story and this was mostly focused on Maggie's descent into insanity.  Without Jason showing up, Maggie might well have proven to be the monster she thought she was.  

The art on this story REALLY caught my eye with the excellent throwback style, strong inking, great colors, and unusual panel borders and shapes.  It's a really unique style and even though I've never heard of this artist, I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for more of his work .

CONCLUSION

I was surprised to find myself liking this as much as I did.  It's not a long story, and it's definitely NOT a story for kids. . .There's a hefty helping of sexual innuendo, barely-contained boobs, foul language and buckets of blood packed into this single issue. . .adults only on this one.  The story, short as it is, is an interesting character study on the nature of human monsters.

The art on this comic is simply outstanding in my opinion.  It has a great throwback style that was really unexpected and eye-catching.  I wouldn't have thought that a golden age homage style would fit a story like this, but it somehow manages to in a big way.

Overall, this is a very short, very fast read with an interesting premise and great art.  It's an unexpected little gold nugget of Longbox Junk.  Pick it up for the art alone if you can find it.

Up Next. . .

October ain't over until it's over.  

There's a few more bits of Longbox Junk Halloween fun left.

Be there or be square!

Longbox Junk - Two Shots: Hellboy, Zorro & Friday The 13th

Two shots! Longer than a one shot, shorter than a mini!
Do they even make these any more?

Let's do this!

HELLBOY: THE ISLAND

Dark Horse (2005)

WRITER: Mike Mignola

ART: Mike Mignola

COVERS: Mike Mignola

ISSUE 1

Hellboy is washed up on a mysterious, haunted island where he meets a Greek Goddess and gets beaten down by a huge monster. But first, he drinks rum and sings sea chanties about pretty young cabin boys with dead pirates. . .wait. . .what?

From the letters column, I learn that this is Mignola's return to Hellboy after a 4 year absence where he was paying more attention to the B.P.R.D. comics.

The art is reliably Mig-Tastic. Yeah. . .I just made that word up, but the story is a hot, confusing mess. I guess this is another mini that's a sequel to one that came before and a prequel to one that comes after, so coming in cold I was more than a little lost.

In other words, if you aren't familiar with the ongoing Hellboy continuity, then you might not enjoy this two-shot.  If you're a huge Hellboy fan, then you're gonna love it.

All in all. . .fantastic art. Confusing story.

ISSUE 2

Hellboy learns the secret history of the world and where his stone right hand came from. Then he defeats an ancient monster from before the time of man with a tiny bell given to him by an African witch doctor.

Oooooookay. . .I want some of what Mike Mignola was smoking when he made this two-shot.

Once again, we're treated to some extremely strong Mig-Tastic art, but it's in service to a confusing (yet strangely entertaining) story that skips back and forth in time until neither Hellboy or the reader is sure of what's real.

Hellboy manages to punch his way through his confusion with the help of a deus ex machina that is never really explained (I think it came from a previous story). Too bad I couldn't do the same.

All in all, this issue had the same strengths and weaknesses as the first. . .extremely nice art. Extremely confusing story.

CONCLUSION

I'm a huge fan of Mignola's art, but I had a bit of a hard time getting through this one.  If you aren't familiar with Hellboy, then I'd definitely suggest you don't start trying to get familiar by starting with this two shot.  It's for established fans only.

ZORRO VERSUS DRACULA

Topps (1993)

WRITER: Don McGregor

ART: Thomas Yeates

COVERS: Thomas Yeates

ISSUE 1

Zorro travels to Spain to have a sword made by a legendary master craftsman. On his return voyage, he makes the acquaintance of the beautiful Carmelita and the mysterious Count Dracula. Later, he discovers Dracula in the act of drinking Carmelita's blood and that sets off a battle between Zorro and Dracula.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this first issue. It's pretty densely-written for such a simple story and the art is very nicely done.

The whole thing reminds me a LOT of old 70's monster comics. From the 3rd person narration full of hyperbole, to the dynamic art that is a pretty damn good Neal Adams imitation.

It's not perfect, though. It's a little TOO wordy in places, and sometimes the background colors obscure the narration, but all in all, a pretty good start.

ISSUE 2

After their first battle at sea, Zorro tracks Dracula to the crypts beneath Notre Dame Cathedral in France, where an epic confrontation between good and evil decides the fate of the beautiful Carmelita.

I liked this second issue even better than the first as the action leaves the ship where Zorro and Dracula first meet and moves to the crypts beneath Notre Dame Cathedral, where Zorro defeats Dracula using. . .er. . .Jesus' Crown of Thorns. It's good Monster-rific 70's style fun, so just roll with it!

The art on this second issue was even better than on the first. I think the artist is more comfortable with dark crypts and passages than he was with the swinging battle through the ropes and masts of the ship in the first issue. There's a full page shot of Zorro on a gargoyle on the side of Notre Dame at night above Paris that I'd like to have as a poster. Very nice!

All in all, despite the Deus ex Machina of having a handy artifact of Christ just laying around, this was a fun conclusion to this short story.

CONCLUSION

I'm a BIG Zorro fan.  Between that and the throwback nature to the monster comics of the 70's that I ALSO love, I really liked this two shot.  It was a little too wordy in places and Dracula was defeated with a handy plot device in a laughable way, but this was all pretty good fun.

If you're a Zorro fan or love those old monster comics, you're definitely going to want to check this out.

FRIDAY THE 13th: BAD LAND 

Wildstorm (2008)

WRITER: Ron Marz

ART: Mike Huddleston

COVERS: Mike McKone

ISSUE 1

In a story split between the past and present, the tale of how the land Camp Crystal Lake stands on became cursed by innocent blood is told.

This is really two stories that mirror each other. . .the first is set during the days of the Old West and tells about 3 trappers coming across an indian hut during a blizzard where they rape and kill a young indian woman and her baby.

The second story is set during present day when 3 hikers stumble across a Camp Crystal Lake cabin during a blizzard.  So the first story is about evil being done.  The second is about some poor suckers who pay the price hundreds of years later.

I liked the way the story switched back and forth between past and present, and the art was pretty good. . .nothing spectacular, but it did its job. I also liked the way that the background of Camp Crystal Lake being cursed long before Jason and his mother showed up (which was hinted at here and there in some of the movies).

Really, the problem here is that the very simple story seemed stretched out to fit into two issues. This could have easily been a single 40 page one shot. It's a pretty obvious money grab.

Overall, an underwhelming story filling in some interesting history with okay artwork, padded out to fill two issues. Decent, but not really that great.

ISSUE 2

Blood and gore galore as the two stories of Camp Crystal Lake past and present come together.

After the relatively bloodless setup of the first issue, the carnage begins for real in this one as the husband of the raped and murdered indian woman in the past stalks and kills the trappers who spilled her innocent blood.

In the present, Jason stalks and kills the three teens who took refuge in the Camp Crystal Lake cabin. . .playing out the same trail of bloody death that began hundreds of years ago.

Once again, I liked the IDEA of telling how Camp Crystal Lake became a cursed place of death and blood long before the movies, but the execution of that idea isn't really that great.

If you're a big fan of the movies, then this is somewhat interesting. If not, then it's just going to seem like gore for gore's sake in two issues that really should have just been a single long one.

CONCLUSION

As I said above.  I like the idea that Camp Crystal Lake has a bloody curse on it from the past, but the execution in telling the tale wasn't that great.  This story is definitely for Friday the 13th fans only.  I really can't think of anyone else who would be even slightly interested.

Up next. . .

It's the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. . .but with blood, gore, and Simon Bisley!

Image's 4 issue "Bodycount" mini, where Kevin Eastman slowly raised his middle finger to the world.  Can it possibly be any good? Be there or be square!