Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 2, Issue 43

Well, it's Halloween week here at Exfanding, though no one would know it. Usually I'm the King of Halloween, but this year, travel, work, and uh, work, have kept me from carrying out my kingly Halloween duties.

Which kinda stinks, because I really do love Halloween.

Aside from Christmas, it's my favorite holiday of the year. And actually, I think I get more giddy pleasure out of Halloween than I do out of Christmas. Like Christmas, I consider Halloween more of a season than a single day, and as such, my Octobers are typically spent reading scary stories and watching horror movies.

Especially horrible horror movies.

Because there's just nothing quite like sitting down on a breezy fall afternoon to watch a bad horror flick.

This year, though, I've only had the chance to pick up and read (the excellent and new in mass market paperback) Dark Harvest, by Norman Partridge. And I did that while on a plane, trying to forget about how terrified I was. (Of the plane, I mean. Sure, the book was creepy as all get-out, but nothing can compare to the sheer horror of flying.)
Partridge's story about a skin-crawling Halloween night tradition in a rural American town reads at a fever pitch, and it definitely put in the mood for more Halloween fare.

Anyway, more on Halloween tomorrow. For now, I'm on deadline, and I need to hurry this along. I have two season-appropriate books for this week, and I think they're both titles a lot of our readers will enjoy.

First up, from Dark Horse, the Beasts of Burden/Hellboy one-shot arrives in stores today, featuring fully painted art by the amazing Jill Thompson, and an all-new story by Evan Dorkin and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.
I've talked about how great the first series of this title was, and believe me, this is one of the true gems in the industry today. Here's the solicitation information from Dark Horse:

The paranormal activity in the outwardly charming town of Burden Hill has gone from bad to worse, as seen in Dorkin and Thompson's hardcover graphic novel Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites.

Now the occult-investigating team of dogs (and one cat) need some serious help. Contact with the Wise Dog Society has broken off, leaving the team on its own, as a series of unexplained animal slayings have begun to occur. But magic can work in surprising ways, and help is brought to the team with the unexpected arrival of the World's Greatest Paranormal Detective.

Evan Dorkin (Milk and Cheese, Bizarro World) and Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, Magic Trixie) join forces with Mike Mignola (Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Witchfinder, Baltimore) in an amazing one-shot bringing their supernatural worlds together!

Mike Mignola's Hellboy joins the animals of Burden Hill!


You can check out a free preview right here, and as you'll see, the art is beautiful. This series has gotten a ton of critical acclaim over the past year or two, and I'm proud of the fact that we here at Exfanding recognized its greatness early on.

What's it get us, you might ask? Well, nothing, besides good comics. And I'm fine with that.

Next up, we have a very cool (but expensive) offering from IDW. In their continued efforts to relaunch the much-beloved Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, issue number 252 ships to stores today.
The first issue was jam-packed with remembrances of the legendary creator of the magazine, Forrest Ackerman, who passed away in 2008.

There were mixed reviews about that first issue (issue 251 for those keeping score), but overall I really enjoyed the book. The big turn-off here is the price point--at $13, this really isn't a book someone will buy on a whim at the comics shop.

But it's a big, full-color mag, and it's loaded with photos and interviews with horror writers and filmakers. If your store ordered a copy, do yourself a favor and flip through it today. See if it's your thing.

Unfortunately, my thing right now is that I need to go. But I'll be back tomorrow with something Halloween related. I promise. For now, though--what are you Waiting for?