Customer Reviews

Aleister Arcane

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first of a three issue series written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Breehn Burns. Anyone who wasted the Saturday afternoons of their youth watching the Creature Double Features that the old UHF stations used to show (our local host in Philly was called Dr. Shock), will love this series. The story centers on Aleistar Arcane, the host of a late night horror movie host. The kids of his hometown love him but the adults feel he is a bad influence. They run him off the air, but not without consequences...

By "fun" horror, I don't necessarily mean the post modern, self referential tone pervasive to the genre. Aleister Arcane takes itself seriously, but it's not hardcore. Rather, it's on the level of a good Halloween story, and is not inappropriate for younger kids (unlike some of Niles' other work). Burns' illustrations are beautiful and especially effective when depicting the late night, fog enshrouded streets of this small town teeming with the walking dead. The story is good, while the writing itself is serviceable - the pictures really do tell the story here. I undestand there is a movie in the works and I hope they get the tone right. Hopefully Niles will maintain control over the film's production

I really liked this one. Niles' writing is spot on for this kind of horror story. The humor is there at all the right moments, and so are the scares. The artwork by B.B is wonderfully moody. Again, the style matches the fun yet creepy style of horror story this book is all about. If I had one complaint, it would be that it was way too short. I almost considered knocking it down to 3 or 3 1/2 stars, but I just enjoyed the hell out of it so much with every turn of the page, that I decided to stick with 4. I can't say enough about how perfect the "pop" art really worked here. There is a truly ominous and creepy tone that permeates the story from cover to cover. BUT, the "fun factor" this kind of horror relies on to really draw the audience in is never lost within the overall feel and look of the book. So, I'd recommend it to any fan of scary stories that are meant to give the reader both a creepy and fun experience. If you enjoy movies like, "Fright NIght", you should get a kick out of this one! So, get this book, wait for a day with a dark and rainy overcast, grab a cup of coffee, curl up on the couch with that one small lamp light turned on, and give this book a read. The mood will be perfect. It'll be short. But it'll be worth it.