Customer Reviews

Pete Von Sholly's Morbid

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

 

 

This book is a series of parodies of the cheap and sensationalistic horror/science fiction films of the 1950's and sixties with one of the martial arts films thrown in. The first story features a lizard popping out of an orange egg, although it doesn't breath fire it looks and acts much like Godzirra. Military forces are powerless to stop it; the hero finally manages to end the reign of terror by using the "Molecular Reduction Ray." The second story is called Kung Fi, meant to be a cross between martial arts and science fiction.
There is a story about a giant woman thawed from an old block of ice and of course she has large chest protuberances with one flap down. Zombies, more large lizards and other creatures help make further fun of bad movies.
Although the action is comical, a little thought is necessary to understand exactly what is being made fun of. If you haven't seen (and enjoyed) a few of the old movies, then you will most likely be a little bit lost. For years, the local television station had a late night "creature feature" that played the movies referenced here.

Pete Von Sholly's "Morbid" represents a breakthrough -- a visually exciting and vastly entertaining new genre created by an artistic comic genius. Like all true innovations, you may easily overlook it by assigning it to an existing category out of hand. But you would be missing something extraordinary. Von Sholly is a wry magician, a sarcastic alchemist who stirs together classic comics, Italian fumetti, Hollywood B-movies, Ray Harryhausen dinosaurs, HP Lovecraft horror tales, Gaines Cryptkeepers, and transmutes them into something new and different. You'll see an artful stew of living dead, gigantic babes in bikinis, retro classic films, the three-eyed evil scientist who shrinks his enemies to the size of their intellects (two inches), Captain Harry Hauser, and the irrepressible Tuxford Noodlefactor. Sea serpents, giant insects, aliens, you name it -- Von Sholly does them all with skill and panache. When he's not dreaming up this stuff -- and realizing it beautifully in his cyber-photoshop world -- Von Sholly is a Hollywood storyboard artist who has created the visuals for such films as "Green Mile," "Cat in the Hat," and the current episode of "Chucky the evil doll." At this moment, I understand, (March 2004) he's with the "Chucky" film crew in Romania -- where he's also shooting digital pictures of old graveyeards and castles to use in his next issue of "Morbid." This is a don't miss -- and an instant classic collectible!

Well, it's true, he's back! Yes, Von Sholly has surpassed my expectations with this updated homage to the photo "comic" book.

Bolstered by his wickedly delightful imagination, coupled with his artistic eye and computer skills, Von Sholly has taken another step into the visual horror genre. Can a H.P. Lovecraft novel be coming somewhere down the road (not too far, we hope)?

Consider a graphic novel incorporating the "unspeakable" Lovecraftian nightmares on 5 webbed feet, as visualized by an artist of Von Sholly's skill.

Onward and upward, Mr. Von Sholly. Your fan base is waiting for more food to savor and digest. It's little wonder that Amazon's shipment is running out at the time of this review.