Customer Reviews

Pigeons From Hell

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

 

 

Pigeons from Hell was written by Robert E. Howard and is arguably his best non-Conan tale and one of the finest American horror stories ever written. This tale of voodoo and zombies set within a dilapidated Southern Mansion is powerfully creepy. Dark Horse has taken the tale and updated it to modern times, courtesy of Horror Master Joe R. Lansdale. While the modernization does cause it to lose a bit of atmosphere, this is a great tale and it would take a superhuman effort to mess it up. The Art and colors by Nathan Fox and Dave Stewart are fantastic and well-suited to the material. The book also comes with commentary by Lansdale, a cover gallery and sketch art.

Despite the other indifferent reviews, I found this series highly enjoyable for the same reasons that Stephen King's 'Creepshow' worked so well; horror works great with a touch of humor or campiness.

Never having read the Howard original, I'm not weighed down by that historical yardstick. From my perspective, any problems with an 'adaptation' from the original is moot. I mean, we're not reading a novella, we're reading a graphic novel, penned by a modern horror master and illustrated with strychnine-laced-candy art that reminds me of every great escapist horror B-movie I watched back in high school. I find Nathan Fox's artwork straddles that fine line between camp and horror, a perfect blend for a short series. I just wished the story was a little more fleshed out; perhaps that's where a 'Crypt Keeper' type narrator could have had a cameo...

If anyone is going to adapt Robert E. Howard's story, Pigeons From Hell, I'm glad it was Joe Lansdale. I've been a fan of his for years, and you can tell he put his heart and soul into this fairly faithful adaptation. I only gave it 3 stars for two reasons. The first is that the source material isn't all that compelling to me. The story is OK, but ventures through pretty familiar territory with several stereotypical characters thrown in the mix. Half way through the book I found myself wanting to hurry up and get to the end, and that's never a good sign. Secondly, Nathan Fox's art is perplexing. I really enjoyed his characters and some of the atmosphere (especially the decrepit house), but some panels left me wondering what the heck was going on (flip through it and you'll see what I mean). Some people like this style; I'm just not one of them.

Pigeons From Hell was readable, but ultimately a throwaway horror story I'm sure to soon forget. With that being said, I hope Lansdale gets some comic company to adapt some ORIGINAL material.