Horror Comics News

I don’t normally recommend other blogs from here, but I thought that this one was kinda funny.

It’a about horror comics so it fits.  But I mostly just think it’s funny.

Check out this article about Dark Horse’s Creepy issue #1.  <–click that!

Supernatural John Winchesters Journal

Sam and Dean Winchester know all the secrets their father recorded in his journal. Now you can, too.

On November 2, 1983, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a demonic supernatural force. In the wake of the tragedy, their father, John, set out to learn everything he could about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America . . . and how to kill it. In his personal journal, he not only compiled folklore, legend, and superstition about all manner of otherworldly enemies but he also recorded his experiences—hunting the creature that killed his wife even as he raised his two sons.

Part prequel, part resource guide, John Winchester’s Journal finally gives fans the ultimate companion book for Supernatural. It’s all here: the exorcism Sam and Dean used in “Phantom Traveler,” John’s notes on everything from shape-shifters to Samuel Colt, Dean’s first hunt, Sam’s peewee soccer team . . . and John’s single-minded pursuit of a growing and deadly evil.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star not worth the money
The book does not agree with facts said on the show. It is not true Supernatural.

3 Stars Not a bad read, just not truthful to the series
I was pretty excited to read my copy of JWJ. I’d heard good things about it and I’m a huge fan of storylines that have to do with John and the Winchester brothers back when they were kids. JWJ seemed like it would a great way to get some backstory.

Unfortunately, it seems that the author got a bit ahead of himself when plotting out that backstory and ignored some crucial bits of characterization as a result. There are several bits of canon that are left out (part of this I can’t blame him for; there are things he might not have known about because they hadn’t been released yet) but more than once what he writes directly contradicts what’s displayed in the show. This is displayed right from the very first paragraph: “I went to Missouri and learned the truth. And from her…” Points to Irvine for remembering the line from Home; unfortunately, he should have remembered that there was NO description of Missouri as a person, hence the surprise on Dean’s part when it came to actually meeting her.

Another thing that got me was just how clearly John’s affection, love and worry for his boys came out. As someone who likes a bit of fluff, that’s always a pleasure to read but as a canon fan, I’ve got to raise the unfortunate issue that neither Sam nor Dean were EVER certain of John’s feelings towards them and had they written proof of the truth, neither would have displayed the level of filial angst we see in the show itself. In a story written from John’s perspective, the proof of his emotions towards his sons would have been fantastic but it just doesn’t work in a book purporting to be the same journal that Sam and Dean take with them on their own journey.

There are several other details that don’t make too much sense to me, but I’ll let readers discover those on their own, rather than pointing them all out. Also, the book has some interesting factoids on the cases that John worked on and I did enjoy the gradual demonstration of his increasing skills (and general coldness, even the slight distraction from his focus on getting vengeance for Mary’s murder as he got more caught up in the hunt itself) as time progressed. If the book had focused more on that instead of on the emotional vulnerabilities, I’d have very easily seen it as John’s journal. As it was, those tidbits were definitely a distraction, especially as we see in canon that John’s journal was extremely succinct and often entries were drilled down to one or two sentences and ALWAYS were focused on the case, not on his own emotional state or those of his sons.

I’d love to see the author actually write a book from John’s perspective, especially if he got someone to work with him on some of the canon details. I think at some point he mentions buying a Mac for Sam, for instance; canon!John would have had NO desire to do this. Apples are expensive and unnecessary for the sort of work they were doing, given that it was in the 96-97 timeframe. A laptop at the time would have been an extreme luxury; paying for a Mac unnecessarily is just too much for me to believe, even on false credit cards, when we have canon proof that money was an issue.

All in all, it’s a decent read. It’s well written, occasionally intriguing, but it does not fit the basic requirements necessary to actually be John Winchester’s Journal.

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The Exorcist

When originally published in 1971, The Exorcist became not only a bestselling literary phenomenon, but one of the most frightening and controversial novels ever written. (When the author adapted his book to the screen two years later, it then became one of the most terrifying movies ever made.) Blatty fictionalized the true story of a child’s demonic possession in the 1940s. The deceptively simple story focuses on Regan, the 11-year-old daughter of a movie actress residing in Washington, D.C.; the child apparently is possessed by an ancient demon. It’s up to a small group of overwhelmed yet determined humans to somehow rescue Regan from this unspeakable fate. Purposefully raw and profane, this novel still has the extraordinary ability to literally shock us into forgetting that it is “just a story.” The Exorcist remains a truly unforgettable reading experience. Blatty published a sequel, Legion, in 1983. –Stanley Wiater

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Frightening
I recently read this novel, and I could not put it down. I’ve only seen parts of the movie so I decided I’d give the novel a try. I will warn you that the novel is not for the faint of heart. I’ll also warn you that the first 50 pages or so is kind of slow, but if you keep at it the book proves worth it!

This novel–for those who’ve not read it or seen the movie–is about an American actress’s twelve year old daughter that begins playing with the Ouija board alone, and eventually strange things begin to happen. Also, a church nearby is becoming desecrated by someone they believe is performing a “Black Mass”. Who committed this desecration the reader will wonder? There’s murder or “accidental” death in this novel that leaves the reader wondering what’s going on and/or who might have committed the act.

What keeps the reader continuing to read the novel is the possession or supposed possession of the twelve year old girl. It’s a eerie story of possession and gives a great read. I promise you that you won’t be able to put the novel down!

1 Star Highly entertaining for all the wrong reasons…
I acquired this book for a class in the literature of horror and began to read it only to realize that I couldn’t stop laughing. Any sci fi/fantasy/horror writer reading this will probably have heard of “The Eye of Argon”, an infamous short story that writers read in groups, passing it around from one person to the next to read when the previous reader dissolves into laughter at the bad writing.

“The Exorcist” is worse than “The Eye of Argon”. Blatty uses simile and metaphor to ill effect, causing laughter when a table somehow manages to be “the color of sadness”, when he compares a city to a “rubbled, mud-stained benediction”, and when a character mysteriously manages to look into “the dark of the other [character's] concern”. This is all in the prologue; I haven’t even yet gotten into the first chapter, where wooden dialogue is mixed with choppy sentences, intending to create a feeling of suspense but falling flat. The entire first few pages of this chapter are based on the actions of the main character, Chris MacNeil, when she becomes irrationally irritated by a strange tapping noise. Agh. Her thoughts are interjected into the prose at inconvenient times as well, detracting from the story.

Read this book from comedy only. I guarantee that you’ll be laughing for days. And a recommendation? Read it out loud, and to other people. Highly entertaining.

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