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Triple Shot of Horror and The Flash Digital Chaser: HALLOWEEN ISSUES FOR YOU AND THE KIDS

Before you know it, we’ll be knee deep in garden Santas and then Valentine’s Day cards.

That’s how quick American holiday retail reacts. The practically tell you start celebrating next year’s holiday as soon as one is over.

And if those Madison Ave. captains of industry had their way, they would, by gum.

On this first half of October, why not get into the mood with some Halloween books, some innocent and some spooky!

We check out Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1 in the new Archie Horror line, then Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers and then again, back to Riverdale for your more traditional World of Archie Comics Digest #43.

Vibrating into the end of this very column you’ll also find a nod to the Cosmic Treadmill as The Flash debuts on TV this week, and ComiXology hosts Flash Season 0 #3 for the Digital Chaser, written by show runner Andrew Kreisberg and drawn by fan favorite Phil Hester!

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1
WRITER: Roberto Aguirre Sacasa
ARTIST: Robert Hack
Publication Date: October 8, 2014
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Archie Comics
RATING: Teen +
UPC: 76281694824100121
Buy it Here

Hot off of the heels of this year’s Afterlife with Archie is Roberto Aguirre Sacasa’s Dark Shadows-esque take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Carefully placing Sabrina (and Salem) as a teenager in the 1960s, once again Archie has stepped up the horror comics game. With familiar characters being dropped into situations we haven’t seen before — Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will sure to be the hit everyone is talking about this month. And what better month than Halloween to get dark and eerie!

We’re given a deep origin to how Sabrina came to live with aunts Hilda and Zelda, and the mystery of her parents. When moving to the new town of Greendale after her powers start to get stronger, Ambrose (her cousin, a male witch) is reintroduced to the family and influences Sabrina to take on more risks, such as glamor spells.

In school, she meets her new best friend and romantic rival, Rosalind. They both have their eye on the accident prone but charming Harvey Kinkle. Could Sabrina be coaxed into using a love potion to get Harvey’s attention? You should read to find out.

What I’ve described above doesn’t get at the essence of this chilling adventure. In fact, the plot points are fairly standard Archie fare when recapped like this. What is great about this book is largely the tone set by artist Robert Hack. Like Francavilla before him, he’s cartooning with great action, fantasy and setting the tone with every action. His classic, movie poster style brings the 60s to your mind’s eye in a way rivaled only by weathered paperback covers or fully rendered Bill Sienkiewicz pages.

The gushing doesn’t end there, folks. A big bad introduced by the end of the issue with make your shiver from the inside out.

We don’t rate comics in this column as a rule, the closest we can come to that is this is a must-read. Go buy it.

Pick up any variant covers you see as well. The Rosemary’s Baby cover is my favorite.

Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers
WRITER/ARTIST: Zac Gorman
Publication Date: October 8, 2014
Price: $24.99
Publisher: Oni Press
RATING: All Ages
UPC: 978162010190252499
Buy it Here

This was a fun read and one more than open to read at bedtime in these crisp October nights (and one that shouldn’t leave any Moms & Dads out there with nightmares to deal with!).

Based on the wildly popular Double Fine Productions RPG video game, Costume Quest is a comic by Magical Game Time’s Zac Gorman.

Zac writes and draws this Halloween adventure featuring Klem and Sellie and their pals as they deal with a candy shortage in their realm.

Their solution?

Come visit us in the human realm and take our candy (by trick-or-treating of course).

It’s not all sweets and candied apples when they get here, because they are chased by the cool kids that have the same idea — bringing candy back home!

Can Klem and Sellie make it back unscathed..with satchels of sugary loot? Does their appearance strike fear into the humans they run into? Will Sellie ever get her favorite candy?

Pick up a copy of this for your special little monster to enjoy fun all-ages holiday themed story telling — OF BLOOD!

Just kidding, no blood here. Just Fun!

World of Archie Comics Digest #43
WRITER: Various
ARTIST: Various
PRICE: $4.99
Buy it at your local supermarket or digitally HERE



What do you say, Archie old pal, ready for some fun Halloween action?

Admittedly, it has been a few years since I sat down and read through an entire digest sized Archie comic.

The training wheels for getting into comics for nearly forever, these little back pocket funny books have provided laughs for many a dental office visit and family road trip.

And so much as Archie Comics are innovating horror and superheroes lately, as well as killing off Archie Andrews this year in the fantastic Archie: The Married Life future tale, there are still these reprints to be enjoyed.

At the head of this issue is a brand new Halloween story, “A Haunting We Will Go” featuring all of the the gang at a costume party at the Lodges’ and their pet posse saving the day!

Other tales include Archie and Jughead unknowingly crashing a real monster’s party, Archie cosplaying Indiana Jones and some classic old monster pin-ups and fake ads from the past.

Though not 100% chock full of Halloween action, this little guy will keep the Werewolves at bay, for about a half a second.

Seriously, they are powerful Werewolves with teeth and claws.

Find a better weapon than a 152 page mini-comic.

The Flash Season 0 #3
WRITERS: Brooke Eikmeier, Andrew Kreisberg, Katherine Walczak
PENCILS: Phil Hester
INKS: Eric Gapstur
AGE: 12+ Only
Buy It Here

You all saw The Flash pilot, riiiiight? Chances are this is twitter-cooler conversation for the next two days, with Arrow Season 3 on tonight.

It is an embarrassment of riches that we have these shows, Gotham, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and more to come (iZombie, Constantine) to revel in.

My fanboy blood is obviously spiked with the Speed Force, as I have been waiting since 1991 to see Barry Allen return to the small screen.

I’m also liking what I’ve seen in the comics, with the two creative teams on The Flash in the New 52.

Throwing caution and nearly an entire dollar to the wind, I bought the latest TV / crossover digital first from ComiXology to get prepped for the pilot.

I must admit, I did the same for Arrow Season 2.5 and boy was I disappointed. The art was awful, and my first expectations was more of the same.

I was proven wrong! Phil Hester is on pencils, the story is decent (chimpanzees escaped from the zoo, but there is something bigger afoot)! and I will now go back and buy issues 1 & 2 (or buy the print issue, that seems easier somehow.

DC Digital firsts are a crapshoot, Batman Beyond Universe is great, this TV tie in is off to a good start, but some others I just don’t care for.

Be careful when adding these dollar priced issues to your cart, you might get some crumb bums in your digital collection!

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