Over at Comics for Sinners you’ll find my review of Evil Dead 2: Dark Ones Rising #1–2, currently on sale from Space Goat Publishing. Written by Frank Hannah and illustrated by Oscar Bazaldua, Raul Valdes, and Carlos Eduardo, the start of this new miniseries finds Ashley Williams the chain-saw-wielding, boomstick-shooting monster killer (actually, a magically created clone made from Ash’s severed hand, as explained in Space Goat’s Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn miniseries) trying to stop a race of Elder Gods from taking over the world. Head over to C4S to learn more.
Speaking of Elder God–battling supernatural leads, have you met Lorelei, StarWarp Concepts’ resident soul-stealing succubus, whose graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City was inspired by classic horror comics and the works of H.P. Lovecraft, who created the “Great Old Ones” in his Cthulhu Mythos? Making her small-press comics debut in 1989, Lori is SWC’s first leading lady of horror, and has received praise from some high-profile fans.
Like who, you ask? How about James Warren, the legendary original publisher of Vampirella, Creepy, and Eerie, who sent his congratulations after reading a preview of the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City:
“You sure do pay Warren Publishing a nice tribute. I wish you good luck and good acceptance. I like the graphics, and the story is exciting!”
And then there was the late, great Forrest J Ackerman, Vampirella’s creator and the driving force behind the original Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. The Ackermonster saw the same preview and mailed me a postcard with this simple message that thrilled my inner fanboy:
“Lorelei, you’ve cast your spell o’er this guy!”
Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which Lori battles a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and Ghost Rider, it’s written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman (Stan Lee’s Alexa, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Dark Tales From the Vokesverse, Eagle). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide), a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night), and a one-page history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Vampirella, The Grim Ghost).
“I can honestly say that I enjoyed the hell out of this book…. The art is solid, the story is full of lots of things that make the horror genre so great, and the overall quality of the book is top notch.”—Die-Screaming
“Kudos to Roman for capturing the essence of 1970s fare like Vampirella. Filled with ghouls, chicks, and some strong artwork, this is a title that might’ve piqued Hammer Studios’ interest back in the day.”—Dread Central
Lorelei: Sects and the City is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information, as well as sample pages.
