Jay Fotos Studios 2018
Written by Mark Kidwell & Jay Fotos
Illustrated by Jay Fotos & Jeff Zornow
Lettered by Tom B. Long
The series starts with a framing story of a kid who finds a mysterious VHS tape in his dad’s old boxes of college junk. His dad can’t remember ever owning the tape and there’s very little information on the sleeve. The film is entitled, Rising Rebels and it’s a classic ‘80’s period gore flick. He and his dad pop it into a dusty VCR and off our story goes…
If you have read the ‘68 series then you are familiar with these gentlemen if not and you like horror and specifically zombies then you out it to yourself to go out and find them! This time around they are going a different route with their storytelling and have created this flashback love letter to those absolutely amazing 80’s direct to video horror stories that are a not so guilty pleasure. So join me as we talk about some of the best horror storytellers out there today.
The opens beautifully as dad is hollering at his son who is in the attic rooting around in dad’s old stuff from college. So basically we’re starting in the present because dad was a “kid” in the 80’s and when he gets to Evan the kid is beyond excited by what he’s found. The dialogue here is sensational to see and it’s no small stretch to see a kid of today saying old action figures suck and pointing the articulation is why. The enthusiasm is infectious and to see it all in one page sets the stage for to expect as the issue moves forward.
Ya know what I love about this the most? It is the kind of bonding moment between father and son that happens so infrequently any more. There is a real genuine connection between them over the horror tapes, it’s VHS tapes so yeah, and regardless of how this is supposed to make you feel there is no way you won’t smile at it. My own father and I bonded over Star Trek, I am old so the original, and Monty Python films so I found so easy to relate to this.
I love the interiors here. The horror has one quality while the rest have another so it’s like the real world and a film within a film. The way that the attention to detail is able to bring this to life is sublime to see. Whether it’s Boss Hogg as the Sheriff or the preppy with his sweater around his neck everything is done so nicely. However it’s really where the horror parts come into focus where the manipulation of the varying weights of the linework really shine. Add to that the way colours are utilised to create atmosphere and suddenly you can hear your own horror soundtrack running through your mind. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off this amazing eye for storytelling.
Mark is one of the most underrated storytellers writing comics and I wish he’d do so much more work. His has this way of crafting the story so that the pacing, the way we see the ebb & flow run through it better than a half-naked girl running in any horror flick. The characterisation and just the overall vibe he’s able to create with the characters keeps me begging for more. Also that there are more twists and turns in the story than the long and winding road is just an added bonus. There is a reason some of the best stories being told today are done by the creators themselves without a traditional company involved.
With some of today’s best storytelling on the market in the states you really need to treat yourself and head to https://www.jayfotos.com/ and order the first three issues for yourself. Trust me you will not be disappointed.