Comic Book Review: Halloween: 30 Years of Terror

Halloween: 30 Years of Terror

Written by: Stefan Hutchinson

Drawn by: Danial Zezelj, Jim Daly, Brett Weldele, Jeffrey Zornow, Lee Ferguson, and Tim Seely

Colored by: Nick Bell, Rob Ruffalo, Jeffrey Zornow, and Elizabeth John

Lettering by: Ed Dukeshire

Published by: Devil's Due Publishing





Ok, let me confess a bias...I love John Carpenter's Halloween. I love the film so much that I haven't gotten up the courage to watch Rob Zombie's version. I'm going to because I am a big fan of Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects so I'll get up the nerve...But give me some time.

That being said, I've windered why, once the great horror slashers were getting comic books, why Michael Myers seemed missing from the list. I have nothing against Chucky, but I thought it a crime that I saw Chucky comics before I saw Michael.

Then, sure enough, Devil's Due comes through for me just in time to celebrate the 30the anniversary of Michael's slasher debut...

DDP's anniversary comic carries 5 tales written by Stefan Hutchinson and illustrated by a variety of artists.

The first tale, "Trick or Treat" drawn by Danijel Zezelj shows us what happens when Tommy and Lindsey run to the Mackenzie's for help reproducing the scene at the end of Halloween.

The problem with these mini-stories in compilation comics is that sometimes, we miss information about the story because there's a limited space. That's how I feel with "Trick or Treat". zlike something got left out. It's a good enough tale, though, reminding us that Michael is not just a mindless killer while connecting him with a well known Halloween urban legend. Zezelj provides some dark, eerie shots of Michael.

Next is "P.O.V." with art by Jim Daly and Rob Ruffalo. In this tale of no words, Michael leaves his mark, with the help of his handy machete, at the Miss Haddonfield pageant. What makes this straightforward illing interesting is the alternating point of view panels that Daly gives us showing us Miss Haddonfield's POV in contrast and comparison with Michael's.

The third tale, with art from Brett Weldele is called "Visiting Hours". It focuses on Laurie Strode in the Grace Anderson Sanitarium thinking how she tried to move on, but she could not forget Michael and what he did, the friends he killed, and how she's now locked away because of it. I thought it was very cool not only bringing in Laurie's friend Nancy.

Weldele's art isn't the style that typically appeals to me, but he impressed me. When he drew Nancy, I didn't need any reminders to help me recall which of Laurie's friends she was. In fact, when she first showed up on panel I could hear her voice whining Lindsey, the girl she was babysitting. Most impressive, however, was his depiction of Michael. He gets the award for Best Michael in this comic.

Drawn by Jeffrey Zornow and Lee Ferguson, the fourth story is "Tommy and the Boogrymsn". Growing up with the attack of Michael Myers behind him, Tommy has grown up to be a comic artist specializing in horror comics. We see one of his disturbing comics about the Boogeyman abducting children and at work at his artist table we see him drawing Michael for his next issue. Ferguson's art is creepy and disturbing and is the best in the book.

Tim Seely steps in for the art chores on the final story "Repetetion Compulsion" giving us Harold Loomis hunting down Michael as he repeats his previous murders. Seely's art leaves us with a wonderfully disturbing image as we close the book.

Rating: - 4 Worms - Great character. Some great art though some styles I don't prefer, still able to pull off some creepy images. Limited mainly by the space provided, nothing really substantial done with the Myers mythos.