Broken Frontier

Fangoria magazine has decided to venture into the world of comics with a very bloody first entry.

It’s nice to see the horror genre expanding into other mediums, and as you know, horror comics have such a rich history going as far back to the 50’s during the heyday of EC Comics, so it’s about time that Fangoria is entering the fray. In fact Bump is the inaugural entry in a planned move to architect a line of fear books over the next several months for the publishing giant (run by Starlog Entertainment).

With this one though, Bump starts out with a startling glimpse into the past where sick and demented Edgar Dill plans on hacking to bits a pretty young girl being held captive in his room. Now while all this is going on his mother rests comfortably downstairs, but her slumber is interrupted when the police force their way in. Edgar is quickly taken down and left for dead by the Sheriff and his deputies, but can you really keep a sick puppy like Edgar Dill down? Probably not and as the issue moves forward, we learn that some old ghosts from the past may not be kept down for too long.

Now this may appear to be a familiar theme often seen in your average horror movie, but writer Mark Kidwell handles it with much ferocity. He doesn’t pull any punches detailing Edgar’s macabre talents and this is structured like the kind of gore film Fangoria often covers in their monthly magazine. My only complaint is that some of Mark’s dialogue felt a tad thin in spots, especially in scenes dealing with the Sheriff and his deputies.

Of course Mark Kidwell also serves as artist on this issue, and his work was definitely gore soaked throughout. I think this type of illustration packs a punch and I am sure readers of Fangoria magazine will find this comic much to their liking. Many of the panels showcasing the demented Edgar Dill leapt from the page with savage authority, and I was instantly reminded of the type of fiends and ghouls often seen in the classic issues of EC.

I think this first issue of Bump proves that Fangoria can make an impact with horror comics and it’s nice to have Scott Licina (Executive Editor) overseeing the line. The other interesting aspect of this book is that filmmaker Robert Kurtzman intends to lens a film version of the comic, giving this first entry a chance at survival into other mediums. So far this one packs a disgusting punch to the gut and I suggest anyone with a weak stomach should stay clear of this because Edgar Dill is the new maniac in town.