The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this!

Chapter 71: Something spooky for you..

Hello!

This is a special Halloween edition of the ol’ newsletter. Whether you plan on getting dressed up like a sexy version of the “this is fine” dog and raging with friends, or you plan on sitting at home and waiting for all that candy to go on sale Tuesday, we here at the Ashcan Press Comics Corporation have something for you in these spooky times.

Me? I land somewhere in the middle. I’m not going to parties, but I am watching some spooky movies. I did BARBARIAN two nights ago, and THE POWER last night. But I’m very excited for tonight’s spooky movie double feature. I’m going to watch THE WAILING, which I’ve heard is great. And then I signed up for Shudder just for this one- REVEALER is written by my good buddies Mike Moreci and Steve Seeley, who you may know from such awesome comics as BARBARIC, WASTED SPACE, HACK SLASH, and REVIVAL. I could tell you what REVEALER is about, but I didn’t see it yet. So watch the trailer to get excited, or better yet, just watch on on Shudder with me tonight.

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Someone online asked me what my favorite horror comics are the other day. I thought it was a fun question and so, rather than answer them, I figured I’d bring it it here and make a list for all of you! Without putting too much thought into it, here are my favorite horror comics of all time.

• 11. I AM A HERO. Kengo Hanazawa’s strange story about a man surviving the zombie apocalypse through sheer luck has some of the best horror moments I’ve ever come across, and some of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen in a comic. Yes, I’m talking about the head coming out of the toilet.

• 10. 30 DAYS OF NIGHT. Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith created a brilliant twist on vampire stories and elevated the whole genre when they did. And it hit me at exactly the right time.

• 9. THROUGH THE WOODS. Emily Carrol’s dreamy, fairytale horror stories suck you in and creep you out with equal craftsmanship. A gorgeous, fun, and whimsical meditation on the things that scare us.

• 8. THE EYES OF THE CAT. Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius tell a silent tale about… well, you have to read it. But there are panels of this book I think about regularly, years after I first read it.

• 7. THE WALKING DEAD. Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Tony Moore’s culture-changing zombie thriller is the modern high-water mark of indie comics for a good reason. Thrilling from its first issue to its last.

• 6. AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla took something that feels like a very silly joke, and managed to make one of the best horror comics of all time. Smart, gorgeous, and shocking at every turn, it’s a true classic.

• 5. UZAMAKI. Juni Ito is an unrivaled name in horror, so picking one of his books is hard. But Uzamaki was like nothing I’d ever seen before and it sticks with you in a way other horror wish they did.

• 4. SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING. Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben don’t just reinvent the character, they reinvent what a superhero book can be. Is it actually horror? Sort of, in parts. But it’s good enough that even those small parts make it a must read for horror fans.

• 3. FATALE. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips step outside their usual stomping grounds for a blend of period crime story and Lovecraftian horror that is as good as anything else these two masters make.

• 2. BLACK HOLE. Charles Burns’s disturbing teenage STD horror blew my mind when I was a kid and continues to inform and inspire me every time I go back to it.

• 1. FROM HELL. Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell made one of the best comics of all time here, regardless of genre. A must read for pretty much everyone.

I will say, that in the last few years there has been a truly great run of horror comics from people I am lucky enough to consider friends. I feel too close to them to really judge where they should land on the list. It will probably take me some time and distance to figure that out. But in the meantime I hope you all have checked out ROAD OF BONES, WYTCHES, THESE SAVAGE SHORES, RED FORK, INFIDEL, THE SILVER COIN, THE DREGS, AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE, GIDEON FALLS, REDNECK, BLACK STARS ABOVE, THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE, ICE CREAM MAN, NAILBITER, REVIVAL, and REDLANDS.

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If you’re not reading or watching movies, maybe you need a horror video game fix. I don’t really play video games anymore, but I’ve stumbled across is this very weird HALLOWEEN promotional videogame and I love it. It has strong Atari vibes in the best way, and it is wildly addictive. So far my high score is 3:22. And that will probably be my high score forever because I doubt all will play the game too much more, but it is fun if you’ve got 5 minutes to kill.

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And finally, what would Halloween be without a sweet treat to enjoy? A couple years ago I spent a few days in Budapest, mostly just walking around. And since it was pretty cold, I quickly discovered that the cafe downstairs from the apartment I was staying in had an amazing white hot cocoa on the menu. I drank it every day as I explored the city. I’ve spent the years since chasing the ghost of that sickly sweet drink. And I think I’ve finally perfected it. So below is my super secret recipe that I am sharing with you on this one special night, to make sure you stay warm wherever you are.

• 2 Tablespoons White Chocolate Chips

• 7 Ounces Whole Milk

• 1/2 Teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar

• A few drops Vanilla Syrup

• Whipped Cream

Yeah. It’s pretty simple. I’m not really a good cook, and I don’t trust any of you around an open flame. Just put white chocolate chips in a microwave safe cup… Or don’t if you want some real Halloween excitement!… But, no, that was a joke. Don’t burn your house down. Pour the milk on top. You don’t need to use whole milk if you don’t care if it tastes bad, otherwise use whole milk. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir the milk until the chips melt and dissolve. Add in the brown sugar and vanilla syrup. Put some whipped cream on top if you’re feeling feisty. Now go enjoy a chilly night in a strange Eastern European city. Or wherever you are.

I took a picture but I added special green food coloring because 1) Green is the spookiest color for milk to be. 2) Otherwise it just looks like a cup of milk.

I also added red food coloring to the whipped cream thinking that would also be spooky… But it wasn’t. It looks like someone barfed up some Christmas decorations. We don’t have to talk about this ever again

I made a little Halloween mixtape for you all to enjoy, if you feel so inclined. Whether you’re throwing an amazing party but don’t feel like DJ’ing or you’re sitting at home looking for stuff to listen to, I got you covered. It’s 3 and half hours long, because honestly don’t throw parties that are longer than that.

We’ve got some Talking Heads, Ramones, Mercyful Fate, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Weekend, Skinny Puppy, Goblin, Christian Death, The Mission, Suicide, No Age, and more. Basically all the hits.

Just a word of warning. If you are going to play this at a party, the last 40 minutes or so are going to give your get together real weird vibes. Good weird, but weird.

I’ve made it a tradition every year to give out comics to trick or treaters in my neighborhood. And yes, last year a guy dressed as Nova took all the fancy variant covers for his “kids”, but it’s still something I really enjoy doing. Long ago I gave up on trying to keep single issues. Sadly, I’m a trade paperback guy now. But I still buy (and get) a lot of single issues every year, so I give all those out on Halloween. It’s a good yearly “housecleaning” and it gives the neighborhood kids some fun stuff to read.

But since I’m not letting you all come over to my house, I figured I’d send you a spooky comic gift.