DC Comics Halloween 2020

Quarantine got you down and Halloween looking Grimm and not inviting, good idea to stay home and read some Halloween themed comics from DC.

Two year ago we did a super special on DC comics Horror stories which can be found on our Radio of Horror youtube channel definitely check out our upcoming DC comics Halloween special this October

DC Releases Two Halloween Anthologies “Legend of the Swamp Thing Halloween Spectacular #1,” “DC: The Doomed and The Damned #1” Coming in October

DC Doubles Down on the Scary This Halloween!

October always brings stories of ghosts, goblins, fright and picking out our favorite candies for Halloween. But this year, DC’s got twice the spooks and scares for comic book fans with two anthology titles featuring the World’s Greatest Super Heroes in tales of fear and terror!

“Legend of the Swamp Thing Halloween Spectacular #1”

DC invites you to welcome Swamp Thing to your witching hour festivities. In this 48-page collection of six all-new stories, the Guardian of the Green reveals past lives and the unforgettable horrors that befall those who cross his path. From ancient Rome to present day, Swamp Thing stalks these ghostly and ghastly tales—all of which are best read by the light of a jack o’ lantern!

Writers Tom King (“Strange Adventures,” “Swamp Thing: Roots of Terror,” “Swamp Thing Winter Special”), James Tynion IV (“Batman”), Vita Ayala, Phillip Kennedy Johnson (“The Last God: The Fellspyre Chronicles”) and Ram V (“Catwoman,” “Justice League Dark”) are among the writers penning these creepy tales with Domo Stanton (“House of Whispers”), Mike Perkins (“Lois Lane”), Tradd Moore, Emma Rios and Christian Ward providing the bone-chilling artwork.

“Legend of the Swamp Thing Halloween Spectacular #1” is priced at $5.99 and debuts on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at all open and operating comic bookstores and participating digital retailers.

DC: The Doomed and The Damned #1

It was a dark and stormy night when the creatures of the DC universe began to emerge from their lairs into the cool evening air. Tales of the macabre, the murderous, and the morbid abound in this spine-chilling special about monsters and mayhem! What happens when Batman encounters a true urban legend after speaking its name three times in a mirror, or when Madame Xanadu enlists the help of Man-Bat to take town shadowy specter? And who can stop an intergalactic demon from turning people into frog beasts? Only the unlikely team up of Green Lantern and Etrigan! All this and seven more fang-tastic tales to trick your treats and bob your apples!

This prestige format one-shot features some of comics best scary storytellers, including writers Carmen Maria Machado (Hill House Comics’ “The Low, Low Woods”), Marv Wolfman, Ken Porter, John Arcudi, Saladin Ahmed, Alyssa Wong, Travis Moore and others. Artists contributing to this blood-curdling comic include Riley Rossmo (“Martian Manhunter,” “Constantine: the Hellblazer”), Mike Perkins, Leonardo Manco, Travis Moore, Tom Mandrake and others.

This 80-Page one-shot is priced at $9.99 and arrives at open and operating comic bookstores and participating digital retailers on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.

Comic Book Spotlight: DEATH Update

Neil Gaiman in 1989 created Sandman aka Morpheus aka Dreamer.  This would become one of his most famous creations. 8 issues into the series he showed us a character who has been around since time it self DEATH.

But unlike the version depicted in all of cinema and tv up to that point this was a perky little goth girl. She would be the living embodiment of Death, but in a fun way. The original appearance of Death before the Crisis On Infinite Earths is Weird War Tales #8. The artist on the Vertigo book was Steve Dringenberg. Marvel has their own version who is coveted by Thanos, the Avenger villain.
She tries to help her brother Dream lighten up after the crap he went thru with Dr.Destiny in the previous issues.

Death design is based on a singer.
Neil Gaiman is quoted below about Death

“Death is the only major character whose visuals didn’t spring from me; that credit goes to Steve Dringenberg. In my original Sandman outline, I suggested Death look like rock star Nico in 1968, with the perfect cheekbones and perfect face she has on the cover of her Chelsea Girl album.

But Dringenberg had his own ideas, so he sent me a drawing based on a woman he knew named Cinamon Hadley the drawing that was later printed in Sandman 11 — and I looked at it and had the immediate reaction of, “Wow. That’s really cool.” Later that day, Dave McKean and I went to dinner in Chelsea at the My Old Dutch Pancake House and the waitress who served us was a kind of vision. She was American, had long black hair, was dressed entirely in black — black jeans, T-shirt, etc. — and wore a big silver ankh on a silver necklace. And she looked exactly like  Dringenberg’s drawing of Death” Unfortunately Cinamon would pass away a few years later.

She would return a few issues later to help a transgender Metamorpho with identity confusion.
Then in 1993 She got her own series. This is how I learned of the character and was hooked ever since. Death the High Cost of Living and in 1996 Death the Time of Your Life. Both were written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by Chris Bachalo.
In both stories she is taking a day off to help those in need. High cost is considered the better of the two.

Death demonstrates safe sex by placing a condom on a banana held by John Constantine. Lightening the impact of the underlying message, she informs the reader that when one is through with the demonstration, “you can eat the banana.” This was used in high school health classes and is also reprinted as an addendum to the Death: The High Cost of Living trade paperback.
There is a third Death series, but she never appears and acts more as a force of nature. So similar to what she is in real life.

Recently DC published all Death stories and art in one volume except the manga.

She had a DC manga series as well called At Deaths Door by Jill Thompson.

She made two appearance in the Marvel Universe, at the wedding of Rick Jones and Marlo Chandler in The Incredible Hulk #418 by Peter David and Gary Frank (handing Marlo a hair brush, a visual pun referring to Marlo’s recent ‘brush with death’).
Then in the JLA Avengers crossover she appears with the Marvel Universe Death, and Dead man a DC character By George Perez and Mark Waid

Death appeared in Action Comics #894, which was written by Paul Cornell. Cornell confirmed that Neil Gaiman has given his approval for the use of Death in the story line.  In the story, while searching for a black power ring. Luthor had encountered the rings in the Blackest Night story arc. Death never appeared and I never learned why.
Lex Luthor has a conversation with her in that issue. The cover is by David Finch and one of my favorite drawings of her.
She appears again in Action Comics #900 and in The Flash(vol. 3) #6, part of the Brightest Day crossover.

In the DC television series Arrow, a younger Felicity Smoke is shown with black hair and an ankh necklace as a subtle nod to Death

Death had yet to show up in the new 52, but was in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman Universe which has recently all been cancelled due to the ending of Vertigo comics last year.  We can only assume it’s a matter of time before she shows up in new The Sandman series or one of the other supernatural DC books.

On July 15, 2020 an Audio Book of SANDMAN vol 1 will be released thru Audible with Kat Denning ( Thor, Two Broke Girls)  playing her voice.

 

Drive Ins and Dark Nights

Tonight on the show from the Drive In Horror Show we have Michael Neel returning to the show  talking to us about the new anthology of Horror him and his partner Greg have released. Then Michael Bailey from many comic book related podcast joins us once again but this time to talk about BATMAn vs the Supernatural.

http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/

Music tonight will be from the vinyl soundtrack of the Drive In Horror Show Movie.

http://driveinhorrorshow.com/

Cinamon Hadley RIP

Cinamon Hadley, the inspiration for the character design of Neil Gaiman’s Death of The Endless featured in his Sandman comics, has passed away from a long battle with cancer on January 6th. I’m pretty sad by this as Death is one of the best characters to be created in comics and really helped me deal with some of my own personal problems.

Neil Gaiman on Death

“Death is the only major character whose visuals didn’t spring from me; that credit goes to Mike Dringenberg. In my original Sandman outline, I suggested Death look like rock star Nico in 1968, with the perfect cheekbones and perfect face she has on the cover of her Chelsea Girl album.But Mike Dringenberg had his own ideas, so he sent me a drawing based on a woman he knew named Cinamon Hadley — the drawing that was later printed in Sandman 11 — and I looked at it and had the immediate reaction of, “Wow. That’s really cool.”

 

She had been diagnosed with cancer of the colon, which went into remission but returned. The friends of designer Cinamon Hadley have been celebrating her life and mourning her passing.

Cinamon Hadley—The Inspiration for Neil Gaiman’s Death

Happy New Year

Happy New Year one and all and welcome to 2018 we begin our journey into the new year and 11th year of Radio of Horror.

Tonight on the show Jerome Connor joins me to talk about how but hurt angry and fucking plain STUPID fandom got this year. I mean jesus christ people petitions to get the Last Jedi renoved from Cannon what the fuck. Give me a break….Nazi Cap people still losing their minds over need to calm down its a story of FICTION…it will be a foot note soon. 

WE ALSO have the music from Scott and the Book of Pure Evil The End of the End. 

Heather North RIP

Found out recently Voice Actress Heather North aka Daphne Blake has passed away really sad as I grew up on Scooby-Doo. She was the ORIGINAL voice actress for the character from 1969-2003. The last time she voiced the character was in 2003 Scooby-Doo and the Monster from Mexico and The Legend of the Vampire. Heather was 71 years old.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636011/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

The Superman Interviews

I had a lot of fun with two people who came on the recently Former DC Comic Editor Mike Carlin and Michael Bailey of the Fortress of Baileytude. Both came on to talk about Superman vs the Supernatural.  Mr.Bailey will be back this Winter to talk about Batman Gotham by Gaslight and Batman vs The Supernatural.

Bailey

 

Carlin

RI Comic Con This weekend

Hope to see some of you at RI Comic Con tomorrow

There have been some major changes with the con and the people coming to it make sure you check their site. The Walking Dead Actors all had to be taken off tot he list do to stuff happening at AMC.

http://www.ricomiccon.com/

http://wpri.com/2017/11/10/ri-comic-con-loses-mark-ruffalo-walking-dead-cast/

Superman vs The Supernatural

Tonight on the show at long last is my interview with Former Superman Editor Mike Carlin talking about Superman vs Supernatural beings. Mike was editor of the Superman books thru the Post Crisis thru the Wedding. We get the inside story on all these great Supernatural stories as well as some thoughts on the 25th Anniversary of the Death of Superman  Then Writer Michael Bailey from the Superman Homepage and I have a great fan discussion on Superman.  https://www.supermanhomepage.com/ He also runs one of my favorite podcast From Crisis to Crisis, currently on hiatus but coming back soon.

http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/

 

 

Superman vs Vampires

Last 2 weeks it was Demons this time its the UNDEAD CREATURES OF THE NIGHT VAMPIRES this will be a quick over view of some of these stories as there are a few of them. 

In Action Comics Annual #1 with art by Art Adams and Story by John Byrne

Superman and Batman are ina town trying to investigate some disappearance that have been traced from Gotham and Metropolis and encounter Vampires. Batman is willing to kill them because theu the multiverse is aware they exsist as he found Dracula in Red Rain. They encpunter a girl named Skeeter who looks like thr planters peanut commercial girl. I first became aware of this story in a Wizard Magazine article regsrding disturbing stories in comics.  

 Superman Man of Steel #14 and Superman #70 by Louise Simonson Jon Bogdanove and Dan Jurgens

In a two part story involving Robin the Boy Wonder aka Tim Drake the best Robin EVER!!! In the story the Night of the Bat.

Robin and Superman team up to fight Vampires with Jimmy and Lucy Lane Lois younger sister caught in the middle. The Vampire they fight is a Nosferatu style like the movoe or Vampire the Masqurade story line. The thing that really struck me about this issue was the cover where Lucy is biting Superman on the neck. 

In Superman #180 by Jeff Loeb and Ian Churchhill Lois and Clark visit the home of COUNT DRACULA. 

Batman and Superman had a mini series 

Superman and Batman vs Werewolves and Vampires 

Worlds Finest Comics #249 a book I have not read but has Batman and the Phantom Stranger Investigating Vampirea only to find out its ……really SUPERMAN 

Superman vs Demons Part2

The Never Ending Battle….IN HELL!!!!

The Blaze/Satanus War ran in Adventures of Superman#493…Action Comics#680..Man of Steel#15 ….and Superman#71by Roger Stern Jerry Ordway, Tom Grummet, Louise Simonson, Brett Breeding Mike Carlin and the rest of the Superman team at that time. 

Fosworth the former editor and chief of the Daily Planet tried to kill himself and was saved by Superman at the behest of the demon Blaze in the guise of an Angel. Blaze begins sending demons thru mirrors to attack the people in the Newstime building. Lord Satanus arrives in his first post crisis apearence to stop his SISTER!!! Yup its a war of siblings with Superman Jimmy Lois Perry and Alice caught in the middle. Jimmy while taping Turtle Boy gets a vision from Jerry White that BLAZE has returned. Alice and Perry are guided by Jerry White,into a church to save the people of the News Time building. Its revealed that Satanus is in fact Newstime Editor and Cheif Colin Thornton. He is very much portrayed as the lesser of two evils between him and his sister, but that dont mean you shoukd trust him. Superman and Satanus must stop Blaze even if its costs Superman his soul. 

This was a great follow up to the Soul Search storyline I posted about last week. Out of all the art in this story I love the way Grummet draws Lord Satanus the most. Even tho its only two panels he really has a great look about him showing he lives up to his namesake. The depiction of HeLL or Limbo the dark dimension is a bit different than last we saw but that might be the interpertaion of the art team. 

In an interview on the Superman podcast From Crisis to Crisis Jerry Ordwat talks about wanting to do something different after several normal superhero battles and with someone who is pure unrelenting evil. Unlike Lex Luthor or Ugly Manheim Blaze could not be reasoned with.

Satanus would return during the rebuiling of Metropolis and Lex Luthor run for President. Blaze would return in Adventures of Superman #500 to torment Johnathan Kent as he looks for Clark in the afterlife. Both would play a huge part of the Reign in Hell crossover in 2008.

Swamp Thing Animated Parts 1&2

We just finished our coverage of SWAMP THING THE ANIMATED SERIES on The Dead Tv Podcast. Up next Friday the 13th The Series

Michael RavenShadow of Trick or Treat Radio for joining us

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dead-tv-podcast/id1178882992?mt=2

Superman vs Demons

The never ending battle for Truth Justice and the American way incudes going to hell sometimes to save the souls of those you care about. The next few weeks in October I will be talking about Superman and Horror as there are a lot of stories involing the Man of Steel and monsters. Joining me for this will be Michael Bailey at the end of the month a writer for the Superman Homepage and Podcaster of a few Superman shows. As well as another guest with the details still being worked on.
Soul Search Parts 1-3 ran in Action Comics #656, Superman vol 2#47, and Adventures of Superman #470. By Roger Stern, Brett Breeding, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens and the rest of the Superteam at the time. 

Jerry White (son of Perry White Editor and Chief  and Jimmy Olson are guned down out side a club that Jerry worked at for a woman named Blaze. As they lay bleading and dying in a hospital bed Clark and Lois rush to the hospital to find out their condition. Clark is vistied by the Black Racer (Angel of Death type character neither good nor bad just does his job to bring souls to their FINAL DESTINATION ;).

He alerts Clark that he can save his friends lives if he comes with him right away and they fly to a volcano which happens tk be the home of the demones BLAZE, the same Blaze Jerry was working for. A cloven footed red skin horned demon in a scantly clad dress. She tries to kill Superman by dumping him in liquid hot magma ….and turning him into a demon. She is torturing the souls of Jerry and Jimmy just for shear pleasure like something from a Clive Barker Novel. Superman is able to save Jimmy but Jerry dies unfortunately. 

I condesnsed a lot of this story mainly cuz its filled with side plots and characters not important to the topic of this article. 

This is a great horror story I wish was made into an animates episode of any cartoon with Superman in the last 20 years. A live action version of this story on Smallville or Lois and Clark would have been great if they could get KNB effects to do the demon make up on a demon Superman or Blaze her self. Blaze would also summon a demonic version of a character who only had two apearnces alled Skyhook a bat like creature who waa kidnapping children but was killed in battle with Superman and Maggie Sawyer. 

Superman fighting for his life snd the souls of those he cares about in hell would be a interesting new story for a new reader to get into. If you get the basics of who Superman is then that’s all you really need. ( There is a subplot of Jerry actually being Lex Luthors son) Blaze is pretty much introduced here in all her demonic glory and reminds me in a lot of waya of Mephisto…except no Marriage destroying powers. She cackles laughs and is just pure EVIL!!!! I always had a thing for Goth Bad Girl Demons and Blaze certainly takes the cake. Reminds me of Cenobite woman and Dark Angel The Ascent the Charles Band Full Moon movie.

This story would be followed up in the Blaze Satanus War which Ill cover next week. 

Check out the Superman Homepage for other great content.

http://www.supermanhomepage.com

Len Wein Rip

We lost another great comic book legend this past Sunday Len Wein. He worked on my great comic book characters including Swamp Thing which he co-created with who we lost early this year Bernie Wrightson. He also was the co-creator of Wolverine and other great X-Men characters. Tune in a week from today on my podcast The Dead Tv Podcast as me Mistress Zeneca and returning guest  Michael Ravenshadow from Trick or Treat radio talk about the passing of this great writer.

The end of Constantine

LAST episode of the Dead TV PODCAST covering Constantine the cancelled DC comics TV show that was set in the Arrowverse. Stay tuned as we go into SWAMP THING and then FRIDAY THE 13th the TV series

Constantine Ep 13 Waiting for the Man the Final Episode of the show

http://radioofhorror.com/podcast/8231/

JH Williams and Comic Con.

Tonight on the show we have Chris one of the heads of the Massive Comic Con coming on the show which is next weekend in Worcester MA at the DCU Center. Then Comic Book Writer JH Williams will be on with us the former writer of Batwoman. He will be talking a little bit about his history in comics and my partner OF Yang  on Sunstone Audio book joins me for the interview. Music tonight will be from the film Stir of Echos

http://www.massivecomicon.com/

Filmmakers, Writers, and Salem

On the show tonight Alexia Anastasio talking about woman in film making and her Ginger Documentary then Jess-O-Lantern and I talk about the upcoming TV show American Gods and its creator Neil Gaiman, as well as chatting about SANDMAN, CORALINE, and more. Then I will have a chat with the head of the Salem Con after wards a neat convention happening in SALEM MA next weekend.

http://www.mghparanormal.com/

Paul Dini

Low key night tonight as Terror Con will have me wiped out I will be exhausted and just plain tired. For that we have the amazing and talented PAUL DINI of BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES on the show with me. Thanks to his wife Misty Lee for helping me set this up
#batman #animated #cartoons #pauldini

Justice League Dark

A new DC Animated movie that’s in the same Universe as the last three JL movies War, Atlantis and Vs The Teen Titans)  and the Batman animated films (Son of, Vs Robin and Bad Blood.) We have the JL Dark with a bit of a roster change compared to the comic in the launch of the NEW 52 back in 2011. This team consists of Constantine, Deadman, Swamp Thing, Zatanna and Etrigan the Demon. The cover art for the home video release is also below the only problem I have with it is the stupid Warner Brothers Animation marketing team felt the need to put BATMAN on the fucking cover on the front. I mean REALLY DC that’s not needed. Bats is not part of this JL. You make it seem like its his team when this team is more being led by John Constantine ( as voiced by Matt Ryan from the cancelled TV show.)
It comes out on Digital in Jan and then disk Feb.

Synopsis below

 When innocent civilians begin committing unthinkable crimes across Metropolis, Gotham City and beyond, Batman must call upon mystical counterparts to eradicate this demonic threat to the planet. Enter Justice League Dark, reluctantly led by the Hellblazer himself, John Constantine. Like Batman, Constantine is a cunning, often cynical loner who is the best at his chosen profession – but quickly realizes the sinister forces plaguing the planet will require help from other supernatural alliances. Forming a new “league” with sorceress Zatanna, otherworldly Deadman, and Jason Blood and his powerful alter ego Etrigan the Demon, this team of Dark Arts specialists must unravel the mystery of Earth’s supernatural plague and contend with the rising, powerful villainous forces behind the siege – before it’s too late for all of mankind.

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