Metal Gods: A Tribute to Judas Priest

I pre-ordered this as soon as I saw the post on social media. I think Mark Rudolph is incredibly talented and I was stoked to dive into his third book in homage to our metal gods (Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost, and Judas Priest).

Temple of Void was honored to be involved in the second book. We recorded a Celtic Frost cover for the LP that accompanied the book's release. Very cool. And just like the last two, there is a good showing of Detroit talent in "Metal Gods." Members of TOV, Acid Witch, and more, all make fine contributions.

One of my favorite stories was actually the fashion show. I thought it was well written and I give the artist props for taking a chance. Everyone could have just illustrated the lyrics, but this was pretty clever and witty.

Of the three books, this one is has the most pages. And now Mark's moved on from self-financing it and he's gotten involved with Decibel Magazine. They've partnered with him to produce and sell the book. It retains the exact same high production values and format as the first two, but it just happens to be sold by Decibel this time.

Oh, there is one gripe, though. The fucking typo's. There are numerous typographic errors in the book. The most egregious being on the first page. How did he misspell "Exhumed"? I was extra surprised cuz you'd think that Decibel would have put an Editor on it... Guess not.

Anyway, that's a small blemish on an otherwise stellar book. Definitely recommended.

The Walking Dead: 27 The Whisperer War

I was hanging with some homies last weekend and Tony brought up the Walking Dead. I realized I was a couple TPB's behind so I bought them on Amazon on the spot. I read both in the last two days. Man, lots of heart-in-mouth moments. Very intense bunch of issues. Loved it.

Some very interesting character evolution in this book. Yup, there's tons of zombies being slain, but the best part of TWD is the character development. And this book really delivers.

So god damn good.

The Walking Dead: 26 Call To Arms

Holy shit! Things got intense as fuck. A bunch of crazy ass shit happened. And then more crazy stuff happened, then things really went bananas at the end. Got it?

I stopped watching the series years ago, but man, the comic is still freakin awesome.

Batman: Noël

My boss loaned me this. He's a huge Batman fan and this book really blew him away. I just checked it out, and man is it gorgeous. The coloring is incredible! I'm super impressed with the penciling and the coloring. It's just so detailed and so full of life. It's a very cinematic book.

The story is based on A Christmas Carol, but with Batman and co. replacing Scrooge etc. It's a unique spin on both stories. A fine mash-up indeed.

Catwoman is insanely sexy in this book. It has to be said.

I really enjoyed this. I would have enjoyed it even if it was written in Latin. It's just killer to look at.

It's a tremendous work of art. Definitely recommended for Batman fans.

Black Road: Issues 1 through 5

I went to my local comic book shop and asked them about any new Viking books that were out. The young lass pointed me towards a new series called BLACK ROAD. I subsequently picked up the first five issues. Why not. Brian Wood from Northlanders is part of the creative team. It's gotta be good.

IT IS!

Black Road is the emerging story of Magnus the Black. He's a Viking. He's big and bald. And he kicks ass. So far it's the age old story of pagans versus Christians. Blood is shed. The Christian oppressors wield their weapons in the name of conversion to their faith. 'Twas a rough time for all.

If you lament the demise of the incredible but short-lived Northlanders, then definitely get this! I just wish it was further along so I could buy a collection in a TPB. You rip through the first five issues faster than a longsword through enemy flesh!