Antarctic Press
Richard Moore, writer and artist
********** Mature Content Warning ************
This is a collection of nightmarish tales that often employ humor in their twist-endings, as anyone familiar with Richard Moore's previous work might expect. Moore is likely best known for his Far West and Boneyard series from NBM Publishing, and for his (often adult) pin-ups and illustrations. I decided to give this quarterly book a try based on his name and my appreciation for his Boneyard work alone, and I was not disappointed.
Macabre starts out with a brief introduction from the book's hostess, Charli, who quickly dispenses with any thoughts the reader might have that she is a Crypt Keeper or Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, clone. What follows is a series of three short stories (two five-pagers and a three-pager), a few one-page Charli gags and introductions, and a number of pin-ups of some classic Moore sexy, scary ladies. The stories feature a werewolf (always a plus in my book), an ogre with amorous intentions and a crew of misguided zombies, but no major gore or anything hard-core in this inaugural issue. I found all three stories engaging and humorous and only wish there had been a bit more content for the higher cover price independent publishers' books carry ($3.50 in this case).
Moore's art is on the cartoony side rather than hyper-realistic. A more loose, cartoony style isn't always the most popular way to go in the minds of some comics fans, but for the types of stories Moore tells -- almost always with an element of humor -- the style works perfectly.
One other note of interest that caused me a tiny bit of confusion: In that zombie story, the second and third pages were printed in reverse order, at least in my copy. That took a few minutes to figure out, but once I did, I think this one was my favorite of Charli's three tales.
I look forward to this book continuing for a good, long time and wish Moore much success at his new publishing home.
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