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By Jason Bourgeois
Happy (almost) Halloween! In honour of the holiday, a personal fave of mine, I thought this would be a good time to do something somewhat topical.
I've loved horror movies for a long time, thanks to some family members forcing me through a week-long marathon. I'm versed in all the classics, and have a growing collection, and I'm always on the lookout for fun stuff.
So, when it was announced that there would be a comicbook pitting Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash from three of the most well known franchises in the genre, I was giddy like a schoolgirl. That image alone should be my contribution to nightmares and horror this month.
The story was floating around Hollywood for quite some time, picking up where the big screen slashfest Freddy vs. Jason left off. Written by Jeff Katz and James Kuhoric, who were both involved with the script, I believe, and now adapting it for comics. They really brought the three title characters together in a sensible way that didn't seem forced, as well as keeping the action and gore pretty high.
Oh my, the gore. The body count for the first volume is quite something. Jason has always been portrayed as a force of nature, unstoppable, and leaving a gigantic pile of bodies in his wake. And this series did not disappoint on that count. They really seem to know the characters, and juggled the trio ably, giving each one moments to shine, without overly favouring any one character. They captured the fun of each one, and their voices were pretty damned close to perfect. Ok, so Jason doesn't exactly have a voice, but they did a great job with the mute hurricane with a hockey mask. The art by Jason Craig really did an exceptional job of capturing the likenesses of the lead characters, and making the deaths really graphic. This is not a book for kids.
That was last year, and now we're in the middle of the second volume bringing these three iconic characters together, in FvJvA: Nightmare Warriors. In some ways, I think this title is even better than the first.
The pacing feels a little slow at times, and they're doing more character work with the protagonists, but what really sells me on this book is those characters. I didn't click onto it at first, because of the long time it has been since I saw any of the movies involved, but after issue two, it hit me that many of the eponymous Nightmare Warriors being gathered together in the book to go up against Freddy and Jason are actually from the movies. While the first volume could easily have been made as a movie, especially since it was adapted from a script for just that, this second volume is almost too huge to be a movie, and that's half the fun. Since it is all drawings, there are no limitations of trying to get these various actors together all at once, no budgetary restraints for their salaries, trying to juggle schedules, and personalities. For fans of the three series, this book is pure gold, and a definite must read to see these familiar faces again.
Even if the story was subpar, just the idea of making this epic book bringing so many things from all the different mythologies together and making sense of it all makes the book worth reading for the fans. However, it's not. The body count is just as high as before, the characters are all just as spot on, and this is a very well done continuation of all these lives, and afterlives.
If you're a fan of Freddy, Jason, or Ash, then the second volume is a must read, hands down. The first volume is also recommended, since it sets things up for Nightmare Warriors, but everything in the second book makes it unmissable. However, if you're not a fan, the continuity may be a little too thick for a person to get through. The writing does some expositing to get everyone familiar enough, I think, If you're a fan of horror and want to read something with some good scares and a high body count, but aren't familiar with the title characters (How can that be possible, if you're a fan of horror? Search me...), this might still be up your alley. At least give the trades a flip through at your local comic store.
Jason M. Bourgeois
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