In GRIMM TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY: 2021 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, available from Zenescope Entertainment on October 20th, 2021, the Dreamland attraction park turns into Nightmareland every Halloween. One ambitious actor is invited to join a special club if he can lure the worst souls attending Nightmareland’s festivities to the Gates of Hell.
The Details
- Written By: Jay Sandlin
- Art By: Guillermo Fajardo, Sergio Arino, Juan Francisco Mota, Moy R., Haka Aydin
- Colors By: Grostieta, Maxflan Araujo, Clau Violette, Edwin Estrada, Vinicius Adrade
- Letters By: Sean Konot
- Cover Art By: Al Barrionuevo, Ivan Nunes (cover A)
- Cover Price: $7.99
- Release Date: October 20, 2021
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Was It Good?
The Zenescope Quarterlies focusing on horror can be a bit of a mixed bag because there’s a lot of pages to fill. It works best when they stick to the anthology format, and that’s exactly why this quarterly works supremely well.
Taking a cue from masterful anthologies such as Tales from the Crypt, the 2021 Halloween special uses the connective tissue of a morally bankrupt and talentless actor who’s willing to do anything for a piece of fame and fortune. The actor is used as a catalyst for four separate stories about awful people getting their comeuppance in the worst (or best, if you prefer) ways possible.
Each story does a phenomenal jump setting up the “victims” as the lowest of the low, making their ultimate fates so satisfying. While it may have been nice to see their punishment develop as an ironic twist of their own crimes, the finality of their demise is still very appropriate. We’ll cover each story in a little more detail below, so read on for more specifics.
There are too many people on the art team to call out individually, but I was thoroughly pleased with the art styles as a whole. That said, Fajardo knocks his segment out of the park for the flesh-twisting designs of the actor as he’s warped and stretched by the Eldritch Void. Keep an eye on Fajardo.
In all, this is a gleefully evil anthology with pleasing art, satisfying stories, and a welcome, twist cameo at the end for Zenescope fans.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
As with all our anthology reviews, we’ll cover each story separately and briefly, ranking them based on what did or didn’t work.
Nightmareland
Nathan Best is a failed, rich, and spoiled actor desperate for his own slice of fame and fortune. He’s been invited to become a member of a club of the most elite individuals, ensuring the connections will grant his every wish. However, membership comes with a price. He must use his acting skills to lure the worst attendees of Nightmareland into the maw of Hell as his membership fee, a task he greedily accepts.
This is the umbrella story that drives each of the short stories. Fajardo’s art is simply stellar, and Best’s “reward” at the end is quintessential Monkey’s Paw material.
Seven Undead Seas
A pack of preachy bigots tries to get Nightmareland attendees to join their cause. When Nathan (acting as a ride employee) offers the group a private ride on the pirate exhibit, they find that the fabled freedom of a pirate’s life comes with a bloody cost.
Credit to Sandlin for giving bigots their comeuppance without leaning too heavily on the “ripped from the headlines” ideology route with political party associations. I think all Americans can agree that out-of-shape, preachy, losers deserve to die at the hands of flesh-eating zombie pirates.
Dark Creature Carousel
A man and his mistress enjoy the festivities while trying to maintain a low profile so the man’s wife doesn’t find out. Nathan invites the couple for a private carousel ride that turns out to be too hot to handle. When the ride is done, the couple becomes a sweet addition to the park’s attractions.
Kudos again to Sandlin for not taking the cliché route by using the obvious Tunnel of Love gimmick. The setup is fairly good and the fate of the couple is horrific.
Safari
A pair of frat bros who don’t know how to take “no” for an answer winds up chasing a pair of ladies through a jungle ride attraction. However, the predator becomes the prey when the jungle comes alive to consume them. Thankfully, a female hero arrives to save the day… or does she?
This story earns the top spot for the most unpredictable twists. It looks like the story is headed one way, and then it zigs when you expect a zag. Nice work.
Shiverdale
A never-was rock band uses their musical tour as a front to sell drugs. When their Nightmareland concert fails to draw a crowd and the drugs don’t attract buyers, their frontman hatches a plan to solve their financial worries for years to come. Before the plan is fully set in motion, Nathan invites the band to take a complimentary and private rollercoaster ride to Hell… literally.
Of the fours shorts, this story has some of the best highs and the one main low point. The highs come in the form of the extended (and gruesome) deaths at the hands of the denizens of Hell. Each member gets their own just desserts according to their contributions. It’s a high point because some of the other stories have the action happen off-panel or leave the death as implied. Here, there are no punches pulled.
This short also has the only down point because the opening part of the short takes a very long time to get to the action (9 pages), and it feels like it drags. The setup could have used some trimming, but the short has one of the strongest endings.
Final Thoughts
GRIMM TALES OF TERROR QUARTERLY: 2021 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL takes readers on a horror-filled ride of Halloween fun. The stories focus on awful people meeting awful endings, and the results are gruesomely satisfying. Each artist in the small army of creators brings a unique visual aesthetic to the anthology, and they’re all successful. This will be a welcome addition to your Halloween comic reading lineup.
Score: 9/10
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