I was given the honor of receiving a review copy of Sitcomics‘ newest series, titled “Barbra Macabre’s Morbid Museum.” The tagline goes as follows:
“You are cordially invited to the grand opening of Barbra Macabre’s Morbid Museum, where featured exhibits include a trio of hysterically horrific stories from the pen of veteran sitcom writer Darin Henry and 13 year old rising star Dashiell Burton! Lurking behind this gory-ous, SDCC–exclusive cover are 25 pages of gruesome guffaws drawn by Al Milgrom (The Avengers) & Neil Vokes (Dr. Strange) with colors by Glenn Whitmore and letters by Marshall Dillon. Rated 9pm (for teens and up). 32 FC pages, $3.99″
Below is the SDCC exclusive cover. If you’re attending San Diego Comic-Con International this weekend (July 18-21, 2019), you can pick up this exclusive printed edition at the “Sitcomics Binge Books” table at the small press pavilion section, table K4!
Below is the regular edition cover, for when the digital and print releases become available.
“Barbra Macabre’s Morbid Museum #1” contains three stories: “Not Silent But Deadly” and “The Red House” which are written by Darin Henry and penciled and inked by Al Milgrom. “Monster,” the story is by Dashiell Burton, script by Darin Henry, and art by Neil Vokes. Colors are by Glenn Whitmore, letters are by Marshall Dillon, and cover art is by Al Milgrom. Barbra Macabre designed by Darin Henry and Ron Frenz.
Readers will immediately meet Barbra Macabre on the titles page, and she is the narrator throughout this series. There are similarities to the Crypt Keeper, the Vault Keeper and the Old Witch from the infamous horror series, “Tales From the Crypt,” “The Vault of Horror” and “The Haunt of Fear.” Readers of classic, vintage horror comics from the early days of EC Comics will notice similarities to those stories, but the good thing about comics in the 21st century is…no more censorship (read about it HERE), so anything goes with these new, independent horror comics!
The first story, “Not Silent But Deadly” stars Mark Cobb, who is starting a new job as security at the “Man-Burger” mystery meat plant. As excited as he is to start his new job, he’s introduced to his boss, Chester Long. Ms. Brock was told by Chester that he and Mark have a history together, but she has no idea about this…history. Barbra Macabre narrates their history together through rhymes, and the readers will know how much of an antagonist Chester is. But one thing leads to another, and just when you thought you knew how the story is going to end…the twist at the end shows differently.
“The Red House” is about a corrupt President of the United States, cheating, murders, the innocence of a man, an electric chair, and an ending that will leave readers in shock, but hey, this is just a fictional story! In the real world, events like these don’t happen…or do they? Read this story to find out what I’m referring to here, any more details and I’ll spoil the story! Also, Barbra is back again with her rhymes and narration. This must be her thing, some may like it, others may not. My personal opinion, it adds more entertainment to these stories. Her narrative style is definitely different!
“Monster” is an interesting story. It makes the reader see things from another perspective. One moment you’re reading something, only to find out that things aren’t quite what they seem by the story’s end. The concept for this story is creative, and it makes one wonder, what lurks deep within us?
In the traditional Sitcomics way, in between each story are the “Sit-Commercials” which are fun to read. The cover states that there are 25 pages, but there are 36 digital pages in the review copy, so this is a nice bonus. I will post details when the digital and print copies are available to the general public, but as stated before, if you’re attending SDCC (or know someone who’s going this weekend), pick up the exclusive copy with the limited SDCC cover at the “Sitcomics Binge Books” table at the small press pavilion section, table K4!
Overall, I enjoyed the first issue of “Barbra Macabre’s Morbid Museum.” The mix of horror, gore, humor and the rhymes by the narrator, Barbra, were entertaining to read. The stories were illustrated well, and the art styles by Al Milgrom and Neil Vokes are complimentary to the vintage horror comics of the late 40’s and 50’s. The stories by Darin Henry and Dashiell Burton were executed well, and the twist endings were all worth seeing. The colors by Glenn Whitmore brings these stories and characters to life, and the lettering by Marshall Dillon is spectacular as he’s known for. I rate this premiere issue 4.7 Geek-Heads out of 5, it’s on my highly recommended list, and I’m looking forward to reading and seeing the next installment! For this weekend only, at SDCC 2019, “Barbra Macabre’s Morbid Museum #1” will be available for $3.99 at the “Sitcomics Binge Books” table at the small press pavilion section, table K4! Grab your copies soon before they sell out!
© 2019 Sitcomics. © The Henry Farm 2019, Inc.
Anything Geek Culture 