Roman Dirge’s Lenore is back! Following the recent NOOGIES and WEDGIES collections, the cute little dead girl returns to floppy form with her own title, and LENORE #2 will street Jan. 18, 2011. Per the publisher, “After years of shocking physical and mental abuse, extreme violence and unnecessary brutality it looks as if Mr. Gosh’s feelings of unrequited love for Lenore have finally turned?” Here’s your early look:

When you hear “scream queen,” you think of Jamie Lee Curtis. The girl gets her due in David Grove’s biography of her formative horror-film years, from HALLOWEEN to HALLOWEEN II. That may not sound like a stretch, but she shoehorned in four more fright flicks in between: THE FOG, PROM NIGHT, TERROR TRAIN and ROAD GAMES.

After a brief birth-to-career-start introduction, JAMIE LEE CURTIS: SCREAM QUEEN jumps right into her scoring the lead in John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN, which would forever secure her place in film history … yet not lead to any other job offers, despite being a massive hit.

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When our humble editor asked if I was interested in not only reviewing the latest book by cult movie icon Adrienne Barbeau, but interviewing her as well, my response was enthusiastic and immediate (and might have even included a celebratory expletive to signify the passion of my response).

But my enthusiasm cooled and turned to apprehension when I realized that the book in question, LOVE BITES, was a vampire novel (or — more accurately — a vampyre novel), and there was the very real possibility that I would hate it, which would then make doing the interview just a wee bit awkward.

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People always seemed to be surprised when they hear that an actor has written a novel, as if a talent in one field precludes having one in another. Personally, I’m far more surprised that more actors don’t try their hand at fiction, considering how the nature of their craft allows them to get into the heads of characters whose behavior and attitudes are often anathema to their own.

That and they often have a lot of free time on their hands.

Still, despite this there is an annoying tendency to treat novels written by actors as amusing novelties rather than as serious works of genuine merit. Hopefully the efforts of celebrated cult movie actress Adrienne Barbeau will go some way toward changing that.

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The WEEKLY WORLD NEWS team uncovers the definitive and faux-tastic story of Bat Boy, from his hardscrabble origins in the caves of West Virginia to his global influence in the 21st century. GOING MUTANT: THE BAT BOY EXPOSED! reveals how Bat Boy has heeded a call to service that has embarrassed less forthcoming mutants: During the Gulf War, he deployed with the Special Forces. He later earned a special commendation from George W. Bush for his use of sonar, which led troops to the spider hole housing Saddam Hussein. And now Bat Boy joins forces with an unlikely crew of soldiers, scientists and swamp mamas to battle a global pandemic that threatens to destroy our planet.

We have two copies to give away, going to:
• Mike Sullivan of Mountaintop, Pa.
• Steven Gomez of Copperopolis, Calif.

Buy it at Amazon.

OVERWINTER is the second in David Wellington’s werewolf series that began with last year’s excellent FROSTBITE. It continues the adventures of its main characters while incorporating some events from their past, while introducing several inventive surprises. Along the way, Wellington places his own unique stamp on the entire concept of werewolves; much as he did with vampires in works like 99 COFFINS and VAMPIRE ZERO, and zombies in his MONSTER ISLAND trilogy.
 
Cheyenne Clark, a former werewolf hunter who now carries the cures herself, travels northward in Canada toward the artic circle. Leading the way is Montgomery Powell, the man who previously was hunted by Chey, who killed her father as a werewolf, and then transferred the curse to Chey.

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Surmises author John Austin, SO NOW YOU’RE A ZOMBIE. In this guide, subtitled A HANDBOOK FOR THE NEWLY UNDEAD, he tells those with a just-recent taste for flesh and brains how to get their lumbering hands on some prime-grade human.

Where to hide for prey? Under the bed’s always good. How to dodge a Molotov cocktail? Easier than you’d think, even with your slowed speed. Can’t extract your next meal from a car? Try the ol’ roof punch.

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Don’t really get the zombie fad.
 
Sure, I’ve enjoyed a few zombie movies in my time — ZOMBIELAND and SHAUN OF THE DEAD, to name two off the top of my head. But did I really enjoy those movies because of the zombie aspect? No, most likely it was the comedic elements of the story and the whole apocalyptic, end of the world, us few against the ravenous hordes scenario that the movies portrayed — much like why I love Richard Matheson’s I AM LEGEND.

So what is the appeal of zombies? Vampires and werewolves have a power fantasy element to them, but does anyone imagine themselves as a zombie? What could possibly be the appeal? The bad skin? Poor hygiene? Disgusting diet and eating habits?

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Happy Halloween, everyone! This week, I’m finally tackling two “monster” books I’ve been meaning to read since the start of this column, while the third book is from an English gent who loves crabs. But, sadly, the book I’m covering deals with bats. Let’s kick things off with an old-school pulp author of note.

THE MONSTER MEN by Edgar Rice Burroughs — This is all you really need to know about this novel: Frankenstein plus Tarzan equals MONSTER MEN. That pretty much sums it up. Professor Maxon is disposing of his latest failed experiment, but we are not told what that is until a few chapters later.

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Fred Van Lente teams with Dean Koontz for ODD IS ON OUR SIDE, the second manga based upon Koontz’s ODD THOMAS series. As with the first, IN ODD WE TRUST, this skews younger and is illustrated by Queenie Chan.

In the Halloween-themed Del Rey release, griddle master/dead seer Odd Thomas senses not all is well in his hometown as it preps for fall festivities. But sniffing out the bad guys is more difficult when everyone is dressed in spooky masks.

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