Bigfoot
Many movies have been made surrounding the legend of Bigfoot, but I can’t think of a single one that is genuinely good. Leave it to the comics to absolutely nail the hairy monster.
BIGFOOT was a four-issue miniseries from 2004 co-written by 30 DAYS OF NIGHT creator Steve Niles and HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES director Rob Zombie, and drawn by HEAVY METAL’s Richard Corben. The inevitable trade paperback edition collecting the full run was just released yesterday. As someone who doesn’t read comics in single-issue format anymore, I must say the wait was totally worth it.
The first issue begins in 1973, when a family camping trip to a national park in an unnamed state turns deadly. The parents experience a jarring case of coitus interruptus as Bigfoot bursts through their cabin unexpectedly and makes mincemeat of them. The only survivor is little Billy, who – setting the pace for the remainder of the story – grows up and plots his revenge, a full two decades later. Ironically, Billy’s only ally in his hunt for Bigfoot is the park sheriff, who covered up the parental slaughter all those years ago, blaming it on a bear.
BIGFOOT would only work as a straight-up horror tale, and this delivers in spades. The attacks are sudden, brutal and gory, with Corben’s colorful style just over-the-top enough to feed the frenzy. I’ve never read any of Niles’ work before, but I’m a fan of Zombie (as a filmmaker, not a musician), and his influence is palpable (just try and tell me that sheriff doesn’t look like Sid Haig). There’s sex. There’s violence. And none of the mayhem shies away from the hardcore bloody horror. This is both written and drawn cinematically, and would make one kick-ass movie. Until then, this’ll do just fine.
[...] Even for hardcore fans, this thin, standalone issue is non-essential. None of the three stories feel like anything beyond sketches – punchlines without an adequate setup. Zombie remains an extremely talented filmmaker, but this is not his best comics work; for an example of that, I strongly recommend BIGFOOT, of which I still can’t get enough. [...]
[...] BEST COMICS BIGFOOT and DOOMED. This may be the most subjective category, but I’m going with these two titles from IDW Publishing. Though both horror, they couldn’t be more different. BIGFOOT is here because it’s so balls-out crazy; DOOMED because it succeeded in resurrecting the ’70s black-and-white comics magazine and left us thirsting for more. [...]
[...] One of those is the most surreal SWAMP THING story yet, with a childhood Alec interacting with bizarre cartoon characters that pop out of his TV and show him glimpses of his future. But the final one is the real capper, with Swampy retreating so much that he becomes miniscule, fighting off spiders and ants on his way toward microscopic. It’s drawn by the legendary Richard Corben (recently of BIGFOOT), and his unique style is well-suited for this particular comic’s universe. [...]
[...] RUMORS’ emphasis on the procedural reminded me of the excellent DEAN KOONTZ’S FRANKENSTEIN books, which distinguishes the book from all the tired, been-there-done-that vampire fiction out there. Yet Niles and Mariotte leave plenty of room for the hardcore horror as well, so this novel won’t disappoint Niles’ fans thirsting for his oddball touch. The recent DARK DELICACIES anthology gave us proof that Niles could pen a short story as captivating as his comics work, and RUMORS builds upon that promise in the long form. [...]
[...] I may not be a fan of Zombie’s music, but I love what he does in the worlds of film and comics, and cable TV has needed something like this for quite a while. Because Zombie knows his cinematic stuff, this’ll be one worth watching. [...]
[...] Basically, I’m just all about the Zombie family at the moment. Still not into Mr. Z’s music, but I still harbor big love for his BIGFOOT comic book (optioned for the movies!) and I’m all a-tingle about our previously reported news about his upcoming Turner Classic Movies series. And then, of course, there was last week’s surprise announcement of him writing and directing HALLOWEEN 9, which makes me look forward to fall 2007 already. And now the missus is making kick-ass T-shirts, adding another level to their multimedia empire. Take that, Stern. [...]
[...] Therein lies the fun. Suffice to say, if you’re not into four-color bloodletting of ripped limbs and exploding heads, THE NAIL is not for you. But fans of Zombie and Niles – especially those who enjoyed their subsequent miniseries, BIGFOOT – know exactly what to expect, and shan’t be disappointed. Art is handled with appropriate grisliness by Nat Jones (SPAWN: DARK AGES), who provides real menace to the bikers, particularly to their leader, a muscular beast who wears a mangy animal skull on his head and wields weaponry straight from a Frazetta painting. –Rod Lott [...]
[...] OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS: • BIGFOOT by Steve Niles, Rob Zombie and Richard Corben • THE NAIL by Steve Niles and Rob Zombie • 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte [...]
[...] OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS: • BIGFOOT by Steve Niles, Rob Zombie and Richard Corben • THE CRYPTICS by Steve Niles and Benjamin Roman • THE NAIL by Steve Niles and Rob Zombie • 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte [...]
[...] OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS: • BIGFOOT by Steve Niles, Rob Zombie and Richard Corben • CHRISTMAS STARS edited by David G. Hartwell • THE CRYPTICS by Steve Niles and Benjamin Roman • FUSED by Steve Niles • THE NAIL by Steve Niles and Rob Zombie • THE SCIENCE FICTION CENTURY: VOLUME 1 edited by David G. Hartwell • 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte • THE TOWER by Simon Clark [...]
[...] OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS: • BIGFOOT by Steve Niles, Rob Zombie and Richard Corben • THE CRYPTICS by Steve Niles and Benjamin Roman • DAWN OF THE DEAD by Steve Niles and Chee • FUSED by Steve Niles • THE NAIL by Steve Niles and Rob Zombie • 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte • TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL by David Michaels • TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: OPERATION BARRACUDA by David Michaels [...]
[...] With artist Nick Spender, Shone also wrote BIGFOOT AND OTHER STRANGE BEASTS. With three wildly (no pun intended) subjects, this is a globe-hopping trip into monsterville; the Arctic-dwelling Yeti, the “Wildman” of China and middle America’s own Bigfoot are explored, again through story scenarios to make the chapters lively. It’s always fun to see Bigfoot in comics, though this can’t compare with the crazed version of BIGFOOT unleashed by Steve Niles and Rob Zombie (although that’s one you don’t want your kids to get their hands on). [...]
[...] OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF RICHARD CORBEN WORKS: • BIGFOOT • SWAMP THING: HEALING THE BREACH [...]
[...] OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS: • BIG BOOK OF HORROR by Steve Niles, Scott Morse, Ted McKeever and Richard Sala • BIGFOOT by Steve Niles, Rob Zombie and Richard Corben • THE CRYPTICS by Steve Niles and Benjamin Roman • DAWN OF THE DEAD by Steve Niles and Chee • DEATHBRINGER by Bryan Smith • FUSED by Steve Niles • HOUSE OF BLOOD by Bryan Smith • THE NAIL by Steve Niles and Rob Zombie • REMAINS by Steve Niles and Kieron Dwyer • SECRET SKULL by Steve Niles and Chuck BB • STEVE NILES’ CELLAR OF NASTINESS by Steve Niles • 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte [...]
[...] BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR: • BIGFOOT by Steve Niles, Rob Zombie and Richard Corben • THE DEVIL’S REJECTS by Rob Zombie • THE [...]