I saw this episode of the terrible “reality” show GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS wherein the KISS front man Gene Simmons and his little lady Shannon Tweed underwent simultaneous his-and-her facelifts. When he was recuperating, his mug was all horrid and puffy, like something out of a Frankenstein flick, which I guess qualifies him to host his own horror comic.
GENE SIMMONS HOUSE OF HORRORS contains the first three issues of the IDW Publishing anthology. Does it bring anything new to the genre? Not at all. Is it worth reading? Yes, for the most part.
An intro from Simmons himself outlines his lifelong love of comics, including his efforts at producing fanzines, before collapsing into his typical self-congratulatory reacharound. (Yes, Gene, we know you’re rich beyond your wildest means. We’ve heard it somewhere before.) Then it’s time for the issues, hosted by Simmons as Simmons. They’re entirely perfunctory, there only to justify the title. One page later, you won’t remember anything that came out of his mouth and onto the word balloons.
Luckily, he has nothing to do with the stories inside each issue, leaving that to an army of various writers and artists. Thus begins tales of witches, killer oil, a hole to Hell, alive forestry and aliens from outer space. Of sea creatures, suicides, ghost rockers, roadside serial killers and cannibals. Of mass murders, homicidal robots, fantasy swordsmen, a wishing well and marital infidelity. Fifteen in all, most of them good.
Tacked on to the end of each issue is a short prose story by Nick Simmons, son of Gene. I don’t like fiction in my comic books (peanut butter in my chocolate is another story), and let’s just say that these likely wouldn’t be appearing if Dad wasn’t calling the shots.
Take all the Simmons-related elements out of HOUSE OF HORRORS, and I’d largely have no complaints. However, had IDW done that, it probably wouldn’t even exist, since my guess is that it sells on Simmons’ name alone. Too bad, because then they could charge a lot less. This book is less than 200 pages, but yet it costs nearly $30, whereas most graphic novels of that size (including from this publisher) run around $20. That’s sheer greed, as evidenced by the Simmons Comics Group logo on the cover: a big, fat money bag. —Rod Lott
Related posts:
- Hook House and Other Horrors
- LOUIS’ SERIOUS ISSUES >> 7.10.07
- The Museum of Horrors
- Horrors Beyond 2: Stories of Strange Creations
- Showcase Presents The House of Mystery: Volume 2
