Screamland #1

Written by Howard Sipe and Christopher Sebela
Art by Lee Leslie and Kevin Mellon

I loved the first Screamland mini-series, and am very excited to see that it has returned in a new (on-going?) series at Image.  The notion behind this series is that all the old monsters in classic Hollywood monster movies were in fact played by the real creatures.  Now, however, as digital effects have taken over movie magic, these original actors can't find work, and have been relegated to the convention circuit, bad porn movies, and desperately scrounging for any attempt to regain their fame.

In this new series, the Wolfman is hanging out with his old friend, an actor who plays a "Scotty on Star Trek" type, at a convention when they get some disturbing news.  The Devil Fish, the Screamland version of the Creature From the Black Lagoon, has died.  Apparently, he was in possession of a film made of an orgy that took place back in the 70s, featuring many different members of the Hollywood monster set.  The Invisible Man is planning on using this film to return himself to the limelight, but  Carl, the Wolfman, is desperate to stop this from happening.  He goes around trying to recruit a number of freaks to help him.

This book is frequently very funny, and has a nice, new perspective on the underside of the fandom world.  While I miss original (and cover) artist Hector Casanova, new artist Lee Leslie does a decent job of things.  The Invisible Man back-up is informative and gives us a different, more serious, perspective on the shenanigans.  Recommended.