BOSTON, April 21—The Boston Comics Roundtable and Ninth Art Press announce the publication of “Hellbound II,” an anthology of all-new horror comics by artists and writers from greater Boston. The paperback edition will be on sale at the annual Boston Comic Con on April 21st and 22nd, at the MoCCA Festival in New York on September 28th and 29th, at selected comics shops in the region, and online.
“Hellbound II” was edited by Roundtable member Jesse Lonergan, who latest graphic novel, “Joe and Azat,” was among the notable titles listed in “Best American Comics 2011.” It was designed and produced by the Uruguayan-born cartoonist known only as Roho, whose work has appeared regularly in the “Boston Weekly Dig.”
“Hellbound II” features twelve chilling and horrifying tales in comics form, with additional art in a variety of styles. In all, it features the work of twenty-three artists and writers. These tales range from
Joshua Hoaglund’s “Mount Auburn Night,” about creatures in the famed Mount Auburn Cemetery, to Gabriel Robinson’s “The Red Calf,” inspired by a Scandinavian folktale, and Gregery Miller’s “Nostalgia,” which grew from childhood imagination.
Reviewers have already praised “Hellbound II” for how such short comics can be so scary. At spandexless.com, which reviews non-superhero comics, David Anderson wrote of these tales, “Some are funny, some are creepy, almost all of them made me go ‘holy s**t.’ There’s a lot of talent condensed into this volume, both in terms of writing and art.”
Jen Vaughn of the Schulz Library at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont wrote: “Often the failing of a horror anthology is that you read WITH the intention of being scared and, thus, thumb through the pages bravely. A well-written comic is not necessarily terrifying until at night, it twists itself in the dark of your room, and you can suddenly recall images. . . . ‘Hellbound 2’ is perfect for the horror fan.”
The comics in “Hellbound II” come in a variety of styles. For “The Plague,” written by Patrick Flaherty, artist E. J. Barnes used scratchboard, and the “Cambridge Chronicle” said, “The resulting
images for the story are dark, detailed and textured.” In “Breath of Life,” Clayton McCormack used heavy inks to replicate the mood of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. Caitlin Plovnick’s “Eye Contact” may look like a light-hearted newspaper cartoon, but could be the most frightening
story of all.
“RobMeBlind.com” by J. L. Bell and Andy Wong looks at the new horrors embedded in social media while Logan Faerber’s “Grampire” considers how an elderly vampire gets his daily blood. “Dolly” by Lindsay Moore and Alex Cormack conjures up the horror films of the 1990s. Ansis Purins’s “Zombre” and John Hillard’s “Eugene” offer new takes on notorious monsters, and “Necrocomicon” by Nathan Kitler and Jerel Dye unfolds at the horror that might lurk in a comic book itself.
“Hellbound II” made its first appearance on Halloween 2011 in an Art Edition, with covers of hand-crafted paper and a screen-printed presentation box, limited to 25 copies. The new edition is a
traditional, 96-page paperback at the affordable price of $10.00, with all the scares and chills of the original.
Interviews with all the “Hellbound II” creators and images from the collection can be found at <hellboundinboston.blogspot.com>.
About the Boston Comics Roundtable Formed in 2006, the Boston Comics Roundtable brings together local cartoonists and writers to collaborate, workshop, and socialize. It is the region’s leading assembly of independent comics creators. Among the BCR’s publications are “Inbound,” an anthology of Boston-area independent comics; “Outbound,” a science-fiction comics anthology;
and “Hellbound,” an annual collection of horror comics. All comics creators, critics, and curious fans in metro Boston are welcome at the BCR’s weekly meetings. Visit <www.bostoncomicsroundtable.com> for more information.
About Ninth Art Press
Founded by cartoonist and comics scholar Dan Mazur, Ninth Art Press publishes a variety of anthologies and stories. Its titles include “Show and Tell: A Collection of Comics About Teaching and Learning” and the chilling adventure “Cold Wind.” In addition to co-founding the Boston Comics Roundtable, Mazur is also the principal organizer of the annual Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE), which is scheduled for September 29, 2012. For more information about Ninth Art Press, visit <www.ninthartpress.com>.
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