Written by Drew Edwards
Edited by Russell Hillman
Published by Sugar Skull Media

PREVIOUSLY: HALLOWEEN MAN #12

It’s been a long wait since the last issue (and a longer than planned wait since this issue came out a week and a half ago for me to be reviewing it, sorry Drew), but fans of our favorite walking dead man and his full-figured female companion can rejoice, as the lucky number 13th issue of Halloween Man has arrived. This issue features two new short stories written by creator Drew Edwards.

First up is WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, a 9-page story that places Lucy Chaplin in the starring role. This story is quite the departure from the usual Halloween Man tales, as it is set in a far future, where Solomon is long-dead (for good, this time) and Lucy, after having been, and I quote: “vivisected, then stitched back together using cloth from one of Mr. Maximum’s cosmic capes” and also with a blood transfusion from Dracula’s daughter, has been recreated as a highly powered, green-skinned, superhero and is loved worldwide thanks to having ushered in an “Age of Monsters”, a “Utopia for man and monster alike.” We don’t get to see all that much of this new society as Lucy, or I should call her by her new superhero moniker HALLOWEEN WOMAN, is visited by the three crones of FATE, who warn her about some great danger which is threatening to alter the timeline and undue this current utopia. But before they can explain more, Halloween Woman is attacked by the Headless Horseman. A brutal and action-packed battle ensues, where Lucy puts up her best efforts against the mysterious villain despite being confused about what’s going on. But can she defeat him before entropy threatens to erase her and everything else from existence? TO BE CONTINUED

This was an entertaining story, a great little mix of science-fiction, horror, and traditional superheroics. Edwards drops little hints about the events that lead up to this current timeline, but still leaves plenty of mystery that peaks your curiosity to want to learn more. The story is drawn (and lettered) by Evan Quiring, who who has to be one of the best new artists on this title since Sergio Calvet (who, for the record, letters the 2nd story in this issue) moved on from the lead artist job. In particular I love Quiring’s rendition of Lucy as Halloween Woman. She’s not quite as plus-sized as she’s been in this title since her transformation back in Halloween Man #2, as she’s meant to look like a traditional superhero here, but she’s still voluptuous, I’d say she’s modeled after Power Girl. I hope to see more art from Mr. Quiring in future issues of this title. And along with dynamic colors from Celina Hernandez and Natalee Glockzin, this story gets an A+ from me.

And the second story is THE MORNING AFTER THE GIANT TURTLE, it’s 6-pages long and this one focuses on Lucy and Man-Goat. The two of them, and Solomon, has just finished and adventure battling a “flying radioactive turtle”, and stop at a bench in a park to rest. Solomon goes off to get breakfast for the three of them, and while he’s gone Lucy and Man-Goat have an in-depth conversation about love, relationships and monogamy, during which Man-Goat reveals that he does have some genuine feelings underneath his publicly cynical veneer. This is a “talking heads” story so, as such, there’s not much I can really say about it. I can just say that the dialog Edwards writes for these two flows very naturally, so that it sounds like we’re actually listening in on a real conversation. I’d imagine that in many ways a story like this is even harder to write than a typical comic-book story with lots of action in it. So it’s to Drew Edwards credit that he pulls it off. I didn’t feel bored reading it at all.

It’s also notable that, like the first story, Solomon is on the sidelines and, despite being the title character, he isn’t missed. I think that’s a result of how over the course of this series Drew Edwards has effectively built up Lucy’s character and her relationship with Solomon to the point where she is, for all intents and purposes, the co-star, so it’s as much her book as his.

The one downside to this story would be the artwork, which is by John Sowder. It’s not bad, it’s just sort of bland. I think particularly because this story is devoid of action, it makes the art stand out more, and therefor I think a more impressive artist could have really enhanced this story. Still, this story gets a B.

That’s it for this issue, it’s shorter in content than previous issues of the title, but still one of the best buys on the market. Halloween Man is a title that far too many are sleeping on, the time to get on board is NOW.

HALLOWEEN MAN #13