www.morpheustales.com vampirism (surviving it), cannibalism (cooking tips), and script analysis of both The Evil Dead and The Exorcist, this is not for the casual reader looking for quick and dirty facts5. To get a feel for Exquisite Terror, check out the website – it is updated frequently with reviews, news, and analysis. The greatest compliment I can give this magazine is that I felt it was too short – I wanted more from each issue.
format, as opposed to #6’s limited hardcover edition. Black Ink Horror also contains two illustrations per morbid tale to add to the unease. This publication is definitely not for everyone. Sex, violence, viscera and desperate acts abound as a starting point. Alternatively raw, revolting and disturbing, I have every issue. Hopefully, this excursion into the catacombs has introduced you to some new periodicals that sound tempting. The small press always needs new and devoted readers to survive, and the magazines have been the testing grounds for authors and artists for years. I made a point of reviewing magazines with physical copies available even as digital distribution is becoming the norm. Much as I enjoy instant delivery, the fun of getting something besides bills in the mail is something I cannot give up. The next journey into the vault will be covering small press comic books and graphic novels. Having just returned (at this writing) from the Chicago Comic Con and about to attend Days of the Dead (as a dealer!), I am well-stocked on non-hero, non-mainstream comics. Until next time, stay sick.
Lore (Vol. 2 #1, April, 2012) http://lore-online.com Wow. The resurrection of a 1990s magazine comes charging out of the gate with a Richard Corben wraparound cover in square bound trade paperback format. This format choice is becoming more prevalent, I presume, to capture the book trade and its longer shelf life. This debut issue and the “best of” collection for Volume 1 are of the highest quality for horror/sci-fi/fantasy fiction with old talents and debut stories. Essential.6 Black Ink Horror (#7) http://sideshowpressonline.com
DON’T STAND SO CLOSE By Eric Red www.sstpublications.co.uk
Black Ink Horror has been a home for extreme horror since its digest-sized beginnings. And by extreme, I mean stuff that would make Edward Lee or Jack Ketchum cringe. Its return with issue #7 finds itself in trade paperback
Why is a small-press publisher releasing a novel by the writer of The Hitcher and Near Dark? SST Publications has pulled off quite a coup getting the first novel by a wellknown (in genre terms at least) screenwriter. Experience tells as this is a fastpaced, but intelligent book, written by someone with a vast range of experience to develop the characters and subtleties of a complex and scary progression of the plot. Seventeen-year-old Matt Poe falls for his new teacher, and when Matt needs
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Unless you are “having an old friend for dinner,” of course. But, I digress… 6 You were expecting a long-winded review? Just buy the damn thing. Really, it’s good stuff. 37