Fragments of horror

 - Fragments of horror. Junji Ito. 

Eight horror tales from a master of the genre, Ito. Published after an eight-year period in which his manga had shifted to other genres (comedy; social critique), and staged as a powerful, triumphant return to his scary roots. 

Perhaps for that reason the stories as a whole are somewhat experimental. From subtle, melancholy chills (“Gentle goodbye”) to sex-fueled gore-soaked comedies (“Dissection Girl”, “Magami Nanakuse”, “Wooden spirit”), to traditional folk tales with a twist —and more!!!

Because the stories aim for different kinds of horror, some readers found it uneven. Or rather, found some tales below average. But on a whole it’s a collection as strong as Ito’s general oeuvre. A celebration of the weird, the grotesque and the uncanny in every sense. 

All in all, recommended. 

*

More scary stories to tell in the dark.

- More scary stories to tell in the dark. Alvin Schartz (writer) & Stephen Gammell (illustrator). 

Second volume of the legendary children’s horror book series. Like the first, it is primarily a collection of famous urban legends, folklore tales and campfire yarns. This edition even includes a bibliographical note and comments about particular variations of some of the tales. 

In a couple cases, Scchwartz even hits on a couple stories that used to have a certain racial connotation, but deigns to comment on them beyond noting “this and that interpretation existed”. Also of note is that several of these tales exist across different countries and continents, as folklore tends to do in part due to diaspora. 

Of course, these books are legendary less for the tales themselves than for Gammell’s uniquely grotesque illustrations —to such a degree that reissues of the books without them quickly sunk. The movie adaptation even took more inspiration from them than from the writing itself. 

Together then they form a fascinating compendium —the folksy, often (but not always) cozy tales help temper the illustrations an they in turn help make the yarns more memorable. 

A classic in its own peculiar way. 

*

Slappy's tales of horror

- Goosebumps Graphix: Slappy’s tales of horror. R. L. Stine et al. 

Anthology of four Goosebumps tales adapted to comic book format: “A shocker on Shock Street” (art by Jamie Tolagson), “The werewolf of fever swamp” (art by Gabriel Hernandez), “Ghost Beach” (art byTed Naifeh), and “Night of the living dummy” (art by Dave Roman). All are introduced by the character Slappy the ventriloquist dummy (the last one is even a sort of epilogue). 

The first three stick pretty closely to the original books, only trimming necessary bits here and there. The fourth one modernizes it (iPhones are present for instance). The divergent art styles do provide some nice variety, and Hernandez in particular gives the swamp tale a fittingly moody atmosphere. 

A fairly good anthology of horror comics for children —and, like the original books, equal parts silly and scary. 

Generally recommended. 

*

September TV shows (and more)

 I hope I can eventually get this Tv diary to where I want to. So! Stuff I finished watching, with some comments. 

TV SHOWS

LIVE ACTION

- Cruel Summer. 

Excellent thriller centered around a vanished teen queen and the consequences of it —presenting all characters involved through three summers (1993-1995). Amazing performances all around. 

- Special. (2 seasons)

A somewhat meandering yet ultimately charming web-series-turned-tv-show about a gay man with cerebral palsy. Almost painfully Millenial so to speak. Has its moments. 

- Clickbait.

An intriguing premise (a family man forced to play a deadly game seemingly caused by irresponsible use of social media) sunk by a script that ultimately chickens away from any provocative themes it pretends to deal with. Not recommended. 

- Nine Perfect Strangers. 

Drama with thriller teases about the clients of a trendy “spiritual healing” resort. Somewhat average, but buoyed by very good performances. Based on the novel by Liane Moriarty, of “Big Little Lies” fame. 

ANIMATED

- Q Force. 

Spy series with an all-queer cast. A rare case of a cartoon that is hated for all wrong reasons —accused of perpetuating stereotypes, when if anything it’s a show about challenging what we think of as stereotypes. Instead, the one real criticism one could make of this show is that it sometimes plays things a bit too safe —a raunchier style, like in the Brazilian equivalent “Super-Drags” would have been much appreciated. 

In any case, more than worth a look. 

- OTM Girls. (Shorts)

Somewhat thin webseries spin-off of Aggretsuko, centered on the pop group introduced in the third season. Charming overall. 

OTHERS

- Housamo: Tokyo Afterschool Summoners (Event: Summer seaside school with you). 

One of the longest special Events associated with Housamo. Shines less for the somewhat flimsy plot than for the delightful character interactions —which it needs to, showcasing a by now HUGE cast. 

*