31 Days of Horror Day 11 The Blob(Original 1958)

Title-The Blob(Original 1958)
Source-MeTV Svengoolie airing

Months back,I think it was in May I saw that Svengoolie was gonna air the original Blob. So I made sure to save that airing on the DVR. I DVR Sven every week. But usually end up just watching his host segments,mostly when it is films I don't care for. Or end up building up 10 or more episodes on the DVR and put them on when I clean the house from top to bottom.

As normal with when Sven airs a film he fills his segments with trivia about the movie.I knew that the lead male was Steve McQueen. But had no clue that the lead female was later Andy's love interest on the Andy Griffith show.

Now I have heard various people talk about how cheesy the original Blob is. And yea it is. But for it's time and being a indy film with a tiny budget it is way better than it should have been. The FX work is decent. But it wasn't until the remake from the late 80s/early 90s that we got to see a fully realized version of what the Blob could do.

Steve McQueen and his gal pal are up on a hilltop watching for shooting stars. They see one,and it turns out to be a meteorite. An old man pokes it with a stick and this glob what appears to be strawberry jelly comes out. And ends up eating the man.

The rest of the film is a 30 year old or older,suppose to be in his late teens,Steve McQueen trying to convince the cops and other adults that something is up. I do wonder why Steve got cast to play a much younger person. He looks like he is in his 30s. But then McQueen always looked about 30,even in his final years.The cops think this is all a prank the local teens are playing. So they do nothing until almost the end of the film.

There is 2 real setpieces in the film. The first is when the Blob attacks a packed theater. It is a bit after midnight and the theater is having a Spook Show!!!. So it is packed with teens and young adults. The Blob comes in thru the vents and attacks. This same theater still exists and will show the Blob once a year as a charity event.

The other big set piece is near the end,people are trapped in a building that the Blob has engulfed. And this is were we learn that the Blob hates the cold.

Honestly if you are under 30 and have already seen the remake skip this movie. It is one of those movies that is very of it's time. And I get the feeling that if McQueen wasn't in the movie it would be another forgotten 50s horror.

For being a lower budget indy film I was shocked at how good the colors looked. The red of the Blob stands out. The FX work is pretty good.With most of the mat lines and forced perspective shots not being super obvious. The acting isn't bad. McQueen of course is the best. But the one really goofy copy is pretty damn good too.

By it''s self the Blob is a average horror film. But add in the skits,songs and trivia that Svengoolie adds and it becomes much better.

The Blob gets a B.

31 Days of Horror Day 05 Species

Title-Species
Source-MGM Blu Ray

I had actually forgotten about this mid 90s sci fi/horror film. But months back got it as a gift. Seems Dollar General has copies for cheap.

Natasha Henstridge is a alien human hybrid that escapes.So Ben Kingsley sends out a team to capture her. Natasha is genetically programmed to reproduce with the best of the human species. So the film is this team chasing her and she tries to get pregnant.

Back when this came out all the talk about about how hot Henstridge is and how she is naked many many times in the movie. And that talk kind of over-shadowed how good this film actually is.

Species gets a B+.

2016 Comic Challenge 223 Battlestar Galactica Gallery Special

TITLE-Battlestar Galactica Gallery Special
PUBLISHER-Realm Press

While I do remember when Realm had the BSG comic book rights,I never read an issue until this one.

There is 2 stories in the issue. The first is about Boxy's daggit trying to fins Boxy. This story is a nice change of pace from what I was expecting.

The second story has Galactica under attack from Cylons. During this 3 of the Galactica's pilots are missing. We cut to a planet and see that Starbuck has crashed on it. He wanders around and finds the crashed Cylon ship that shot him down. Starbuck ends up fighting the Cylon ship's pilot. Not long after that a Cylon raider makes an emergency landing on the Galactica's landing bay. When the pilot gets out we discover that it was Starbuck piloting the ship. And the Cylon pilot is Boomer. The story ends with us finding out that all the other missing pilots have been converted over into half Cylon creatures.

Really this wasn't bad. Both stories were decent. The art is nice. Kind of glad I didn't spend the cover price of almost 4 bucks for this.

Battlestar Galactica Gallery Special gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 222 Galactica 1980 #01

TITLE-Galactica 1980 #01
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

Sure I watched the Galactica 1980 tv show and it kind of sucked. So Dynamite took the idea behind the series and made it into a much better story.

Galactica has sent out the now fully grown Boxy and another Viper pilot. They find an old NASA space probe. Using the info inside it they discover where Earth is.

Of course they arrive and get attacked. Which almost causes an all out nuclear war to start.

While back on the Galactica Doc Zee has taken over.

Galactica 1980 #01 gets a borrow.

3 VHS from the Junkbox 05/05/2016

Been forever since I did a 3 toys from the junkbox feature. Mostly cause while I am still cleaning,organizing and getting rid of pieces of my collections I haven't been finding any toys. Just recently though I opened up a box that was packed with VHS. Since about 2000 I have been collecting VHS off and on. If it is cheap and isn't on DVD/Blu Ray or I don't own it on either odds are good I will buy it.

Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad The Glitch that stole Christmas
DIC Toon Time
44 mins
Unrated

I think this VHS predates when I actually started collecting them. All I really remember is I was in Dollar General looking for some last minute X-mas gifts and saw they had a stack of 10 or so copies of this for a buck.

Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad was a syndicated Power Rangers ripoff.Tim Curry and Matthew Lawrence are the only names in the cast. And it seems way cheaper than Power Rangers. With the 2 episodes on this tape having 3 locations tops. Speaking of the episodes,this tape has  Do Not Reboot till Christmas and Kilokhan Is Coming To Town.

As far as I know this show isn't out on DVD or Blu Ray. So this is one of the few official ways to get episodes of this kind of forgotten piece of mid 90s television aimed at kids.

Knightriders
Best Film & Video Corp
147 mins
Rated R

I love that cover so much. Before getting this VHS I had seen Knightriders once late at night on TV. I was on lunch break from work and had stopped in at a pawn shop I went to fairly often. The owner would take in almost anything. So I was always finding good deals on books,comics and toys. You know things you never see at most pawn shops. Since this was around 2002 VHS was pretty much dead. And this was the only pawn shop in the area that would still let you pawn VHS. So it was always getting in all kinds of stuff.

Knightriders is one of Ed Harris and Patricia Tallman's earliest films. Ed is the head of a traveling RenFair group. Who joust on motorcycles. Yes it is as crazy as it sounds.

The only reason I have held onto this tape,since it has a great DVD release,is the cover. Pretty sure that was one of the theatrical release posters. And it is a very eye catching image.

 Moontrap
SGE Home Video
96 minutes
Unrated

I found out about this late 80s sci fi film thanks to the comic book adaptation of it. Until just recently the only way to get this Walter Koenig and Bruce Campbell film was VHS.I never saw this tape in any video store. So when at the annual library sale I found it I was pretty damn happy.

Recently a DVD of this film was released. But IIRC it was either a very limited edition or it got pulled early on. Whatever the case it isn't easy to get. But even if it was I would still keep this VHS all because of ....

Not sure how easy it is to read. But at the bottom of the back of the tape you will see this was a promotion copy that was sent out to Video Stores ahead of it's normal release. So this tape begins with the trailer then it has the film.

As with the 3 toys features I have no clue when the next of these will come out. But just from one box of the many I have,I have enough VHS for at least 4 or 5 more of these.

Top 5 science fiction shows

5.Battlestar Galactica original


I saw this when it was originally airing. Then a year or so later one of the local channels was showing it each Sunday night at 11pm. My parents would let me stay up to watch it. Sure it is kind of cheesy. And a bit of a Star Wars rip off. But most of it holds up really well decades later.

4.Lexx


Late one night in the late 90s I was looking for something to watch. And on Showtime I found Tales of a Parallel Universe. I was hooked. This was the anti-Star Trek show. Loud brash and in your face. And none of that nicey nicey bullshit Star Trek had become. Saw that there was 3 more of the films. So recorded them. A few years later I see that SciFI Channel is airing a new show named Lexx. Which was season 2 of Tales of a Parallel Universe. I made sure to see each episode. Thankfully 2 years ago Echo Bridge Entertainment re-released all 4 seasons on DVD. And if you dig around you can find them extremely cheap. My midget Aunt got me all 4 for X-mas and I marathoned them in a week.

3.Red Dwarf


I had seen the ads in Starlog for years. Where they were selling vhs of this show. But it wasn't until 1999 that I got to see it. The Houston PBS channel was showing it each Saturday. Red Dwarf is a great blend of comedy and Science Fiction. And it has such a simple premise. The last living human is stuck on a mining ship with a hologram of his arch nemesis, a lifeform evolved from his cat and a wacky android. I watched every season. Then it ended. Since then the UK channel Dave has broadcast 2 more seasons.

2.The Prisoner


This is another one I had heard about but never seen. Once the SciFi Channel hit the airwaves they were showing one episode each Sunday night. I got lucky and caught it with the first episode. And the mystery and mythos of the show had me hooked. It is about a former spy who quits. And then is gassed unconscious and taken to this village where every one has a number for a name. Each episode is mostly about him trying to escape. It is only 17 episodes long. Recently AMC did a remake of it. Which wasn't that good. But the original is still not only one of my favorite Science Fiction tv shows but one of my top 5 TV shows ever.

1.Battlestar Galactica remake


When  I heard about a remake of BSG I was leery. I watched the mini series and didn't care for it much. When the series proper started I just skipped it. Then in 2008 SciFi Channel was showing the first 3 seasons to get people ready for the premiere of season 4. I recorded those 3 seasons and over a few weeks watched them all. What a great show. Sure lots of fanboys bitched about it. "They made Starbuck a woman!" was the most common complaint. The ones I know that have said that only watched a few episodes. If they had stuck with the show they would have seen sure BSG remake takes parts from the old series but is respectful of that show also. When it ended with season 4 again the fanboys were bitching. All because they either didn't understand or like the ending. I personally loved the ending.

The Tribe season 1 part 2 DVD

This DVD set covers episodes 27 through 52 of the first season of the show. Lots of stand outs in these episodes. Like when Jack and Dal make a wind turbine so they can recharge batteries. Or when Salene develops bulimia and is almost forced into becoming hooker to get the food she wants. Then there is one scene that is sleazy,when Lex almost rapes the girl he claims to love. We also start finding out that the virus that killed off all the adults is still out there. Part of the Mallrats head out to a place that they think might have a cure for the virus. And by the time they get back to the mall they realize that Lex,who is 17,has caught the virus. So most of the episodes are about them trying to cure Lex. Plus I want to say it is this set that introduces us to Tai San. Who is a weird new ageish hippie type female.

The DVD is pretty good. All the episodes look great. Plus this set actually has an extra. Which is a 40 minute behind the scenes look at the first season. It is strange seeing lots of the cast without the wild makeup and hairdos. I really hope Shout Factory doesn't take long to put out the other 4 seasons. The Tribe Season 1 part 2 DVD gets a solid A.

The Tribe season 1 part 1 dvd set

As I mentioned in my last review I got hooked on this TV show back in the early 2000s. Well up until recently it wasn't out on DVD in region 1. Thankfully Shout Factory has corrected that.

This set covers the first 26 episodes of the first season. We start off with Amber and Dal making there way through the destroyed city and heading out the woods to try to have a better life. They end up running into some very young kids and through some stuff find their way to a old shopping mall. Here they meet Jack who has started living in the mall. Slowly this group of various kids and teenagers form their own tribe. And they do whatever they have to to survive.

When describing this show to people that have never heard of it I always tell them it is a weird mixture of Mad Max and Degrassi. Sure this is a teen soap opera of some sorts. But it is also a post apocalyptic show. And I love post apocalyptic stuff. I like how the show covers some subjects that until recently were not covered in most USA based shows for teens. Now I will admit that some of the acting isn't that great. But the atmosphere of the show more than makes up for that. The Tribe Season 1 part 1 DVD gets a A.

Land of the Lost Season 01

I was a little too young to see or enjoy this show during it's original run on NBC Saturday morning. But by the early 80's it was syndicated. Airing every Sunday morning on this great independent UHF channel. I would make it a point to get up at 5am just so I could watch it. Well then it stopped airing and I never got to learn if Marshall,Will and Holly ever escaped from the Land of the Lost. Sure CBS reran it for a short while in 1985,where it replaced the short lives but brilliant Pryor's Place. But it seemed like they only showed the first season that time. Well I had almost completely forgotten about the show,till the Sci Fi Channel did a marathon. I recorded about 4 hours of the marathon and had a blast watching the show for the first time in over 20 years. So when earlier this month I found the Universal first season release at a local Fred's store for $5 I couldn't pass it up.

During the opening credits we find out how our lead trio enter the Land of the Lost. And we get a super catchy theme song that will stick in your head for days. After 5 episodes introducing us to the land and some of it's perils,we get a great episode that helps add to the mythology of the show. We are introduced to Enik who is a non-savage version of the show's lead villains the Sleestaks. We learn that the various glowing crystals we have been seeing around the place have many different uses. One of which is opening portals to various dimensions and time frames. This is built on even more in episode 15. Holly meets an older woman that helps her save Marshall and Will. But it isn't until the end that we find out that the older lady is actually Holly from the future. Stuff like this wasn't very common on mid 70's Saturday morning TV shows. Then there is the final episode of season 1. Titled "Circle" it is a well done show,that easily could be the finale of the entire series. But we ended up getting two more seasons. I know I have seen most of season 2,but don't think I have seen more than 2 or 3 episodes of the last season.

This DVD set is bare bones. We get all 17 episodes,but no extras at all. But still the picture and sound look better than I have ever seen them. Land of the Lost Season 01 gets  B-.

Deathmate Black

Deathmate Black

This was the other Deathmate book done by the Image crew. And it seems that Jim Lee and Mark Silvestri's studios did most of the work. Set in what seems to be a few years in the future. This shows a world that reminds me of the world from Battle Angel Alita. You get a team made up of members of Cyberforce,Wildcats,X-O Manowar and Turok. And what made this book stand out for years,you get the first apperence of most of the Gen 13 teens. While this has great artwork and a pretty interesting story,it has almost no ties to the other 7 Deathmate books. But this is still my favorite of all teh Deathmate books and the only one I have read more than 4 times. I liked how they updated Turok and the various changes done to the other Valiant heroes appearing. I know for some time after this came out it was the only of the Deathmate books that you had to pay over cover price to get. Mainly based on how hot Gen 13 was for a time. But now it is found in the cheap bins along with the rest of this series. If you feel the need to read Deathmate and don't know where to start pick this up. There is really no need to read the rest of the series to understand what is going on. Deathmate Black gets a B+.

Endangered

Endangered

Art by Juan Santacruz
Written by Josh Williamson

Chris and Mikey are the teenage sons of who they consider to be the most boring man in the universe. Their father is a safety specialist, and is constantly making sure his sons are always safe. But one day their father goes away on a business trip and never comes back. Both of the boys are worried, and then startled by the sudden appearance of cute teenage alien girl in their living room. It turns out that their father is basically a space cop. And she is the last of her race. Their father has been doing all he can to protect her. But he was captured by an evil alien race. This race is trying to kill off the alien girl. So now it is up to Chris and Mikey to not only help their father escape ,but to also protect the girl from the evil aliens.

Now I have always been a fan of science fiction, especially the sub genre of space opera. And this is a good example of the space opera genre. The story is a mix of Green Lantern, Star Wars and a little shot of the new Battlestar Galactica. One thing that puzzled me is the cover artwork is kinda lame. But the inside artwork is good. The cover and the interiors are both done by the same person. Endangered gets a B.

Heavy Water

Heavy Water

Art by Alberto Muriel
Written by Jonathan W.C. Mills

Set in an alternative future, Heavy Water  is a world in which the Nazis won World War II. And now they rule most of the world. But a small resistance group is doing all they can to change history. They have figured out a way to travel back in time. So they Ben Hauklid is equipped with an old diary and then sent back to Norway in the year 1943. He knows he is the only chance the world has to be free again.

I have always enjoyed alternative history fiction. And this is a great example of it. The artwork by Alberto Muriel is great. And looks different than his artwork on The Blacksmith OGN. The reason for this might be that both OGNs have different colorist. Both books have good art. But I prefer the art on Heavy Water. This is one of the few Kickstart OGNs that didn’t feel like part one of a longer story. Once this OGN is over you know you have been told all of the story. Heavy Water gets a A-.

Wild Cards III jokers wild Edited by George RR martin

Wild Cards was a series of Mosaic novels that first started coming out in the 80s. They usually were a collection of interconnected short stories. And were edited by George RR Martin. The basic plot is back right after WWII. This alien ship comes to Earth and sets off a genetic bomb. The bomb releases a virus,and the people that catch it have 1 of 3 things happen to them. 75% of the people died also known as drawing the Black Queen. 20% of the people end up mutated into various non-human forms,AKA drawing a joker. And the remaining 5% gain some kind of super power AKA drawing an Ace. This volume is mostly about an evil ace known as the Astronomer. Who wants revenge against a group of Aces who defeated him a few years ago. The Astronomer recruits some other aces and goes around killing the people who opposed him. I have loved this series of novels for years. But sadly most of them are now out of print and kinda costly. A few years ago Mr Martin revived the line and has been publishing one or two new novels a year.If you like super hero comics,sci fi,or just well written short stories this is a series you should try. Wild Cards III jokers wild gets a perfect A+.

Deathsport

Deathsport

This was supposed to be a sequel to the surprise hit "Death Race". But somewhere along the way the script got changed and it become it's own standalone film. Starring David Carradine and Claudia Jennings this film is set in the near future. And fits into the whole Post apocalypse genre of film. Seems in the future people are placed into the Deathsport game. Which from what I can figure out is 2 people armed with laser swords vs about 10 people on motorcycles that also have lasers. Kinda a cheesy film but worth a watch. But a few warnings about the dvd release from Shout Factory. It seems the only print they could find in good shape was an editied for tv print. So everytime the film gets to a scene with violence or nudity,they had to use a print that is in pretty bad shape. Most of these scenes have green lines running down either the left or the right side of the screen. Also the sound on these scenes is pretty bad. Thankfully this is out on a dvd with another film and can normally be found for around $15. The dvd also includes a commentary with Alan Arkish. Overall it is a fun way to waste and hour and a half. Deathsport gets a C+.

KInda late list of my x-mas haul

Nintendo DS Lite+Ultimate Mortal Kombat+Some cloths-from my parents

Waxwork/Waxwork II dvd+The Thing Special Edition dvd+Shawn Micheals Boyhood Dream DVD-From ym Aunt Kat and Uncle Milton

Heroes of World Class DVD+Deperadoes Del Ring Volume 1 DVD-From Aunt Nett and Uncle Pat

Desperadoes Del ring Volumes 2 and 3-Uncle Louis and Aunt Amy

Cash-Grandpa

Box of assorted candy-Aunt Dean and Uncle Alton


So far I have watched the Heroes of world class dvd. Which was great. And all three Volumes of the Desperadoes Del Ring. Which were also great. Desperadoes seems to be footage of the fed in TJ that Konnan ran for a short while. Lots of early Rey Jr,Pychosis,La Parka,Juventuta Guerrrea and Pierotth matches.

TPB winners 03

X-O Manowar Retribution

Art by Barry Windsor-smith,Sal Velluto,and Mike Manley

Story by Bob Layton,Jim Shooter,and Steve Englehart

X-O Manowar is the title that got me into the Valiant Universe. X-O is a barbarian who aquires a alien suit of armor,kinda a Conan in Iron Man's suit type of hero. This trade reprints the first 4 issues of the original X-O run. It also included a X-O Database comic that had various diagrams of X-O's armor. Kidnapped many years ago by a race of spider aliens,Aric lives for a few years as a slave on the alien mothership. But thanks to the help of another slave he gets a map to the spider aliens ultimate weapon. This is the X-O Manowar class armor. Aric manages to get the armor and escapes the ship and heads back to Earth,but it turns out he is now in the year 1993. Somehow even though only 2 or 3 years have passed while he was on the mothership,in realtime many decades have passed. So he is a man out of his time.Using his armor he fights back against the spider aliens and various other threats. Aric finds out that the spider aliens have been hiding on Earth for many years and have started up a multi-national company, Orb Industries. Aric with the help of a kinda sleazy weasel of a man manages to take over Orb and through this he slowly becomes used to the modern world.When I started reading X-O it was with issue 4,but thanks to not having a comic shop near me,I didn't manage to get issues with any regularity until around issue 15. And back in the early to mid 90's most Valiant back issues cost way more than I wanted to pay. The previously mentioned issue 4,which was the first appearnce of the Shadowman,I ended up selling for around $40.So when I finally got this trade sometime last year,it was the first time I got to read the first 3 issues of this series. And I was very impressed at how well written these issues are. One complaint about the various Valiant series back in the 90's was that the stories were great but the artwork wasn't that good. Well these 4 issues are proof of how wrong that was. Issue 1 has layouts by Barry Windsor-smith,finishes by Bob Layton and John Holdredge. The story in this issue is by Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart. And has a amazing Barry Windsor-smith cover that I would love a poster sized version of. The second issue has another very nice Barry Windsor-smith cover,and is penciled by Sal Velluto,inks by Bob Layton,Tom Ryder,and Kathryn Bolinger. Now this issue the art isn't as good as the first,but really there is few artist out there that can come close to BWS. Issue 3 has a cover by David Lapham,and is gotta be one of his earliest published pieces of comic art. The interior has again Shooter and Englehart doing the writing chores,and Sal on the pencils. The inks are by Tom Ryder and Ted Halsted. And the final issue reprinted in this trade,issue 4.Though there is no credit to who did the cover to my eyes it looks like another good Barry Windsor-smith cover.The writers are Bob Layton and Steve Englehart,with Mike Manley doing the pencils,and Ralph Reese and Tom Ryder slinging the ink. Issue 4 I have already mentioned has the cameo first appearance of Shadowman,but it also has a very early appearance of the Harbinger kids. Overall the art work while not as flashy as alot of the art coming out from Image and Marvel at the time is still very solid and to me at least more appealing. One nice thing is now you can find this trade on various auction sites for less than cover price,I think I paid about $3 with shipping for my copy. X-O Manowar Retribution trade paperback gets a B+.

Showcasing the Essentials 04

Predator Omnibus Volume 1

Art by Various
Stories by various

After Dark Horse had a huge hit with their "Aliens" comic line they quickly scooped up the Predator franchise. The first mini is a direct sequel to the first Predator movie. Starring Arnold,He is now back in the city. And lots of strange deaths are happening. Needless to say the Predator is back and he aint happy. The second mini reprinted in this trade is Cold War,which has Arnold out in a cold cold area of Russia,and of course their is another of the Predator species there. There are 5 more stories reprinted in this hefty tome. And overall they are good to very good. The artwork is decent,nothing too flashy. And the writting is way better than most other comics based on movie properties. The trade is smaller than a normal trade,it is about the same size as your standard Manga trade. And since it is in color,the price is around $25. I got it cheaper thru Instocktrades.com. And if i ever find the next volume on sale I will pick it up.Predator Omnibus Volume 1 gets a B.

Showcasing the Essentials 01

Essential Killraven

published by Marvel comics

Killraven is a mostly forgotten 70's sci fi series. First appearing in Amazing Adventures 18,May 1973. Killraven works on the premise that the War of the worlds actually happened,and the Martians come back in 2001 and take over the world. Jon Killraven is a child that is raised by the Martians to be a gladiator in the arenas. The storyline starts in 2018 when Killraven escapes from the slavepins and with a rag-tag band of humans fights back against the Martian overlords. This storyline runs from issue 18 of Amazing Adventures to issue 39,and covers 2 years in the story of the series. Killraven was created by Neal Adams and Roy Thomas,but sadly Adams only did the first 11 pages of the first issue. The rest of that issue was done by Howard Chaykin. By issue 21 Don McGregor takes over the writing duties and last till the final issue. The art chores passes from Herb Trimpe to Rich Buckler to Gene Colon. But finally at issue 27 P. Craig Russell takes over the art and besides a few fill in issues stays on till issue 39. One thing that Killraven is remembered for most now is the first interacial kisses in color comics. One thing I love about the series is how even though it is perfect for a child to read,it has multiple levels so that adults will enjoy it. Killraven mainly appears in Amazing Adventures,besides a one time appearance in Marvel team up. In that story he teams up with Spider-man who is traveling thru time. Sadly Killraven's run in Amazing Adventures was cut short. So in the early 80's McGregor is allowed to wrap up most of the main storyline in one of the first few Marvel Graphic Novels. This Graphic Novel has some of the best P. Craig Russell art I have ever seen. After the publication of this GN Killraven disappeared and didn't show back up till a Marvel Knights 2001 One-shot,that is written and drawn by Joe Linsner. While this one-shot has the best art ever for a Killraven story some plot point contradict stuff from the original run. I first encountered Killraven by his entry in the Deluxe Official handbook to the Marvel Universe. And never got to read any of the story until I bought the Essential TPB last year. So to wrap it up,If you are a fan of Sci-fi,space opera,or fantasy check out Essential Killraven. I give it a A.