Review – Grindhouse: Doors Open At Midnight #2

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Alex de Campi
Artist: Chris Peterson
Release Date: 6th November 2013

The second – and final – part of ‘Bee Vixens From Mars’ delivers much the same as part one, but if you read my review of issue #1 last month, then you will know that is no bad thing.

One of this book’s endearing qualities is the fact that it is totally ridiculous, and although ‘Bee Vixens from Mars’ feels very short, there is clearly no sensible story to tell here, so the fact that this series is getting its terrifying tales over in two issues means that instead of bogging the reader down in unnecessary back-story, writer Alex de Campi chooses the route of all-out fun. And gore.

The dialogue loses a little of its charm from the first issue, but while the writing borders on being cliché-heavy, the characters are still cool enough for it to work, and again, this title refrains from taking itself seriously, which makes you realise De Campi is probably fully aware of the sometimes laughable dialogue, and embraces it anyway.

Chris Peterson’s art shines in this second issue even more than it did in issue #1. It was great to start with, but he clearly gets to have a lot more fun with the horror here, and severed monster heads and exploding corpses have rarely been so enjoyable to look at.

Grindhouse: DOAM begins a new 2-part story next month, with new artist Simon Fraser on-board for two issues. I could happily follow this story’s heroine through a few more issues, but sometimes it’s nice to be left wanting more.