I want this to be a platform for EVERYONE within the horror community; authors, publishers, bloggers, reviewers, actors, directors, artists. I could go on, if you work in the genre then you are more than welcome to apply for the job.
The rules are quite simple…
You are invited to imagine yourselves as warden for an old graveyard, and choose eight books, preferably horror/dark genre, to take with you to cover your shift; here you can discuss why you chose the books.
As well as the books, wardens are allowed one song/album to listen to. Again, an explanation for this choice is required.
You must also discuss one luxury item you can bring, which must be inanimate and not allow communication.
If you’d like to take part in The Graveyard Shift then please submit an application to gavin@kendallreviews.com
A new shift is about to begin. The warden for the week’s #GraveyardShift is…
Bo Chappell
“Can you love people the wrong way?
It’s a question that goes often ignored by both the victims and offenders but must be confronted by two siblings when a home invader pays a visit to a tiny home community in South Carolina.
It’s horror survival on a small scale.”
Ray and his estranged sister Amber have had both their individual dreams of a home lost in the heartache of failed relationships. When Ray enlists the help of his kid sister to move into his new tiny home, neither suspect the evening will turn into a confrontation with ugly truths, forgotten pasts, unspoken words, and a masked killer stalking the community.
You can buy Our Biggest Fears from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Books
ARKHAM ASYLUM: A SERIOUS HOUSE ON SERIOUS EARTH (1989) – Grant Morrison & Dave McKean
Rarely do I feel mentally gut checked by a work of art on such a level as this one-shot graphic novel from DC Comics, and that feeling has stuck with me since I first experienced it decades ago.
On the night of April 1st, the inmates of Arkham are freed, demanding The Batman join them in the asylum. Running parallel to this is the story of the asylum’s founder, Amadeus Arkham, told through his journal entries. It is where these two tales collide that the motivations of all involved are brought into psychological evaluation.
You can predict the look, feel, and tone of this tale from that description, and you’d still be far from center. This is a deeply twisted walk through the darkness of Batman’s world, one heavily symbolic and filled with disturbing, surrealistic imagery.
There is no other Batman story like this one.
THE CROW (1989) – James O’Barr
The tragedy of love is that it can be lost, and writer James O’Barr knows this too well. O’Barr, who lost his fiancée to the wheel a drunk driver, channelled the horror that had befallen him to write this story of a dead man allowed a second chance to avenge not only his murder but that of his bride to be.
The horrors we deal with in real life are the ones we shy away from because they are commonly unjust and rarely can we do anything. To have a story of broken beauty mended by reflected horror exist in this world is something we all need, even if it’s only as therapeutic in thought. Hope and love have many forms, including the gorgeous graphic novel.
It’s haunting. It’s beautiful. It’s tragic. It’s romantic.
It’s life.
THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE (2003) – Max Brooks
If we’re gonna be here a while, might as brush up on my undead precautions.
A great companion book to the novel WORLD WAR Z (also by Brooks), this authentically written manual will tell you everything you need to know about surviving the inevitable zombie apocalypse. From spotting an outbreak early in the news all the way to the proper methodology of understanding how a zombie works (and how to kill it safely), it’s got you covered.
The humor (delivered by the pen of Mel Brooks’ son no less) is in the deadpan serious tone of the book. But the scariest thing may be how helpful the information given actually is in real life, providing many valid tips for surviving in a national emergency like water rationing, scouting for safe areas to rest, and moving through damaged zones safely.
Zombies or no, it doesn’t hurt to read this book.
MONSTER AND MADMAN (2014) – Steve Niles & Damien Worm
What if Frankenstein’s monster was picked up by a ship, served as crew, and sailed to London, seeking out a life in secret?
Ok. Now what if he ended up in Whitechapel and met Jack the Ripper in the middle of his killing spree?
Yeah. Another educated man fascinated by anatomy meeting a man born of death? Hilarity ensues.
Actually a lot of bloodshed and death follow, along with everything else you’d ever want from a meeting of these two. Have the immensely talented Damien Worm doing the deliciously wicked artwork, and you’ve got a fun read.
30 DAYS OF NIGHT (2002) – Steve Niles & Ben Templesmith
A plotline so stupid simple, its fucking genius. Vampires stalk an isolated town in Alaska during a month-long period of polar night.
Thus, the world was gifted a vampire survival horror, and I LOVE IT.
And sure, you can watch the extremely faithful movie, but the distorted artwork here will give you a different experience all its own. One with some eerie misplaced moments. For example, when Stella was looking through those binoculars…
MARVEL 1985 (2007) – Mark Millar & Tommy Lee Edwards
Imagine you’re a new kid in town. Parents divorced. You’re already being made fun of in school, haven’t made friends yet. Pretty big on the Secret Wars comics to ease the pain.
So you’re walking along through the woods, spot a secluded home, kinda creepy, real Winchestery, and you look up to the window…
…and you see The Red Skull.
Yes. The one from the Marvel comics you bury yourself in to escape.
This is the setup for this fantastic graphic novel, and you get to explore those old childhood feelings of innocence and fearing the worst our expanding brains could throw at us at a time when we were learning the world was more dangerous than we wanted to make believe.
It’s hard to imagine the Marvel universe as a scary place per se, but this is our world, and even the dopiest villains like Stilt-Man suddenly become terrifying, especially when there’s no Daredevil or Spidey to stop him as he towers over a small town. While this is a Marvel Comic, it isn’t. The focus is not on the heroes, not even the villains wreaking havoc. It’s on the kid and his relationship with his father. It’s a fragile childhood relationship through send-away magic specs.
This story really comes from the kid’s place of fear. Much like Stranger Things, Goosebumps, Invaders From Mars, ET, or any child-centric story in horror/sci-fi, the threat is the loss of what the safest and most valuable thing is to a kid. His home and family.
This one will get you in the feels and maybe even cause you to grab your flashlight and put a blanket over your head. You know, just in case
BATMAN:THE LONG HALLOWEEN (1996) – Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
Ok. Ok. I know. Another Batman choice. Sue me, but you won’t win because I love this story as well. Why?
It’s a good ol’ fashioned murder mystery during Batman’s early years that involves pretty much all his rogue’s gallery, and it centres around a serial killer named Holiday who kills on…well, holidays.
It’s Batman sleuthing in a crime noir fashion with some fashionably gritty artwork to round it out.
Oh, and all this new Batman movie casting seems to be pointing to this being the basis for it. Happy holidays.
CREEPY PRESENTS ALEX TOTH (2015) – Various
Why finish out a shift with one more story when I can add another twenty-one? This assortment of horror, sci-fi, and mystery tales from EERIE, CREEPY, and BLAZING COMBAT Magazines is a treasure trove for fans of both horror anthologies and master artist Alex Toth (best known for his comic book art on Zorro and for creating Space Ghost, Birdman, and The Herculoids).
Presented in the original black and white inks, each page is a masterpiece of its own and serves to prove Alex Toth’s godliness of the craft. Toth, not one to grow dull, varies his art style to each individual story in this collection. Three stories I rather enjoyed were “The Phantom of Pleasure Island”, “Unreal”, and “Daddy and The Pie”.
I’ve been a fan of Toth’s artwork for many years (even when I wasn’t aware), and was thankful of his influences on my other heroes (like Bruce Timm), so to be able to read this beautiful collection recently (and have the fortuitous chance to talk about it here) is a real joy. This book is a great tribute to his legacy, and I highly recommend it.
Album
HAIL TO THE THIEF (2003) – Radiohead
So hard to pick a favorite album justly, but this one would suit the mood quite nicely. Though fueled by political thoughts at the time, the music and lyrics for the songs became distilled down to the essence of fear for living in dark times. Some tracks even came out with a “Grimm’s fairy tale” vibe. I even dissected the closing track for an article right here on Kendall Reviews. So if I gotta pick a great album while also setting the night’s soundtrack, I gotta go with Hail to the Thief.
Also has my favorite Radiohead song on it:
Luxury
I find in times of solitude that a sketchbook and drawing utensil is my greatest friend. It relaxes me, unlocks my thoughts, and often helps me with my writing by letting visuals spill out of my brain.
I honestly don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t draw anymore. While I’m grateful for my ability to write as well, I’d be lost if I couldn’t illustrate my thoughts. The two go hand in hand when it comes to anything I create, and I’m hoping sometime soon, I’ll do a graphic novel.
Our Biggest Fears
“Can you love people the wrong way?
It’s a question that goes often ignored by both the victims and offenders but must be confronted by two siblings when a home invader pays a visit to a tiny home community in South Carolina.
It’s horror survival on a small scale.”
Ray and his estranged sister Amber have had both their individual dreams of a home lost in the heartache of failed relationships. When Ray enlists the help of his kid sister to move into his new tiny home, neither suspect the evening will turn into a confrontation with ugly truths, forgotten pasts, unspoken words, and a masked killer stalking the community.
You can buy Our Biggest Fears from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Bo Chappell
I was one of those lonely kids who ran around the yard in a vinyl cape and plastic Batman mask in the middle of Summer. My overactive imagination and childhood adventures through the woods fed on the emptiness of free time, being filtered through comics, video games, action figures, cartoons, and VHS.
Eventually my brain came up with the craziest ideas and wanted to tell all its stories to anyone who wanted to hear them. So far, that includes the survival-horror western Year 47 and my children’s book Once You Get To Know Me.
So, now I await and see where my brain takes us next. Wanna come? I’d love the company. Watch your head though.
TWITTER: @infrafan
WEBSITE: www.bochappell.wordpress.com
A very special thanks to Gavin and the rest of the Kendall Reviews Crew for having me back yet again to help #PromoteHorror. Love you guys, and you the reader as well. Thank you.
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