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Bloodsongs Issue 4
by D.K.D. Kadavar
Fatal Visions #17 This is one rag I really look forward to. Here ya get heaps of film reviews, and not those nice little Hollywood tales like Forest Gump or some happy family oriented shit. FV specialises in yer more action-packed or “alternative” type of flick. You know all those films the “proper” film-critics tend to sneer at. I say fuck ’em. I’d rather watch Steven Seagal beating the shit out of everyone in sight than Fried Green Tomatoes anyday. Anyway, enough philosophising, we all know what I’m getting at. Here yer looking at great layouts, nice illos -– the pages in this fucker are so packed with stuff that many mags with twice the page number don’t carry this much in one issue. Fatal Visions is the best mag of its type that yer ever likely to come across. If you’ve seen it already, you know what I’m talking about and no doubt subscribe, if you haven’t, then I wanna know where the fuck you’ve been for the last couple of years -– don’t take my word for it, go and find out for yerself, then see if I told ya so. This issue features honest reviews on such films as The Crow, Bad Boy Bubby, The Getaway, Kalifornia (one film you should all check out), and Natural Born Killers (a film that proves even fuckwits like Oliver Stone can occasionally get something almost right). Also a look at the work of Hong Kong film-wiz Ringo Lam; a "Cine Around" column giving us all the lowdown on what’s been happening on the cine circuit covering not only the main cinemas but the smaller places that have been known to screen some real gems; the invaluable "The Chinatown Beat" where you get the lowdown on those Hong Kong exploitation extraordinaires (these guys were raving about John Woo a long time before he went to Hollywood) that makes FV worth buying just for this column alone; a lovely article by convicted serial killer G.J. Schaefer (he claims to be innocent, so I’ll take his word for it) on “The Hand of Death” satanic/cannibal cult of which supposedly Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole were both members; and heaps more, including a dead cat wrapped in plastic on the cover. Just go out and buy the fucker, okay!
Raw Deal #3 This on is sub-titled “Humor for Adults”, namely adult MEN! The comic, to use their own words, is all about, “What does it take to be a Real Deal Mack Man?” whatever that means. Well, according to the words of wisdom on the inside cover this type of man is one who has “game”. And “the best way to explain to you what game is, is to explain to you what game isn’t. If you buy your bitch a car, you don’t have game. If you give your bitch anything over two dollars, you don’t have game. If you remember your bitch’s birthday and buy her a present, you really don’t have game. I think you get the point.” Yeah, I suppose I do … Within these pages you’ll find REAL MEN. That is tattooed, beer-guzzling meatheads whose idea of a good time is to “go find some bitch and bang her senseless” or just beat the crap out of her if she doesn’t submit. After reading the first few pages I found myself laughing at the stupidity of this mag, but after thirty or so pages of same same same, you get a bit tired and wish that Linda Hamilton would walk in and blow these fuckwits away. In small doses very amusing, but anything more than two or three pages at a time and Boooorrring! This is the type of mag I’d like to leave lying around at one of those ultra-feminist get-togethers (wherever and whatever they are … wouldn’t know as I’ve never been to one), and watch the shit fly. At its own level, quite amusing, but don’t show it to yer girlfriend.
Mean Streets #12 This one is sort of like the Bloodsongs of crime mags in Australia -– the best of its type. Over the past three or four years Stuart Coupe has built up quite a reputation for delivering the goods as far as Mean Streets is concerned. The reason I’m reviewing a crime magazine in a horror mag is that the two genres have a lot in common as they overlap in many areas; i.e., Silence of the Lambs being a perfect example of this. Or just read Andrew Vacchs and you’ll see what I mean. This issue features a fascinating interview with Kinky Friedman; an article on the reasons behind the lack of P.I. shows on the tube at the moment, an interview with Ed Noone creator Mike Avallone; plus a lot more, including a comprehensive review section on crime books. There’s nothing much else I can say except go and buy the fucker.
Skintomb #666 Ahem … What can I say here, except that next to the rag you are now holding, this is the best horror magazine produced in Australia. Formerly known as Skinned Alive, Skintomb concentrates mostly on reviews and in showcasing Rod’s excellent artwork. This issue is like a revamped version of Skinned Alive, featuring desktop publishing and improved layout. Features in this issue include a rundown on contemporary horror art, featuring short essays on the likes of H.R. Giger, Clive Barker, Tim Vigil, Virgil Finlay, Margaret Brundage, J.K. Potter, Dave Carson and others. Not to neglect our Australian artists, Rod also gives a short rundown on some of our local talent. The "Books of Blood" column is a comprehensive review section on the latest horror releases –- always informative and intelligently handled. Next up is an interesting interview with outspoken Australian horror artist team Steve Carter and Antoinette Rydyr, who are without a doubt the most successful of our local horror artists. The fiction section didn’t do much for me, which consisted of two pages of three short shorts by Mark McAuliffe, Tod Mecklem and Kirstyn McDermott. All three stories were nowhere near being indicative of what each writer is capable of delivering. But the fiction did make an interesting detour from the non fiction. Next up Rod’s "Fuck Censorshit" column is, with the possible exception of Rod’s brilliant cover art, for me, the highlight of the issue, as it’s always great to read someone’s views that concur precisely with my own. What else can I say, but you’re dead right Rod! Add to this a whole heap of small press and video/movie reviews and you’ve got one hell of a mag. Recommended with extreme prejudice!
Ex Cathedra #3 This is another of these “Goth Mags”, subtitled “Dark Culture”. Again, heaps of black evil-looking fonts, but also content. Layouts give one the impression of darkness and things lurking in corners. Lots of interesting dark graphics too. This issue does its damndest to cover all pertaining to the Goth and related sub-cultures. Here you’ll find all sorts of shit, including reviews on bands I’ve never heard of, Nick Cave, H.R. Giger, more bands I’ve never heard of, Nick Cave, a band I had heard of, adverts for more bands I’ve never heard of, Nick Cave, readers’ letters, more adverts, an explanation of pagan rock, how to find Goths on the internet, including glossary of terms, Nick Cave, and when you finish, there’s another ad on the back page. Get the drift … As an entity known as a non-Goth: that is, even though I dress in black, I’ve never felt the need to wear make-up and white powder on my face, have never heard anything by Sisters of Mercy (I do spend a lot of time in graveyards, but this is out of necessity rather than an aesthetic decision, not that I don’t enjoy the aesthetic qualities.), and think of Anne Rice as the Jackie Collins of horror, I suppose I should see little of interest in this mag. Wrong! Ex Cathedra is well laid out, nicely written, and very readable, despite the fact that I hadn’t heard of 80% of the shit in there. Who knows, after having read two issues of Dark Angel and all three of Ex Cathedra, that white powder is starting to look awfully appealing…. |
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All material on this site is Copyright 2007 to Chris A. Masters
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