Episode 159 - Halloween Comics 2015 - a podcast by Stergios Botzakis & Derek Royal

It's the scary season, and as they've done for the past couple of years, Gene and Derek talk about some of this year's Halloween specials and seasonal horror titles. In this episode you'll hear the Two Guys with PhDs discuss:

• Haunted Horror: Pre-Code Comics So Good, They're Scary!, edited by Craig Yoe, Clizia Gussoni, and Steve Banes (IDW Publishing)


• Upside Down: A Hat Full of Spells, by Jess Smart Smiley (Top Shelf)


• Monsterjunkies: An American Family Odyssey, Erik Daniel Shein, Theresa A. Gates, and Jay Fotos Studios (Red Anvil)


• The Goon: Theatre Bizarre, by Eric Powell and John Dunivant (Dark Horse Comics)


• Adventure Time 2015 Spoooktacular, by Hanna K. (Kaboom!)


• Spongebob Comics #49, edited by Chris Duffy (United Plankton Pictures/Bongo Comics)


• All Hallows' Eve #5, by Ty Thomas Luckman, Trevor Luckman, and Dave Mims (215 Ink)


• Elder House #2, by Drew Matthews and Carlos Trigo (215 Ink)


• Grimm Fairy Tales 2015 Halloween Special, by Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Troy Brownfield, and Mario Del Pennino (Zenescope)


• Zombies vs. Cheerleaders 2015 Halloween Special, edited by Steven L. Frank (Zenescope)


• Zombie Tramp Halloween Special, by Dan Mendoza (Action Lab)


• Gold Digger Halloween Special, edited by Doug Dlin and Robby Bevard (Antarctic Press)

Derek and Gene spend much of their time discussing their favorite book of the week, the latest volume of Haunted Horror. There are a lot of spooky and just plain weird titles in this collection -- case in point: "Ghost from Mars" -- and the guys could have easily spent the entire episode talking about Craig Yoe's latest effort. But they have a lot of ground to cover, so they move on from there to the other offerings. Titles such as Upside Down, Monsterjunkies, Adventure Time 2015 Spoooktacular, and Spongebob Comics are perfect for those younger readers getting ready to go trick or treating...or, in the case of Spongebob, even for those older readers staying in and giving out the candy. The guys also discuss the pros and cons of seasonal titles that are part of an ongoing storyline -- for example, this Halloween's Adventure Time and Grimm Fairy Tales -- and the attraction of certain issues, such as The Goon: Theatre Bizarre and All Hallows' Eve, that easily stand on their own outside of any series continuity. And then there are seasonal titles such as Zombies vs. Cheerleaders and Gold Digger, for which Gene and Derek feel at a total lost. Still, the guys have a good time talking about this year's Halloween comics, even if they don't understand them all.

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