"The Matron," #1 is a Great Start to a Horrific Tale

Drew Edwards is the main creator behind, "Halloween Man," and when I made him aware of how much I enjoyed the trade paperback collection of a number of the character's stories, he offered me a free digital copy of, "The Matron," #1, which I could read and review if I saw fit. Written by Edwards along with David Bowles and featuring art by Monica Gallagher, I found the first issue of, "The Matron," to be quite creepy and intense. The comic jumps around between 2021 and back in the 1970s. A family that engaged in ritualistic cannibalism was taken down by a police officer (who was also a relative) and in the, "Present," we follow various generations of offspring trying to live normal lives despite the disturbing familial history. 

The comic's flashbacks to the past feature lots of gruesome horror but it never feels over-the-top or unnecessary--if a family is full of cannibals, you should probably give readers a look at their, "Unique," dinner setup, after all! In the present, it is strongly hinted that violence may soon resume with one seemingly, "Normal," older family member primed to soon take up the family legacy of ritualistic violence. This was a stellar first issue that excels at giving us some backstory and setting up tension for the issues to come. I look forward to seeing just how crazy things get!

The, "Halloween Man," Graphic Novel is Full of Genre-Mixing Fun

"Halloween Man," refuses to fit neatly into a genre, "Box," if you attempt to describe it. There are horror elements, superheroes, comedy, retro-futuristic sci-fi concepts, and more. Basically, if you took a bunch of ideas and tossed them into a blender, you might worry the result would be a nasty mess. However, in this case, you get the metaphorically tasty drink of, "Halloween Man." I saw the solicitation for this trade paperback a bit ago with Red 5 as the publisher; the variety of concepts piqued my interest, and I'm glad to have read this TPB, as I loved, "Halloween Man." This graphic novel actually is a bit of a collection of earlier works, as the creator/writer, Drew Edwards, has been crafting stories with our titular character and putting them online for years now. 

The basic plot is essentially how a man named Solomon Kane was almost killed, came back as a sentient zombie of sorts, and now is a bit of an anti-hero bounty hunter. Humans and, "Real," superheroes don't care for him, and he's a little too brutal and human for the monsters. The best he can usually get from folk is begrudging respect, but at least the love of his life, Lucy, has stayed by his side (plus the fact she's a supergenius comes in handy when he's in danger). The, "Halloween Man," graphic novel collects a number of stories with some connecting more than others and the artists vary a lot--although things always look good. Whether Halloween Man is fighting a strange sea monster, combating robot mobsters, or on any other wacky adventure, every tale in this collection is great! Plus, this TPB includes a highly enjoyable crossover with Tim Seeley's characters of Cassie Hack and Vlad from another stellar and long-running comic, "Hack/Slash," with that story especially being a hoot.

You can access a bunch of, "Halloween Man," via Global Comix, and if you buy the physical collection, that increases the chances that Red 5 might publish more stories, as Edwards mentioned in an interview. There's also a Facebook page for fans of Halloween Man to keep updated. I know I am eager to read more adventures of Halloween Man, whether it's on the internet or in a book!

5 out of 5 Stars.