Brian J. Showers.com - Havoc 21 #5

GUEST EDITORIAL IN HAVOC 21 #5
by Stephen Leech & Brian J. Showers

Available from January 2007 from Wolfman Productions Ireland

A Note from Wolfman: It was at the end of production on issue 4 before print that a chap named Brian J. Showers contacted me with work he was interested in submitting to Havoc 21. We met and I soon discovered that he had quite a body of work ready for print. All due to the hard work of himself and Stephen Leech for a horror anthology they were asked to edit and co-ordinate. This they did with diligence and passion but before it went to print all went to hell and it was stopped. it seemed like the work might never see print. till this meeting of course. And now this issue. The following is a few words on the mission statement that drove the creation of these fine examples of horror:

From the mouths of driven men,

When we were asked to compile a collection of short comics for what was to be an on-going horror anthology, we first had to establish a style. A philosophy and definition of horror.

First, we decided, films like Blade and Underworld, while entertaining, are not truly horror. They are primarily action films with horror trappings. In comics, this frequently translates into a bad excuse for anti-gravity tits and excessive gore. And there's already plenty of that on the shelves.

Second, comics are not the easiest medium for horror. Many believe horror is, "Full-page splash showing a really scary zombie! Be sure this picture is really, really scary!!!" This might make for a nice pin-up, but will the reader experience dread? Doubtful.

Third, it is easy to write a story where a man enters an old dark house, walks up the stairs, opens the door and BOO! There's a splash of a really scary zombie! But the cinematic "cheap scare" does not translate to comics. The solution is to give the incident a context and meaning that will evoke an emotional response. To us, that's horror. Instead of burdening the artists with, "really, really scary", the writer has the responsibility of creating horror with words and drama. We want our skin to crawl.

Of course these are just opinions. You may disagree with them, but we do hope you'll enjoy these stories anyway.

Sincerely,
Stephen Leech & Brian J. Showers

Havoc 21 #5 features four short stories, including:

'The Point of No Return' by Sinead Lynch and Alan Barbeau;

'Shimegami Kate "Bonus Day"!' by Sinead Lynch and L. Hamilton;

'Monstermat' by J. Andrew Clark (Scar Tissue), Jonathan A. Rector and Brad Miekle;

'The Midnight Special' by J. Andrew Clark and Jason Whitley;

And cover art by Eugene Byrne and L. Hamilton.

Havoc 21 #5 is 32 pages, A4 format, no ads, black & white with a cover price of EUR €4.50.