Though the genre is rooted in the late 70’s, with John Carpenter’s enduring Halloween establishing many of its tropes, slasher films are one of the biggest pop culture relics of the 1980’s. We recognize them instantly. The way that soundtracks, camera techniques, storytelling choices, and imagery all coalesce creates something that is distinctly recognizable to us. Night Trap, the latest series from Lion Forge Comics, written by Cullen Bunn, drawn by JB Bastos, and colored by Robby Bevard attempts to bring these elements to a comic book format. In many ways it succeeds, but a lot is going to depend on the next issue in the series. A lot of its best qualities are on what it promises to deliver, an inversion involving Kelly, who will inevitably be the “final girl”.   

Night Trap #1 has some heavy lifting to do in this regard. In the first issue, we get just enough characterization to know that Kelly not only is different from her friends who are with her in the rental home in the middle of nowhere, but also that she will undoubtedly survive the entire ordeal. Kelly doesn’t have any interest in romantically or sexually pursuing any of the guys who have joined her friends, and she doesn’t seem to have a desire to get intoxicated. According the quasi-puritanical slasher film ideology, she’s the survivor. Her poor boy crazy blonde friend doesn’t stand a chance.

Despite the promotional material and narrative framework that makes it clear that Kelly will not survive and subvert what is expected of the slasher world in which she finds herself, Night Trap #1 doesn’t get to that point. It instead follows the beginning of the slasher movie point-by-point. There are several young adults who wind up staying together in a house in the middle of the woods, intending to drink and hook up. A backwoods sociopath and his family have set up a series of traps to milk as much terror as they can out of their victims before finally killing them. One of the guys staying in the home is sent out to turn on the water pump, because of course, and while he is out there he is the first of the group to be horrifically murdered.

That is, more or less, the first issue. It’s a standard set-up, and I think that it’s going to be one that makes more sense and will warrant a reread upon reading the next issue. I have a feeling that this is a set up of a very deliberate batch of tropes that are, for the most part, going to be inverted. Only time will tell if I’m right, but if it goes that way this could be a really cool book when read all at once. Bunn’s writing does exactly what it is supposed to if that is the case. Everybody sounds pretty much expendable aside from Kelly. She is immediately written as the most likable and the point of reference for anybody seeking a character to connect with. He also does something interesting with the Trapper, the killer of the story. The comic opens with him watching slasher movies in his home and yelling at the screen. Unlike the characters in Scream, who yell at the victims – which makes sense given that they are the victims of their own story – the Trapper is yelling at the masked killer. It will be really interesting to see how the Trapper applies this sort of genre awareness to the story and how that gets blown up by whatever happens with Kelly.

Bastos’ art is solid throughout. It’s never terribly flashy, but it is very good at conveying just how alone the victims are. In particular, his use of light and shadow, as well as his rendering of the forest as a backdrop really convey the atmosphere of a Carpenter-esque slasher film. His job is just as difficult as Bunn’s in this regard. There is also one particular panel early on that is just stunning as much as it is grotesque. We see the Trapper’s previous victims in the Louisiana bayous, all tied down near the bottom of the swamp. The imagery and Bevard’s coloring choices really make it a memorable panel long after you’ve finished reading.

This is going to be a comic that is made or broken by its next issue. It’s solid and any fan of horror in general, and slasher movies in particular, will find a lot to like here.

Night Trap #1 comes out June 1, 2016

When looking at a modern reimagining of a retro story, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. One is that these older television shows, movies, and comics are not without their context. I was a HUGE fan of Miami Vice Remix, and though I did not watch the source material as it aired, I have watched it after the fact. Miami Vice was good for what it was, but it was mostly just a fun and interesting TV show inherently embedded in the generation that spawned it. In other words, it’s hard to watch or think about without a sense of nostalgia taking over. Knight Rider Vol. 1 and Knight Rider: Knight Strikes are similar to Miami Vice Remix in this sense, and the modernizing of a deeply 80’s world creates a rich and engaging comic experience, particularly with Knight Strikes.

While Vol. 1 is interesting in it’s own right and has some great character moments between Michael and Dr. Katherine Beachum, with the former being characterized like morally upstanding version of Sterling Archer and the latter getting much more depth than her TV counterpart, K.I.T.T. is oddly handled. It makes the famous car seem much more prone to malfunctioning and frailty. I suppose as an origin story, this is passable, but I would have liked to see more of humanity of the original K.I.T.T. present.

Knight Strikes, on the other hand, is remarkable from beginning to end. Rather than having a consistent arc throughout the entire book, it has a handful of episodic self-contained stories. The world the Michael Knight occupies has been updated, both in terms of technology and implied political / criminal activities. It often feels like the story is taking place in a slightly less cynical version of Ghost in the Shell. It honestly does the series wonders. The frequent change-up of artists and writers is not actually jarring as one might expect. You can see similar ideas and aesthetics, but it helps make reading Knight Strikes feel like a consistently fresh experience.

There is something genuine about these modern comic imaginings of retro content that is not present in something like the Robocop film reboot or the mess that is the Transformers film franchise. Knight Rider proves to be a rewarding experience in terms of both artwork and narrative. If you only pick one of the two volumes currently available, without hesitation make it Knight Strikes. Not only were some of the sloppier elements of Vol. 1 fine tuned, but the revolving door of a creative team behind it makes every issue feel fresh, and the world is fleshed out enough that I’m eager to see if the series continues in this post-cyberpunk direction.  

Think of the 1987 anime-inspired American animated series Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs as an Avatar: The Last Airbender of the 80’s. It is not a perfect comparison, as the latter is a completely original creation while Saber Rider is a loose adaptation of an anime series, but it is similar in that it is a western studio working with an aesthetic that is quite foreign to them. Avatar did this in the Internet Age. Saber Rider did not. It is no surprise then that the original series is a little rough around the edges in ways not entirely unlike Thundercats at its lowest. After almost thirty years, Lion Forge Comics has rebooted the Voltron-esque space western super robot series as an entertaining and sleek limited comic series.

Saber Rider #1 is visually striking immediately, courtesy of Sendol Arts. It very quickly reveals itself as a obviously-anime-but-somehow-not-completely style, but with, most of the time at least, artistic and computer-rendered sheen that is reminiscent of the work of Studio Bones, or even the aesthetically beautiful Gundam SEED. The production quality of the original show unwittingly emphasizes the western portion of space western, whereas the comic reinforces the futuristic aspects. We do not see much of the world of Saber Rider in this issue (though I would certainly bet money that this will change in later issues), as most of the action takes place in close quarters. It is in these close quarters that the art loses some of its appeal, as some panels don’t quite come across as well as previous ones, and characters’ faces seem a little strange. It’s in these positions, however, that the writing excels.

Mairghread Scott has both an uphill and downhill battle at the same time with reimagining this already reimagined source material. The successes that come with the writing risk seeming inherent in the original work, and the flaws of the original work, despite no fault of the writer, risk seeming magnified compared to the nostalgia-protected 80’s series. This is an issue with many post-Beast Wars Transformers releases, with which Scott has experience writing. The handling of these characters manages to improve on their initial depictions, especially with Rider and Colt. The balancing act between genuine character moments and tense mystery when Rider, by-the-books Star Sheriff, and Colt, Spike Spiegal reminiscent bounty hunter, investigate an empty train car in distress is remarkably compelling and impressive. Interplay between these two characters is what is going to have me eagerly awaiting the next issue. Well, that and the last frame of this issue.

April Eagle and Jesse Blue (regrettable names from the original series) are less impressive. April joins in very late and apart from some expository introductions doesn’t have much to do, while the turncoat Jesse Blue is much more interesting through stories told about him than actual moments with him, though it will be interesting to see where both of these characters go.

Issue #1 of Saber Rider is out 03/16/16 and, despite some vestigial issues inherited from the source material, promises to be a series to keep on your radar. 

Think of the 1987 anime-inspired American animated series Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs as an Avatar: The Last Airbender of the 80’s. It is not a perfect comparison, as the latter is a completely original creation while Saber Rider is a loose adaptation of an anime series, but it is similar in that it is a western studio working with an aesthetic that is quite foreign to them. Avatar did this in the Internet Age. Saber Rider did not. It is no surprise then that the original series is a little rough around the edges in ways not entirely unlike Thundercats at its lowest. After almost thirty years, Lion Forge Comics has rebooted the Voltron-esque space western super robot series as an entertaining and sleek limited comic series.

Saber Rider #1 is visually striking immediately, courtesy of Sendol Arts. It very quickly reveals itself as a obviously-anime-but-somehow-not-completely style, but with, most of the time at least, artistic and computer-rendered sheen that is reminiscent of the work of Studio Bones, or even the aesthetically beautiful Gundam SEED. The production quality of the original show unwittingly emphasizes the western portion of space western, whereas the comic reinforces the futuristic aspects. We do not see much of the world of Saber Rider in this issue (though I would certainly bet money that this will change in later issues), as most of the action takes place in close quarters. It is in these close quarters that the art loses some of its appeal, as some panels don’t quite come across as well as previous ones, and characters’ faces seem a little strange. It’s in these positions, however, that the writing excels.

Mairghread Scott has both an uphill and downhill battle at the same time with reimagining this already reimagined source material. The successes that come with the writing risk seeming inherent in the original work, and the flaws of the original work, despite no fault of the writer, risk seeming magnified compared to the nostalgia-protected 80’s series. This is an issue with many post-Beast Wars Transformers releases, with which Scott has experience writing. The handling of these characters manages to improve on their initial depictions, especially with Rider and Colt. The balancing act between genuine character moments and tense mystery when Rider, by-the-books Star Sheriff, and Colt, Spike Spiegal reminiscent bounty hunter, investigate an empty train car in distress is remarkably compelling and impressive. Interplay between these two characters is what is going to have me eagerly awaiting the next issue. Well, that and the last frame of this issue.

April Eagle and Jesse Blue (regrettable names from the original series) are less impressive. April joins in very late and apart from some expository introductions doesn’t have much to do, while the turncoat Jesse Blue is much more interesting through stories told about him than actual moments with him, though it will be interesting to see where both of these characters go.

Issue #1 of Saber Rider is out 03/16/16 and, despite some vestigial issues inherited from the source material, promises to be a series to keep on your radar.