One of the fun things about Ahoy’s Edgar Allen Poe’s Snifter of Blood anthology, is you never know what kind of tale you are going to get. Will it be an adaptation of a classic Poe tale, an original tale of horror, or perhaps, a piece that may defy description? Well in the 2nd issue of Snifter of Blood, you get a little bit of everything. The first story has so many nods to a specific “cereal” genre that you may have to reread it to catch them all. It was such a clever piece of satire that I was in no way surprised to see that satire master Mark Russell wrote it.
The Monster Serials
In The Monster Serials: To Hell Comes a Guest, we are greeted once again to a plethora of classic cereal nuggets, all wrapped in a vampires tale. We are introduced to a vampire couple, the Marquis DeCocoa (Count Chocula ?) and his wife. Every morning, they risk the effects of sunrise to host a breakfast party. Guests include such characters as Duke Antonio, a dapper tiger who when asked whether he liked the breakfast flakes he is served proclaims “Theeey’re Glorious!” A bee man who when served a glass of wine, an Eau De Vi responds, “That’s one honey of an Eau!” If that wasn’t enough, they also discussed the possibility of the town being taken over by General Post. No possible cereal nugget was apparently safe. But as always, writer Russell wasn’t done.
One of their guests was not expected. The Leprechaun King had also made an appearance…perhaps Lucky Charms was being represented. He was seeking revenge. Not against the DeCocoa’s but against General Post. He had slaughtered the Leprechaun King’s people. Now the Leprechaun would ride against Fortress Honeycomb and confront General Post. Only one of them would survive and that was ok with him. However, assistance would be welcome. Especially when he found out that DeCocoa’s wife is the daughter of General Post and she proclaimed she herself would kill him. Unfortunately, Count DeCocoa was not as enthusiastic. He was safe in his castle and wanted to stay that way. Much to the disappointment of the Leprechaun, and his own wife.
Seeking an Ally
For his own part, the Marquis knew his refusal could be taken for cowardice. Perhaps it is. But he could not talked out of his decision. Even when the King revealed he knew they were vampires. He had a spy working for him. A specter named the Baronet Beau Berrie (I told you wasn’t done). The ghost had seen the couple feasting the previous night. The King didn’t care about that. He just knew that having Vampires on his side would be an asset. However, the Marquis’ decision was final.
It probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise when the Marquis awoke he found not only the Leprechaun King gone but his wife as well. She had went with the Leprechaun to confront her father. She knew that THEY were monsters. But she refused to be a bystander to monstrous acts. It was the push he needed. Regardless of the risks, of his fear, he would find his wife…in a story to be continued. As most classic cereals are…
(Authors note: I did not know that this is not the first time that Mr. Russell has written his “Monster Serial.” This was my first. I have some reading to do). 🖖🏻
A Tipple of Amontillado
Story two once again centered around our host Edgar Allen Poe. In this black and white tale, he is dining with a plethora of talented iconic writers. Henry David Thoreau, Francis Sargent Osgood, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Margaret Fuller (she needs a third name…everyone else has one). They are drinking (except for Poe) and supposed to be having an evening without discussing their latest works. Yeah…right.
It wasn’t very long before Edgar started regaling his audience with his latest tale. The problem was that being authors themselves, they couldn’t help to not only ask questions but start filling in their own story ideas. This drove Poe to forget his pledge to abstain from drinking. Just as one of his writing friends had foretold.
He continued his tale despite his audience’s insistence to interject their own plot points. By the time they were done, they were sure they had improved Edgar’s tale to the point he would be quite mad not to use the ending they had come up with. For his part, Edgar considered them and informed them he would be retaining his original ending. In fact, they would be Philistines to suggest otherwise. However, never fear, he told them. “He was quite used to being alone with his own genius.” They considered him for a moment before the food fight began.
The Text Only Tales
As always, Ahoy continues to give authors an opportunity to showcase their wares. In this case, they included two tales. The first, Seven Ravens and Nevermore by Tasha Lowe-Newsome tells the tale of an attempt to preserve the raven species artificially while maintaining the one remaining live raven. Nevermore indeed. The second tale, The Faulty Scythe is a clever story dealing with a pompous Grim Reaper who is undone by and even more pompous victim. These included stories are always worth reading and shouldn’t be missed.
Thoughts
Another winner by Ahoy with a new cover by Ryan Kelly following in the footsteps of cover one by Jill Thompson. Writer Mark Russell and Artist Peter Snejbjerg lead off with their popular Monster Serials (I’ve got to catch up on those) entry. While Devin Grayson and artists Chris Giarusso and Richard Williams turned out a Poe tale with a nod to the classic Warren Publishing black and white stylings of Creepy, Eerie, or Vampirella. This was particularly well done. If you plucked this tale and placed it in the aforementioned magazines, it would have fit right in. I also liked the touch of color for the wine. Well done.
If you are a fan of anthologies, Ahoy’s Edgar Allen Poe’s Snifter of Blood is a fun one. Diversity is one of its strengths. Check it out where great comics are sold.🖖🏻
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
