From Halloween II.

Happy Hallowe’en!

Don’t ask me why he has a Bat-iMac.

From My Name Is Bruce.

From Indiana Jones Adventures Volume 1.

(Click to embiggen.)

Happy inauguration day!

When I was a kid first getting into comics, I devoured all of the same titles as other ’80s kids. Comic book stores hadn’t quite coalesced in that area of Michigan, so I did all of my geek shopping at a small stamp & coin/pawn shop between my house and school. The owner had lots of boxes with back issues in them, and when I had money burning a hole in my pocket and I was frustrated with the wait between months, I’d mine those boxes for undiscovered obsessions.

One October afternoon I came across a box packed with issues of Swamp Thing.  I paused in my digging as it occurred to me that there was a movie playing occasionally on HBO with the same name.  I’d only caught snippets of the flick, but I knew it was Something I Was Not Allowed to Watch, so the idea that there was a comic book with similarly forbidden content was surprising and enticing.  After all, comics were for kids, right?  They wouldn’t put R-rated stuff in a comic book, because kids would see it and then–holy shit, what the hell is THAT?

Better yet, the box was filled with  months worth of reading, and the series was still going.  I gathered up as many as I could afford and convinced the shop owner that my folks didn’t mind if I bought such comics. (He didn’t try too hard–he was a pawn shop owner, after all.)  His attempt only further fueled my eagerness to own these things.

Once I got home to read my new prizes, I saw that they were nothing like the comics to which I was accustomed.  I think every comic book fan has had (or will have) that moment when they flip open a comic that challenges their entire conception of the medium’s capabilities.  For me, Swamp Thing did just that.  Between all of the freaky Un-men, mind-bending plotlines and seemingly endless images of Swampy and Abby bumping pistils and stamens, those books were a perfect complement to waiting to see who Daredevil was going to fight the next month.  Add these eerie images to the Halloween season, and you’ve got one wide-eyed, excited young Steve.

There were other, similar discoveries–Hellblazer was an obvious and wide-eyed experience after that, and then there was the kid at school who loaned me his Fangoria issues, leading to–”Holy shit, what the hell is THAT?”

Far too soon, adulthood came, and then I eventually started to dig a little further in pop culture’s back issue bin and, well, now there’s the Mound of the Macabre.

So, on some level, I’m always trying to recapture that sense I had as a kid, watching what I wasn’t supposed to, enjoying others’ attempts to creep me the hell out.  To experience that eerie October feeling as often as possible.

So blame that pawn store owner.  Or Hallowe’en.

Or Louis Jourdan.

Kraven’s Last Hunt in 30 Seconds!

I hope you enjoy!

I’m Steve, and this is my new blog.  I’ll be posting about my many geeky loves, with an emphasis on horror.  Horror movies of various eras, horror comics, horror literature — you name it, and I’ll probably cover it sooner or later.  You can also expect lots of comics and classic sci fi flicks to creep in here.

At the expense of apartment space, I’ve amassed a pretty large collection of horror DVDs, from silent classics to 21st century diamonds in the rough.  Despite this Mound of the Macabre, time has only allowed me to actually watch about 10% of them.  Well, that’s going to change, and if you check this site often, you’ll get to see the results.

I’ve already got lots of things planned, from reviews from the Mound to numerous ongoing features, so come along for the ride.

Maybe one of these days I’ll answer the question I get all too often:  “So why HORROR?”

Now, strap in and keep your hands inside the car, please.  The Destroy Blog will not be responsible for lost or damaged appendages.

Enjoy the ride!