by Stacey Levin

…Stephen King, that is, because the sovereign of scare has done it again with his newest entries into the comic arena – “American Vampire” and the limited series “N.”  The King (That’s my nickname for him.  Cause we’re friends.  And friends have nicknames for each other.  Ok, fine, I don’t actually know him… yet.) has been writing comic books and graphic novels for over 25 years.  In fact, on his website, he lists “Creepshow,” the companion comic to the movie, as his earliest comic credit back in 1982.  But most fans readily associate his comic work as extensions and companions to his existing published titles such as “The Dark Tower” and “The Stand.”  All great stuff, but with “American Vampire” and “N,” The King has gone back to the roots of his horror story telling which is what I love the most.  Ok, yeah, so this is a completely biased ode to The King.  Sue me.  Well, I guess you could stop reading, but it’s STEPHEN KING, people!

In Marvel’s “N,” which is based on SK’s short story and written by the talented film and television writer Marc Guggenheim, The King tells a chilling tale about living in a personal hell of paranoia and obsession when his lead  character descends into the dark world of mental illness.  A lead character with a mental  illness is not new territory for S.K.  Some of his most famous creations were really just  batsh*t crazy folks.  (Hello, Annie Wilkes!  How ya doin’, Jack Torrance?)  But what’s  different about Dr. John Bousaint in “N” is that he starts out sane.  Actually, he’s a  psychiatrist who is literally driven crazy by the mysterious circumstances that surround  the death of one his patients known only as Patient N.  Patient N committed suicide –  pushed to the ultimate limit by hanging out at an odd geological formation of rocks in a  barren field.  Wait, what?  The rocks made him kill himself?  No, that can’t be and it sounds  illogical.  Well, that’s what the good Doc thought, too, until he went to investigate the place  and soon found himself catching the same kind of madness that Patient N suffered from.  So  you’d think people would stay away from the weird rocks, right?  Not in a horror comic,  peeps.  That’s just the beginning.  From there, The King’s story and Guggenheim’s expert scripting literally describe every pain staking moment of what it must be like to slowly go  insane… to know it’s happening to you, but be helpless to stop it.  I can’t think of too many  things more frightening than that.  Artfully drawn by the accomplished artist Alex Maleev,  the imagery in “N” makes you feel as if you too might be catch the insanity if you read too  much.  Effing brilliant.

With Vertigo’s “American Vampire,” The King takes on the overused area of vampiressszzzzzzz.  Continue reading »