Comicsburgh Launches ‘Memoirs Of The Morbid: Blue Edition’ On Kickstarter
by Brendan M. Allen
One part horror, one part humor, and a healthy dose of nostalgia was the recipe for making Memoirs of the Morbid a hit on Kickstarter two years ago. Comicsburgh is going back to the well with a new volume, though they are eschewing conventional numbering systems. The first volume will be referred to as The Red Edition and the second will be called The Blue Edition.
“All the stories are 100% self-contained and independent. I didn’t want people to get the idea that they had to read the first volume in order to understand what’s going on in the second volume” says Grant Lankard, curator of both volumes.“I think people are tired of the endless cycle of ‘to be continued’ in modern comics that makes it feel like these stories never really begin or end.”
The format of the comic is taken from classic horror anthologies of the 1940’s and 50’s from EC Comics and features its own undead narrator, The Ghoulmaster. The Ghoulmaster distinguishes himself from other horror hosts by being really bad at his job. He struggles to come up with puns and frequently misses cues.He’s also extremely self-absorbed, interrupting story intros to rant about his low celebrity status.
The five new stories demonstrate how wide and varied the horror genre is, by showcasing a variety of tones, settings, and attitudes. Several of the stories (Clean Up on Aisle Four, It’s the Truly Repugnant Pumpkin Charlie [Last Name Redacted] and My Demon is a Centerfold) fit into the humor/horror category. Other stories are more dramatic such as the classic ghost story Three Strikes and You’re Dead, which is billed in the slasher sub-genre.
Besides Lankard, this volume is edited by comic veteran Brian K, Morris, with scripts from Phillip Butehorn, Matthew Summo, Comicon.com alumnus James Ferguson, and Angi Dudas in her published comics debut. Art duties are tackled by Alberto Pessoa, Tony Pessanha Jr, Pete Collins, and JP Vilchis.
The comic features five covers of varying styles. All will be available on Kickstarter with a slight discount for those who want to order all five covers, beginning today.
Check out the campaign and backer rewards here. The comic is completely finished and should be out to Kickstarter backers in time for Halloween.
