This weekend’s must-read digital comics feature some nightmare inducing horror from Cullen Bunn and Monkeybrain Comics, plus an all-ages Saturday morning cartoon inspired indie in the shape of Alex The Abominable from Jack Davies and Jacob Boniface. Plus a tribute to a comedy legend who is with us no more in IDW’s Ghostbusters.

The Remains #1 (MonkeyBrain Comics)

Writer Cullen Bunn is no stranger to supernatural tales set in the dark reaches of America’s history as we’ve seen in his supernatural western The Sixth Gun. However with The Remains he has moved forward in time from the Wild West to the grim world of the depression era Deep South with a haunting old style horror tale courtesy of Monkeybrain Comics. When a mysterious stranger comes to their farm looking for work, farmer’s daughter Birdie has an unnerving feeling, but what is it about this mysterious stranger she doesn’t like? Only when things take a decidedly macabre turn of events after a visit to the barn do we begin to see the direction that the story will be heading. Bunn does a brilliant job creating a tense and unnerving world for his story which takes a classic American setting that reminds you of Twain and Steinbeck but gives it a generous dose of modern horror, that’s more reminiscent of Stephen King or James Herbert. The central motif of this first issue is rats (no spoiler there seeing as it is on the cover) and these are as evocative a premise for many (ourselves included) as spiders or snakes. The central scene is the kind of nightmare inducing sequence that means if you are even slightly rat-phobic you will need to read this one with the lights on as it will haunt you for days. Artist AC Zamudio does a great job of developing the terror but also the simple rural world of the farm and this four parter is set to become one of our most anticipated MonkeyBrain reads every month. We’ll just have to make sure not to read it after dark!
The Remains #1 is available from ComiXology for £0.69/$0.99

Alex the Abominable and Other Stories

After that if you’re looking for something with a bit more of a family vibe then Alex the Abominable from Jack Davies and Jacob Boniface is the perfect antidote. Alex is a precocious kid stuck in deep space with bickering parents, who fail to notice she is actually the reason they keep getting out of all sorts of scrapes. It’s got that same Saturday morning cartoon feel as the Powerpuff Girls or Dexters lab (but in space) and has a great lively feel like it should be in a weekly kids series like the Beano or the Phoenix. This first edition comprises two short stories and one longer episode which sees Alex and her parents go to a planet of monsters and meet the son of the abominable snowman. In it’s longer form the story loses some of its edge as it tries to get in a bit more of a serious storyline dealing with Alex and her relationship with her dad. This ends up feeling a bit dragged out, compared to the earlier shorter stories which are packed full of fun and energy, however it is written with a witty style, with fun exciting artwork that makes the whole package a real gem for the future.

You can download Alex the Abominable from here for just £1.49.

Ghostbusters #1-13 (IDW Publishing)

After this weeks sad news about the passing of the great Harold Ramis, aka Egon Spengler, we would be remiss if we didn’t suggest reading some Ghostbusters related titles for you this weekend. Ghostbusters was one of those films that was a quintessential part of our childhood as well as the cartoon series on Saturday mornings. The adventures of Peter! Egon Ray and Winston were every bit as iconic to us as Luke, Han and Lelia or Batman and Superman and so the news that the great man was no longer with us was met with a huge amount of sadness. Thank goodness then that IDWs new Ghostbusters series perfectly captures the spirit of the movie, allowing us a nostalgic trip down memory lane and lets us live out those Ghostbusting adventures one more time. RIP Egon.

Ghostbusters #1-13 is available from IDW Publishing via ComiXology or via the IDW Publishing app.