GENE SIMMONS ON DONALD TRUMP'S APPRENTICE.

   Ok. It's official!!!
   I'll be on Donald Trump's APPRENTICE, which goes on the air January 3rd on NBC.
   We'll have more specifics and war stories in a little while.

On Friday, December 7 beginning at 9 PM ET/PT VH1 Classic is giving KISS fans the chance to pre-order the “KISSology Volume 3” four DVD set during VH1 Classic’s “KISSmas,” prior to hitting stores. The pre-sale will coincide with over 24 hours of KISS programming on VH1 Classic. Through December 9 at 12 midnight, fans can purchase “KISSology Volume 3” by visiting www.kissmas.vh1classic.com. (Note: This link won't be active until the 7th.)

Those who purchase “Kissology Volume 3” will be given the opportunity to submit a ‘KISSmas’ card to the band and have their message appear on VH1 Classic throughout the 24 hours of KISS programming.

KISS programming to air throughout the day on VH1 Classic include KISSology Volume 1 Concert - Kiss Live at the Summit in Houston, 1977, Kissology Volume 2 Concert - Kiss Live from Sydney, Australia, 1980, Kissology Volume 3 Concert - Kiss Live from LA, Halloween 1998, “KISS Unplugged,” and “KISSology: Volume 2 Special.”

NO COMMENT....

GENE SIMMONS ROAST

   On Tuesday, November 27th....I had a new asshole drilled into me. Apparently, one wasn't enough.
   On that day, every major Comedic Weapon of Mass Destruction violated me. Roastmaster Jeffrey Ross, Lisa Lampanelli, Carrot Top, Paul Rodriguez and an army of killers -- including Andrew Dice Clay....video well wishes (ass whuppin's, actually) from Donald Trump, Criss Angel and more....
   Even the Beautiful Shannon Tweed...and a big surprise, the Killer Himself: Nick Tweed Simmons, blasted me in front of a willing, blood thirsty mob, who were there to witness my public humiliation and execution.
   Et tu Brute'???

   On a serious note, the ticket proceeds were given to the Honorable Wounded Warriors -- an organization that helps  Veterans -- the brave and honorable Men and Women of the Military, come home.
   I was presented with something that, personally, means more than I can put into words.
   I am an immigrant. I wasn't born here. And yet, America has accepted me and has given me more than any country in the world.
   I owe America and its people everything.
   And, I will always be grateful.

   On a lighter note, here are some fotos of the event. It's ok to laugh. The damage has been done.  I'm in healing right now.

   Oh, and the entire proceedings were filmed for our GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS Season III....coming soon.

   Here is a bootleg video taken from the recent HARD ROCK HOTEL Vegas debut of something I've always dreamed of doing: fronting my own 13 piece big band. So, here it is -- the GENE SIMMONS ROYAL CROWN REVUE....but for now, you'll only get a few seconds of it.
   You'll see the whole thing when our SEASON III of GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS debuts in a few months.

   Just got finished watching my....(ahem) cartoon show, MY DAD THE ROCK STAR on NickToons.  And, if you haven't seen the show, check your listings and get your kids to watch it.  It rocks!!!

Gene Simmons' Zipper Comes to the Shelves

Tom Waltz

By Corrina Lawson
November 26, 2007

Tom Waltz of IDW, writer of Children of the Grave, talks about working with Simmons to bring Zipper to life, how a military veteran ended up an IDW editor, and his future projects.

Sequential Tart: How did Gene Simmons become involved in creating a comic property for IDW?

Tom Waltz: I wasn't involved with the early talks with Gene Simmons regarding the Simmons Comics Group imprint, but my understanding is that IDW approached Gene about doing KISS comics, but KISS was already looking at Platinum Studios for that title. Instead, Gene mentioned he had plans to do his own imprint, comprised of his own non-KISS titles, and things moved forward from there. Again, this is my understanding. IDW Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall would probably be the best person to get specific details from regarding the deal.

ST: How involved is Gene in the planning of individual story lines?

TW: Gene is very involved in a number of ways, most notably in character creation and design, as well as thematic and plot development. In a nutshell, Gene will give us detailed outlines of the story's main character, as well as some basic supporting character information. He also provides broad strokes as far as plot and theme are concerned, allowing the writers (such as myself) plenty of creative elbow room to expand upon what he has laid out. We simply provide Gene with our own ideas, and he will either approve them or offer his own suggestions for change that may (or may not) be influenced by our input.

Once everything is approved, we move to scripting and artwork. It's in the art where Gene is meticulously involved, always careful to let us know exactly what he does and doesn't like in what our artists are presenting to him. I would describe Gene as predominately a visual comics creator, who has strong opinions about the "look" of his various comic book projects. One thing I can say for certain, this is not just something he is slapping his name on — Gene cares very much about his comics, and the comic book industry (and its long history) in general.

More...

   Just came back from a whirlwind Toronto trip to promote Simmons Abramson Marketing client, FRANK's ENERGY DRINK.  We'll post fotos in a day or so of the ongoings...but suffice it to say we began early morning and didn't shut our eyes until...early morning.
   We visited a few 7-11's and Max's (a Canadian retailer) who both sell FRANK's.
   Landed and went into meetings at our GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS offices with my partner Leslie Greif and the entire staff.  Lots of fun stuff coming up on Season III.
   For those of you who missed Season II of our show, you can get the entire season, plus some surprises on our GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS Season II Box Set -- out now!!!

Shannon looks fabulous. I know you will agree, with, or without surgery she's always been beautiful.
Now I know why you're smiling all the time.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and a joyous time as your family comes together.

Letters...

GENE SIMMONS and GSFJ TV CREW
AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD VEGAS OPENING

November 21, 2007 Timed to the launch of a dedicated Borat channel at www.ngtv.com/, NO GOOD TV is bringing everyone’s favorite Kazakhstani journalist to entertainment news magazine series Extra tonight! The special segment is taken from an uncensored interview with Borat shot recently on his national tour in support of the new book Borat: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and...Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. NO GOOD TV was granted rare one-on-one interview access to Borat during the tour. The interview is hosted by NO GOOD TV’s own Carrie Keagan.

Stop stuffing that Thanksgiving turkey long enough to gather the family and check local listings for Extra air times or click on this link: www.extratv.warnerbros.com/whenitson.php

Visit www.ngtv.com/ now for the full, uncensored Borat experience or click on this link to the new Borat channel: www.ngtv.com/?channelId=borat&clipIdNum=1315822272

Just in time for the holidays, additional interview segments will be added to the Borat channel during the coming two weeks.

NO GOOD TV’s first interview with Borat, on the network’s flagship series Up Close, has received more than 10 million clip views across all NO GOOD TV distribution platforms. It has received more than 7 million views on YouTube alone and it remains the #1 most viewed clip on NO GOOD TV’s partner channel there (www.youtube.com/nogoodtv).

Stadium deal sealed with a Kiss

It is time to Kiss and tell.
The veteran rock band - best known for garish make-up, outrageous costumes and pyrotechnic stage effects - is to play Wellington's Westpac Stadium as part of a giant two-day rock festival.
Lip Service

At least three other big-name overseas acts - yet to be announced - will also perform in the Rock2Wgtn festival in the stadium next Easter, March 22 and 23.

It will be the first time the stadium has hosted bands over two days. Promoter Phil Sprey, who brought Sir Elton John to the stadium last year, would not elaborate on the other acts, but said: "They're all big acts. Kiss is just the only one (named) so far."

Music festivals in New Zealand sometimes include artists performing around the same time in Australia. Big names performing across the Tasman in the days before the festival include Ozzy Osbourne and Sinead O'Connor.

Mr Sprey promised the lineup would have broad appeal and would include Kiwi acts.

"This is for baby boomers and their kids alike and will appeal to more than one generation."

He saw Kiss play in Auckland in the 1970s and had always wanted to bring them back to New Zealand.

"That was a great concert."

He is also bringing Sir Elton to New Plymouth next month and Bon Jovi to Christchurch in January. Details about ticket prices for the Wellington event and when they go on sale are yet to announced.

LIP SERVICE

Kiss, formed in 1972, were one of the biggest bands of the 70s and early 80s, especially known for their spectacular stage shows.

The single I Was Made for Loving You was No1 in New Zealand for four weeks in 1979.

Frontman Gene Simmons - known for his long tongue - has featured in reality television shows.

Been a hectic week.
We started out in Toronto meeting two new clients for our SIMMONS ABRAMSON MARKETING venture. (More on this later).
Then off to NY for additional meetings re film ventures, marketing and other areas.
Then, waking at 5 am, flew from NY to Vegas. Landed at about 11:30, and went directly into filming our GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS Vegas shoot -- including a day and evening at a famous Brothel, doing research (and filming it) for my forthcoming LADIES OF THE NIGHT book.
Then did a late night red carpet for the newly opened PLANET HOLLYWOOD.  We filmed people coming over to our crews to say hello -- Bruce WIllis, Pam Anderson, Criss Angel, Tom Arnold, Sugar Ray Leonard, Nelly...and more.
Got up at the crack of dawn today, and flew into LA....got dressed and ran off to Present the Best Pop/Rock Female Award (last award of the night) at the AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS.
And now....I'm exhausted. Off to sleep.

I AM ALIVE AND WELL!!!
   Thank you all, for the kind words and condolences...but I am alive and well. Recently, there has been a rumor spread on the internet of my passing. Our legal team is actively looking into this and I intend to sue the people off the face of the Earth. Can everyone say "Bye, bye" together?
   But, thank you for the kind words. All is good.

DEAR GENE:

What's this
mean? 

Taryn

Response from Gene:

It means : "You. Yes, you!!!"

Letters...

Gene Simmons Zipper #2

Reviewed by Dan Head
Written by Tom Waltz
Pencils by Casey Maloney
Inks by Marc Rueda
Colors by Dusty Yee
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Published by IDW, 22 pages for $3.99

I was more than psyched to get the advanced look at IDW’s Zipper #2, and so far this is a series that doesn’t disappoint. Zipper follows alien outlaw refugee Xeng Ral as he escapes the collective consciousness of his world for the wild urban individualism of Detriot. This second issue sees Xeng start to build personal relationships with some of Detriot’s less desirable residents while introducing a pair of subplots that are interesting and well-conceived if somewhat obvious given the story’s high-concept.

The more I read of Tom Waltz’s writing, the more I like it. For one thing, Waltz has a good ear. His characters speak believable urban Detroit slang that’s neither over-wrought nor over-generalized. Each character has his own voice, which is an astonishing feat given the way most writers write inner-city slang. And then too, this is a book with a slow burn plot that has still found a way to be exciting in its early issues. We’re decidedly still in the first act of the book’s first arc, and yet we’ve already seen sex, violence, and violent sex… basically all the things you’d expect to see out of a comic inspired by the imagination of Kiss front man Gene Simmons.

Once again, my favorite thing about this book is its art. Here specifically, we see a number of artistically interesting shots that succeed in presenting the ostensibly mundane in an exciting and visually interesting way. This is possible because Casey Maloney’s art has found a decided groove in this book, making his characters both heroic and stylish without giving over to abstraction. This isn’t your typical steroid-inspired superhero storytelling, but it’s also not cartoony. Instead, the pages find a balance, keeping things exciting and exaggerated without being overtly outrageous. On the whole, it’s quality stuff and easily the best I’ve seen from Maloney. It also helps that the colors pop. The lighting in particular emphasizes what the pencils and inks are already doing successfully.

Zipper is a kind of superhero meets sci fi book with elements of horror-gore thrown in for good measure. It’s well worth your time, particularly for sci fi fans starving for something that’s contemporary and unique and somewhat edgy as well. I recommend it whole-heartedly as a quality change-of-pace for any comic reader who likes action and intrigue along with their aliens-in-leather.

Zipper is good stuff! Check it out!

http://www.paperbackreader.com/newcolumn2.php?ColumnID=510

Simmons Summons Several New Series
Lowdown by Dave Baxter, posted November 15, 2007

Celebrity-line comics are rarely events worth writing about, and commonly only as fodder for the stray disgruntled critic who finds need to let off a little steam on a very deserving target. From the well-done but eventually irrelevant Clive Barker line of Marvel books, as well as Leonard Nimoy’s Tekno Comics titles, to the mediocre Virgin line of John Woo, Guy Ritchie, and Nicholas and Weston Cage-conceived concepts, to the utterly abysmal adaptations of other writer’s novels and television shows into comic book form, the track record of maintaining a heightened success by plastering a beloved fan-favorite name overtop a title’s title has been as ultimately unimpressive as the products themselves.

So imagine my lack of excitement when I heard about yet another abortive attempt at this sort of attention-gathering by IDW Publishing, this time as a series of books brainstormed by pop-cult icon Gene Simmons. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, I thought, without an ounce of sincerity, when I held them in my hands. But I read them, and I liked them. A lot, actually. There’s some definite promise to these new books, certainly more than one would ever think plausible.

In the letters column of each issue there’s proffered a behind-the-scenes dialogue between the creative team of each book and Simmons himself, offering an inside look into precisely how and to what extent the infamously serpent-tongued vocalist is a part of his comics’ creations. He’s the conceptualist behind each title, and every character design, script, and final product has to pass his approval. Thankfully, Gene seems to have some good ideas, and knows a good work of fiction when it’s handed to him, and the creative teams that were selected to work his titles are true-blue comics professionals, with more than a smattering of talent to spare for the imprint.

Here’s the breakdown of the books that have been released or are soon-to-be released thus far:

Gene Simmons’ Dominatrix 1-4

The lynchpin title of the line, Dominatrix, admittedly, on the surface, seems to be just the sort of trashy, ridiculous tripe one might expect from a celebrity-inspired comic. But it’s also, as indicated by a fellow reviewer over at Ain’t it Cool News.com, “mindless fun”. Spotlighting a surprisingly homebody girl named Dominique, who moonlights as a professional dominatrix (her studio’s in her basement), the series chronicles an accidental stumble into one of her client’s over-the-top world of black ops. In order to survive, she’s given a super-power enhancing drug that grants her strength, speed, and a spidy-sense-like early-warning ability.

Including ninjas, mercenaries, super-spies, and a super-secret something that everyone seems to be gunning for, Dominatrix manages to focus on the sex, the inconsistent taboos of society, character development, and yet never once subsists in its ridiculous rillet of B-genre situations. It’s a comic chock-full of action and long-loved elements, though its subject matter, of course, marks this as not for children. Writer Sean Taylor (author of The Veil and Last Chance School for Girls) pens a highly likable Dominique, though he sometimes overplays the asinine elements of the villains. Nevertheless, four issues have come and gone and…I’m…my god, but I think I’m hooked on a comic called “Dominatrix”.

The series began with artist Flavio Hoffe, who produced a brilliant first issue, with dense and fluid pages looking just this side of animated, highly similar to early Luke Ross or any of the current Devil’s Due books. By the second issue, however, his work already suffered in certain ways, the figures suddenly stiff, the layouts too formal, the overall product lacking in exceptional qualities that’d been present before. Whether or not this was a shared opinion, IDW mainstay Esteve Polls hopped onboard as new permanent artist starting with issue #3, and his work, much as his House of Horrors contribution and his outing in Cory Doctorow’s Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now #1: Anda’s Game is classic comics a la Prince Valiant—detailed, solidly structured, and highly winsome.

So a series that far surpassed my (I confess) rock bottom expectations, but did so in such a stellar way that I think I’m onboard for the foreseeable future.

Gene Simmons’ House of Horrors #1

The complimentary anthology title, this is a hodge-podge of comic goodness and badness, some that’ll stay with you days afterward, some that’ll do the same but for the wrong reasons. The art throughout is compulsory viewing, though the stories selected fall flat more often than they resonate.

The opening two tales are the best of the bunch. The first by wife-husband duo Leah Moore and John Reppion (Albion, Raise the Dead) with artist Jeffrey Zornow. It managed to grip me right from the start; it’s a simple story, but the horror involved is strikingly portrayed. There’s blood and guts and an eerily mismatched-eyed child. The story, ultimately, suffers from the very flaw that all but one of the tales within suffers from: a bizarrely meaningless, redundant ending.

The second tale, the one and only to wield a proper horror-short ending and yet not feel disappointing, is by Zipper writer (see below) Tom Waltz and Dominatrix artist Esteve Polls. This duo bats it right the &*^@ out of the ballpark, with a sort of John Carpenter’s The Thing style of story, only taking place in Kuwait and with a creature more suitable to the environment there. The action is fantastic, the slaughter freakish, and the story well structured to be complete in and of itself.

The third tale is notable for its fantastic start and unbelievably beautiful art. Zombies vs. Robots scrivener Chris Ryall tells the tale of a one-man expedition into Hell, a journey achieved by a single suited-up man climbing down one very long ladder! It’s inordinately compelling, and pulls the reader straight into it as surely as the protagonist himself is pulled down through the underworld, and the digital art by Steph Stamb propels the work to must-read status. Unfortunately, as the story continues, and the reader’s excitement reaches a fever pitch, the final page provides an insipid, uninteresting finish.

From there, the final two stories are equally as odd and uninspired, even though the creative teams involved are established imaginators. Dominatrix’s Sean Taylor tries for an eco-nature-gone-wild story that never does manage to find its feet, and usually stellar creatorsDwight L. MacPherson and art sensation Grant Bond try for a weird-horror yarn that feels horribly drawn out due to a lackluster, too-obvious payoff.

For all my criticism, however, I will say that the stories inside House of Horrors have stayed with me for days after, each and every one of them, even the ones I didn’t like, which marks this anthology as a book that will leave a mark. I’m hoping for an improvement in the second issue, due out this month, but would be satisfied even to pour through another book with equal results.

Gene Simmons’ Zipper #1-2

And this brings me to the latest and absolutely greatest of the lot, Zipper, which is one implausibly good comic. Written and drawn by Children of the Graves duo Tom Waltz and Casey Maloney, Zipper is, shockingly, a sci-fi extravaganza, or to be more exact, it’s a speculative fiction epic. Focusing on a paradisiacal planet far away, where utopia reigns due to a literal one-mind connection between the one and all, a single, sole rebel— who values personal preference over the wants of the many—arises, and quickly escapes to Earth via a time-space warp in order to procure his freedom. But the people he left feel “incomplete” without him, and so decide to retrieve him, whatever that may entail.

Dressed in a space-time warp jumpsuit that, to Earthers, looks awfully sadomasochistic, the hero of the piece begins a classic stranger-in-a-strange-land journey throughout the city of Detroit, all the while dodging those of his own kind that come for him. It’s a surprisingly heady look at conformity, faith, belief, and selfishness, all the while maintaining a thrilling pace, memorable characters, superlative dialogue, and a story that’s far more ambitious than most mainstream funny books dare to be.

Maloney’s art is as polished and easy on the eyes as it’s ever been, and getting full-color treatment by Dusty Yee it’s in fact better than ever. So an incredible debut. This is a comic that should be on everyone’s pull list, whatever else you may think of Gene Simmons or his new imprint.

The verdict and beyond:

Incredibly, this new line of comics reminds me highly of those long-ago failed but fanatically loved Jim Shooter companies Broadway and Defiant. The stories are just as imaginative, unexpected, exceptionally well-handled, beautifully rendered as Fatale or Warriors of Plasm. It’s no small feat to pull off books that are as entertaining and unforgettable as those past gems, and while I can’t help but remain pessimistic about any new imprint’s ability to thrive and stay alive in the current comic market, I do think that I won’t regret for a second devouring every one of these books for as long as they last, just as I’ve never regretted (and indeed, take exceptional pride in) having read every last Defiant, Broadway, Crossgen, or what-have-you book when they were about.

Simmons’ ideas are currently in good hands, and if they don’t find a proper audience, it won’t be for lack of their intrinsic quality. Upcoming is an outerspace adventure called Indy: Race of the Galaxies and a book written by Gene’s son, Nick Simmons called Skullduggery (who, by the way, wrote a rather impressive two-page prose story for the House of Horrors anthology).

Good stuff and more to come. If only all celebrity-named comics could be so captivating (Virgin, take note: you’ve been very much outdone!).

http://www.brokenfrontier.com/lowdown/details.php?id=1044

NGTV.COM NIGHTLY ON EXTRA (NBC)

   That's right!!! You read it right. Tune in to EXTRA on NBC nightly and you will get NGTV.COM. And, of course, you can go to YOUTUBE and find out the #5 ALL TIME BIGGEST PARTNER is....NGTV.COM. We are over 117 MILLION VIDEO CLIP VIEWS IN 7 MOS. Nothing compares to this.
And, of course you can always simply click NGTV.COM and go directly to the source.
   Coming soon: NGTV.COM - - THE SHOW!!!

NEWS AND MORE NEWS...
 It's been a busy time.
   I'm up to my neck writing my next book: LADIES OF THE NIGHT -- A HISTORICAL AND PERSONAL OVERVIEW OF THE OLDEST PROFESSION on our SIMMONS BOOKS/PHOENIX BOOKS imprint. It should be finished by Spring.
   Meantime, our SIMMONS ABRAMSON MARKETING venture will shortly be announcing some very exciting new clients and new projects both Rich and I are jazzed about.
   Of course, to get a head start on the next INDYCAR SERIES Races, log onto INDYCAR.COM. We plan on being at every race. Come up and say hello.
   
   NOV 8TH -- A personal thank you to LA's Mayor Villaregosa, and Councilman Weiss who did me a solid by closing down an entire block on Melrose, so that the DUSSAULT STORE Opening was a splash in grand style. There was a red carpet and lots of beautiful people. Jason Dussault has Dussault Custom Ink as a brand, and we both have a joint venture in my Gene Simmons MONEYBAG StreetWear imprint...featuring my trademarked MoneyBag logo. CRISS ANGEL was kind enough to be bring his MINDFREAK A&E TV crew as well doing some amazing "magic". We also had our GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS TV crew there as well. We stayed till 2 am.  Lots of fun.

Here's young, good lookin' Nick with a fan.

   NOV 9TH -- we got up at 5 am (three hours of sleep), hopped the 7:40 flight to Vegas and headed off to the HARD ROCK HOTEL, where I went right into a full day of rehearsals for the World Premier of the GENE SIMMONS ROYAL CROWN REVUE -- 13 piece big band. Horns. Rhythm section. 3 Girl Background Singers and showgirls. It all took place at Beecher's Madhouse at the JOINT. We filmed the entire event for our tv show and on a personal note, this experience is coming full circle for me. Before the Beatles, I was hooked on American Rhythm and Blues -- the early guys, James Brown, Joe Tex, Jackie WIlson (quickly, get copies of Jackie's WORK OUT...you'll flip...also check out Roy Head's TREAT HER RIGHT). This was a chance for me to let loose, get in front of a rockin' band, and pimp out. And pimp, I did.

   NOV 10th -- got up early, caught a flight to Toronto, where I am now with Rich Abramson for our SIMMONS ABRAMSON MKTG entity -- new, cool stuff.
   Then I fly to NY for meetings with Hedge and Private Equity guys re another new venture.
   Then this coming weekend, fly back to Vegas to do some more GS FAMILY JEWELS filming at Planet Hollywood.
   Then on Sunday, NOV 11th, fly to LA to present at the AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS the Best Female Pop/Rock Song.
   I love the girls.

   More later.

THREE FROM GENE SIMMONS & IDW Publishing
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34715#9

KISS has a pretty longstanding history with comics, so I guess it’s obvious why rocker Gene Simmons would try his hand at creating a line of his own funny books. I had a chance to take a look at three of his titles recently. Mr. Simmons is credited as creating these characters, not writing them, and as one would expect, there’s plenty of fantasy, fetish, and sex throughout all three titles.

DOMINATRIX #1-3
Writer: Sean Taylor
Art: Flavio Hoffe & Esteve Polls
I have to admit, these three issues were mindless fun. Dominique Stern is a dominatrix by trade, but when an especially creepy customer forces her to take a special “super soldier” pill, she becomes a super-heroine and enters a world of mercs, feds, and all-too-real thrills that pale in comparison to the fantasies that play out in her dungeon. Mr. Simmons is keeping the Bad Girl comic alive with this, a surprisingly sensitive comic. I was surprised that the book held out on the T&A until issue three, but the wait paid off in a fun sequence where the Dominatrix takes on a dozen mercs and distracts them with her ample assets. I went into this book with low expectations, so I wasn’t really disappointed with the mindlessness of it all. It’s a fun ride with some semi-fleshed out characters that like to show a lot of flesh and sometimes whip it into submission. Between the three issues two artists were used, which I found to be a bit annoying. This book would benefit from a little consistency in the art department, but is nevertheless entertaining..

ZIPPER #1-2
Writer: Tom Waltz
Art: Casey Maloney & Stacie Ponder
Of the three titles looked at here, this is by far the most creative and my favorite. Mr. Simmons tries his hand at cosmic adventure. And although he’s no Jack Kirby, ZIPPER was a fun ride. An energy alien swipes a power containment suit and escapes from a hive–mind like planet where concepts like free thought and individuality are met with readjustment or death. Donning a fetishistic leather outfit equipped with whipping swords and spiked maces on the end of chains, Zipper is born and lands on Earth, specifically Detroit, Michigan. This is your typical “good alien lands on earth followed by more alien trouble” story. Zipper’s character design is pretty cool, as are his powers. The concept of an individual breaking away from the hive is a pretty standard “rock ‘n roll” theme, so I can see where Mr. Simmons is coming from with this one. I also liked the art by Casey Maloney which reminded me a bit of Kevin West’s clean and crisp style.

GENE SIMMONS’ HOUSE OF HORRORS #1-2
Writers & Artists: Various
Whenever you see the word various in the credits you know you’re going to get a mixed bag when it comes to quality reading. And that’s exactly what you get here in this horror anthology miniseries presented by Gene Simmons himself. Simmons’ intros aren’t especially frightening and I don’t know if he has the chops to out-scare Uncle Creepy or the Crypt Keeper. Thankfully, the stories are of a higher caliber. Some are better than others. Some are barely worth a bleh. There were quite a few standouts in these first two issues though. ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS creator Chris Ryall provides the best of the pack as he follows an explorer who ventures through an open portal to the deepest circles of hell. This well crafted tale with art by Steph Stamb can be seen in issue one. Jason Henderson provides a truly haunting and imaginative tale about sea creatures who wear the crashed remains of ships and airplanes like a hermit crab does a shell in issue two. This is one of those concepts that show some real thinkin’ going on in the scares and design department (art was provided by the Sharp Brothers). Issue one also brings a story by Tom Waltz who provides a modern horror story set in Iraq in Crude which focuses on an oil monster. Pretty cool stuff. And Joshua Hale Fialkov (ELK’S RUN) serves up a moody tale about a family curse. I liked about 75 percent of the stories in each issue which is a pretty good score when it comes to anthologies. These books are worth picking up for those gems hiding between the “less-than-gems.”

All in all, I am somewhat impressed with what IDW and Gene Simmons are offering by way of comics. There’s definitely a dark or sexual or both dark and sexual tone to all of them. When the writers try to take the material too seriously, the content seems to fall flat. But those writers, like with ZIPPER and some of the HOUSE OF HORROR entries, who are having fun with the horror/sex genre definitely stand out as something somewhat refreshing. Although they can’t be taken too seriously, these books surely are fun.

New letters posted...

Gene,

Just wanted to call you attention to a book I came across today titled "Fargo Rock City".
There's a fairly recognizable cow on the cover.

Steve Thompson

Letters...