The Molting Continues

What is The Molting you might ask? Loyal and long term readers of Killer Film might remember my “Shedding with Zdunich’s The Molting” article (here) a few months back, as I took a look at the first two issues of Repo! A Genetic Opera writer/co-creator’s foray into the horror comic world, The Molting. Those first two issues I proclaimed the miniseries as “violent, unique, and wholly independent, [Terrance] Zdunich has craft a great new horror comic series, recommended for more than just his Repo! fans, but for horror comic fans looking for something a bit more original, and quirky, to go along with the macabre.” With Issue 3 out now, has Terrance’s series continued to impress?

The illustrated limited series does continue a lot of the positives I had mentioned in my previous article. First of all, Zdunich’s art continues to look amazing. Not only did he create this story in the visual terms he saw fit, but his angles and the seemingly simplicity of it all, really is starting to add to the overall feel of the story’s arc. Brian Johnson, the series’ colorist, is using the big, broad splashes of purples and oranges to help Zdunich’s mood for this story to great effect. Not only that, but the cover art is so far the most kick-ass yet. Visually busy, our eyes travels up and down the cockroaches and the hatching eggs.

Ah, yes. Zdunich’s use of ‘roaches is fully employed here, as the first two issues had him playfully placing them in a “Where’s Waldo” type of hunt, but for this chapter, one could argue it is their issue. Issue 3, called “Chapter 3: Ootheca” suggests the nature of the cockroaches, as the ootheca is a hardened case for which they place their eggs into. Issue 3 might seem uneventful, especially when compared to the first two, but Zdunich is smart. Not only is he dabbling into horror comics in an nontraditional way, he’s focusing on mood within the story, sometimes over action. This is where The Molting excels. Long after reading “Ootheca” the mood vibrates within us, and that’s a good thing, especially when this issue really doesn’t push the story forward-or at least seemingly.

If you haven’t got into The Molting yet, may I ask – why not? It’s much more than Zdunich capitalizing off of the rapid fan base of Repo!, as he has created a great, independent, horror series for mature audiences. Like movies, it is sometimes hard to find wholly original work, but Zdunich has done just that, as comic fans with the taste of something a bit more unique and interesting, should and continue to find The Molting worthy of their time and dollar.

You can find more about The Molting here and from that link, order the issues. Look for “Chapter 4: Lethal Raids” soon! Have you been reading The Molting? If so, comment below!