Thursday, May 11, 2017

Razor Bastard, Extreme Graphic Horror

Remember the box art we used to admire at the video stores?  I know you do.  As a teen, we wandered into the horror section and chose our videos based on the allure of the cover art. "The Slumber Party Massacre" and "The Mutilator" were two of my favorites.  Extremely violent scenes, with a healthy smattering of violence, gore, and forbidden suggestion fed the interest of reserved teens. When Paul Johnson created his comic crime-fighter Razor Bastard, that video store art was an inspiration. Somewhat modeled on the cover of a slasher film, Razor Bastard is meaner and scarier than any Jason or Freddie.
  The first Paul Johnson comic I read was "Razor Bastard: Year of the Boar." Extreme horror, plus some Anime, plus a smattering of Film Noir anti-hero, and a large dose of violent eroticism best describes this graphic novel. The spurting violence of Japanese horror films follows our deranged, and homicidal hero to the land of the rising sun.  Both running away and also on the tail of a monstrous nemesis, Razor Bastard will go through Asian skanks like crap through a goose on his way to inflicting gory judgment on another monster.
Next up "Razor Bastard: Rise of the Dick Machine."  What is a dick machine?  It's big and will cause more than a wince to female readers of Mr. Johnson's extreme work of horror.  Born of a violent gang rape, this fiend has revenge in mind. Enter Razor Bastard, where the monster he seeks will draw him into the path of the dick machine.  With mad-scientists, murderous cops, and the evil monster, the carnage that explodes at you through this story won't only be delivered by our anti-hero.
These two Paul Johnson created comic books are vivid and explosive in delivering violent stories and gratuitous gore.  Reserved and subtle are two terms absent in any description of these works. Then again, so was much of the cover art of slasher film videos we admired back in the 1980s and 1990s. For those who like their horror loud, red, and unapologetic, check out Paul Johnson's "Razor Bastard" works.

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