RATR - Monsters

It's been a while since I've contributed to a Read Around the Rainbow group post. Often it's simply because the last Friday of the month rushes at me because of deadlines in the day job and I miss the posting date, no matter all my good intentions. But this month I stuck my oar in with the topic so I have to make the time to post 😃.

It's scary season. Whether you celebrate Halloween, Samhain, or Day of the Dead. Maybe you simply shy away from the darker nights and longer shadows of the shorter days here in the northern hemisphere. Whatever the case, there's no doubting that this time of year is conducive to horror and monsters in all forms of popular culture. 

I'm not a massive horror fan. I avoid scary movies like the plague. Honestly, I got creeped out by Blink, the weeping angels episode of Dr Who. And if it involves clowns, ventriloquist dummies, or dolls, then count me out. However I do have soft spot for the old Universal monster movies of the 30s and 40s. Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster, Lon Chaney Jr's Wolf Man. 

To a modern audience these films aren't scary, of course not. The pacing is often slow, the monster is obviously an actor in stage make-up, and the acting can be unpalatable for today's movie goers. It can certainly be camp and over the top, although that is part of the charm of these movies. They are safe, as who doesn't have some knowledge of these characters from traditional and modern literature, but they also have a degree of pathos and emotion that is often lacking from modern horror movies. 

My fondness for these characters bleed over into other forms of pop culture that I indulge in but especially in comics.

One of my favourites is DC's Frank, aka Frankenstein's Monster, a sword weilding undead, who works for SHADE as part of the Creature Commandos. Often mistaken for a dumb monster, he is intelligent and often quotes poetry. 

One of my favourite teams for Frank was the mini series, Gotham City Monsters. Among others, this team included Andrew Bennett, a vampire, and Michael Drown, Phantom of the Gotham City opera. And a whole slew of other monster to fight against. 

Marvel's monster-based characters never quite grabbed me in the same way but I have to admit having a soft spot for Capwolf. If you think that sounds like Captain America as a werewolf then you'd be correct. I love certain incarnations of him so much, I even have him as a Funko Pop. 

And if you want your monster to be a bad guy, then how about Dracula vs Jesus in the second season of Loaded Bible. I'd highly recommend it. 

But enough of my ramblings, let's check out the thoughts of the other members of the RATR squad. 

Nell Iris - Read Around the Rainbow: Monsters

Ofelia Grand - Read Around the Rainbow | Monsters

Ellie Thomas - Read Around the Rainbow: Monsters

Addison Albright - READ AROUND THE RAINBOW ~ Monster Edition #RAtR

Fiona Glass - Read Around the Rainbow: Favourite Monsters 

KL Noone - Read Around the Rainbow: Favourite Monsters 

Didn't believe me about the whole Jesus fights Dracula thing. Thought it was a fever dream? Too much cheese before bed?

I'll leave you with one last image.