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13 reviews for:
Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers (Graphic Novel)
Joshua Jabcuga, Joe R. Lansdale
3.37 AVERAGE
13 reviews for:
Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers (Graphic Novel)
Joshua Jabcuga, Joe R. Lansdale
3.37 AVERAGE
In hindsight, as much fun as the Bubba Ho-Tep movie was, I realize I enjoyed it more for Bruce Campbell's performance than the story itself. It was fun, but not enough to drive me to seek out Joe R. Lansdale's original story.
Having said that, Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers has a lot of things going for it, and was actually quite brilliant in some respects, but it's far too uneven a read for me to recommend it. For every paragraph of blood-sucker horror, we're forced to wade through pages of cosmic weirdness, and for every snappy bit of banter, we're made to sit through one tired Elvis-ism after another.
The concept is fantastic, and I would love to read more about the government's secret monster-hunting unit, just not with Elvis at the helm - or, at least, not with this fat, pill-popping, flatulent, overstayed-his-welcome, embarrassing Elvis.
Read the first 12 pages of drunken Mr. Positive and the screaming balls of human flesh crammed into the cars of the junkyard, and you'll be hungry for more . . . but by the time you get through the next 65 pages of introductions and celebrity banter, and you'll start to get a feel for what kind of balance to expect. Personally, the novelty of the Colonel, Nixon, and all the rest wore off pretty quickly for me, so much so that I was already starting to skim by the 30% mark, which never bodes well for a book
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Having said that, Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers has a lot of things going for it, and was actually quite brilliant in some respects, but it's far too uneven a read for me to recommend it. For every paragraph of blood-sucker horror, we're forced to wade through pages of cosmic weirdness, and for every snappy bit of banter, we're made to sit through one tired Elvis-ism after another.
The concept is fantastic, and I would love to read more about the government's secret monster-hunting unit, just not with Elvis at the helm - or, at least, not with this fat, pill-popping, flatulent, overstayed-his-welcome, embarrassing Elvis.
Read the first 12 pages of drunken Mr. Positive and the screaming balls of human flesh crammed into the cars of the junkyard, and you'll be hungry for more . . . but by the time you get through the next 65 pages of introductions and celebrity banter, and you'll start to get a feel for what kind of balance to expect. Personally, the novelty of the Colonel, Nixon, and all the rest wore off pretty quickly for me, so much so that I was already starting to skim by the 30% mark, which never bodes well for a book
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.
This feels very different to the film Bubba Ho-Tep. Not to say it's bad, but it made me realise how much Bruce Campbell is responsible for my love of the film. I don't want to see Elvis fighting interdimensional monsters, I want to see Bruce Campbell as Elvis fighting interdimensional monsters.
I like the concept that Elvis has kind of a superpower in his charisma, and the overall tone had a very League Of Extraordinary Gentleman feel to it. The artwork was interesting, but seemed to vary from issue to issue.
It was moderately enjoyable, but I didn't really feel a connection to the film, perhaps it's more in line with the original novel.
I like the concept that Elvis has kind of a superpower in his charisma, and the overall tone had a very League Of Extraordinary Gentleman feel to it. The artwork was interesting, but seemed to vary from issue to issue.
It was moderately enjoyable, but I didn't really feel a connection to the film, perhaps it's more in line with the original novel.
The idea was better than the book in my opinion, but it was still fun to read it and imagine the real Elvis with an house ghost and against a vampire nest....
Credo che questo sia uno di quei casi in cui l'idea di base era meglio della sua trasformazione in libro, ma é stato comunque divertente immaginarsi Elvis Preasley con il fantasma di una casa e alla caccia di un nido di vampiri....
Credo che questo sia uno di quei casi in cui l'idea di base era meglio della sua trasformazione in libro, ma é stato comunque divertente immaginarsi Elvis Preasley con il fantasma di una casa e alla caccia di un nido di vampiri....
What would have possibly been the BUBBA HO-TEP prequel, BUBBA NOSFERATU is now novelized - it's a good read, but while it's fun to depict Elvis and his entourage as monster fighters, it doesn't come close to BUBBA HO-TEP.
3.5/5
I mean, it's a book about Elvis fighting interdimensional, multi-limbed, silly-putty, shadow-mud, eight tit "vampires." It's all right there in the title and aside from a few anachronisms for a book supposedly taking place in approximately 1971, what you see is what you get.
I mean, it's a book about Elvis fighting interdimensional, multi-limbed, silly-putty, shadow-mud, eight tit "vampires." It's all right there in the title and aside from a few anachronisms for a book supposedly taking place in approximately 1971, what you see is what you get.
Intentionally over the top and extra cheesy. It is nowhere near great literature, but it was amusing. Then again, I have a rather strange sense of humor. This one is pretty weird.
In the early 1070's, Elvis and his team of monster hunters go up against bloodsuckers from another dimension.
While Hap and Leonard are the Joe Lansdale creations I enjoy the most, the really weird stuff like [b:Zeppelins West|882557|Zeppelins West|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387724881s/882557.jpg|867834] are what brought me to the dance. When this came up on Netgalley, I couldn't resist.
Ever wonder what landed Elvis in that nursing home in [b:Bubba Ho-Tep|358978|Bubba Ho-Tep|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391343323s/358978.jpg|349101]? This goes a long way in explaining things. I remember at least one other Lansdale story featuring Elvis from one of his short story collections. Anyway, Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers is one of Lansdale's stranger tales.
When Elvis wasn't performing in Vegas, he was fighting monsters and spending a lot of time in an isolation tank, drugged out and searching for some cosmic truth. The Colonel held Elvis' mother's soul captive, which explains why Elvis hooked up with the son of a bitch in the first place.
When strange things show up on an unfinished film of Elvis', the crew springs into action to fight some parasites from another dimension. It's way funnier than it sounds.
The trademark Lansdale wit is in full effect. My wife was clearly wondering what I was laughing at but learned long ago that it was better not to ask. The story was short and satisfying, like a hand job in a porno theater. Landale does a great job juggling humor and violence and Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers is no exception.
To say more would be to risk spoilage. If you're a fan of Bubba Hotep or any of Joe Lansdale's crazier tales, this one is not to be missed. Four out of five stars.
While Hap and Leonard are the Joe Lansdale creations I enjoy the most, the really weird stuff like [b:Zeppelins West|882557|Zeppelins West|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387724881s/882557.jpg|867834] are what brought me to the dance. When this came up on Netgalley, I couldn't resist.
Ever wonder what landed Elvis in that nursing home in [b:Bubba Ho-Tep|358978|Bubba Ho-Tep|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391343323s/358978.jpg|349101]? This goes a long way in explaining things. I remember at least one other Lansdale story featuring Elvis from one of his short story collections. Anyway, Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers is one of Lansdale's stranger tales.
When Elvis wasn't performing in Vegas, he was fighting monsters and spending a lot of time in an isolation tank, drugged out and searching for some cosmic truth. The Colonel held Elvis' mother's soul captive, which explains why Elvis hooked up with the son of a bitch in the first place.
When strange things show up on an unfinished film of Elvis', the crew springs into action to fight some parasites from another dimension. It's way funnier than it sounds.
The trademark Lansdale wit is in full effect. My wife was clearly wondering what I was laughing at but learned long ago that it was better not to ask. The story was short and satisfying, like a hand job in a porno theater. Landale does a great job juggling humor and violence and Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers is no exception.
To say more would be to risk spoilage. If you're a fan of Bubba Hotep or any of Joe Lansdale's crazier tales, this one is not to be missed. Four out of five stars.
lighthearted
fast-paced
I'm kind of love and hate with Lansdale. I wasn't a huge fan of the original short story and in the sequel which expands the page count I found the gimmick got old last. There's humor and gross out here but beyond that it was pretty boring.
So, here's an interesting thing: The "Bubba" in Bubba Ho-Tep was Elvis. I had always taken the title to be a reference to the mummy, since it was set in Texas, but since said mummy makes zero appearances in this novel, and another character calls Elvis "Bubba" at one point, I was proven wrong. It makes me wonder what else I've taken for granted all these years.
As it turns out, there was a good bit I had taken for granted. In Bubba Ho-Tep, you never get a sense that the narrator is unreliable, so you're pretty convinced the main character is, in fact, Elvis, but there's a lingering doubt that he's just some crazy dude with a strange fantasy. That carries over to JFK, too, more prominently since Elvis himself never quite believes that he's actually JFK. This novel confirms that both claims are true, which somehow lessens the impact of the original story. It takes that uncertainty and makes it fact, which removes the ambiguity that makes the novella work so well.
The other thing about the novel is that it was just too ridiculous. Yes, yes, Elvis and JFK, in an East Texas nursing home battling an Egyptian mummy, isn't exactly mainstream, but somehow it worked better than Elvis and the Colonel heading up what amounts to a Scooby Doo gang. Plus, the more the story continued, the less I could hang on to the whole Elvis connection. He sounded and felt like any other character, and when it came back to me that this was supposed to be Elvis, I almost started laughing.
I mean, Lansdale is Lansdale, and reading him is like reading no other author, but even that seemed to be lacking. I find that his supernatural stories don't have the same kind of brusque charm that his crime novels do, and that's much more evident when you compare this with, say, Rusty Puppy. They both have the snappy dialogue and the unique characters, but the plot for Blood-suckers isn't as strong as Rusty Puppy, and the story overall suffers for it.
Look, I'll read anything Joe Lansdale releases, without hesitation. It's been a while since I've come across a book of his that I didn't like on some level, but Blood-suckers feels like it's coming from the bottom of the barrel. It's about on par with Lost Echoes, my least favorite Lansdale book, and I don't think it's a coincidence it's also a supernatural novel. On the bright side, I'll be getting around to Jackrabbit Smile soon, so hopefully my experience will improve.
As it turns out, there was a good bit I had taken for granted. In Bubba Ho-Tep, you never get a sense that the narrator is unreliable, so you're pretty convinced the main character is, in fact, Elvis, but there's a lingering doubt that he's just some crazy dude with a strange fantasy. That carries over to JFK, too, more prominently since Elvis himself never quite believes that he's actually JFK. This novel confirms that both claims are true, which somehow lessens the impact of the original story. It takes that uncertainty and makes it fact, which removes the ambiguity that makes the novella work so well.
The other thing about the novel is that it was just too ridiculous. Yes, yes, Elvis and JFK, in an East Texas nursing home battling an Egyptian mummy, isn't exactly mainstream, but somehow it worked better than Elvis and the Colonel heading up what amounts to a Scooby Doo gang. Plus, the more the story continued, the less I could hang on to the whole Elvis connection. He sounded and felt like any other character, and when it came back to me that this was supposed to be Elvis, I almost started laughing.
I mean, Lansdale is Lansdale, and reading him is like reading no other author, but even that seemed to be lacking. I find that his supernatural stories don't have the same kind of brusque charm that his crime novels do, and that's much more evident when you compare this with, say, Rusty Puppy. They both have the snappy dialogue and the unique characters, but the plot for Blood-suckers isn't as strong as Rusty Puppy, and the story overall suffers for it.
Look, I'll read anything Joe Lansdale releases, without hesitation. It's been a while since I've come across a book of his that I didn't like on some level, but Blood-suckers feels like it's coming from the bottom of the barrel. It's about on par with Lost Echoes, my least favorite Lansdale book, and I don't think it's a coincidence it's also a supernatural novel. On the bright side, I'll be getting around to Jackrabbit Smile soon, so hopefully my experience will improve.