Brian Yuzna Presents ‘Tales Of Blood Island’ Horror Comics Tiki Mugs
by Brendan M. Allen
Brian Yuzna, the producer behind the 1985 film adaptation of the zombie horror classic, H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator, has unveiled a Kickstarter for a serialized comic book and Tiki-style monster mug line called Tales of Blood Island. The campaign is found here.
Based on a script by writers David Sehring and Mark Cerulli, Yuzna and Drive-In-Sanity Films plan to adapt the comic books for a filmed reboot of the franchise with Tiki-mug tie ins and ancillary merchandise to complement and elevate the promotional and marketing efforts for the production.
Inspired by the successful “Blood Island” zombie and creature feature franchise made in the Philippines by Hemisphere Pictures for the U.S. drive-in market from 1959 through 1970, the comic book incorporates key characters from the original films and more jungle thrills, strange science fiction & fantasy, and over-the-top monsters and gore that were the key ingredients of the Blood Island pictures as well as “Mondo Movies” and exploitation films from that period.
Inspired by the successful “Blood Island” zombie and creature feature franchise made in the Philippines by Hemisphere Pictures for the U.S. drive-in market from 1959 through 1970, the comic book incorporates key characters from the original films and more jungle thrills, strange science fiction & fantasy, and over-the-top monsters and gore that were the key ingredients of the Blood Island pictures as well as “Mondo Movies” and exploitation films from that period.
Brian Yuzna Presents Tales Of Blood Island, the comic book, is a movie series in the making, with storyboard styling that screams “action” from artist Stephen Sistilli and coloring & lettering from Dexter Weeks.
Both Sistilli and Weeks worked on another Tiki-themed comic, Koni Waves for Arcana Comics from 2005 through 2010. The first issue of Brian Yuzna Presents Tales Of Blood Island will be 36 full color pages, with three future issues planned for the initial run of the series.
Told in the style of classic cliffhanger serials and tropical tales from Men’s Adventure magazines and pulps, the new comic book features tiki terrors and non-stop monster mayhem, mixing and mashing up myths and folklore from around the world.
To coincide with the release of the comic books, there will also be more “blood in your eye” with a series of “mix-and-match” Tiki-style mugs based on the characters & creatures featured in the original movies and new comics.
The undying, green-blooded zombie, the Beast of Blood, is the first Tiki Monster mug in the line as sculpted by Tiki-fantasy artist Tom “Thor” Thordarson, who has held numerous executive titles with Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Studios, Tiki Farm and other theme park and design companies.