Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers (Graphic Novel)

Its kind of a prequel that covers Ellie's life before he goes to a nursing home. This is a rare time I will recommend to see the movie first. This won't make much sense otherwise. Art and dialog is well done. Subtracted a star because of the movie prerequisite.

This is an example of a graphic novel adaptation that significantly improves upon its source material.Joe R. Lansdale's 2017 novel was a disappointment. It retained the campiness of the original Bubba Ho-Tep novella but lacked the emotional resonance that made it memorable. The jokes and action sequences fell flat, the character relationships were underdeveloped, and the supernatural villains were too easy to defeat.But the novel did have one thing going for it -- amazing visuals.Tadd Galusha brings those to life with a perfect color palette of bright neon colors, combined with psychedelic art and an over-the-top embrace of 1970's Elvis caricature. For example, Elvis is naked in all his burly glory during the entire third issue--fornicating with lady ghosts and swinging his sword (swords?) against an advancing horde of skeletons. Strategically placed monster tentacles and blood spurts are used to obscure the X-rated bits.Later comes a smorgasbord of blood-spattered fringed jumpsuits and grotesque monsters reflected in oversized rhinestone-rimmed sunglasses. Even the smoke from Elvis' pistol swirls in the shapes of beautiful women.The story is still as thin as it always was, but the art is so much fun you just don't care.Unfortunately, the miniseries fails to maintain its high standard near the end. The depiction of the hive creatures seemed uninspired, especially compared to all the great Lovecraft art that is available on the internet. In the fifth and final issue, Tadd Galusha was replaced by another artist, Horatio Domingues, whose style lacked the same flamboyance. It was jarring, since the look and style were so clearly different from the rest of the book.

I'm in the middle of a year-long Joe R. Lansdale reading binge, having almost completed the Hap & Leonard series and loving each and every one (I particularly recommend that readers try getting hold of the audiobook versions, as the readers are excellent at catching the tone and pacing of Lansdale's work). I've enjoyed his other writings over the years as well, and intend to continue doing so. I really liked the film of "Bubba Ho-Tep," but have never read the original story, nor the blood-sucker story, either. Bought this comic book new in the hopes that Mr. Lansdale get a few bucks.The comic itself's OK, but is sorely lacking in the Lansdale spirit. 1st misstep was to portray Richard M. Nixon as anything other than what he truly and clearly was: one of the 20th century's great monsters. The artwork's OK, but really unimaginative, especially regarding the otherworldly creatures and the illustrations of Elvis's psychedelic "trip."That said, it's an OK read, but not a keeper and not worth sharing w/ my other comic- and/or Lansdale-loving homies. Selling it to a bookstore this weekend with no regrets.

Really fun read with great art

It's not my cup of tea so I'm not going to discourage anyone from reading this. Just note if you LOVE Elvis know ahead of time it's a little weird.

Great read

All hail Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers! If that title sounds pulpy, or like a throwback to the psychedelic horror of a bygone era, it's no coincidence! Joe R. Lansdale's fun and irreverent premise blends Elvis, the seventies, and a whole bevy of supernatural forces that would annihilate us all if not for the good work being done by The King and a small band of defenders. The character was introduced in a novella by Lansdale that saw an elderly Elvis (years after faking his death) facing off against evil in the most unlikely of places. That story was adapted into a feature film in 2002 that was directed by Don Coscarelli and starred Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. IDW's comic dials the clock back some years to the days when Mr. Presley was still taking care of business in a flash. He's a little over the hill (maybe), but he's still got a lot of diesel in the tank.The thing that I appreciate about each issue of the comic book (adapted for the medium by Joshua Jabcuga with pencils by Tadd Galusha and Horacio Domingues) is that each one feels unique and defined, contributing to the whole while retaining a singular identity. Perhaps I've been trained by the current trend of decompression in which single issues don't really matter as much as they used to; refreshingly, Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers burns up the pages with purpose.This is such a fully-formed world, just askew from the one we live in, and with a history we recognize...mostly. Surely Elvis didn't fight the forces of evil at the behest of his manager, who himself took orders from the U.S. government...right? I'm completely invested in this premise and in these characters, and if I have a criticism, it's that this story only spans five issues instead of an ongoing title or continuing series of minis a la Mike Mignola's Hellboy universe. Part of the fun has been meeting this group of supernatural warriors, and I feel like this party just started. Heck, we need at least two more stories so we can call it "An American Trilogy."Bubba Ho-Tep hits me in a sweet spot and I can't help falling in love. It's a story that can be awfully dark and is deeply rooted in its horror premise, but there's a glee that makes it unique. Amid this darkness populated with cosmic creatures that deal out cruel and gruesome death, a psychedelic light shines into that darkness, a twangy Telecaster note that pierces the cacophony of suffering and offers safety, and something even more valuable: FUN. Bubba Ho-Tep combines Lovecraftian horror with sixties and seventies pop sensibilities in the best of ways to create something that stands apart from the status quo. Long live the King!

If you loved the Cult Classic flick. Trust me you will love this prequel story. The writing and art take you to an epic Rock N Roll that will make you crave for more adventures of Bubba Ho-tep. This epic story is better than a Peanut butter and banana sandwich. 🤘

Joe R. Lansdale is my favourite writer of all time and this adaptation is gloriously funny with awesome art.

The art is really good and the story fun but I find it very unlikely the Colonel would put himself or his money making machine in danger. Doesn't sound like the guy I've read about.

Eine spannende Geschichte meines Lieblingsautors, endlich weiß jeder, was aus Elvis geworden ist - und er hat auch Geister bekämpft😉