Total Carnage #3

Jun 1993. Cover price £1.50.
48 pages. Colour & B&W.
Dark Horse International

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by Art Suydam.
r: Batman Versus Predator (Dark Horse) #01 [Predator cover] (Dec 1991).

Contents:

 2 Ever Had One of those Days? in-house advertisement for Total Carnage.

 3 Total Carnage contents. / Indicia

 4 Batman Vs Predator, part three, What Has Gone Before recap; art p: Andy Kubert, i: Adam Kubert.

r: Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse).

 5 Batman Vs Predator, part three, w: Dave Gibbons; p: Andy Kubert, i: Adam Kubert, lettering by Adam Kubert, colouring by Sherilyn van Valkenburgh.

r: Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse) #01 (Dec 1991).

13 Action Stations text feature by Dave Hughes.

15 Army of Darkness, part two, What Has Gone Before recap; painting by John Bolton.

16 Army of Darkness w: John Bolton (uncredited), from the screenplay by Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi. a: John Bolton; lettering by John Costanza.

r: Army of Darkness (Dark Horse) #01 (Nov 1992).

24 The Vast Action Hero text feature by Dave Hughes.

26 Mask, part three, What Has Gone Before recap; illustration by Doug Mahnke.

29 The Mask What Revenge Means to Me. w: John Arcudi; a: Doug Mahnke, lettering by Pat Brosseau.

r: Mayhem (Dark Horse) #02 (Jun 1989).

35 Grendel, part three, What Has Gone Before recap; p: Patrick McEown, i: Matt Wagner.

37 Grendel War Child [chapter] w: Matt Wagner; p: Patrick McEown, i: Matt Wagner, lettering by Kurt Hathaway, colouring by Bernie Mireault.

r: Grendel: War Child (Dark Horse) #01 (Aug 1992).

47 Action! Adventure! Attitude! Amen! (half page) in-house advertisement. / Dark Horse Checklist (half page) titles on sale in June.

48 Dark Horse International Presents Manga Mania in-house advertisement.

If anyone questions how much affect changing the colour scheme of a page can have, then they need look no further than the third page of this issue in comparison with the previous issue. While the subdued tone of the second issue - the use of red enlivens proceedings, as if the title has had a shot in the arm. More care has been taken with the colour balancing on Batman Versus Predator, save for the final page. The brighter look is refreshing, and while the muddy final page is a slight setback, it is an iconic image to linger on.

After treading water for two issues, Action Station finally gets a chance to shine, unencumbered by promotional concerns, with a glimpse at a very odd moment in Hollywood history. Columbia's decision to arrange for an advert for The Last Action Hero to be shot into space, in a joint promotion with AT&T and NASA, is... Strange. It is the kind of film promotion Peter Dragon would have considered, and one can only ponder how much Bolivian marching powder was consumed while brainstorming that one.

The other item of note is that, amusingly, Steven Seagal's films aren't popular in Pakistan. Was he ever really in the same league as Stallone or Schwarzenegger? Tom Cruise is reported to have had three flops in a row in the Asian market, and Mickey Rourke is very big in Europe. THIS is the kind of weird, informative information which the feature should have been running from the start, and is a welcome change.

Army of Darkness hits its stride, with some of the film's most memorable lines, as Ash is hailed as a saviour. I challenge anyone reading not to smile at the line "this is my boom-stick," which has to be one of the best quips in a film full of great dialogue.

As this was very much a nineties title, there's a feature on Schwarzenegger. Not that he needed further promotion, but at least it is kept to two pages.

Setting out to resolve all his outstanding grudges, Stanley's brand of vigilante "justice" takes The Mask from being a parody of superhero tropes into horror territory. Much funnier than either the film or cartoon adaptation, the strip's sense of twisted logic is a delight to behold.

It may be due to the manner in which the strips have been fitted in to the title, or some cosmetic tweaks, but this issue feels as if it is finally delivering on the promise of its name. A sense of confidence in the material is clear, and even the self-promotion (for both Total Carnage and Manga Mania) seem to have more attention paid to their composition than Dark Horse has so far shown.

#02

Total Carnage

#04