Friday the 13th: Bad Land #1
Friday the 13th: Bad Land #1
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Mike Huddleston
Released: January 2008
Publisher: Wildstorm Publishing
Story: Bad Land Part 1
Premise: Wildstorm Publishing continues their “House of Horror” titles based on New Line Cinema characters. Friday the 13th: Bad Land is a two issue mini-series featuring a short story about Jason Voorhees and the violent past of Crystal Lake.
Plot Breakdown (spoilers): In the early 1800s, a raging blizzard blankets the land, forcing three fur trappers to take shelter in a lone tipi in the middle of the woods. In the present, a raging blizzard blankets the land, forcing three hikers to take shelter in a lone cabin where the tipi once stood, now part of Camp Crystal Lake. Within the tipi, the three trappers find an Indian woman nursing her baby. Afraid, she keeps to one side of the tipi, while the men take refuge on the other side, eating the fish roasting on the tipi’s spit. In the cabin, the three hikers, Diane, Jeremy, and Philip, make a fire and find cans of tuna in the cupboards. Philip has a crush on Diane, but she sidesteps his advances. Later, Diane and Jeremy retire to the bedroom, leaving Philip asleep in the living room. While the two covert lovers consummate, Diane notices a hockey masked figure watching them through the window. In a panic, she screams, waking Philip. In the tipi, two of the trappers, now “hungry for something else,” attack the Indian woman and rape her. Afterwards, while she tends to her baby, one of the trappers notices her reaching under a blanket. Thinking she has a weapon, he shoots and kills her and the baby. While the men argue over the killing, the woman’s mate enters the tipi and finds the bodies of the woman and child. Enraged, he attacks the trappers, only to be shot in the face. The man, now wounded, escapes into the woods, while the trappers debate following him. In the cabin, the three hikers debate what Diane saw. Philip, hurt over her interest in Jeremy, leaves the two to “finish what they started.” Unbeknownst to the hikers however, Jason Voorhees is waiting in the woods, paralleling the wounded Indian man waiting to strike back at the trappers.
The Good: This issue is a fun change of pace from the usual Friday the 13th stories, as the parallels between the characters and their situations bring a sense of inevitability to their fates. The artwork is mostly solid, with the setting changed from the usual summer to winter. All the characters are well written and the dialogue is satisfactory. Fans will be happy to note that the usual Friday the 13th staples appear here: Jason, nudity, sex, and violence.
The Bad: Typical of Wildstorm’s Friday the 13th short stories, this story seems to be filler only – something to be read once and discarded. Other than the time shifts, this story treads a tired formula, which then ends with a mediocre cliffhanger. Nothing here really “grabs” the reader, leaving little to no anticipation for next issue.
Final Comments: Acceptable issue, with solid artwork, dialogue, and familiar Friday the 13th elements. Unfortunately, nothing here offers anything of substance.
Grade: C
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