• Scenario: Brian Pulido
• Illustrations: Mike Wolfer
• Publisher: Avatar Press & New Line Cinema’s House of Horror
• Publishing year: 10/2005
• Issues: 3
• Pages issue 1: 34 (wraparound cover)
• Pages issue 2: 36 (wraparound cover)
• Pages issue 3: 36 (gore cover)

Review:

This is a three issue storyline called ‘Bloodbath’ and is a sequel to the Friday the 13th movies, in a way. But without the restraint of special effects and no returning characters from the movies, apart from Jason Voorhees of course. These are for mature readers only so no children allowed. Heavy nudity and a lot of blood and gore are part of these comics!

In issue one we get to know a group of teenagers who come together at Camp Tomorrow. Their leader Kevin gives them the task to clean the camp up in a week so they can have children over for summer camp. But their first night they are free to party and get to know each other better… a lot better!

One of the campers tells the story of Jason Voorhees and his mother Pamela who went on killing rampages in the camp nearby, Camp Crystal Lake. People still seem to disappear from the area. Soon couples are formed and some of them start spreading through the woods. The ones left talk about their lives and suddenly a common theme starts popping up: all of them are foster kids or orphans.

And then the first blood is drawn and it spills in the ground of the woods!

Kevin and his right hand seem to be aware of something in the woods and seem to be hoping for Jason to appear, only not this soon!

In issue 2 we see Kevin aka McClintock contacting his employer, the Trent Company, who wants Jason to be captured so they can study him for medical and military purposes.

The campers are killed off one by one, often two at the same time. Violet, one of them, and her newly found boyfriend Rich start running away to avoid their fate.

It’s soon clear they were all lured to the camp so Jason would appear and caught by the organization!

But Jason is not easily captured and it’s not always the unexpected that’s a victim to Jason’s machete!

In the final issue Jason is frozen and ready for transport. Rich and Violet are witnessing it all when they get caught and brought to McClintock, who wants to offer them up, while cleaning up all the mess Jason left behind. Bodyparts are being incinerated, the camp is cleared out. But Violet is not going to just give up and she gets free, getting her hands on a weapon. Rich is wounded when fleeing. Out of vengeance Violet fires at the helicopter transporting Jason, turning it in a ball of fire, unfreezing Jason.

And that’s Voorhees’ cue to continue his killing spree on those that captured him. But he’s not done with those that got away. The curse of Crystal Lake is not easily forgotten!

Well, rereading these was definitely something else. Twenty years ago I bought these and loved the gore and the horror of another Friday the 13th story. In a way I still do, but as with the movies, I had higher hopes than I remembered, meaning I thought they were better in my memory.

The expansion of the world of Jason and Crystal Lake is not bad though, it’s always fun to see the unrelentlessness of Jason and how cruel his kills are. He’s a beast, an animal only out for the kill and nothing else.

The issue ends with a few survivors… if you want to know what happened to them, read the one-shot ‘Friday the 13th Fearbook’