![]() If I were to ask you if you love B-horror that features tons of gore, monsters, tongue in cheek one-liners, and miniature 80s action heroes, what would your response be? I hope it’s yes, because otherwise I’m not sure this is the site for you, but if it is, then you don’t have any excuse to not be reading Full Moon Comics’ Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe, which just keeps getting better with the release of issue #3… …Once again, a majority of the team returns, with the first story, Surgical Maneuvers, featuring the usual pairing of writer Shawn Gabborin and artist Daniel Pascual, in which our pint-sized hero, Dollman, joins Dr. Mordrid to take down a trio of super-powered villains. The second story, Objects May Appear Bigger than They Are, is again written by Brockton McKinney, with another changing of the guard in the art department with artist Abel Cicero, and has Dollman doing his best to take down one big ass Creepozoid. If you have no idea what I’m referring to in the above, well, I’ve come to realize that Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe is the perfect way to either introduce or re-introduce yourself to the enormous Full Moon Horror library. These guys have been around for a long time, and in that time, they’ve unleashed a ton of slobbering, demented, ghoulish villains for horror fans to feast their eyes on. I hate to admit it, but I’ve actually never seen either title which these two stories are based off of, Doctor Mordrid (1992) or Creepozoids (1987). How I’ve managed to go my whole life obsessed with horror and never see these is beyond me, but that’s just one aspect of Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe #3 and the rest of the series which makes it such a blast, is that horror fans will find themselves wanting to go back and revisit these Full Moon titles, because the comics paint them in such a horrifically awesome light. One problem, as I realized in this third issue, is that if you’re not that knowledgeable on your Full Moon history, a lot of Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe probably isn’t going to make sense to you, but that’s okay. As was the case in the first two issues, writers Gabborin and McKinney don’t need you to know exactly what’s going on, they just want you to have fun, and both achieve that in bloody spades. Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe #3 is a short blast of awesome for your retinas, and is absolutely a treat for horror cheese lovers. Last time around, Gabborin and McKinney had begun to develop Dollman’s character beyond a simple miniature ex-cop from another planet taking down monsters and tossing out one liners like candy from a Pez dispenser. He still does, a lot, but Gabborin also gives Dollman more direction this time. Before, it seemed like each issue was just going to be Dollman going from place to place and blowing up baddies for no purpose other than just because. Which is totally cool, but for those that want a little more story to their B-horror endeavors, it seems Dollman is on a quest now, which he enlists Dr. Mordrid in, as one of the few allies he has come across so far. And for super-hero lovers, Dollman has also taken on a bit more of that persona as well. I always viewed him as a badass ass-kicker anyway, but by pairing Dollman with Dr. Mordrid and teaming up against super-powered foes, Dollman has crossed the line from monster hunter to world beater. And holy hell, these villains! Are they going to blow you away with their three-dimensional personalities and clever wit? Nah. BUT, horror fans will get a thrill out of a guy who uses gallons of blood for blood magic, and a little girl that can manipulate tissue and bone however she pleases. The body horror in Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe #3 is unreal, and both Pascual and Cicero capture it in gloriously gory fashion. This is the kind of bloodshed that made the first issue such a riot, and a trend that I’m sure will continue as the series goes on. While Gabborin’s piece has begun to flesh out Dollman’s adventure to a new level, McKinney returns us to form with what is much less a story and more a vignette in which Dollman simply encounters one ugly Creepozoid and dispatches it in the bloodiest way possible. Other than Dollman’s comedic dialogue and insane imagery, what I most enjoy about McKinney’s piece in this third issue is how, with only two pages, he has convinced me to track down a copy of Creepozoids as soon as possible, because what occurs in those brief pages is enough for me to have to see these creatures for myself immediately. I haven’t mentioned these much in the last couple of reviews for the series, but Full Moon fans will also get a kick out of the faux ads placed throughout Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe #3, specifically one written by McKinney which teases a fake videogame called Puppet Master: Pixels of Death, in which you play as each of your favorite puppets on a murderous killing spree. I don’t care that it’s not real, I need it, now, and if the Full Moon 2600 console was a thing, you can bet your ass I would own one. So thank you, McKinney, for making me dream of things that will never be. Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe #3 isn’t for everyone, and has some minor issues such as dialogue bubble placement which can make it difficult to know who’s talking at times, but for those seeking a gore-splattered comic which asks its readers to turn their brains off and just enjoy the show, I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll get a kick out of the continued adventures of Dollman. Speaking of, if I haven’t encouraged you already, it’s my guess that we’ll be seeing Dollman take on one of Full Moon’s most popular characters in issue #4, Killjoy! Something tells me it’ll be a real laugh. Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe #3 is available now. By Matt Konopka
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