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Halloween has hit the citizens of Townsville. And for Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, this will be no ordinary Halloween. Writer Amanda Deibert, Artist Cat Staggs, and Letterer Jeff Eckleberry have created a fun Halloween issue.
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Now, if you’re a horror movie fan, the issue’s title is based on The Shining. And there are very obvious references to other horror films, including The Shining throughout this issue. But I also love all of the girl’s costumes. Blossom went as Marie Curie, Bubbles is a Mermaid, and Buttercup went as a Vampire.
Now seeing the girls going to the Mayor’s house to Trick-or-Treat at first is so fun. But also getting to see this issue’s enemy, who Bubbles calls The Boogey Man is just so perfect. But what would not expect is that these first few pages are actually a comic book within a comic book.
Buttercup is working on a horror comic for the Townsville Gazette Horror Writing Contest. And she is having trouble trying to figure out what exactly to write about. This leads to her and Blossom having a conversation about the fact that going somewhere creepy to get inspiration is a bad idea. And I love the writer’s note that says “Note: Neither Of These Statements Are Accurate.”
We then see Buttercup throwing Bubbles through the bathroom door, which is like the “Here’s Johnny” moment from The Shining as well. Followed by Blossom and Bubbles pretending to be the twins from The Shining, which is such a good reference to see in this comic.
Then Bubbles goes and looks at the costume pieces, and a voice is heard from the photo in the room. And it turns out that the villain known as Him also wants to fight the girls. Now, while Blossom and Bubbles are fighting Him, Buttercup is trying to work on her story.
And this is where things get interesting. We cut to the semi-final act, and it’s a completely different art style. And this whole section is made to be straight out of the Saw franchise of films. And including Mojo Jojo, and him also being like Jigsaw, was so good. And his whole monologue of him saying: “Mojo Jojo has a secret plan, which is most diabolical. Mojo Jojo will not be telling you the plan, for if Mojo Jojo did, it would no longer be a secret, though it would still be diabolical. But I, Mojo Jojo, will tell you that only one of you will make it out of the cage.” This monologue is so fun to read.
From here, we cut back to Buttercup, and she is now fighting villains to find Blossom and Bubbles. But after Buttercup saves the girls, it’s discovered that everything happening was in Buttercup’s head. And then we see them checking out of the hotel, and the final panel shows hotel guests, and what looks like Buttercup in the photo as well.
Final Score: 10
This is one of my favorite Halloween issues of this year. The blending of both different art styles and easter eggs from all different horror movies was the perfect way to go.
