Jucifer... Live.

Warning: This Show is NOT Suitable for Epileptics

The first time I saw Jucifer play, I was astounded. Going on the advice of a couple of friends who said I "had to" see them live, I conducted none of my own research, and therefore had no idea what to expect. I was completely unprepared. In retrospect, I should have taken along earplugs, sunglasses, and a sturdy chair to steady myself against.

Backed by a retina-dazzling light show, and a literal "wall of sound," Jucifer is comprised of lead vocalist/guitar virtuosa Amber Valentine, and psychopathic beat monger Edgar Livengood. At first glance, the pair appear to be almost certainly insane. Upon second glance, all suspicions are confirmed.

Their songs were brilliantly woven into one massive orchestral noise arrangement, thus sparing their audience the trouble of deciding how best to react to something so frightfully moving. Somehow, applause does not seem appropriate. Valentine and Livengood storm through their set, each of them completely lost in the gruelling performance. Guitar Girl Goddess Valentine twists, leaps, and writhes (in a dress and heels), while Livengood engages in a heated verbal exchange with an unseen antagonist as he beats his drum kit with his bare fists. Clearly, this is some wild, heavy shit.

Jucifer's performance is an art which eludes capture, as their studio recordings bear little resemblance to the live experience. As the Jucifer.com bio proclaims: "See them while you can still get close enough to be spit on." Just be sure to bring your earplugs. And sunglasses. And a sturdy chair to steady yourself against.

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Jucifer Live in North Carolina (January, 2009)

The Cry of Satan (1952)

Beware The Cry of Satan! A horrid, heart-stopping sound, heard by those whose lives are soon to end! When well-meaning Edgar forges a plot to bring his sister Delfina's foul witchery to an end, he brings upon himself a terrible curse that bestows tragedy upon his family. For even with his evil sister out of the way, poor Edgar still finds himself unable to escape that deadly harbinger... The Cry of Satan!

Let the gruesome tale below, filled with witchcraft and shape-shifting beasts, serve as a reminder not to mess with a cat lady -- or her hair!!! Inked by Moe Marcus, this hair-rowing tale, from Tomb of Terror #3 (a bona fide classic, dating back to August, 1952), was contributed by Karswell, the Master of Pre-Code Horror Comics, and kind benefactor of Killer Kittens From Beyond The Grave.

Nighty Night

Nighty Night

I came across this absoloutely darling piece in my travels last night. The artist, Grace Weston, specializes in "photography, staged vignettes, and photo illustration." Her online portfolio features delightfully intriguing works, ranging from whimsical childhood tableaus to vengeful forest creatures, with a monster or two thrown in for good measure.

Don't close your eyes, Little Boy... if you do, they're going to get you!

Reiko the Zombie Shop (2005)

"The Zombie Shop opens the eyes of the dead,
lets them speak their final truths, and,
most importantly, gets paid!"

Reiko Himezono is not your average teenage girl. Behind her beautiful, heavily-lashed eyes exists a talent so powerful that she is able to charge people large sums of money just to behold it. You see, Reiko has a direct line to Satan himself, who assists her in her mission to "zombify" the dead in order to settle unfinished business in the land of the living. Reiko Himezono... the Zombie Shop!

In most of the cases Reiko is involved with, the zombies-to-be have recently died under suspicious circumstances. Mysterious suicides, decaying rock stars, abused children -- she's seen it all, and when the bloodthirsty zombies she awakens come to un-life, she handles the corpse-raising situations that ensue with an irresistible sense of pure, unaffected cool. Each of Reiko's diabolical adventures ominously lead to her final, bloody battle against Saki Yurikawa, the butchering Big Sister.

Once I began reading this speedily-paced collection of diabolical tales (published by Dark Horse Manga), I couldn't put the book down! Panel after panel of Rei Mikamoto's stunning artwork is as gory as it is gorgeous. Thanks to the astoundingly generous Karswell of The Horrors of it All, I was able to enjoy, scan, and now present here at Killer Kittens From Beyond The Grave a sampling of this work which is so dazzling and disgusting, sickening and seductive...

Reiko the Zombie Shop: Act I
Remember to read the panels Tokyo-style, from right to left!