Freddie the Fix #1 by Garth Ennis and Mike Perkins is the kick-off title to the new horror imprint Ninth Circle, publishing through Image Comics. And while it’s not entirely clear what this line will be based on a singular one-shot, if you’re looking for Ennis and Perkins to do a goof on Chinatown with monsters, this is the comic book for you.
The setup is right there in the title — sort of. Freddie is a fixer, working for the Hollywood elite to clean up problems as they arise. The twist here is that Hollywood is stocked with every single kind of monster and creature you can imagine. Werewolves who tear their trysts apart when they transform? Sure. A Creature from the Black Lagoon union? Why not. Dinosaurs? Yeah, I guess they’re creatures. And in the midst of this, Freddie gets in over his head with a mystery involving the Bogeyman that may turn the whole town upside down.
As a horror tale, this isn’t particularly scary in any way, other than Perkins’s usual darkly lined, blood-soaked designs. But this is very much Ennis in comedy mode, presenting an alternate reality where B-movie porn is what superhero movies are in the real world. It’s a little bit of a hat on a hat in that way — wouldn’t it be enough to have monsters as Hollywood stars, without also imagining a dreamworld where Grindhouse was mainstream? — but it leads to some silly sight gags with posters and billboards, so you can’t stay too made at it.
It’s also not entirely clear what this is, as the idea of Ninth Circle is to release prestige one-shots. While the world of Freddie has unlimited setups (did I mention there are dinosaurs? Who talk?) there’s nothing particularly revelatory about the mystery… It hits the beats you’d expect, and then is out. Mostly it’s a chance for Ennis to do his usual outrageous shtick with crabs talking about viagra, and repeated jokes about a picture of the Predator with a d**k in his mouth. It’s fun, it’s funny, but unlike AHOY Comics’ Babs which serves the higher purpose to skewer the troglodytes who worship comics while seeming to hate women and perhaps themselves, there’s not much more here than the jokes.
Perhaps if it was ongoing, there’d be more? But as a kick-off to Ninth Circle, this is less a descent into hell than Ennis and Perkins having a hell of a good time.
Freddie The Fix #1 Rating:
Freddie The Fix #1 Official Synopsis:
A twisted horror tale from GARTH ENNIS (the legendary creator of The Boys and Preacher) and MIKE PERKINS (Bat-man: First Knight, Swamp Thing)!
Hollywood After Dark—werewolves, vampires, zombies, aliens, bogeymen, predators, and…things. They all have their kinks, and they all get in deep shit. They all call Freddie…to fix it.
The horror-skewed intersection of The Boys and Ray Donovan. The debut offering from NINTH CIRCLE, the creator-owned, creator-driven, horror showcase of standalone bone-chilling tales of terror and mayhem!
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