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The Story So Far

Nell is a twenty-two year old student enrolled at Deus Mortem, a university for necromancy, who has been having a hard time staying awake in class. She has been overcome with sexual urges, which can barely be satiated by her own hand. Her best friend, a half troll named April, urges Nell to visit the school’s nurse, Madame Flowers who uncovers the root cause of the situation: Nell is a half-succubus who needs to feed on sexual energy. The solution: Nell needs to have a few romantic rendezvous. At the urging of April, the duo make their way to happening party where maybe Nell can find a paramour.

Cover depicts Nell, surrounded by other characters of the comic, with hearts in their eyes, all looking at her in adoration. There's multiple spotlights of different colors shining on her as she sparkles. — Standard cover of Death Nell #2 by Cammry Lapka. Image from the Bad Bug website.

Issue 02 Plot

Nell and April arrive at the party and it is boogying down: werewolves dancing with skeletons, DJ UND3ADD spinning some oontz oontz oontzes, and the arrival of a mysterious cloaked stranger whose only visible trait is the gleam of their glasses. Nell is immediately smitten and falls into a drooling stuper of sexual fantasies. To calm down her nerves, Nell tries to picture all the partygoers naked, but invertedly casts a succubus spell that makes herself naked, garnering the attention of everyone. However, the DJ rolls with it, and everyone casts away their clothes and continues to dance, but the mysterious cloaked person disappears into the crowd.

Panel from Death Nell issue 2. Close up of Nell's face. Her hair is billowing backwards as she is casting a spell. She has winged eye lashes, and two different eyes: a normal green human eye, and a slit cat like eye that is orange. Her mouth is open showing her fangs and she has black lipstick on. She yells "Now, I can see all of you in your underwear!" — Nell casts a spell.

Since April cannot be around Nell 24/7 to keep her in check, she suggests the idea of summoning an imp to accompany Nell. The duo sneak into the office of Madame Flowers and find a spell book, but it all goes awry: April misreads the spell and summons a simp instead, and the trio are caught by Flowers and Professor Reinhart.

Nell is now bound to the simp until he feels his duties are fulfilled, which he takes to heart and bombards Nell with attention and adoration. Meanwhile April intercepts a mysterious letter left at their dorm door.

Commentary

Picking up right were issue one left off, Death Nell issue two continues the humorous and sexy hijinks of the titular character as she works to control her innate succubus powers so she can succeed in her necromancy classes.

Nell is not a parody of the “big-tiddy-goth-girlfriend” archetype per se, but she is definitely an alternative take on it. Much of the comedy in Death Nell is visual, coming from the expressions, faces, and body language of Nell which borrows heavily from anime (with Nell’s two buns, her hair is reminiscent of Sailor Moon’s odango style) but also of classic mime. Nell drools when her imagination takes over and her mind turns to sexual fantasies. She furrows her brows, clenches her teeth, dilates or contracts her pupils, has hearts/sparkles/stars float about her, and so on. It is all exaggerated, but 1) gets the point across of what Nell is feeling (which varies panel to panel as she struggles with her Succubus nature) and 2) is humorous at how cartoonish it is depicted.

Panel from the comic, done in three clouds. The first cloud is Nell, naked, with her hands to her face, drooling, and saying "Take me now! I need you to make me Roar!". The other two clouds show Nell getting atop a dragon and embracing the dragon's rider, which is her professor. — A drooling Nell has a fantasy.

With all of this in mind, Nell, (and other characters in Death Nell), is extremely emote-able, and this is a credit to artist Cammry Lapka. The colours of Death Nell are vibrant, with a thick line art style. Though the characters are cartoony, Lapka also makes them sexy and attractive while also leaning into body positivity. Nell is curvy and she exudes a point on the scale of cuteness to sexiness as she sees fit. Sometimes she is in bondage/gothic-ish/fetish attire, other times she is in playful yellow pajama shirt and shorts that have skulls and bats on them, and other times she looks like a sexualized student from Monster High. This casual flip-flopping goes with the playing of expectations of the big-tiddy-goth-girlfriend archype.

The excess sexiness of Nell in a university setting does draw some issues that Death Nell is so far bypassing in order to focus on its 80s/late 90s teen sexy comedy attitude. Simply put, Nell is a vulnerable character with a big, personal issue. Stated in issue one, Nell really wants one thing: to be successful in school. Her burgeoning succubus nature is challenging that, and Nell does need support to help her, and simply put she is not getting it. As attractive Madame Flowers is, and (cloven hooves aside) a dream woman for readers, she is not a good support person, despite being in a position of power to be so. Her solution to Nell’s situation (from issue one) is to tell Nell to get laid. In issue two, in an exchange with April, it is brought up to ask Flowers again for help, but Nell quickly retracts the comment, makes a face, and says “Something tells me she’d like me to beg for her…”. Being afraid to approach an adult that is supposed to be there to help students because one is afraid that something sexual will come of it? That is neither a good nor safe sign at all. Combine that with the groundskeeper/gravedigger from issue one, asleep on a couch and mumbling his dream about Nell bending over while she digs a grave. Initially funny, but second glance, that is pretty creepy.

And that becomes the juggling issue for Death Nell: how does one create a sex comedy that is set in a school where the students are not taken advantage of? One answer is to make sure the protagonists are given their own control and agency, but that is the big “what is at stake” in Death Nell: Nell does not have control and is trying to get it, and the structures that should be in place to help her do not seem to be working. The other answer is to just go with it and take the sex and comedy at the level being asked without a deeper reading. Are folks doing deep reads into “help me big stepbrother, I appear to be stuck in the washing machine, again”? Maybe? Maybe not?

Covers and Swag Impressions

Issue two of Death Nell was Kickstarted in February 2023 and fulfilled August through October. The comic has eleven artists doing different covers, both in nice and naughty variants. The Dhaxina Dee alternative cover comes in additional metal editions for its nice/naughty variants while the Zheanhmeart cover comes with a holo cover format for its nice/naughty variants. This brings the total number of possible covers of Death Nell #2 to twenty six.

Cover shows Nell and April, both nude, atop a bed having a pillow fight with feathers flying about. — Personal copy of the Joel Souza nude variant cover.

Of all these combinations, the standout cover goes to Joel Souza’s cover which depicts Nell and April having a pillow fight. Souza’s style is an excellent take on the cartoonish/pinup style that Lapka brings to the comic. It is silly, funny, but also sexy. It vibes perfectly with what Death Nell is about, but it also adds more fun to Nell and April’s friendship (though April’s orcish features are non-existent on this depiction of her).

As with many Kickstarters, Death Nell #2’s campaign had stretch goals it met resulting in some cool swag.

Bobby Jo attempts to "sneak up" on Nell who has her arms crossed. — Bobby Jo x Death Nell crossover art print.

Firstly, there is an art print by Bruno Sousa that depicts Nell from Death Nell and Bobby Jo, the titular character from another Bad Bug series, Bobby Jo. The characters take the idea of a crossover literally as their clothing is swapped: Nell is wearing daisy dukes and a short t-shirt that is befitting to Bobby Jo while Bobby Jo is wearing purple striped stockings and matching colour body suit, that pairs with Nell. It is a fun piece that also demonstrates the dynamicness of all the different Bag Bug series out there.

Five black and white cards depicting skeletons engaging in various sexual activities: "The Monster Mash", "The Gravedigger", "Bone to be Wild", "Rock the Casket", and "The Rib Job". Next to those is a Death Nell Tarot Card for The Fool. — Skeleton Karma Sutra cards and a Death Nell Tarot Card.

Next there are trading cards and a tarot card. The trading cards tie into the sex positiveness vibes that Death Nell shoots for, portraying skeletons in different sexual poses with punny titles, such as cowgirl style atop a casket is called “Rock the Casket” and a vertical 69 is called “The Rib Job”.

As stated in other reviews of Bad Bug comics, the publisher including Tarot Cards with their comics is brilliant. It is a unique take on the collector cards that (along with bookmarks, stickers, and magnets) are featured heavily in Kickstarter stretch goals. The Tarot Card for Death Nell #2 is of The Fool and shows Nell about to walk off a cliff while she is distracted. By her side is a zombie dog who also looks distracted. The Death Nell Fool Tarot Card is a perfect parody of the Rider-Waite version of the card, which too shows a distracted person with a puppy at their side about to walk off a cliff. The Death Nell version is an inversion of it all: Rider-Waite is during the day, Death Nell at night. Rider-Waite has an alive white dog, Death Nell an undead one. Rider-Waite has the person holding a bag on a staff in one hand and a flower in the other, Death Nell has Nell holding her school backpack in one hand and her striped knickers in the other. It is brilliant!

Conclusion

With its quirky, vibrant art style and great emotive expressions, Death Nell continues to allure in issue two. Nell and April are extremely likable characters, get along fabulously, and it is fun to see them both interact and play off each other. Nell needs the support of April (and possibly her new simp companion) as she tries to navigate her identity crisis (coming to terms being part succubus and the associated sexual urges that come with it) and unfortunately not receiving the proper or serious support from the faculty of her school. Despite these roadblocks, Nell is determined and will certainly overcome her nature while solving the mystery hinted by the contents of the envelope left at her dorm room door.

For more information on Death Nell and the comic’s creative team, check out the links below:

Also, consider checking out the reviews I’ve done of other titles published by Bad Bug:

Severin Films are known for various versions of their DVD and Blu-ray releases, ranging from slipcases to ornate boxsets with exclusive features and small doodads while always delivering on content proper: best prints possible, commentaries, and other supplements.

Perhaps their most ambitious release yet, Severin released a boxset of folk horror films called All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror. The standard edition of this boxset houses fifteen discs along with a book and a soundtrack. Of course, for a few pennies more, one could have ordered The Witches’ Bundle of the release which contains a treasure trove of additional goodies.

Original advert for The Witches’ Bundle version

What follows is an unboxing of The Witches’ Bundle edition of All the Haunts Be Ours interspersed with interview segments with Howard David Ingham, a folk horror expert that has material in the release.

The parcel that The Witches’ Bundle came in was huge. Wide and unwieldy, but at least not super heavy. The exterior was printed with the All The Haunts Be Ours artwork in gold. Very classy.

Algernon (tabby) and Cecily (tortie). Cats also show scale.

Of course, my kitty familiars are intrigued by the parcel and what treasure lie within.

When opened the contents are covered a healthy amount of packing peanuts. This is good for shipping, but it will be a nightmare to get them all back in the box and be able to close the lid.

The first object pulled forth from the parcel was a grimoire entitled Of Mud & Flame. A thick book, this tome will make for great reading later.

Next up are a set of three stickers with some fantastic art. It’s a shame that special editions like these only come with one set of stickers as folks need at least two: one set to keep pristine and the other to put on things. The top right sticker is a Hand of Glory (as seen in The Wicker Man). The one on the left with the sickle makes me think of the song “The Sickle and the Setting Sun” by Awen.

There was a wrapped packet that felt incredibly heavy.

This image doesn’t do the pendant justice at just how big it was.

Carefully unwrapping it one comes across a replica of the pendant from Alison’s Birthday. This pendant was heavy and quite large.

And The Owl Service Melamine Plate! A bonafide plate! It’s a wee bit different than the advert (which shows a bumpy circumference while this one is a pure circle).

Next up is a completely impractical keychain modeled from The Witchhhammer. This would not fare well to one’s leg if put into a front pocket.

A rolled scroll of incantations protected inside this tube perhaps?

Even better, a full sized movie poster of the documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror. The art used on this poster (and subsequent packaging) is simply stunning. It will need to be kept safe inside its tube until a suitable frame can be procured.

Finally, the meat-and-potatoes of the whole package: the boxset of All Haunts Be Ours proper.

The boxset is housed in a sturdy box which allows the Blu-ray set and booklet to slip out easily.

The Blu-rays proper stored in an accordion-style package. Each page in the booklet houses a movie with corresponding artwork.

One of the films in this set is the aforementioned Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched documentary (which Severin sells by itself). One of the experts interviewed in the documentary is Howard David Ingham, author of the Bram Stoker nominated book We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror.

How did you come to be involved in the Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched documentary?

Back in 2018, Kier-La Janisse contacted me to ask if I’d be interviewed for a documentary about folk horror, and a very nice man named Neil Edwards came to ask me some questions. At the time the plan was to have it as a Blu-ray extra, but Kier-La’s project, unknown to me at the time, expanded in scope and became something bigger and more important. I thought no more about it until I saw my name on the Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched press release a couple of years later, and then suddenly I’m in a spectacular, award-winning documentary, which is pretty-mind-blowing, really.

What are your impressions of the documentary and what do you think it uniquely accomplishes?

I think the film is stunning, beautifully put together, exhaustive and it taught me stuff. I think the very best and most groundbreaking parts are in the sections about American and international folk horror – parts I’m not in, I might add, but I don’t think they’re the best bits because of that – which stake a very solid claim to be the first real authoritative document on what folk horror means outside of the UK.

Of all the movies presented in the All the Haunts Be Ours boxset, which is your personal favourite?

That’s a hard one to answer, because there are several I haven’t seen yet (and I don’t have my boxset yet!). Of the ones I have seen, I cannot recommend VIY enough. It’s a glorious, magical film and everyone should see it.

For someone new to folk horror, what film in the set do you think they should start with to ease into the genre.

That’s a hard one. But if you want a grounding in British folk horror, Robin Redbreast, the original Pagan Village Conspiracy film, is essential. For Americans, I would suggest starting with Eyes of Fire. But again it’s hard, because there’s a bunch of rarities I haven’t seen yet! Honestly, it might be just as good for you to dive right in and pick whatever film looks the most exciting to you!

If one needs assistance at grounding many of the folk horror films in the real world, The Witches’ Bundle comes with a map of folk horror!

The map is housed in a beautiful envelope depicting a sacrifice of a rabbit.

Housed inside is also a postcard with a floral stag. This reminds me of the song “The Wounded Stag” by Lux Interna.

The map proper is two sided. The front side shows Europe depicting where each folk horror film takes place.

The front and the back also contain a description of each locale.

An example of the entry for The Wicker Man.

And finally, the last object in the whole bundle is a set of tarot cards. The exterior box is thick and sturdy.

Inside one will find a set of tarot cards with unique art and names along with a guide book with a hypnotic cover.

The tarot guide book was written by none other than Ingham!

You wrote the booklet for the Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched tarot card set. What was that experience like and how did you go about writing the interpretations for each card?

I’d done some work on Tarot and alternative Tarot interpretations before, so I had a familiarity with the Tarot as a thing, and in particular Tarot writing. It was a lot of fun to take those folk horror classics and draw fortunes from them, full of dread and poetry.

Which card resonates the strongest with you?

Bagpuss, because I am saggy and loose at the seams, but I am nonetheless loved.

The Witches’ Bundle is an impressive and immersive release. Between the films, documentary, soundtrack, books, and other material, there’s literally weeks worth of subversive content to explore. Though The Witches’ Bundle has long sold out, the boxset of films proper is still available at the Severin website. For those who have only seen The Wicker Man or Midsommar, this release acts as a primer to get into the folk horror genre.

Sincere thank you to Howard David Ingham for his answers. You can find him at his Room 207 Press website.

If you liked this coverage of The Witches’ Bundle, check out my other Severin write ups: The Blood Island boxset in Exotica Moderne #3 and Horrors of Spider Island in Exotica Moderne #9. Next month Severin releases the Eurosleaze pepla films Caligula The Untold Story and Caligula and Messalina. I am extremely excited for both as I can put my sword and sandal scholarship to test!

If you enjoyed this unboxing article, check out these other ones:

And also these DVD/Blu-ray write ups:

Gold Ninja Video’s Fury of Achilles