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FIRST SIGHTINGS:
Madame Raven, Fortunado, Tiberius, Blackwell, Stargrave, Adam Moon,
Amanda, Trace
IN JOKES:
Kiss 'S', Grease paint - page 2, frame 1
Kiss 'S' - page 3, frame 1
Into the Night, Kings of the Nighttime World, Move On - page 3, frame 5
Spawn logo, Skull - page 5, frame 1
Fractured Mirror - page 11, frame 4
Kiss 'S' - page 20, frame 1
Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson - page 20, frame 2
Spawn comic - page 20, frame 4
'Clown' lamp, Vanilla Ice - page 21, frame 2
BRIEF STORY SYNOPSIS (IMAGE):
Adam Moon and his teenage friends go to the circus to hang out and
avoid the stifling small town boredom that plagues them. While there, Adam receives disturbing,
unsolicited advice from some of the circus cast and begins to see flashes of frightening
figures. Confused, Adam becomes separated from his friends and is beckoned into
the blind fortune tellers hut where his life as an abused child is reviewed. Dazed by
the turn of events, Adam runs home before he can receive further advice. Elsewhere, after the
show, the Ringmaster morphs into a strange creature...
SPACEBASS SAYS:
I wanted the best, and I got it! The hottest comic
in the world - KISS!!!!
This was the one that got me...hook, line, & sinker. I remember the summer of '97 hopping from comic store to comic store asking for KISS PSYCHO CIRCUS #1. The replies were decidedly one-sided: either a huh?, what? or maybe just a strange look. Nobody seemed to be in the know. I was intrigued about PSYCHO CIRCUS since the first time I heard about it, and I didn't want to miss an issue. Having been a fan of KISS since '87, I missed out on the old MARVEL title, and I was looking forward to the renewed makeup excitement. The fact that Todd McFarlane and IMAGE COMICS (rule) were involved totally sweetened the pot. Gene Simmons also welcomed circus goers with a one page history of KISS comics from Marvel to present.
The first story, that spans issues 1 and 2, really delivered for me. The thing I liked most about issue #1 was that KISS wasn't overused. Allow me to explain. It's like watching a horror flick. If you saw Pinhead every second of a HELLRAISER movie, he wouldn't be as scary, would he? You'd be like "Oh, yeah, here comes that guy again!" Right? Right. :-) Instead, we get this creepy, seething feeling as we turn the page, combined with that "when are we gonna see them" vibe. I like that we don't know everything about the circus right off the bat. It's far more interesting. It's like peeling off layers of an onion, if you catch my drift.
I do not think that you need to be a fan of KISS to enjoy this comic. However, the KISS ARMY will enjoy the in-jokes that are peppered throughout the comic. You know, song and CD titles, lyrics, not to mention all of the detailed drawings. You really can tell that the fine people that work on this comic love their work, and that makes it that much better. I really enjoyed the way in which the lettering is utilized. It is taken just as seriously as every other part of the book and is extremely creative. I remember putting this issue down, already counting the days until issue #2...
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FIRST SIGHTINGS:
Officer Kerner, Mr. Delgato, Father McGowan, Phoebe Moon
IN JOKES:
Destroyer, Revenge - page 1, frame 5
Spitting blood - page 10, frame 5
'Clown' doll - page 12, frame 1
Childhood's End - page 16, frame 1
Goodbye - page 21, frame 5
Vanilla Ice - page 22, frame 1
Four faces in the cemetary gates - page 22, frame 3
BRIEF STORY SYNOPSIS (SPACEBASS):
After Adam Moon's trip to the circus, strange things begin to happen
to many people in his life. Vengence is enacted upon people that abuse power, especially
when it is directly linked to Adam.
SPACEBASS SAYS:
Issue #1 ends off with The Demon stalking Adam Moon and his friend
Trace. We wonder what will happen to them (I did all month long, mind you) but, I won't
spoil the story for you. The main theme in the story deals with the cycle of abuse in Adam's
life and how he chooses to deal with it. I could not predict how this story would end until
it was over. That's just how I like it!! In a later Psycho Babble (letters column) it was revealed
that one of writer Brian Holguin's all time favorite books is A Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger.
While he maintains that "Witching" was not directly influenced by the book, it definitely
has that Holden Caufield vibe.
We work long & hard on many of the pictures found on this site. Please do us a favor: don't
rationalize stealing ANYTHING. If you can't create an original web site, don't do one!
Real simple, right? Anyway, if you do, I'll let my boys Nicky & Mickey pay you a visit. I may
even go as far as getting the Nightmare King to resurrect Deuce! This could get ugly...
-KISS PSYCHO CIRCUS by SPACEBASS (hey, good idea for an issue...)