The image of the cover of I Luv Halloween Ultimate Twisted Edition is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Comedy/Horror; Rated “OT” for “Teen-Age 16+”

I Luv Halloween was a three-volume OEL manga published by TOKYOPOP over three years, beginning in 2005.  Written by long-time comic book writer/artist Keith Giffen and drawn by newcomer Benjamin Roman, the series followed the bizarre and twisted misadventures of a group of friends who meet every Halloween for a night of trick-or-treating.  In Volume 1, readers met ringleader Finch and his friends who engage in criminal behavior to get candy from owners of the houses they visit/attack.  They rack up a body count doing so.  In Volume 2, the gang took on zombies, and in Volume 3, they faced aliens who invade their town.

Now, TOKYOPOP has collected all three volumes in a mini-omnibus, hardcover compilation, I Luv Halloween: Ultimate Twisted Edition.  Whereas the original volumes were published in black and white, every page of I Luv Halloween is now in color.  I Luv Halloween: Ultimate Twisted Edition also includes bonus material.  There’s a new story by Benjamin Roman (“Friends Till the End”) that takes place the morning after the events of Vol. 3.  The extras also include a character pin-up section and an illustrated section on how to make a Pig Pig paper-mache mask.

THE LOWDOWN:  I never liked I Luv Halloween.  I found it a chore to read, and at the time I considered it the worst manga – OEL or native – that I’d ever read.  The coloring, however, makes it a bit more pleasant, if only for looking at the art.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  I think fans of this series may want to get I Luv Halloween: Ultimate Twisted Edition because of the improved production values, including the color art and enamel paper.  I doubt, however, that putting it in color will make I Luv Halloween attractive to new readers, but it might.