When many people think of horror, their mind quickly goes to blood and sex. From the beginning, horror has had the influence of all sins, not just violence, but lust as well. Their equally enticing lures are perfect for those seeking a little more kick in their entertainment than what the mainstream has to offer. If it’s sex you’re after, then look no further than this weeks Featured FearMaker. Yakov Levi has made a name for himself, making tasteless films and sexually charged comic books designed to get your kicks in the most sexually vulgar way possible.
Originally from Chernobyl, Ukraine, Yakov Levi claims his love for horror started at the young age of four, when a ghost under his bed told him that his parents would never take him to Disney World. He never heard the voice again, and his parents did eventually take him to Disney World, so he now writes horror to mock said lying ghosts.
Levi eventually found his was to Toronto, Canada, where he was buried at sea. His corpse eventually washed up to shore on a haunted island, where he quickly found employment as a gravedigger for the Red Light District in the local cemetery. The only problem is that the zombie prostitutes came out every evening to meet their monstrous clientele, so he has several graves to refill nightly. To cope with such horrors, Levi told the stories of his adventures in his comic book, Whorror Comix
Inspired by the Twilight Zone, H.P. Lovecraft, 1950s EC horror comics like Tales from the Crypt, Yakov Levi got his start making films. Yakov Levi Films specialized in tasteless horror, starring real-life Ukranian prostitutes and pimps. These films culminated into the feature length hameless, Tasteless: Trash Cinema From The Soviet Underground. The films were picked up and distributed by Troma, giving Levi the first chance to show the world what his twisted mind has to offer. These films would become the inspiration for Whorror Comix, particularly one woman, Baba Alla, Ukraine’s oldest and ugliest prostitute, who would become the inspiration for the hostess of Whorror Comix.
Every night in the Red Light District of the cemetery, the local zombie prostitutes come out to service the dead. Whorror Comix tells pulp stories about sex, prostitutes, and a LOT of death. Hitchhiking hooker ghosts, sex telepathy, and the mysterious, tiger-raping monster that is known as the Chikawuka are just a few examples of what is lurking within the pages of Whorror Comix. The comics are sexy, funny, and terrifying with plenty of interesting characters and grotesque sexual innuendos. The first issue of Whorror Comix is currently available for free at the Whorror Comix website, and the second issue is available for just $4. A Third issue is due in September of 2016. Levi also has another comic series called Dr. Jekyll, Gynecologist, which, well, pretty much speaks for itself, and is included in the $4 comic package.
It’s no secret that life for a modern day comic creator is not an easy task. Between the over saturation of the market, and the loss of focus on comics at comic conventions, it is not easy to have your works be seen by the masses. That said, it is increasingly important to take time to support artists, not just by telling them they are good, but by actually taking a look at their work. As Levi puts it, “Support each other with more than mere words. Actually read and watch what the other is making. Share it. Don’t focus only on promoting only yourself…the success of your fellow FearMaker will also be your success, because if you are fans and friends of each other, you’ll always lift each other up.“
