REVIEW: Necrotic Tissue # 7 (1st print issue)

After six electronic issues in pdf format, Necrotic Tissue has evolved into a print magazine, and has done a fantastic job. The digest-sized magazine continues the standards of fiction and art established in the electronic issues, and the transition interpreted very well. The feel of the artwork and the overall layout establish a definite continuity and connection to the pdf issues.

Then we get to the stories, and what a selection! Tale after tale of dark, chilling, atmospheric, and eerie stories. Some of my favorites: El Dorado by Horace James; Death Grip by Guy Anthony DeMarco; The Failure by Jason L. Keene; ...What You Eat by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt; Savior, Teach Us To Rise by Doug Murano; and The Scratch Of An Old Record by Catherine J. Gardner. Necrotic Tissue also continues its tradition of offering quality micro-fiction in the form of '100 Word Bites' (tales of 100 words in length, including title) with tales like: The Sum Of The Parts by J.B. Daniels; Writers Wanted by David McAfee; and From The Journal Of... by Matthew Ewald.

Finally, we get to the Non-Fiction, basically editorial pieces. Well-written and informative, they cap off the issue nicely. Of particular interest is the editor's rant, Money Is Tight & Times Are Tough, by Publisher/Editor R. Scott McCoy. Basically, it is a rather angry plea to writers and readers of horror fiction to support the indie presses, and a message well delivered. Mr. McCoy hammers home the very important fact that if we as writers and fans of this genre wish to see our favorite indie and small press publications continue, we need to shell out the dollars in support. Subscribe or purchase individual issues of your favorite magazines as often as your budget can support, even if it is just one subscription a year. This is a sentiment I fully support and endorse, and I do my part by buying individual issues to magazines I am interested in, and if after a few issues it holds my interest, I debate subscribing. As a starving artist with a family to support, I can totally relate to not having disposable income, but I also love poetry and fiction enough to sacrifice a few bucks here and there. Hopefully readers will take his message to heart.

To wrap up, I strongly encourage a visit to www.necrotictissue.com. As a matter-of-fact, I all but demand it! Consider it a two-fold mission. Your first duty is to go to the Archives page and download the first six issues in pdf format, which are FREE (nothing to lose, much to gain), and well worth the time and effort. Your second duty is to either order issue # 7 or subscribe. Trust me, if you like horror that tests the boundaries, you will love Necrotic Tissue. Besides, if you don't visit their site, I will be waiting in your bedroom closet wearing a glow-in-the-dark Jason mask and holding a rather large machete. So go and visit Necrotic Tissue, right now!

SHAMELESS SELF-PLUG: You can find my stories 'Carnal Desire' and 'Lucid Dreaming' in issues # 3 & 5 respectively, and my tale entitled 'The Hungry Ones' will be appearing in issue # 9 to be published in January 2010.

What are you still doing here? Got to Necrotic Tissue NOW, don't delay, don't procrastinate, get moving, start clicking and downloading and ordering. Remember, I am watching...

Paul Ingrassia