#howliday haunt

[taybatwo2]

Another Mini-review of the IDW Monster High Comics!

The Howliday Haunt comic came out today, and ugggggh, it’s…..yeah.

Again, hopefully I’ll continue my in-depth reviews for these in January, but this might be one of my least favorite…so far…kinda…? I dunno these have me stupidly curious but I can’t say they’ve been amazing…?

It’s still giving Wednesday or Riverdale vibes or the MH Lisi Harrison books, and I have never been into those.

If you want to start in on my actual, full comic reviews you can start here:

A REALLY quick rundown, there will be spoilers:

Frankie goes in before her first day of school to map out her classes and hears Johnny Spirit whistling. They talk and flirt and she says he’s her first “fiend.” Cut to the present, students are still missing, there is a school dance coming up the “Howliday Haunt” and Johnny hasn’t really spoken to Frankie since but he is INCENSED that no one is worried about the missing students and are only talking about the dance.

Frankie can’t dance, and after Cleo blows off helping her to retrain her two left feet, Johnny’s music helps her to dance. Frankie wants Johnny to want to ask her to the dance and he does.

Doctor Frankenstein is still too busy to be a chaperone at the dance (and HE IS STILL IN THE SHADOWS. I HATE THAT). The three ghoul friends all dress up in their collector doll outfits (that Clawdeen designed), and all go to the dance (with Frankie riding on the back of Johnny’s motorcycle).

Johnny pours truth serum into the fog machine (at least he didn’t spike the punch bowl like most bad boys in high school films) to try and see if any of the students/faculty is behind the kidnappings. Nope! And Mr. Rotter vows to lock Johnny up until the school crumbles to dust (again…overkill). Frankie and Johnny escape (thanks to Frankie’s arm locking the doors shut behind them), and he rides off to search outside of the school for what happened to all of their fiends, while Frankie searches inside. He makes her promise to come home after everone is saved. She also kisses him…TWICE!

Pros:

The artwork looks nice.

The decorations for the Howliday Haunt are great.

They made Johnny look VERY handsome, younger me would have been doodling him in the margins of her school book instead of Andy Beast.

We get to see the three ghouls in their new Howliday lurks (and Frankie in her Stitched in Style) outfits. Robecca is in her SDCC outfit. And I think they look much better than the dolls.

We get to see some more background characters in this (Lothar, Johnny Spirit, Valentine, Spelldon, Lagoona, Manny, Holt, Clawd, Rochelle, Venus, Eyera, Kjersti, a shrunken down Gooliope, Toralei, Mr. Rotter, Frankie’s Dad, Bram, Jinafire, Viperine, Finnegan, Iris, Meowlody, Purrsephone, Spectra, Operetta, Deuce, Heath, Abbey, Jane Boolittle, and a witch named Brooke:

-note that Bram was not with Gory, Lagoona was not with Gil, and Operetta was not with Johnny and while Draculaura talked with Clawd she mentioned Poe too, and Frankie said she tried making another boyfriend again, which are all “mehs” to negatives to me.

Some of the party guests have some nice new outfits (Spelldon is a standout).

Johnny dressing up for a dance is putting on a loose tie and that checks.

Johnny calls Frankie “Stitches,” and I can’t help but think that is cute and something HOLT WOULD SAY.

Lore “Additions:”

Johnny said the reason he looks like a greaser and was in detention for 3000 years was because time is “screwy” there. Frankie has a kidney from a guy named Larry.

Frankie apparently met him the day before she started school because she was mapping out the halls beforehand. He became her first “fiend,” then they didn’t talk because he didn’t want to drag down her popularity.

Johnny has a ghost motorcycle.

that also checks out.

Johnny is in detention because he didn’t follow “orders and rules” and “tricked [Nightmare] onto the roof.” Which is kinda small potatoes in my opinion.

You can touch ghosts in Monster High if “you truly believe you can.”

You can only listen to ghost music on a “dead” medium like CD’s (I think Operetta recorded her music and it didn’t need to be on a dead medium…)

The school of Monster High responds to characters (specifically Draculaura after she spilled some of her blood) like in G3 (minus the blood). TW: blood…self harm…?

Frankie lost her right leg to a “Golem Retriever playing fetch.” An actually funny pun. And now has two left legs and can no longer dance except to the sounds of Johnny’s music (or thinking about his music).

There is now a “Monstrous Monarch” contest at Monster High.

Cleo thinks that Frankie dyes the white streaks in her hair.

We get to see the Stein’s mansion. It’s fine.

Draculaura might have alluded to having dated “bad boy[s], or girl[s] or non-binary[s].” Why does she thinks everyone has had that phase….👀👀

Witches can make truth potions (and it reveals that Purrsephone has a crush on her best friend’s date -her sister’s or Toralei’s date….?, Bram took out Jane Boolittle as part of an elaborate bet, Jinafire rigged the Monsterous Monarch vote -we never got the results of it btw-, Mr. Rotter takes ice cream from the -student- creature lounge, Draculaura is tired of trying to be perfect, Clawdeen is afraid of being with Toralei because she might/did screw it up with Toralei, Clawdeen thinks Cleo is a better dancer than her, Cleo likes Clawdeen’s fashion designs and misses talking about designs together and she misses Ghoulia -who is still missing in this-).

Cons/Nitpicks:

I am still not feeling the story. I don’t know why they are putting these random pairings together (they are not written badly here, but it’s just like…WHY?!? She has such good chemistry with Jackson and Holt, and with Andy and kinda with Neigthan if you REALLY wanted to go that route). But why the flirting with Manny in the Halloween special? And why the love connection with Johnny? Probably because it would make me curious to buy the floppies and THIS SUCKER DID! Johnny and Operetta broke up because “they worked better as band mates.”

All three main ghouls are drawn the same height. I badly want Draculaura to be as tiny as she was in the show, and Frankie to be as tall she was too!

Frankie trying to make another boyfriend (his first words were: “AI is legitimate form of creative expression” to show that he was brain dead and that it didn’t work out but it’s okay, HE HAS AN EXECUTIVE JOB IN SILICROW VALLEY). I hate it ALL!!

Abbey has been repeatedly looking annoyed or bored at Heath in this whole comic run including in this issue in this panel:

Toralei doesn’t have her thicker stripes, cat nose, or orange blotch.

Deuce’s outfit at the dance….his fashion sense has taken a nose dive since him and Cleo broke up again.

And some of their new scary puns just don’t feel natural (in my opinion: “school bloody” instead of “school body” is not an upgrade. “Wormy” instead of “worried.”) *shrugs*

What are your thoughts? Are you loving these? Hating them? Forgot they existed? Are you really hoping I’ll get back to it and actually upload my longer reviews with full page artwork (me too!)?

Did you have a Nostalgia Critic flashback when you saw Johnny with his loose red tie and black jacket?

NOW YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT IN YOUR HEAD TOO.

[monsterhighfansite]

[dragaliareferencearchive]

Still accepting contributions for the Monster High archive!

[ccscreepycreations]

Haunted Howlidays inspired concept doll for Kiyomi Kitsune: "Snowy Illusions."

"Enchant the howlidays with frosty foxfire magic!"

(daughter of The Kitsune)

[cryptoriascollectiblog]

My Skullector Draculaura dolls🩷🖤

Who’s your favorite?

[worm-in-a-trenchcoat]

Just found this on Reddit! This isn’t 100% confirmed but it seems like it could be possible

[islandofthesnakes]

def dont live for the tinsel in her hair and her spray on shoes BUT THE LAYERED DRESS I CAN VIBE WITH

[leoprosy]

i got my g3 frankie <33

i'll post pics soon, theyre very cute though i have some ????? confusions. but they're super cute!! I'll do a shoot with my two new Frankies and the 1 Frankie i found in my attic soon as well <3

[thedukeofdormont]

Monster High Holiday Haunt One Shot

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Monster High: Howliday Haunt #1

Monster High: Howliday Haunt #1 preview. Blankets of snow have settled over Monster High, which can only mean that the Howliday Ball is around the coroner #comics #comicbooks #monsterhigh

[adorkabledemon]

Reading the Howliday Haunt one-shot and legitimately laughed at this.

Made it into a meme template too!

[r0ckzstars]

More from the howliday haunt comic cus I miss y'all guys

[spookberry]

I know you’re doing Monster High lines, but I was wondering, how do you think Danny would look as a skullector doll

I've thought about this before actually, cuz it totally depends on the line yeah. There's Haunt Couture and Haunt Couture Midnight Runways, but also you also have like the classic skullectors that arent MH characters at all but more iconic horror films. There's also the Howliday dolls, SDCC, Fang Vote, and the Fang Club too. Plus all the misc designer dolls.

Classic Skullector: It'd have to be a two pack I think, not that its unheard of to have a singular dolls(Dracula, Black Lagoon, Pennywise, Greta etc) I just think it'd be an interesting avenue to include Vlad. The thing with these is they tend to be genderbends. there's only two male skullector dolls to date, Jack Skellington and Frankensteins monster.... Fem Vlad in the older sister body mold would be sick as hell imo. technically you could then put like, Danielle with him instead of Danny but knowing mattel they'd probably just say its a genderbent danny regardless. would be funny if they put him in the little sister body mold on top of that so theres this big height difference lol

Haunt Couture is meant to take inspiration from the original dolls but elevated in a modern way as well as bridging the gap a bit between g1 and g3. Also the HC dolls are the ghouls as seniors rather than sophomores. So for Danny I'd think about how I'd imagine him to be like at 17/18 and how I could elevate his casual looks to something a little more designed. (Midnight Runways I'd have to think more on)

Howliday Doll: personally I'd prefer this as like, a halloween take on Howliday. Give him an outfit that references the Fright Knight, it's gotta be more glammed up cuz howliday dolls tend to be like fancy dresses. But like a little suit with a purple cape and like the fright knights sword as a tie or something, it could be sick.

another Howliday option would probably be a valentines date 2pack but i hate thinking about this cuz I know it'd be him and sam :( (Him and Valerie two pack though ?????? Oh i'd lose my MIND)

OBVIOUSLY an SDCC doll would have to be about the ultimate enemy. There's no way around that. Either it would Be buff future phantom or some sort of decked out fusion state. Where its like a base Danny doll but the fits super overdetailed.

arguably a cool sdcc two pack would be a regular danny and also tua. I could also see them make a Super and Fun two pack for SDCC! SDCC skullectors tend to play around more. They made a ghostbuster Frankie in 2016.

Fang Vote, Fang Club, and other misc designer dolls could be whatever, they're usually themed. A fun Fang Vote one could be like a ghost king themed danny where the different accessory choices lean into different headcanons.... this would actually be pretty fun to do just on tumblr I should try that out.

[innovatorbunny]

ok i do not mean to diss vampire heart because its a great doll but that twitter poll must have had a REALLY small participant size if it won best draculaura collectors doll over haunte couture or the 2015 one. i'd even say howliday would be more worthy of winning.

[ccscreepycreations]

Haunted Howlidays inspired concept doll for Penny Gearloose: "Frosted Circuitry."

"Lighting up the howlidays with frosty flair and techy care!"

(daughter of The Gearlooses, a renowned family of robotic engineers)

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Finale Ratings Update - Hallmark Movies/Series (Hallmark Channel/Hallmark Mystery)

Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story (CTC) - 2.88

Three Wiser Men and a Boy (CTC) - 2.37

Santa Tell me (CTC) - 2.25

Our Holiday Story (CTC) - 1.89

The Santa Class (CTC) - 1.87

The Heiress and the Handyman (FIL) - 1.86  Happy Howlidays (CTC) - 1.86

Romance With a Twist (NYNM) - 1.85 

Falling in Love in Niagara (SIL) - 1.80  

Love on the Right Course (NYNM) - 1.78 

Sugarplummed (CTC) - 1.76

The Real West (FIL) - 1.75 

Jingle Bell Run (CTC) - 1.73

A Scottish Love Scheme (NYNM) - 1.72 

Autumn at Apple Hill (FIL) - 1.70 

Branching Out (SIL) - 1.67 

Blind Date Book Club (SIL) - 1.65 

An Easter Bloom (DaySpring) (SIL) - 1.62  'Tis the Season to Be Irish (CTC) - 1.62 Following Yonder Star (DaySpring) (CTC) - 1.62

The Magic of Lemon Drops (SN) - 1.59 

Paging Mr. Darcy (L) - 1.57  The Christmas Quest (CTC) - 1.57

Holiday Crashers (CTC) - 1.55

Holiday Mismatch (CTC) - 1.53

Falling Together (FIL) - 1.52 

Betty’s Bad Luck in Love (NYNM) - 1.51  Shifting Gears (SIL) - 1.51  Falling Like Snowflakes (CIJ) - 1.51 

A Very Vermont Christmas (CIJ) - 1.50  Deck the Walls (CTC) - 1.50

Love & Jane (L) - 1.49  His & Hers (FIL) - 1.49 

A Whitewater Romance (CTS) - 1.48 

A Costa Rican Wedding (SN) - 1.47  To Have and To Holiday (CTC) - 1.47 Leah's Perfect Gift (CTC) - 1.47

For Love & Honey (PTL) - 1.46  Savoring Paris (PTL) - 1.46  The Christmas Charade (CTC) - 1.46

Haunted Wedding (FIL) - 1.43 

Private Princess Christmas (CTC) - 1.40

Debbie Macomber's Joyful Mrs. Miracle (CTC) - 1.36

Head Over Heels (SN) - 1.33 

A Greek Recipe for Romance (PTL) - 1.30  Christmas on Call (CTC) - 1.30

Everything Puppies (CTS) - 1.31 

An American in Austen (L) - 1.28 

Legend of the Lost Locket (SIL) - 1.27 

Junebug (SN) - 1.22 

'Twas the Date Before Christmas (CTC) - 1.19

A Carol for Two (CTC) - 1.14

Two Scoops of Italy (PTL) - 1.13  Scouting for Christmas (CTC) - 1.13 Christmas with the Singhs (CTC) - 1.13 The Finnish Line (CTC) - 1.13

Trivia at St. Nick's (CTC) - 1.10

Hanukkah on the Rocks (CTC) - 1.09

My Dreams of You (SN) - 1.07 

The 5-Year Christmas Party (CTC) - 1.06

Confessions of a Christmas Letter (CTC) - 0.99

Sense and Sensibility (Mahogany) (L) - 0.94  A Taste of Love (L) - NA  A '90s Christmas (CTC) - NA Believe in Christmas (CTC) - NA

NYNM - New Year New Movies, L - Loveuary with Jane Austen,  SIL - Spring Into Love, CTS - Countdown to Summer,  PTL - Passport to Love, CIJ - Christmas in July, SN - Summer Nights FIL - Fall Into Love, CTC - Countdown to Christmas,  MOC - Miracles of Christmas, NA - Not Available, TBD - To Be Determined

The Way Home - Season 2  E1: The Space Between - 1.25  E2: Hanging by a Moment - 1.16  E3: When You Were Young - 1.19  E4: Wake Me Up When September Ends - 1.03  E5: Long Time Gone - 1.14  E6: How to See a Life - 1.24 E7: Somewhere Only We Know - 1.08  E8: Lose Yourself - 1.11   E9: Here Without You - 1.09  E10: Bring Me to Life - 1.36 

When Calls the Heart - Season 11  E1: When Stars Align - 1.77  E2: Tomorrow Never Knows - 1.72  E3: Steps Forward - 1.85  E4: Along Came a Spider - 1.77  E5: Stronger Together - 1.91   E6: Believe - 1.98  E7: Facing the Music - 1.78  E8: Brother’s Keeper - 1.77  E9: Truth Be Told - 1.94   E10: What Goes Around - 2.16   E11: Run to You - 2.14   E12: Anything for Love - 2.18

A Reason for the Season (MOC) - 0.92

A Dance in the Snow (MOC) - 0.85

All I Need for Christmas (MOC) - 0.81

A Novel Noel (MOC) - 0.79 Christmas Under the Lights (MOC) - 0.79

True Justice: Family Ties - 0.76 

One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - 0.74 

A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - 0.73 

Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans - 0.71 

Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit - 0.68 

Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers - 0.65  Tipline Mysteries: Dial 1 for Murder - 0.65 

This Time Each Year (MOC) - 0.64

My Sweet Austrian Holiday (MOC) - 0.60

Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home - 0.58 

Five Gold Rings (MOC) - 0.54

CrimeTime: Freefall - 0.53 

Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch - 0.43  Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Tale of Three Letters - NA  Jazz Ramsey: A K-9 Mystery -NA  Nelly Knows Mysteries: A Fatal Engagement - NA  The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death is Listening - NA Trading Up Christmas (MOC) - NA