Surviving the worst from the best
These issues are really very much one and the same, not very much to really set them apart from one another (I chose this one to review from the group because of the Gargoyle cover). They serve basically as a descriptive encyclopedia of monsters with the spin put on by the Guide’s author, a monster hunter. It is therefore a bit of a story within a story. This form of writing can work, but here it gets a bit too aware of itself, as the monster hunter writes stories so that they are intended to be somewhat funny, though the humour is mostly lost by interjecting comedy into areas where it is unnecessary (though there are some good moments, like where they ripped off a line from the theme song for the Gummy Bears). The effect is passable at times, not particularly noteworthy but perhaps notable for a laugh or two. The monster described as well might offer some insight into some that the reader might not have heard of, but then again other sources would be better places to get a good introduction to them.