Within this last year, the same can be said for horror in print. Because of companies such as Image and Dark Horse taking chances on things that often venture beyond the norm and horror meeting success in other fields, there has been a boom.
Well, lucky for you guys, I’m here to break it down for you. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to catch up on what I can when it comes down to horror in comics. This week, I’d like to give you a breakdown on what exactly is happening right now in the field and then next week, keep things going with weekly reviews. If you guys have any suggestions, feel free to let me know and I will do my best to get a hold of the title. Here we go!
Horror Comic Books Week 1
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Afterlife With Archie
I know what you’re thinking. Archie? Redhead Archie and his old pal Jughead? Realistically, how “horror” can this get? Let me tell you. Very. The folks at Archie Comics are delivering one of the down and out best horror comics being shipped right now. Using Sabrina the teenage witch as a launching pad for the series, Jughead's pal Hot Dog meets an unfortunate fate and ends up coming back a la Pet Sematary, but carrying the zombie virus. Things get real bloody and real pulpy after that. Incredibly mature for it’s background, Afterlife with Archie is dark, with tons of throwbacks to old horror flicks and classic zombie films, and takes a dark and demented turn with a lot of characters. It’s sexy, it’s smart and it’s fun as hell.
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Chew Comic Book 25
Chew has been around for a while now, even recently getting announced as an upcoming cartoon, and it’s one of the weirdest concepts conceived. Tony Chu is a cibopath, which means he can receive psychic impressions from eating food. He ends up working for the FDA and using his special talent to solve cases that are out of the ordinary. The world is already a distorted mirror of ours, with a chicken ban on the entire county, and each case gets more wacky but in the best way possible. New food based powers are constantly introduced and this is definitely more comedy than horror but with a constant mention of aliens, an evil villain named “The Vampire,” and a luchador giant chicken, Chew is consistently and constantly an entertaining read.
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Nailbiter
Nailbiter is only one issue in so this is the best time to jump onboard because it’s going to be a hell of a ride. The story goes as follows: Buckaroo, Oregon is home to numerous extravagant and cringe inducing serial killers and no one quite knows why. Nicholas Finch heads to Buckaroo to find an old friend who has gone missing and ends up having to work with the “Nailbiter,” a notorious killer known for chewing his fingers down to the bone. Part Rob Zombie and part Stephen King, this promises to be one of the most chilling comics on the shelves.
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Revival
Revival is part sci-fi, part horror, all insanely well written. In a small town in snowy Wisconsin town, the dead aren’t staying dead. The country is in a fervor but the townsfolk just want to go on as normal. Dana Cypress, an officer in the town, has to solve a brutal murder and doesn’t know who to look into, who is dead and who is alive, and to further complicate things a strange glowing alien-esque creature and hyper violent religious servant making their way around town. A classic whodunit with a science fiction horror twist, Revival is a smart and well crafted title. And a bonus for us, Chew and Revival are having a crossover soon!
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The Mignola/Dark Horse Comics
Mike Mignola is the creative genius behind Hellboy and his buddies in the B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development.) There is a lot of mythology behind this guy so it would take pages to catch you up but let’s give a brief synopsis: a leftover from the arcane Nazi regime in ‘42, Hellboy is a demon raised on Earth and ends up as one of the good guys, with a knowledge for the supernatural and his “Hand of Doom,” a giant hand that is nigh-indestructible. A couple of his friends include Abe Sapien, a weapon wielding fish man, Roger, a super strong homunculus brought back to life, Liz Sherman, a pyromancer and plenty more. Together, they battle ancient evils with roots in old folklore, lost mythology and Lovecraftian influence. The success has lead to a number of spin offs and two newer series titled Witchfinder and Sledgehammer ‘44. If you’re anything like me, sometimes you love being able to go into something with a large back catalogue and just absorb yourself in it. Do yourself a favor and do so with Hellboy.
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Drumhellar
If Drumhellar has come out as a movie, it definitely would have been in the '70s. This is funky supernaturalism at its weirdest. Drum is a psychedelic detective and he’s in the business of tackling some pretty odd cases. His partner is a floating pink morphing cat that others normally can’t see and some of his cases include a herd of ghost dinosaurs, his ex-girlfriend who happens to be a werewolf, and a DJ who also happens to have struck with Benjamin Button disease. It can be hard to follow at times but it’s bright and groovy and a trip in every sense of the word.
