Comic books and graphic novels are more popular than ever. For horror fans, it’s especially difficult spending time wading through all of the Walking Dead and Locke and Key comics to find something worth your while. Give any of these a try, and you will not be disappointed.
Through the Woods, Emily Carroll:
Starting with the best of the bunch, Through the Woods is a dark, unsettling collection of five vignettes that has been garnering rave reviews from all corners. Nothing short of brilliant, each story is a masterpiece of restrained, creeping horror. Blood and gore is in short supply here: you won’t get any detailed depictions of rotting corpses or shambling monsters. Instead, Carroll’s interest remains on the unknown – on the thing that is lurking just beyond the ragged edges of her art.
Each story is done in bold colors that pop from the page, always suggesting, rather than revealing. The stories match this restrained and confident sensibility, with monsters that never truly reveal themselves (with one notable, horrifying exception) and endings that stay with you long after they are finished.
Prerfect for anyone into the stories of Robert Aickman, The Blair Witch Project, or who just wants to be creeped out enough at night to be afraid to turn out the lights.
Blacksad: Amarillo. Juan Diaz Carnales, Juanjo Guardino:
Amarillo is the third collection in the outstanding Blacksad series, featuring the gritty stories of John Blacksad, an anthropomorphic black panther and World War II vet-turned-private investigator. Carnales is a former animator for Disney, and his marriage of that iconic style with a noir feel is so good it hurts.
Carnales’s art has been described as cinematic and the comparison is apt; like the best work of Frank Miller, it’s easy to see each page of Amarillo as the story-board for a movie. While the composition of each panel is superb, it’s the emotional nuance that Carnales is able to get out each of his characters that really takes his work to another level – giving each character a unique identity and even a kind of rough dignity.
Many people have brought up the work of Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson when describing theBlacksad storyline, but the more apt comparison is Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins character, as he navigates being a black man in America after WWII.
The Wicked and the Divine, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Mathew Wilson:
Gods returning to earth in comic books is nothing new. It’s as old as the first appearance of Thor in the pages of Marvel.
The pitch: every ninety years, 12 Gods are reincarnated as mortals to live among us. Pretty basic premise, but there are two clever twists. First, they live out their time on earth as pop idols, literally worshiped by their fans. Second, they are given this life for only two years before they die. The gods here are a mish-mash of deities from all over the world.
The gods themselves are drawn to resemble our own modern pop stars—I spotted Rhianna, Chris Brown, and possibly Kesha as models for the pantheon—but it is never treated as a joke. A fun read, recommended for anyone who is into Sandman, Fables, or the television show Grimm.
Spirits of the Dead, Richard Corben:
For those who don’t know, Richard Corben got his start in the underground comic scene in the 1960s, perfecting his dark, surreal style, before moving on to work on classic titles like Heavy Metal, Creepy, and Eerie. It has always been Corben’s Edgar Allen Poe adaptations that have brought him his greatest acclaim.
Spirits of the Dead collects his most recent Poe adaptations for Dark Horse, and it is already a must-have for horror fans. Reading Corben’s take on Poe is like eavesdropping on a conversation between the two masters; each story isn’t an adaption as much as it is a riff on Poe’s work. Poe’s poems often focus simply on a feeling or theme, giving Corben the freedom to create a back story.
Spirits of the Dead is a great collection, highly recommended for anyone who is into Bernie Wrightson’s Swamp Thing or the old Creepy Magazine.
Injection, Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire:
Only a few names move titles like they used to. Warren Ellis has become one of those names. Whenever he comes out with something new, you can be guaranteed it will be exciting and thought provoking – and Injection is shaping up to be one of his best.
In the third issue, we get a feel for what Ellis is going for: a story about a group of exceptional people who have gone beyond their limits of power. Perfect for anyone who is a fan of his earlier stuff or the early work of Alan Moore.
