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REVIEW: ‘Creepy’ Issue #5

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The cover for the fifth issue of Creepy is a bit deceiving. The medieval priest dressed in satanic red robes and lugging an ornament of skulls, along with the devilish smirk on the face of narrator “Uncle Creepy” in the background, might make a reader perusing his comic book store think that hard-core horror and gore await on the inside of the issue, but that’s not quite the case. Actually, most of the short stories presented in Creepy contain the thrills and engaging storytelling more akin to The Twilight Zone than, say, The Evil Dead. Read on for the full review!

“Creepy is presented as a series of short stories all by different writers and artists which are tied together by introductions and narrations by “Uncle Creepy”, the decrepit creepster that plays essentially the same part as the Cryptkeeper from Tales from the Crypt, or Rod Serling from The Twilight Zone. The entire comic is in black and white which might, unfortunately, be a drawback for some readers but which I find to be charming in a stoic sort of way. For the most part, the artists use the monochromatic color scheme effectively to their advantage. Only one of the stories seemed as though it could have been “adapted” for shades of gray.

Issue number five starts out with a bang, and then unfortunately tapers off a bit. That’s not to say that the last story isn’t worth reading—just that the first one, in my opinion, is so good that it far overshadows the rest. This is probably the best tactic to get readers into the book, though, and luckily the first story is also the longest. Ironically, this story, “Blood of the Sky” by Benjamin and Timothy Truman, is the least scary in the book and could be classified as more of an action or adventure tale than a piece of horror. The art by Timothy Truman is gorgeously shaded and detailed—the type of pencil drawings seen in a lot of fantasy art but rarely in a comic. “Blood of the Sky” tells of the leader of a northern Indian tribe who must travel to the underworld to save her son. There are numerous surprises and plot twists, but what makes this story such a great read is the actual wording of the dialogue and narration. Reading it, I felt as though I might be reading a piece of classic literature or mythology.

As I said before, the other stories, in my opinion, didn’t quite live up to what was delivered in the first one, but they are still decent thrillers. “The Field” and “Murdicide” are what most reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone (albeit a bit more gruesome), the former being the generic horror-author-who’s-latest-story-comes-true scenario. While this story structure is nothing new, the writing was again better than most and really felt like a short horror story instead of a comic book trying to be a horror story. “Murdicide” was again a decent thriller somewhat in the same vain but was not quite as enticing.

The story I had the biggest problem with was “Loathsome Lore” which actually wasn’t a story at all but was merely Uncle Creepy describing real-world cultists such as Jim Jones and Charles Manson. While it was interesting to see a horror comic discuss evil men who actually lived, the mocking or even sarcastic nature by which this bit was presented seemed inappropriate. Perhaps I read it too seriously or was being a little too sensitive or politically correct, but something about it just didn’t sit well. Also, this “story” ends with a rather harsh jab at Christianity, and regardless of what your beliefs might be, I personally like my comics to be nothing more than entertainment.

There might a dud or two in this issue, but there’s still a good amount of excellent writing. Even if you don’t care for half of the book, the first story alone is more than enough reason to pick it up.”

“CREEPY” Issue #5 Is Available NOW From Dark Horse Comics! (MSRP-$4.99)

WRITTEN BY: David Lapham and Benjamin Truman
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: David Lapham and Timothy Truman

“The newest, gnarliest, and ickiest incarnation of the classic horror anthology Creepy is clawing its way onto your must-read list for 2011! Don’t miss the demented debut of Creepy #5 this March, which features strange and stunning offerings by David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Timothy Truman (Conan), classic Creepy cover artist Sanjulian, and much, much gore. Whether you prefer your horror tales bloody and bold, or supernatural and subtle, Uncle Creepy and his maleficent minions are sure to satisfy your lust for scary stories!”



Comics

[Review] Graphic Novel ‘Tender’ Is Brilliant Feminist Body Horror That Will Make You Squirm & Scream

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Tender Beth Hetland Graphic Novel

Beth Hetland’s debut graphic novel, ‘Tender,’ is a modern tale of love, validation, and self-destruction by way of brutal body horror with a feminist edge.

“I’ve wanted this more than anything.”

Men so often dominate the body horror subgenre, which makes it so rare and insightful whenever women tackle this space. This makes Beth Hetland’s Tender such a refreshing change of pace. It’s earnest, honest, and impossibly exposed. Tender takes the body horror subgenre and brilliantly and subversively mixes it together with a narrative that’s steeped in the societal expectations that women face on a daily basis, whether it comes to empowerment, family, or sexuality. It single-handedly beats other 2023 and ‘24 feminine horror texts like American Horror Story: Delicate, Sick, Lisa Frankenstein, and Immaculate at their own game.

Hetland’s Tender is American Psycho meets Rosemary’s Baby meets Swallow. It’s also absolutely not for the faint of heart.

Right from the jump, Tender grabs hold of its audience and doesn’t let go. Carolanne’s quest for romantic fulfillment, validation, and a grander purpose is easy to empathize with and an effective framework for this woeful saga. Carolanne’s wounds cut so deep simply because they’re so incredibly commonplace. Everybody wants to feel wanted.

Tender is full of beautiful, gross, expressive artwork that makes the reader squirm in their seat and itch. Hetland’s drawings are simultaneously minimalist and comprehensively layered. They’re  reminiscent of Charles Burns’ Black Hole, in the best way possible. There’s consistently inspired and striking use of spot coloring that elevates Hetland’s story whenever it’s incorporated, invading Tender’s muted world.

Hetland employs effective, economical storytelling that makes clever use of panels and scene construction so that Tender can breeze through exposition and get to the story’s gooey, aching heart. There’s an excellent page that depicts Carolanne’s menial domestic tasks where the repetitive panels grow increasingly smaller to illustrate the formulaic rut that her life has become. It’s magical. Tender is full of creative devices like this that further let the reader into Carolanne’s mind without ever getting clunky or explicit on the matter. The graphic novel is bookended with a simple moment that shifts from sweet to suffocating.

Tender gives the audience a proper sense of who Carolanne is right away. Hetland adeptly defines her protagonist so that readers are immediately on her side, praying that she gets her “happily ever after,” and makes it out of this sick story alive…And then they’re rapidly wishing for the opposite and utterly aghast over this chameleon. There’s also some creative experimentation with non-linear storytelling that gets to the root of Carolanne and continually recontextualizes who she is and what she wants out of life so that the audience is kept on guard.

Tender casually transforms from a picture-perfect rom-com, right down to the visual style, into a haunting horror story. There’s such a natural quality to how Tender presents the melancholy manner in which a relationship — and life — can decay. Once the horror elements hit, they hit hard, like a jackhammer, and don’t relent. It’s hard not to wince and grimace through Tender’s terrifying images. They’re reminiscent of the nightmarish dadaist visuals from The Ring’s cursed videotape, distilled to blunt comic panels that the reader is forced to confront and digest, rather than something that simply flickers through their mind and is gone a moment later. Tender makes its audience marinate in its mania and incubates its horror as if it’s a gestating fetus in their womb.

Tender tells a powerful, emotional, disturbing story, but its secret weapon may be its sublime pacing. Hetland paces Tender in such an exceptional manner, so that it takes its time, sneaks up on the reader, and gets under their skin until they’re dreading where the story will go next. Tender pushes the audience right up to the edge so that they’re practically begging that Carolanne won’t do the things that she does, yet the other shoe always drops in the most devastating manner. Audiences will read Tender with clenched fists that make it a struggle to turn each page, although they won’t be able to stop. Tender isn’t a short story, at more than 160 pages, but readers will want to take their time and relish each page so that this macabre story lasts for as long as possible before it cascades to its tragic conclusion. 

Tender is an accomplished and uncomfortable debut graphic novel from Hetland that reveals a strong, unflinching voice that’s the perfect fit for horror. Tender indulges in heightened flights of fancy and toes the line with the supernatural. However, Tender is so successful at what it does because it’s so grounded in reality and presents a horror story that’s all too common in society. It’s a heartbreaking meditation on loneliness and codependency that’s one of 2024’s must-read horror graphic novels.

‘Tender,’ by Beth Hetland and published by Fantagraphics, is now available.

4 out of 5 skulls

Tender graphic novel review

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