Fabian Rangel JR is no stranger to great storytelling. He’s proven he’s got pulp sensibility in spades with “Doc Unknown” and now he’s about show you his own personal world of terror with “SIX.” A collection of short horror stories that stretch across time and genre, each showcasing a different type of terror than the last. He needs your help, “SIX” is on kickstarter and it’s currently killing it, but we can make this horror anthology even better by helping it hit some stretch goals. Want to know why it deserves your cash? Easy. Keep reading.
It’s an incredible read that deserves your attention. Horror and short stories have been together for ages for good reason. Rangel JR makes sure to start his stories at a point of high tension and he never let’s up. The result is a collection of shorts that are each disturbing in their own right, but read like a breeze. There isn’t a pacing issue to be found.
The art is all kinds of marvelous. Each story has it’s own artist who plays to their own strengths as well as the strengths of the story they are telling. There isn’t a dud in the mix. Instead you get an incredible series of adventures each better than the last.
The collection begins with “Blood & Snow.” A beautiful medieval fantasy that culminates in something so viscerally awesome that I don’t dare spoil it here. But Jonathan Brandon Sawyer channels a manga look to create an otherworldly beauty that isn’t found in most North American comics. “The Souls of Wicked Men” is a balls to the wall cowboy tale with a terrifying twist brought to life masterfully by Karim Whalen. Ricardo Venancio brings “No Stranger To Death” to life in a detailed and heartbreaking way. The showdown in the middle of this story will rock you, only for it to warm your heart by the final panel.
My personal favorite of the bunch is “Stinky” brought to life by Ramon Menendez. It’s a glorious 80’s throwback that oozes style and spins a familiar story in a brutal new light. Simply chilling in all the right ways. “When the Evil Came” will rock with Cody Schibi’s horribly detailed looks at personal insanity. I can’t give much else away, but the warped art will stick with you for some time. “Our Own Wars” is a simple story brought to life by rising superstar Jason Copland that focuses on something I want to see more of, zombies in wars. It ends the collection on a deeply personal note.
“SIX” has already reached it’s funding goals on kickstarter, but that shouldn’t matter this is a collection that demands your attention. It’s haunting, and a shining example of a independent horror anthology. Support indie comics, and support great horror, funding this means everyone wins.