Oh, I’m excited.
As a young horror enthusiast, I would often take my mother’s copy of the Creepshow graphic novel, and read it… and read it again… then again – you get the idea. I believe I actually read the comic adaptation before I ever saw the original film. Then came the new “Creepshow” television series. Hard to come by (as I don’t always have a subscription to Shudder), but whenever I watched it – it kept all the good parts of the original film: the lighting, the “camp”, the comic book panels framing certain scenes, etc.
Image Comics
“Take One”
Written & Illustrated By: Chris Burnham
Colored By: Adriano Lucas
Lettering By: Pat Brosseau
“Shingo”
Written By: Paul Dini & Stephen Langford
Illustrated By: John McCrea
Colored By: Mike Spicer
Lettering By: Pat Brosseau
And here we are. 2022. “Creepshow” is a comic once again.
Two stories are inside the inaugural issue, and boy, oh boy – this is good. The essence of the retro horror comics are back in full force, with a classic illustration style, and – most importantly – twisted morals at the end of each tale, brought to you by the Creep himself.
The first tale, “Take One”, is a twisted take on those “take one” signs in bowls of candy for Halloween. Did you ever really take just one? Be honest now. I know I’ve taken more than one, but sometimes, I could only take one, because I felt like the homeowners were watching me – and I wanted to be a good kid. Well, this story let’s you know what happens when you don’t listen… especially if the homeowner happens to no longer be alive. It’s a classic short horror tale one would expect to see in a cheesy 80’s or 90’s horror show like “Monsters” or “Tales from the Dark Side,” – only with that “Creepshow” twist and flair, of course.
The second tale, “Shingo,” felt weirdly out of place for me, but in the end, it would’ve fit right in to those campy horror shows. It’s a birthday party gone wrong, with a last minute replacement for the birthday girl’s entertainment. It’s no clown, and certainly no magician, but a creature no one can place. But of course the Creep makes you think. Was the creature the true monster? Or the fractured family of the birthday girl? You decide!
There’s something that warms my soul about horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The story is poignant in some parts, but there’s just a lot of fun happening along the way through dialogue, color schemes, etc. The serious campiness of “Creepshow” is something truly special, and I’m so happy it’s returned to comics! I know for sure I’ll be collecting these bad boys.
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