The hard-hitting comics horror of ‘Epitaphs from the Abyss’ and ‘Hello Darkness’
On July 24, 2024, two horror anthology comics debuted: Epitaphs from the Abyss (from publisher Oni Press) and Hello Darkness (published by BOOM! Studios). The respective first issue of each series features engaging, thought-provoking horror strips crafted by talented comics creators. Both comics deftly explore current societal fears via stories that will please horror fans.
Epitaphs from the Abyss embraces the creative legacy of EC Comics. Founded in 1944, EC garnered acclaim and notoriety in the 1950s by publishing groundbreaking horror (Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror), crime (Shock SuspenStories, Crime SuspenStories), and science fiction (Weird Science, Weird Fantasy) comics, under the direction of publisher William Gaines. Today, EC’s comics are remembered for their artistic quality, as well as their deft commentary on contemporary anxieties.
In an editorial for Epitaphs from the Abyss, publisher Hunter Gorinson recounts his first experience reading EC’s comics:
For the first time, inside those pages, I discovered stories — lovingly rendered in their gruesome brutality by the incomparable Johnny Craig — that brought horror home. These weren’t tales about intangible ghosts plaguing an ancient castle half a world away. Instead, they were trips down the street, behind our neighbors’ picket fences, where a spouse or best friend or trusted local milkman might be waiting to shatter an otherwise perfect life with a precisely placed hatchet blow or ironically timed bear trap… visceral to the maximum, with a dry sense of existential dread that was often as funny as it was relentlessly confrontational. As William M. Gaines himself said, inside these pages, “virtue doesn’t always have to triumph.”
EC generated controversy and public outcry over concerns that its comics — along with the horror and crime comics of other publishers — were corrupting America’s youth. In 1954, Gaines testified before the U. S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency; this testimony did not allay public concerns, and that year comics publishers adopted a self-censoring Comics Code Authority organization to review and approve comics, in order to assure parents and retailers that the approved comics were suitable for children. Many retailers refused to sell comics that did not have Comics Code approval; EC struggled commercially in this new sales environment, and by 1956 cancelled all of its titles except for the now-iconic humor magazine Mad.
Epitaphs from the Abyss carries the EC Comics logo, and its content is an homage to the former publisher’s 1950s output. The comic’s horror host — the Grave-Digger — welcomes new readers to the magazine; the character is inspired by EC’s past comics hosts, such as the Crypt-Keeper, the Vault-Keeper, and the Old Witch. The comic features four separate, stand-alone horror strips, similar to EC’s original comics anthology format.
But while Epitaphs from the Abyss is inspired by EC’s past, the comic is focused on modern fears, and utilizes the talent of today’s best creators. Gorinson declares that Epitaphs is not a mere pastiche:
Instead, we’ve challenged ourselves to imagine a world where the Comics Code never unceremoniously amputated EC’s publishing line at the end of 1955 and, through that lens, what kinds of series and stories EC Comics would be producing for a new generation of readers eager to disturb and discover in the year 2024. Naturally, inside Epitaphs from the Abyss you’ll find a predominant strain of the supernatural horror that inspired Tales from the Crypt and Haunt of Fear, but also stories that come informed by the cold nihilism of man’s inhumanity as chronicled in Shock and Crime SuspenStories… not to mention the many thousands of anxieties that the new millennium has presented us to feast upon night after night in our nightmares.
Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 features several strips that explore the dread caused by current societal issues: in “Senator, Senator,” writer Chris Condon and artist Peter Krause (with colorist Michelle Madsen) offer a chilling explanation as to why so many politicians seem to abandon long-held political principles; writer Brian Azzarello and artist Vlad Legostaev (with colorist Brittany Peer) use monsters as a metaphor to illustrate how the practice of demonizing our neighbors can lead to violence, in “Us vs. Us”; and writer Stephanie Phillips, artist Phil Hester, inker Travis Hymel, and colorist Marissa Louise explore a father’s hard choice, in arguably the issue’s most terrifying strip, “Family Values.”
The strips in Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 range from six to ten pages, with consistent lettering (reminiscent of EC’s past letters style) provided by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith. The strips are well-illustrated, standalone horror stories that leave readers with a sense of dread, along with troubling thoughts regarding our current society.
Like Epitaphs from the Abyss, Hello Darkness utilizes the anthology format; also, like Epitaphs, Hello Darkness strives to be more than a pastiche of past horror comics, using acclaimed modern creators to tell stories that reflect current fears. In issue one, editor Bryce Carlson lays out the comic’s goals:
Every month, comic book creators around the world are going to give you everything they got. Some are going to share their deepest, darkest fears with you. Some are going to paint dark futures that feel all too real. Some are going to make you laugh, make you squirm, and make you gasp. Some might even offend you.
In Hello Darkness #1, several standalone strips deliver on this promise:
“Contagious” — a strange epidemic compels children to murder their parents; written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and illustrated by Letizia Cadonici (with colors by Alessandro Santoro and letters by Becca Carey), the story suggests that the murders may be needed to prevent a more horrific outcome.
“Stay in Your Lane” — written by Dave Cook, with eye-catching renderings by artist David Cousens and colorist Angel De Santiago, and letters by Nathan Kempf, this strip explores the feelings of rage that come from lost opportunities, while creating some sympathy for the story’s antagonist.
“The Siren” by Sarah Andersen presents the tale of a lighthouse keeper resisting the alluring songs of a mythic siren; the strip has gorgeous artwork, and an interesting twist that leaves readers pondering what happens next.
“The Foster” (by writer Steve Orlando, illustrator A.L. Kaplan, colorist Marissa Louise, and letterer Jodie Troutman) features an insecure man doing a noble thing for selfish reasons, until his selfish instincts lead to a horrible outcome.
“I Can't Take You Anywhere” by Robert Hack is a humorous, masterfully illustrated one-pager presenting several macabre gag cartoons.
In addition to these standalone features, the comic offers two serialized strips, The War and Something Is Killing The Children:
“Something Is Killing The Children: A Monster Hunter Walks Into A Bar, Part One” (by writer James Tynion IV, artist Werther Dell’Edera, colorist Miquel Muerto, and letters by Andworld Design) is the first installment of a new adventure from the celebrated Something Is Killing The Children comics series. Monster slayer Erica Slaughter waits out a storm in a small town’s pub, while her bartender recounts stories regarding the town’s recently murdered kids. While little action occurs in this installment, the dialogue is sharp and clever, and the artwork deftly conveys an atmosphere of suspicion and fear.
Arguably the most political — and disturbing — strip in Hello Darkness is “The War, Part One”; the first installment mostly features a group of friends in New York City debating the ongoing real-world Russian invasion of Ukraine. Written by Garth Ennis, illustrated by Becky Cloonan, with colors by Tamra Bonvillain and letters by Pat Brosseau, the strip’s horror comes from the realism of its characters, along with the reader’s current existential dread regarding the war in Ukraine and its potential to trigger a larger conflict.
Both Epitaphs from the Abyss and Hello Darkness provide ambitious modern horror tales that will leave you feeling anxious long after you finish reading them.
NOTES AND FURTHER READING:
Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 (Brian Azzarello, Chris Condon, et al.; Oni Press, July 2024)
Hello Darkness #1 (Sarah Andersen, Letizia Cadonici, et al.; BOOM! Studios, July 2024)
Attention, all Secret Dictionary Club members — use Code Thirteen to decipher the following message: BHE NTRAGF UNIR FYNVA NYY GUR INZCVERF VA UBABYHYH.
BONUS COMIC STRIP:
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