Well, the time has finally come for me to review an anthology comic. To be honest, I was rather sad when I first handed over Dark Horse Presents to Baker Street Holmes, since Dark Horse’s anthologies are known for being among the best the world of comics has to offer. But today, I get to look at another great anthology series, Creepy #12. With good ole’ Uncle Creepy providing some opening and closing narration, Creepy #12 tells five spooky stories with three cartoons to lighten the mood. Does this issue warrant a purchase, or will it fail to deliver the creeps? Let’s find out.
Since each story features a different creative team, there aren’t many overarching points to be made about the comic as a whole. With the exception of the front and back cover, the comics included are black and white. This isn’t an issue for most people, but since some people prefer colour comics, I figure it’s worth mentioning. But now, let’s get into the actual stories.
“Uncle Magnus” by Richard Corben is the first story of the bunch. Now usually, I would be ecstatic to see a Richard Corben piece in anything, as his legendary status (he’s a member of the Will Eisner Hall of Fame) speaks for itself, but if I learned anything from my Last Day in Vietnam review, it’s that great creators are capable of mediocre work. “Uncle Magnus” avoids that pitfall by being quite good, if not as fulfilling as it could have been. The art is fantastic, nailing the facial expressions such that the art itself tells the whole story. However, the ending fell a little flat for me. Without giving anything away, a character is punished at the end of the story without anything being presented that would make the reader believe she should be punished. Maybe it’s meant to emphasize how terrible things can happen to people without due cause, but I wasn’t rooting for that character’s demise like I rooted for the demise of the other characters. There’s no real moral to be taught from this one, and if there had been, a very good story would have been a great one. Still, it is an enjoyable piece.
“Fishing” by Ron Marz (story) and Richard P. Clark (art) was my favourite piece. The art here is also well done, making the scenes really feel as if they’re playing out in front of you. It also really does a good job of handling the horror bits, with injuries looking as gruesome as one would hope they would. What really makes this story great, however, is the irony of the tale. Without giving anything away, the story is able to be terrifying and amusing at the same time, and the whole thing struck me as being incredibly clever. Well done by both artists, and I hope they team up on something else again soon.
Next up is a one page comic called “Role Models” by Dan Braun and Peter Bagge. Not much to say about it, honestly. It’s okay. The joke might be funnier if you’ve read previous issues (I have not), but as it stands, it’s simply okay.
“Local Talent” by Matthew Allison is another excellent piece (you might be noticing a trend at this point), focused on a horror movie production gone wrong. When the director, who acts like a complete jerk, loses his make up man and monster actor, a local named Kino promises him some local talent to help complete the movie on time. It’s another one of those “be careful what you wish for” stories, but it’s executed very well. And the art in this piece is brilliant, really emphasizing the gore in some of the later parts of the story in a truly rewarding way. Well done across the board by Allison.
The next comic is actually a reprint of a classic tale by some of the most legendary creatores in comics. “The Spirit of the Thing” by Archie Goodwin (story) and Steve Ditko (art) features a very different set up than the rest, having the character involved tell the story of what happened to him instead of showing the events play out in real time. In this way, the reader becomes a member of the group of tenants who searched to see what was going on themselves, and the technique really works. The story is not as scary or amusing as some of the others in this book, but it more than makes up for it with its creativity. The other stories included were somewhat predictable in that they covered tropes that have been cornerstones of horror for quite some time. This story, while not being without its influences, didn’t fit into a single trope, and thus actually kept me guessing what would happen next. There’s a reason these creators are considered classic, after all.
“Mother’s Little Helper” by Peter Bagge is another one page comic. It’s pretty funny, but that’s all that I cna really say about it, so let’s move on.
“Pack Leader” by John Arcudi (story) and Julian Totino Tedesco (art) stands out from the other comics in this book, as it doesn’t have any opening or closing narration by a member of the Creepy family. The art is also quite experimental, with certain images being so detailed as to be nearly photorealistic, yet other pages have no art whatsoever, existing merely as white pages with narration and dialogue. It’s a very different kind of horror story, going more for building a tense and harrowing atmosphere without having to rely on any over the top scares. It’s a heartbreaking tale, well told and amazingly executed. This one will stick in your mind long after you’ve finished reading it. Just…wow.
Finally, there’s one more comic from Dan Braun and Peter Bigge; this one’s called “Reflections of My Life”. My biggest problem with it is that it comes at the end of the comic, when “Pack Leader” provided the perfect end point for the issue. It’s actually the funniest comic of the three, but I just wish they’d structured the comic as a whole differently so that we could end on “Pack Leader”. This is, admittedly, a nitpick.
Creepy #12 delivers in every way you could want it to. Each of the five tales is sufficiently scary and entertaining, with a couple that will most assuredly stand out in your mind long after you’ve read them. “Pack Leader” wins the top prize in this collection, with “Fishing” as a close second, but each story included is worth reading. For $4.99, you’re getting more than your money’s worth with this collection. Do yourself a favour and go buy it. It’s worth every cent and more.
Chase Wassenar, aka MaristPlayBoy, is the Lead Editor and Founder of the Red Shirt Crew. “Pack Leader” may have scarred him for life, but it was totally worth it. You can read his other articles at ToyTMA, follow him on Twitter at @RedShirtCrew or email him at theredshirtcrew@gmail.com.
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