Whether you’re in need of a scare, or just feel up for some nifty short-form comics, Uncle Creepy always delivers. The theme this time around is the number 13, and all the superstitions that come along with it – and while, at first glance, it’s not the most promising concept in the world, this issue manages to bring home more than its fair share of scares.
Edited by Brendan Wright
The abominable anthology turns unsweet thirteen! Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun) and Tyler Crook (B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth) celebrate crossroads mishaps, Josh Simmons (The Furry Trap) and Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma) reveal a small town’s twisted secrets, John Habermas and D.W. Frydendall unearth a grizzly bonanza, and Dan Braun and Lukas Ketner (Witch Doctor) ride a subway to hell! Don’t push your luck—read Creepy!
• Glorious black-and-white art from Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma), Lukas Ketner (Witch Doctor), and Tyler Crook (B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth)!
• Frontispiece from Matt Wagner!
• Superstitious tales of the Creepy family from Peter Bagge and Dan Braun!
• Includes a classic Creepy chronicle from contemptibly crackerjack creators Archie Goodwin and Reed Crandall!
Likely the most frightening story in the anthology, “The Scales” by Josh Simmons and Dean Haspiel kicks things off. Setting up a premise about a girl who does chores for the weird lady down the street, a surprise reveal takes the story down a disturbing road indeed. Meanwhile, Haspiel’s minimalist art works odd little details in faces and settings, maintaining a balance between clean and grotesque that adds up to one unsettling experience. A resigned, hopeless ending just makes it that much more frightening, and sets a great mood for the rest of the anthology.
Another standout is “The Last Stop” by Dan Braun and Lukas Ketner, not least because it makes some fruitful comparisons between public transport and the lowest circles of hell. It’s also really interesting to see Lukas Ketner’s work in black in white, especially if you’re a fan of “Witch Doctor”; brought down to its purest form, its versatility is that much more apparent, with a lot of expression worked into even the minor characters. But it’s actually the settings that steal this one, with one panel nearly swallowing the reader up (you’ll know it when it see it).
This month’s helping of classic comics, “The Squaw” by Archie Goodwin and Reed Crandall, certainly gets the job done, even if it’s not the strongest archive find that “Creepy” has come up with. Putting forth a convoluted but chilling story about a vengeful black cat, Crandall’s uber-stylized, flat yet engaging art adds all kinds of jauntiness to the events at hand.
“Deer X-ing” by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook tells the story of quite an unusual sort of haunting – and while the dialogue on the last page is a touch stiff, you will love how Crook interprets the beings that show up there. Similarly, “The Prospectre” by John Habermas and D.W. Frydendall gives us the nitty-gritty on a vengeful gold rush ghost, and while the twist falls a little flat, the altogether baroque art by Frydendall makes the going golden indeed.
As usual, Dan Braun and Peter Bagge’s energetic one-pagers (“Remember the Date” and “Cat Crossing” “”A Heady Occasion”) inject a bit of manic levity into the proceedings. They’re definitely not for everyone, but still, there’s a certain joy to be found in the idea of a birthday cake made of heads.
All told, this issue of “Creepy” delivers its usual cocktails of scares and screams, shivers and chills, and while it’s not without its weaker moments, there’s more than enough horror going on here to keep you going till the next one. Besides, has anyone ever really regretted an afternoon with Uncle Creepy?
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Solid browse.
