EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1
by Various Artists
Huge props to Oni Press, EC Comics, and NetGalley for
providing me with an advanced copy of EC’s revival Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1. I was so excited to find this on NetGalley. As someone who grew up
watching anthology horror and weird stories like Tales from the Crypt and
Tales from the Darkside, and searching out older comics that featured
some of these kinds of anthology stories, I was so happy to see this reboot. I’m
not someone who always looks forward to revisiting things that have already
been done, but for me, the EC Comics artwork and stories are truly timeless and
represent some of the best work that was done in comics and anthology horror in
the 20th century. Also considering the influences on films and
television shows that EC has had, it’s great to see how other creative artists
and writers and looking to resurrect the spirit of EC’s terrifying stories for
more mayhem and carnage.
Right away, this anthology has a lot to like about this
collection. The stories are short but all seem to have that unique twist to
them. Even more interesting, the stories take on current topics, whether it is
political ideologies (“Senator, Senator”), the nature of creativity (“Killer
Spec”), influencers and online culture (“Dead from Exposure” and “Under the
Influence”) and how technology affects us and our relationships with others (“Sounds
and Haptics” and “Family Values”). There are also some stories that deal with misogyny
(“The Perfect Pearl”) and issues related to the pandemic (“Gray Green Memories”
and “Us vs. US”). This was an interesting collection of stories, and I
loved how the topics were updated and relevant to issues today. There was even
a story that had a connection with Robert Johnson’s Crossroads story, although
I didn’t think that this story was as well developed as it could be.
Nevertheless, I loved how the story attempted to use a famous American myth,
particularly selling your soul for something in return, and put a spin on it.
Most of the stories featured the kind of irony that is in
many of the Tales from the Crypt stories, where someone often commits an
evil act, only to experience some kind of retribution in the end. Although this
is a familiar arc for some of these brief tales, I still found the endings
somewhat surprising. I won’t divulge the endings, but I think my favorite was “Dead
from Exposure”. I just loved the way it used the Bigfoot myth and had a unique
twist on the story using the “Bog Ape” monster from a small town. “Under the
Influence” was also a great tale that looks at influencers and the darker side
of wellness and lifestyle culture online. It also has a great twist at the end.
The writing is generally strong, but I loved the illustrations since they are
what really drive the stories. I was lucky to read this copy on an iPad, so I
was able to see the images in a larger format with good resolution and color. I
would definitely recommend having a larger display to read this, if you have a
digital copy, but I would imagine that having a hard copy would also be great. Although
it’s probably not for everyone, I loved these tales and the accompanying
images. They are creepy, fun, and compelling. I will revisit these comics and
look for more of the EC releases in the future. I’m very excited that there is
a new generation of EC stories and that these writers and artists are updating
the dark irony for issues and people in modern society. Highly recommended,
especially if you are a fan of anthology horror like Tales from the Crypt,
The Twilight Zone, Creepshow, or Tales from the Darkside.
No comments:
Post a Comment