CREEPSHOW’s Return To Comics: Hippies, Sea Monsters, And MORE! (REVIEW)

A new CREEPSHOW comic hits the racks just in time for the Halloween season!

CREEPSHOW first scared its way into audience’s hearts with the 1982 film titled “CREEPSHOW”. Written by horror master Stephen King (his screenwriting debut) and directed by an equally important founding father of modern horror George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead; the list of DEADs goes on!). 

The film CREEPSHOW was a loving homage to the world of horror comic books such as Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, in which short horror stories played out each issue. The film’s anthology structure and clever use of lighting/framing accentuated this “horror comic” feel. Soon after the movie’s release, CREEPSHOW was actually adapted into its own comic book, keeping King’s same story ideas from the film, illustrated and written for the page by Bernie Wrightson.

Since then, CREEPSHOW as an IP has grown far beyond what anyone would have inspected. Its success garnered two sequels, a television series on Shudder, and now its own comic line! Image Comics has published two previous volumes of their CREEPSHOW comic line, now debuting the first entry to Volume 3!

This first issue is composed of two short horror tales. The first is written by Chip Zdarsky and illustrated by Kagan McLeod, and the second story is written and drawn by James Stokoe. 

Zdarsky’s story that opens the comic is called “LET ‘ER TRIP”, and it is about a mother named Jane whose daughter Mary has used her newfound adult freedom to join a commune led by “Guru-La”, who is rumored to be distributing psychedelic drugs to his followers. Towards the end of the story there are some fun psychedelic moments in which McLeod’s art is given time to shine. “LET ‘ER TRIP” is an interesting tale, focusing on the underlying stress Jane endures as a mother and homemaker, having to repress any feelings or actions that may interfere with her responsibilities as a parent. I do wish “LET ‘ER TRIP” was a bit longer, but I still believe it delivered on what it was trying to accomplish.

The second and final story in CREEPSHOW #1 is titled “SCRIMSHAW”, scrimshaw meaning artwork or scrollwork engraved onto bone. Creeped out already? “SCRIMSHAW” is written and drawn by James Stokoe, known for his book “Wonton Soup” and his work on Godzilla for IDW Publishing. This second story was quite compelling. Right off the bat, Stokoe’s unique art stood out to me. I was hooked, immediately ready for anything he threw my way. It starts with a young business man approaching a grizzled sailor at a bar, speaking about what essentially is the gentrification of the neighborhood they are in. This businessman is telling the sailor what this island will become; what shopping centers will fill this “struggling economy”, as he puts it. He wants a story from a local to help drum up interest in this island, and this sailor is the man he has been told to meet. The sailor tells a grim story about the time he found a severed limb washed ashore with some sort of wonderful tale engraved upon the bones of the limb. He describes it as the best story he has ever read, and desires more of it. The sailor becomes obsessed with the tale and goes to extreme lengths to make sure he can continue reading this fable. 

The first installment of CREEPSHOW Vol. 3 is a ghoulish delight, and a great read for any horror fans looking to dive into the world of comics. Five issues are planned for this run, releasing each month from now through December. You can grab issue #1 right now at your local comics store, and look out for issue #2 dropping just before Halloween on October 23rd!

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