THE KILLING HOLE: Where A Close Friendship Takes A Dark Turn
Image: Storm King Comics
The latest entry into Storm King’s Dark & Twisted library brings us the eerie and emotional tale of The Killing Hole. Written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and illustrated by Trevor Denham (John Carpenter's Tales for a HalloweeNight), the tale is told through a mysterious aging man’s confession.
Set in 1979, the 14-year-old loner Stewart befriends the equally alienated Peter. In their shared disdain for school and mutual love of edgy music, the boys form a fast friendship, allowing them both to escape their suffocating, dead-end home lives. Endlessly tormented by bullies, the two boys find solace and encouragement in their friendship. As the two boys grow closer, they build a safe space together—an underground bunker where they can be themselves. But that space turns substantially less safe as their friendship and fantasies take turns at first dark and then deadly.
Rooted in the pre-technology days of the late 1970s, The Killing Hole offers a dark and disturbing exploration of the suburban idyll often presented in popular culture, digging deep into the darkest territory of teenage angst.
“Steve Niles has created a singularly engrossing and surprisingly affecting story that contains all the characteristics of grounded horror with added drama, pathos, and a deep understanding of the darker side of humanity,” said Storm King Comics founder and editor Sandy King. “Aided by Trevor Denham’s spectacularly evocative and haunting illustrations, this is a book we think will take up permanent residence in the memories of everyone who reads it.”
The library of Dark & Twisted has been reliably entertaining, with a wide variety of horror and thriller stories. The same could be said for Steve Niles’ body of work. So I think we might be in for something really special with this release.
The graphic novel of The Killing Hole will be available July 10, 2024, through direct sales, including at www.StormKingComics.com, and comic shops. It will debut at retail booksellers on July 23, and will also be featured at the Storm King Comics booth at San Diego Comic-Con.
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