BUMP #1, from Spotlight Comics on Kickstarter, regales horror lovers with seven short tales of ghastly terror to keep you up at night.
The Details
- Written by: Joseph S. Farrar
- Art by: Joel Saavedra, Gica Tam, Elizabeth Malette, J. Schiek, James Killian, Rebecca Ollerton, Barry Renshaw
- Letters by: Haley Rose-Lyon, Joel Saavedra, Elizabeth Malette, Rebecca Ollerton
- Cover art by: Ryan Kelly
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99 (estimated)
- Release date: December 2023 (estimated)
Is It Good?
BUMP #1 hits just the right spot for horror comic lovers who like bite-sized morsels of horror with a clever twist or morbid surprise to get your noodle noodling. What’s unique about this anthology is that each short has the same writer but a different artist, so this anthology could also be considered an artist showcase, which gives prospective creators and publishers a nice opportunity to keep an eye on up-and-coming horror artists.
Joseph S. Farrar’s collection of brief shorts and vignettes covers the gamut of horror themes – from surprise to ironic twists to humor to grief – with equal measure. Every short is generally solid and gives you just a taste of what a larger story could be.
On the whole, there’s not a stinker in the bunch, so horror fans who like flash fiction will enjoy this anthology quite a bit.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
As with all anthology reviews, we touch on each one briefly and highlight what worked or didn’t.
Fear
A film student struggles with writer’s block during a late-night homework assignment about fear. Sadly, the student will get to know fear in a personal way when an intruder enters the room.
Short, sweet, and to the point. Farrar transfers the concept of fear from the protagonist to the reader by letting the reader in on the threat before the student sees it coming. This short would have benefited from more time to build suspense, but it makes the point loud and clear.
Pumpkingirl
A girl with a pumpkin for a head grabs her trusty axe to find a friend on her stroll down the lane. When she finds another girl picking fruit from a tree, a new friend is about to be born.
Wicked, gruesome, and subversive. Farrar’s quick tale, set to a children’s rhyme, is the stuff storybook horrors are made of.
Escape
An unsavory character from a teenage girl’s poster breaks free of her prison while the girl is sleeping. She promises not to hurt the girl… or you… if you promise to turn the page.
Farrar’s twisted take on horror that breaks the 4th wall is surprisingly effective due to the panel compositions from Elizabeth Malette.
Judged
During an annual camping trip, a storyteller promises to deliver the goods for a scary story despite having a lackluster track record. This time the campers will be judged, and no one is immune.
Farrar’s short about judging campers for being good or bad succeeds on the strength of its twist ending, and you probably won’t see the twist coming, which is a positive.
The Night Watchmen
A child who grapples with the dark and nightmares sees a horrifying being when he wakes in the middle of the night. What the child doesn’t know is that there are far worse monsters waiting just out of sight.
Farrar’s concept is good, as he throws readers a red herring in the guise of a monster that terrifies children. However, the twist reveal comes a little too slow, and it loses its impact.
Trust Fall
A girl is urged to take her own life so she can join her ghost friend forever in the afterlife. When the girl loses her nerve at the last minute, she soon learns her ghostly friend is honest but not to be trusted.
Drawn in Manga style, this short is intentionally amusing and captures the black humor that’s so prevalent in Manga stories.
Final Nail
A centuries-old vampire mourns the loss of her lover and swears to put an end to her loneliness for good.
This short is the most poignant and heartfelt of all the other shorts combined. What Farrar’s vignette lacks in a twist or surprise, it makes up for in heart.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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BUMP #1 is an entertaining, effective horror anthology with a collection of flash fiction shorts drawn by an assortment of artists. The worst short is still pretty darn good, so horror fans who like their horror short and sweet will enjoy this anthology.
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