CHAMBER OF TERROR #1 – Review

CHAMBER OF TERROR #1, available from Advent Comics on October 6th, 2021, presents three tales of terror not suitable for the weak of heart or timid of mind. Evil has come a-knockin’.

The Details

• Written By: Tony Kittrell, Gary Goldstein
• Art By: Zipactli Jl
• Colors By: Levy Ramirez
• Letters By: Cristian Docolomansky
• Cover Art By: Rachel Lachance, Cristian Docolomansky
• Cover Price: $2.99
• Release Date: October 6, 2021

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Was It Good?

CHAMBER OF TERROR #1 is a horror anthology dropping just in time for the Halloween season, and we’re always up for a good horror comic. Advent Comics is a new publisher for us, so we jumped at the chance to take a peek at their offerings and give it the reviewer once-over. Does this issue from Advent hold up? Yes. Yes, it does.

To be clear, CHAMBER OF TERROR #1 is not a perfect anthology, but it does have a certain charm with the individual creators putting their guts (*ahem*) into trying to tell the best stories they can. Each story ends in a different state of completion. Some tell a complete story, others complete but leave the door open for more. One story barely tells a full prologue before ending on the obligatory “To Be Continued,” so you may find your satisfaction level varies.

The stories all take a different approach to demonic evil. I was impressed with the sheer diversity in the storytelling and the eclectic mix of tones. However, be warned. This anthology is definitely TV-MA-type material and not suitable for kids.

The extreme variability in story endings may not be to everyone’s taste, but I wouldn’t call that a down point. However, there’s definitely a down point when it comes to art quality. We’ll cover specifics of each story in the next section but the art quality ranges from “pretty good” to “rough indie style”. I want to encourage more creators to do their thing, but some of the artists in this book have some work to do to come up to industry standards.

Overall, this anthology is a strong entree for our first exposure to Advent, and it shows a lot of promise for other Advent titles we have in the queue.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Since this is an anthology, we’ll cover each story briefly and rank them based on what parts worked or didn’t.

Untitled

A young girl is possessed by a demonic entity. Shortly after the possession takes place, a pair of demon hunters race to save the girl before a sect of opposing demons destroy the girl and their enemy along with her.

Easily, this story has the best art of the lot. The action panel composition is excellent, and the lettering used to distinguish otherworldly voices is great. That said, this entry ends abruptly with a “To Be Continued” and acts as an extended prologue rather than a complete story.

Djinn

An unsavory man discovers an abandoned mirror containing a Djinn. In exchange for granting all his darkest desires, the Djinn must first be freed by feeding the mirror human sacrifice. As with nearly all stories involving a dark bargain, the deal always comes with strings attached.

The middle entry in the anthology is also the middle story in terms of ranking. This is the most violent/bloody/gory story in the bunch and the tone exudes murder and madness from start to finish. That said, the ending lacked a twist or dramatic punch.

Lazarus

Detective Lazarus investigates a series of murders with biblical references and a connection to his own past. When the killer is revealed to be choosing his victims for a greater and darker purpose, Det. Lazarus must stop the killer by any means necessary.

In concept, scale, and scope, this is the biggest story of the three. The creators reach all the way back to Biblical times to create a conspiracy thousands of years in the making. It’s a grand story that has tons of future potential. That said, Lazarus is the weakest story in terms of art and, to be blunt, bad lettering. Lettering often gets a pass because it’s best when you don’t notice the lettering at all. Here, you notice the lettering and not in a good way.

Final Thoughts

CHAMBER OF TERROR #1 is a bloody feather in the cap of the 2021 Halloween season. Every entry in this anthology has something interesting to offer, centering on some variation of demonic evil. While the quality varies wildly from story to story, the collection as a whole is worth a look.

Score: 7/10