EPIC OF DARKNESS #1, from Rainy Road Comics on Kickstarter, delivers six short stories of adult horror to get your blood pumping and stomach churning.
The Details
- Written by: Michael T. Gonzalez
- Art by: Giuseppe Vitti, Olan Orig, Ricardo Alves, Joaquin Guerra, Gilliard Goulart, Brian Azcurra
- Colors by: Jason Payne, Adriel Dalla Vecchia
- Letters by: Michael T. Gonzalez
- Cover art by: Brian Azcurra, Adriel Dalla Vecchia
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $8.00
- Release date: December 2022 (estimated)
Is It Good?
EPIC OF DARKNESS #1 sets the stage for Michael T. Gonzalez’s talents as a horror, employing multiple artists to bring each short (or chapter) to life in gory detail. True to form, anthologies have a reputation for containing some hits, some misses, and a few in between. Thankfully, this anthology is more hit than miss, so you’re bound to find something here you like.
In fairness, EPIC OF DARKNESS #1 is billed as a horror anthology, but at least two stories fall into the fantasy or urban fantasy category, and one short defies categorization. While the lack of consistent horror would normally be a down point in a horror anthology, in this case, the twist in genre variety feels like a welcome change of pace.
Considering the volume of content and quality of content, you get more than your money’s worth for the cover price, so check it out.
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 our anthology reviews, we’ll cover each short briefly and highlight what did or didn’t work.
A Little Off The Top
In this silent short, a man enters an unusual barber shop where the next customer’s cut from the robot barber gets a little too close and much too bloody than he would like. When the man tries to escape his barber chair, he soon learns that getting what you want is not always what’s best.
File this one under “mundane scene turns out different than you expected.” The twist is clever, the art is super gory, and the story comes across loud and clear despite the complete lack of dialog or narration.
Rekt
Trey and his friends enjoy drinking and partying as they cruise around town after Prom. When Trey’s reckless driving causes an accident that threatens his future, running from your problems may be the worst decision Trey could have made.
Morality tales are the bread & butter of horror stories, and this one adds a surprising amount of mat to your story sandwich. The story is well-fleshed-out, the action is energetic and gory, and the ending would make this a perfect Tales From the Crypt episode. The minor down point of this short is the odd color choices and flat color application.
Grave (Part One)
Wicked Prince Theobold employs dark magic and unsavory beasts to hunt down his betrothed bride, who ran off with her true love. When the Prince’s forces run afoul of an exiled woodsman, the Prince will soon learn it’s not nice to cross a former warrior.
Gonzalez has the makings of a fast start to an epic sword & sorcery adventure. The setup makes sense, and the woodsman is mysterious enough to get you to want to know more. The down point of this short is Ricardo Alves’s odd (somewhat sloppy) art composition and choreography. In several panels, it was tough to tell what was going on.
Roketto-Man (Part One)
An overweight, nerdy cosplayer enjoys a day of pictures and attention dressed as Roketto-Man during a ComicCon. When he makes it back to his hotel room, Roketto-Man catches the eye of the gorgeous woman entering the next room, leading to a night Roketto-Man will never forget.
This short is marked as a “part one,” and it certainly is because there’s nothing remotely scary about it. On the contrary, Roketto-Man appears to be in for the best night of his life. Therefore, the setup is unexpected, but there’s no hint as to where it’s headed or to keep you curious… unless you happen to be a voyeur.
King Dead Jed
A town is completely enamored with the local Internet provider’s 8G technology until they learn it causes blinding headaches… and raises zombies. When the zombie swarm reaches the big event, a local wrestling match, get ready for a tag team match you won’t believe.
The setup is very sparse, but this short is easily the most amusing of the bunch. Gonzalez employs a sharp wit with the dialog for a zombie/wrestling matchup you never knew existed. This is the short that could easily be spun up into a one-shot or a themed anthology.
Fallen Angel (Part One)
A fallen angel who spends her time on Earth as a brutal dominatrix seeks out the meeting place of a clan of pigmen for some dark purpose.
Intriguing. This short is the most intriguing of the bunch for its unusual twist on Biblical themes set in an urban fantasy context. This is the second short that could easily work its way into a one-shot or mini-series.
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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EPIC OF DARKNESS #1 is a versatile, largely excellent horror anthology showcasing Michael T. Gonzalez’s writing talents paired with a team of artists. Some shorts are better than others, but there’s bound to be something in here for the average horror lover to like.
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