Greetings ghosts and ghoulies and welcome to The Theatre of Terror the home of horror comic news, reviews, classic comic scans and creepy art from around the world. Just remember, it's not for the nervous!
Hallowscream 2017
Download the epic latest issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Hallowscream 2016
Download the eerie eighth issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Hallowscream 2015
Download the shocking seventh issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Hallowscream 2014
Download the scary sixth issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Hallowscream 2013
Download the frightful fifth issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Hallowscream 2012
The fearsome fourth issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Hallowscream 2011
Download the terrifying third issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Hallowscream 2010
The spooky second issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Hallowscream 2009
The legendary first issue of the Hallowscream horror anthology.
Blackfrairs
Vampires and Vikings clash in this Scream inspired tale by Michael Crouch.
Max’s controller Gwyn has to do the dangerous work for our favourite psychotic computer.
The Thirteenth Floor – Ep 53
The Thirteenth Floor – Ep 52
The Thirteenth Floor – Ep 51
NEW PODCAST: Horror comics have been scaring readers for years. Is there anyone brave enough to sit down with their creators? This is Discussions with Decapitated Dan.
Listen in this week as Dan is joined by Simon Sanchez of Trauma Comics. Simon is here to talk about Kung-Fu Satanist, Nazi Werewolves From Outer Space and so much more!
This show runs for about 37 minutes.
Massive 30 Days of Night sale over on Comixology. Prices have been slashed! Only 2 more days left. Move, now. Now godammit, before it’s too late…aaaarrghhhh
Issue: Dead Reckoning: Contagion issue #2
Writer: Z.M. Thomas
Pencils: Cliff Richards
Publisher: Trepidation Comics
Release Date: January 2012
Pages: 28
Price: $3.99
“With the resurgence of what is believed an evolved strain of the 1918 Spanish Influenza strikes South Eastern Asia, a Chinese pharmaceutical company along with the Epidemic Intelligence Service and CDC are on a race against time to create a cure and prevent a future global pandemic. But when the new vaccine begins to bring the dead of those infected back to life, the military places the entire city of Minneapolis under quarantine.”
If you would like to buy or know more about Dead Reckoning: Contagion please check out http://www.trepidation-comics.com/
Black Magic was a horror anthology comic book series published by Prize Comics from 1950-1961. The series was notable for being packaged by the celebrated creative duo Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, and for its non-gory horror content.
After 50 issues as Black Magic, the title’s numbering continued for three more issues as the humor comic Cool Cat before being canceled.
Those nice folk over in Japan certainly know their horror. The Kaibutsu Ehon (“Illustrated Book of Monsters”) is an 1881 book featuring woodblock prints of yōkai, or creatures from Japanese folklore. Illustrated by painter Nabeta Gyokuei, the book is modeled after the influential works of Toriyama Sekien, an 18th-century scholar and ukiyo-e artist known for his attempt to catalog the many species of yōkai in Japan. Here are a selection of monsters from the book.
Pictures swiped from the clutches of the Pink Tentacle.
Issue: Night of 1,000 Wolves #1
Writer: Bobby Curnow
Artist: Dave Wachter
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 2012
Price: $3.99
“In the Dark Ages, the tranquil life of Harrick Benjyon and his family is shattered by unthinkable tragedy. Before they can react, the family find themselves under seige by hordes of wolves with one aim. Death. A race for survival becomes all the more impossible by the arrival of the supernatural… and the dark secrets that lie at the heart of the Benjyon family. Another classic horror tale from the company that brought you 30 Days of Night and Locke & Key!”
Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
I’ll make this review simple… BUY THIS BOOK! Night of 1,000 Wolves sprints right out of the gate and never slows down. The artwork by Wachter is so consistent on the characters, which leads to some gnarly looking wolves to the drop dead GORE-Geous monster wolf (still not sure if it is a werewolf yet) at the end. He nailed this book. Matter of fact I want a large poster of that final page, it was just so damn awesome. Like I mentioned, the story crafted by Curnow never skips a beat. His pacing is perfect for a first issue. He grabs you by the throat at the start, loosens up a little in the middle just to tease you, and then finishes you off at the end. The dialogue is perfect and the mystery is just beginning to unravel. From the start this is one horrific tale that you will grab you and not let go. I was not expecting this, but I am damn sure glad I got it. Can I have issue #2 now?
Artwork: 5.0 out of 5 • Story: 4.5 out of 5
If you would like to buy or know more about Night of 1,000 Wolves you can find it at http://www.idwpublishing.com
Issue: Frankenstein Alive, Alive! #1
Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Bernie Wrightson
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 2012
Price: $3.99
“Few works by comic-book artists have earned the universal acclaim and reverence that Bernie Wrightson’s illustrated version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein was met with upon its original release in 1983. Nearly 30 years later, Wrightson returns to his passion project with a comic series that picks up at the end of the classic novel, hailed as one of the greatest horror stories of all time. Frequent Wrightson collaborator Steve Niles provides the script for this epic, decades in the making. While appearing to be in black and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art, showing off the exquisitely detailed brush work of one of the greatest living artists in comics today. Each issue will also include supplemental materials, including interviews, essays and a serialization of the original prose story by Shelley.”
Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
Please hold, my eyes are still drooling from these GORE-Geous pages. Wrightson just blew my visual system right out of the back of my head in this first issue of Frankenstein Alive, Alive! #1. Every single panel in this book is a masterpiece, as a matter of fact, think of this issue as a $4 art gallery that you are privileged to take come in and enjoy. The black and white is so crisp and clean, and I don’t recall if I said this yet, but it is GORE-Geous! The story by Niles is so poetic that it moved me. Granted I can’t move far unless a strong gush of wind comes my way, but this story really took a look into the soul of the Monster. I will admit, it did take 2 reads for me to fully catch everything, in terms of the order of the events that were happening, but it just meant I got to enjoy the hell out of this twice. The horror elements seem to be more about internal suffering than anything else, and it works. From the artwork to the story, this book is a winner. It will make you want to go get the first round by Wrightson and read it again, and then you will come back and read this again, until it all becomes one vicious cycle that consumes you. Then you will create your own Monster to do your bidding so you can keep enjoying this over and over again. A MUST BUY!
Artwork: 5.0 out of 5 • Story: 4.5 out of 5
If you would like to buy or know more about Frankenstein Alive, Alive! you can find it at http://www.idwpublishing.com/
Launched last weekend, at London’s Kapow comic-con, British anthology Overload will be a comic to keep your eyes on. Kicking off the series is an exciting story by Gordon Rennie, Emma Beeby and Eoin Coveney being: a zombie critique of modern Coalition Britain. Just check out the glorious zombie Thatcher cover art by Graeme Neil Reid.
She shut the coal mines, privatised every major public utility in the UK, introduced the poll tax, pre-empted the banking crisis and stole the milk from our childrens’ mouths – and now she’s back from the dead to re-take her rightful place as the leader of the country from the weak-minded ConDem coalition.
Also featured in issue #1 is ‘Comort’ written by Dave Cook and Gary Crutchely (2000AD), a short story about the things in life we turn to when the chips are down.
‘Staring Into The Eye Of A Blackbird, You Can See The Things He Likes And The Things He Doesn’t’, written by Martin Hayes with art by Graeme Howard depicts the tale of a lonely young man whose existence disturbed by dreams of a mysterious blackbird that watches his every move… ‘Omen’, written by Geoffrey D. Wessel (Keeper) with art by Steve Penfold (Fallen Heroes)the right-wing media agenda while an alien invasion takes place… Cy Dethan (Cancertown) scripts ‘Open Source’ with art by Aaron Moran in a story about protect something precious by keeping it hidden in plain sight…
While writer Matt Gibbs and James Reekie (The Ballad of Frank Satre) deliver the haunting ‘Otherworld Sailor’ – a tale about ancient religion and a shocking visitation.
Check out this preview selection of pages below. You can almost smell the quality…
Overload is intended to be a regular black and white anthology title showcasing the work of established talent, while introducing some new creators to the comics industry.The brainchild of writer/editor Martin Conaghan (who brought us the fine Burke and Hare), it is, in classic Brit comics fashion, an anthology (using creator owned tales), with Martin explaining the idea is to have a showcase for established and also some incoming writers and artists.
Publishing house Dark Horse are set to release a selection of pre-code golden oldies updated with accurate color restoration, uncoated off-white paper, and an impressive roster of foreword writers.
Amongst this selection stands the amazing Adventures into the Unknown. The title was released in the fall of 1948 by B&I Publishing (later known as American Comics Group) and enjoyed a run of 174 issues for nearly two decades, ceasing publication in August 1967. Though not the first horror comic published (one-shot Eerie Comics of January 1947 holds the distinction), Adventures Into the Unknown was the first horror comic to enjoy regularly scheduled publication.
The comic will feature a series of essays by Bruce Jones, focusing on the long-running horror anthology and the climate that led to the Comics Code Authority. Adventures into the Unknown managed to dodge the mass cull of the 1954 Comics Code Authority due to a focus on ghost stories and spooky goings on rather than rampant canabilism and sexy ladies.
The pre-Code delights found in this anthology include exciting tales such as “The Living Ghost,” “Kill, Puppets, Kill,” “The Affair of Room 1313,” and the ongoing “True Ghosts of History” feature—and contributions from Golden Age greats Fred Guardineer, Al Feldstein, Leonard Starr, Edvard Moritz, and others!
Check out the preview…
Also available in this range: Silver Streak, Crime Does Not Pay, and Forbidden Worlds.
The comics found in these collections are incredibly hard to find, expensive, and full of freewheeling, pre-Code fun (and sometimes viscera). It’s a joy to be able to handle these comics and work on these collections—but a bigger joy comes from being able to bring these stories to new readers and to finally assign credits to some creators who have been uncredited for decades!
said Dark Horse editor Philip Simon.
The comics in these anthologies are seen as revered and influential—but they’ve been impossible to find. Now Dark Horse is making these gems available in affordable collections for discussion, dissection, and inspiration!
Adventures into the Unknown Archives Volume 1 is on sale May 30, 2012.
Silver Streak Archives Featuring the Original Daredevil Volume 1 is on sale June 27, 2012.
Crime Does Not Pay Archives Volume 2 is on sale July 11, 2012.
Forbidden Worlds Archives Volume 1 is on sale December 12, 2012.
Issues: Hoax Hunter’s #1
Writers: Michael Moreci, Steve Seeley
Artist: Axel Medellin, Tim Seeley (c)
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: July 2011
Price: $2.99
“The acclaimed backup begins its own series! A rash of mass animal deaths leads the Hoax Hunters to the Louisiana bayou. What they find is a mystery that harkens to Jack’s past – and a dangerous cryptid bent on revenge!”
Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
There are three things that one can do to easily win me over with a comic book. One of those things is to have the story take place in the Louisiana swamps, and guess what issue did that, Hoax Hunters #1. Spinning out of the back up stories in Hack/Slash, and then being collected into issue #0, we join the team as they embark to solve a mystery in the swamp. No this is not like Scooby Doo, it is better. I openly welcome artist Axel Medellin into the family because he nailed this issue. His panels were consistent and he created one of the most GORE-Geous swamp monsters I have ever seen. Moreci and Seeley are on top of their game with this issue. If you missed the #0 issue you don’t have to worry, because they cover some good back story here. They also move forward with great pacing and some killer mystery that is left to unfold. Hoax Hunters is simply put, a fun read that plays with monster mythos. Hell I could easily just call this the baby of Scooby Doo and Proof. A great first issue and there is still more to come, I mean come on, lets get to the carnival already!
Artwork: 4.5 out of 5 • Story: 4.5 out of 5
If you would like to know more about Hoax Hunters please go to http://www.imagecomics.com/
Dylan Dog was written by Tiziano Sclavi and drawn by Claudio Villa and is widely reconginsed as the most popular comic book in Italian history as well as selling countless copies around the world.
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