u/ConstantVarious2082

When I Arrived at the Castle by E M Carroll, published by Silver Sprocket

Summary: A young woman ventures to the foreboding castle of the Countess to kill her. She is welcomed in, and as she is slowly seduced by the Countess, the horror within begins to reveal itself. She ventures deeper in a progressively more surreal and scarier horror adventure, as the stories of those who have come before her build out an eerie fairy-tale-like history for the Countess and her castle.

Why I think it’s great: I think the pace of descent-into-deep-horror is really well done, and Carroll controls the rate at which this ramps up really well through varied page structure and some slower multi-page moments. The color is fantastic – the comic is mostly black and white with an incredibly vibrant red used for accents that bursts out in the key moments for some deeply blood-drenched pages. I think this is an artistic masterpiece, and a well-told unsettling vibey-horror story to go on top.

You might not like it if: There are some prose-heavy moments that, while I like for the control over the pace of horror buildup, do break things up. That fairy-tale-esque background never fully resolves – what is real and what is myth and who really are the characters and how do they blend with these stories? I find that unsettling lack of resolution adds to the surreal horror vibe, but one could be a little disappointed. If you’re looking for straight vampire horror, while this has some great moments, there’s that erotic part of this book that might not be what some people want.

What you should read next: For more black-and-white-and-red vampires, Ex. Mag Volume 5, from Peow2, is an anthology of vampire stories in a similar limited color palette and includes a few high-quality thematically similar stories. Another comic from Silver Sprocket that has really similar vibes, artistically and thematically, is Flo Woolley’s Skin Deep. I was underwhelmed initially by Carroll’s A Guest in the House story-wise, but want to revisit it and certainly can appreciate the similar way that vibrant color is used in the dream sequences, and I’ve never read their collection Through the Woods. There’s also Rosemary Valero O’Connell’s illustrated edition of Carmilla, basically the original lesbian vampire story, which is not a comic but it’s got absolutely incredible illustrations from a comics star so I’ll throw it out there.

Previous Entries: Algernon Blackwood's The Willows, Coda, Mabel & Francine, Porcelain, We Don't Kill Spiders, The Bus, The Thousand Demon Tree, Harrow County, The Book of Murmurs, Fellspyre Chronicles

Heavy Metal is... having a time of things. Issue 5 was delayed, communication was bad, no shipping notification was given, their recent Kickstarter had unbearable shipping costs, communication was bad again, subscription timing and pricing changed, it's unclear what's going to happen in the future, communication is still bad. BUT despite all that, I finally got my Issue #5 hardcover in the mail, and it's actually got some great content!

This issue has a few ongoings that have been a part of the reboot from the beginning - Gladiatrix and Millstone both in the hyper-violent vein of Heavy Metal fantasy, and both continuing to be solid. I'd happily pick up a collected edition of those when they wrap up. Cold Dead War, a supernatural zombie thriller with Nazis, wrapped up in this issue, which I'm fine with - it has been fairly unremarkable. Ink is continuing on, but that's another that I find to be merely fine.

What's new is a few translated sci-fi stories that seem really promising - Thellus, a seemingly post-apocalyptic wasteland adventure with dinosaurs, and Noir Horizon, throwing body horror, cyberpunk and classic space sci-fi, and Suicide Squad into a blender. I'm really looking forward to these continuing, and to similar ones they pick up in future issues, assuming this is a new editorial direction.

There were a fun set of short stories, but maybe a little thematically limited - I felt like there were 4 or 5 "dystopian future of AI and robots and corporate overlords", which gets a little old in one issue. Steel Beat was a fun one about breakdancing robots, with some riotous colorful moments. Blue Angel was artistically a standout from the others, I think. Shintaro Kago makes an appearance with a short and predictably weird horrifying descent into madness that plays with frames and images and text really creatively - and it's merely "graphic". The Bus is in the strips section at the back, always the best one-third-of-a-page in the issue.

I wish I could recommend subscribing, but I really can't. This is a killer set of stories, and I think the way they've settled into "mature, and only sometimes over-the-top, sci-fi and fantasy" instead of "performative excess for the sake of shock value" is great. Go editors. The company and magazine model is a mess and I just give up on hoping for my deliveries, just get a pleasant surprise when they show up. Do with all that what you will - maybe just go pick it up at your local store if they get it, a month before all the subscribers do.

The Fellspyre Chronicles by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Riccardo Federici, published by DC Black Label

Summary: Two parties of heroes, thirty years apart, confront the same evil, the Last God. Told in two timelines, we learn what happened to the first party and the mistakes they made as the second tries to set things right. It’s got classic fantasy tropes of adventuring parties and spins on elves and dwarves and wizards, with a grimdark overhang and some true body horror in the undead armies our heroes battle against. While I believe it was originally published as The Last God, new printings and DC’s online version have it as The Fellspyre Chronicles: Book 1 (there is no book 2).

Why I think it’s great: It’s, to me, absolutely peak dark fantasy epic. There’s fantastic worldbuilding, with prose interludes between each chapter that add a ton of flavor to the world, and helps avoid too much expository dialog in the comic. The quest is suitably epic in stakes and scale, and I think the parallels and pacing of the two timelines go very well – the time and scene shifts complement each other great. The body horror is very creepy, the magic is epic in scale and wonder, and the action is very dynamic. We get character variety and growth that doesn’t feel just shoehorned in. I think there’s nothing that isn’t executed really well.

You might not like it if: I think the art works really well, but there’s nothing that specifically stands out as spectacular to me, and maybe occasionally some of the faces are just a touch overexaggerated. Fundamentally it’s not wildly inventive or groundbreaking storytelling – incredibly well-executed, but you can kind of slot in a lot of generic fantasy expectations and see where things are going to fit. It gets dark, thematically, with all the traumas and unpleasantries you could expect in a fantasy story, so just know that going in.

What you should read next: “Dark Fantasy Epic” is reasonably well trod as a genre, but I’d first recommend Julien Blondel’s recent Elric adaptations (there are a lot of Elric books, and I haven’t read them all, but can heartily recommend Blondel’s of which I believe 5 are currently published in English) – they step up the grimdarkness even more that Fellspyre but are excellent epics with great art. Out of print in English, but not terribly difficult to find second-hand when I’ve checked, is Tales of the Dragon Guard, which is a really solid anthology (6 issues available in English, of like 30-something French albums) of dark fantasy stories with body horror and epic dragon battles. Darkly She Goes is a more contained kind of dark spin on fairy tale “princess locked in a tower”, with Hubert’s standard the-patriarchy-is-the-real-bad-guy themes and some excellent art from Mallié.

Previous Entries: Algernon Blackwood's The Willows, Coda, Mabel & Francine, Porcelain, We Don't Kill Spiders, The Bus, The Thousand Demon Tree, Harrow County, The Book of Murmurs

The Book of Murmurs by Candice Purwin, published by Fantagraphics

Summary: After her parents are killed by the mysterious Shenk, Little Moon journeys into another world in pursuit of her lost book of murmurs. Between giants, mapmakers, and a world haunted by the inconsistencies of magic, she has to figure out who to trust, how to figure out who she really is, and how her history and that of the Shenk intertwine. Bouncing between Little Moon’s story, illustrated in color, and the black-and-white interludes that build the mythology of the setting.

Why I think it’s great: It’s a wonderful mix of magic and mystery as the world unfolds – The Fault, The Undertow, The Wandering Haar, giants and goblins and the catwitch, all building a rich and continuously expanding mythology. There’s repetitive themes and imagery that support that interconnected stories really well. Purwin uses a wide variety of page structures and backgrounds to keep every new moment fresh visually as well as bringing in new depth to the world and story. I love the color palette and texture, and the use of black-and-white interludes. This is my favorite release of 2026 so far.

You might not like it if: There’s a degree of meandering and incompleteness – as the world expands, the story doesn’t always necessarily “make progress”, and despite the rich folklore built through the interludes, there’s still plenty that is not fully explained or explored. I think this is a book that probably benefits from reading slower and maybe even flipping back to previous chapters as you go, and that’s not everyone’s style.

What you should read next: I definitely feel there’s a lot of similarity with Juni Ba’s The Fables of Erlking Wood – magical worlds with deep folklore, somewhat non-linear narratives, journeys of self-discovery, and gorgeous art. Both are also quite nice physical books too. Rusalka by Kamila Krol is out of print (as far as I’m aware) but if you can find a copy it’s another great folklore-heavy self-discovery story, maybe a little less narratively complex, and wonderfully illustrated.

Previous Entries: Algernon Blackwood's The Willows, Coda, Mabel & Francine, Porcelain, We Don't Kill Spiders, The Bus, The Thousand Demon Tree, Harrow County

Harrow County by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook, published by Dark Horse

Summary: In a quiet Southern town, the witch Hester Beck was burned alive and swore to return for her revenge. Years later, Emmy Crawford begins to awaken magical powers and discovers she is Hester returned – but decides to do good and protect the town from the haints and spirits in the woods around, aided by her friend Bernice and the loyal Skinless Boy. As the series goes, the stakes raise and the wider world of magicians closes in.

Why I think it’s great: It’s immaculate Southern horror, with swamps and thorns and haints. Bunn builds out slowly, letting the tension between Emmy and the skeptical townsfolk take its star moments against the much broader in-and-out antagonists. She’s a compelling character surrounded by an equally compelling supporting cast. I love Crook’s art, which is distinctive, suits the setting and mood perfectly, and works equally well for the pastoral setting shots and the blood-drenched horror moments.

You might not like it if: It might be a little slow for some people, taking its time to build out. I think it sticks pretty close to a modest set of haints and magic – rather than go totally wild on a new horror-of-the-week that let Crook flex every creative muscle and give us wildly creepy stuff, there’s a rather restrained set of spirits, so I think someone could be left wanting more.

What you should read next: There’s more from this team, including a sequel series Tales from Harrow County (which I haven’t read yet). I was a little disappointed by Manor Black, but it probably suffers from comparison to this complete work and I don’t think it’s bad, just not as good as Harrow County. Cullen Bunn is prolific, the best other work I’ve read of his is The Sixth Gun (which does feature Crook as a guest artist) – I’m only about halfway through but have heard really good things about the story maintaining quality throughout. Tyler Crook’s solo The Lonesome Hunters keeps a similar feeling mixing found-family, folklore-feeling spirits, and expanding scale, but maybe slightly less horror, and while I’m not sure it’s ever going to be finished, what’s published is solid. For another Southern horror, I can’t recommend Alabaster: Wolves enough (Caitlin Kiernan is an award-winning novelist in addition to an experienced comic author, and the storytelling is excellent), and although it’s out of print I’ve seen it pretty accessible in the general used market.

Previous Entries: Algernon Blackwood's The Willows, Coda, Mabel & Francine, Porcelain, We Don't Kill Spiders, The Bus, The Thousand Demon Tree

The Thousand Demon Tree by Jeffrey Alan Love, published by Flesk Publications

Summary: A man is goaded into a heroic quest by a sword and crows. As he journeys, he transforms and becomes more and more terrifying – but will it be enough to allow him to defeat the Thousand Demon Tree? This is a silent story illustrated mostly in black-and-white, although some color comes in towards the second half of the book.

Why I think it’s great: It tells a story quite well without words, but it’s absolutely dripping with mood – there’s a “resigned terrible fate” overhang that is palpable, and I think it takes great skill to convey that. I think the large scenes and scale built over sometimes multiple pages really contribute to that feeling. I love the art, and the incredible variety of textures within the black-and-white. While it’s generally light on detail, the way it’s built within texture is pretty impressive.

You might not like it if: It’s a very specific art style that I personally like, but the breadth of texture coming at expense of giving us many character-driven moments through faces could definitely not work for some people. While the story proceeds pretty clearly, it leaves a lot of setting that would normally be built with dialog or narration to the imagination and could feel “vague” if you like having a more thoroughly realized world.

What you should read next: Love’s The Last Battle at the End of the World is similarly moody and in his characteristic art style, although it does feature some dialog. That’s also great. I think The Ark (by Stephane Levallois) is another really good book that, while artistically very different, might be a good next one after this for a similar emotional feel of kind of doomed inevitability and gradual exploration.

Previous Entries: Algernon Blackwood's The Willows, Coda, Mabel & Francine, Porcelain, We Don't Kill Spiders, The Bus

The Bus by Paul Kirchner

Summary: Surreal silent black-and-white comic strips. A man waits at a bus stop, or boards the bus, and something gets… weird. These play with perspective, movement, and basic passenger etiquette, rendered in clean black-and-white linework.

Why I think it’s great: It uses the medium so well, with great beats between panels, and moving between perspectives by shifting foreground, background, and interior details. There’s tremendous variety from wildly surreal situations to truly bus-centric humor – and I never could have imagined laughing at something correctly described as “bus-centric humor”. It’s honestly impressive how well Kirchner squeezes something new and clever out of such a narrow premise in each strip.

You might not like it if: It’s a collection of single-page strips. Want a story, characters, continuity? This isn’t it. That being said, this is a great opportunity to try something new – and you can do so free online at https://www.tanibis.net/en/livres/the-bus/ebook/

What you should read next: In my mind, The Bus is in a league of its own, quality-wise. Some of the best pages in Cheat Sheets hit near the highs, but it’s a much less consistent collection. 20 km/h has some similar vibes and surreal perspective-warping strips, but without the conceptual constraint that I think makes The Bus particularly noteworthy. If the perspective-warping is your favorite part, I think Mister Invincible is a fun light-hearted comic playing more directly on comic structures. Beyond those, there’s certainly a variety of great classic strips that can veer surreal with high-quality cartooning – Krazy Kat, Little Nemo in Slumberland, and more. There are more recommendations from when I asked this question before and I haven’t had the chance to go through them all, but check them out.

Previous Entries: Algernon Blackwood's The Willows, Coda, Mabel & Francine, Porcelain, We Don't Kill Spiders

We Don’t Kill Spiders by Joseph Schmalke, published by Midnight Factory Press

Summary: Gumshoe-noir meets fantasy Vikings as a viking detective is called to a village to investigate several mysterious deaths, with the clear suspect the witch who lives outside the village. The investigation begets deeper mysteries and brings the attention of dark gods…

Why I think it’s great: This premise is played very well. There’s a wonderful incongruity of the trope of “I’m a man of LOGIC and REASON not SUPERSTITION” followed by zombies and werewolves and soul-eating magic. Schmalke keeps a great pace building the characters and stakes with reasonably spaced flashbacks, action, and dialog. It’s really solid execution of a nice set of standard story beats and themes in a fun setting. The art is pretty stylized but we get appropriately gruesome dark moments and some really nasty demons. A wide variety of color washed across pages keeps things interesting.

You might not like it if: Fundamentally, the mystery is not “deeply rewarding” in the sense of something the reader can endlessly puzzle over – it’s a vehicle for a fun story, but the twists don’t come out as ultra-creative in my opinion. So, the “mystery” premise could be a little bit of a let down if you really are in it for that genre. Art’s always a personal preference, there’s a snow/spatter effect used pretty liberally and I know that can really not work for some people.

What you should read next: There’s a follow-up in progress (Season of the Witch), although I’m not up to date on that, and I definitely also recommend Schmalke’s ongoing “grimdark Harry Potter” series Seven Years in Darkness which keeps a similar tone and art style. A very similar noir/viking-fantasy mashup premise appears in one of the Sirens of the Norse Sea collections from Humanoids, so if that really tickled your fancy you can get it again played a little straighter and in more classic BD art style, although I liked We Don’t Kill Spiders much more.

Previous Entries: Algernon Blackwood's The Willows, Coda, Mabel & Francine, Porcelain