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Hello Darkness Issue 1 tries to Capture that Comic Magazine Feeling
Published by BOOM! Studios, Hello Darkness is a comic book anthology reminiscent of the days where comic book magazines ruled the ecosphere of comic books, supermarkets, newsagents and wherever else you could get your filthy hands on them. This time, however, editor of the series, Bryce Carlson, tells us at the end of the issue this isn’t a series trying to reinvigorate the anthology format. Nor is it a hard launch of BOOM! Studios going all things anthology (though, that would be amazing!). It’s the idea that short dark horror stories which never had place or didn’t fit into the comic book published stories of the now can finally find a home somewhere.
In the first issue of ‘Hello Darkness’ you’ll find something familiar, something nostalgic and something twisted, all told through the modern lense of storytelling. And without further ado and, in My Kind Of Weird fashion, here’s why you should read ‘Hello Darkness’ Issue 1.
Story 1: 'Contagion'
Made up of 7 pages, Hello Darkness opens with ‘Contagion.’ Written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle, illustrated by Letizia Cadonici, colored by Alessandro Santoro and lettered by Becca Carey, Contagion draws us into the world of Glenbury, Ohio where the kids are killing off their parents. Told through the eyes of newcomer to the town, Charlie, who doesn’t understand what’s going on around her but eventually gets consumed by the blood-letting in a fashion that plays on the idea of a pandemic via notes passed in class. Doyle’s writing is just as haunting as Cadonici’s drawing is terrifying. This 8 pager has Village of the Damned vibes if director John Carpenter had instead worked on Stand By Me.
Story 2: 'Stay In Your Lane'
Next up is ‘Stay In Your Lane’ which is about the worst day a bowling alley can ever have. Written by Dave Cook, art by David Cousens, colors by Angel de Santiago and lettering by Nathan Kempf, Contagion shows us how toxic masculinity can manifest itself into unchecked rage. This short is told through the eyes of a bowling alley employee who witnesses a regular bowler, Old Dan, go berserk when an agent for the bowling pros wants to sign a younger bowler who, in his eyes, has never worked for anything in his life, is getting a handout, yada yada. All the usual boomer tripe that gets spun in the comments section of the Daily Mail - is Old Dan’s personality.
A personality that snaps until he’s finally stopped by a bowling alley employee and narrator of the story which has shades of the grinder scene in ‘Wrong Turn 2.’ The characterisation of Old Dan is superb, thanks to Cook, while Cousens artwork has almost surrealistic slasher qualities - making this a timeless tale. Verbal handjobs aside, Santiago’s coloring makes this 6 pager pop and Kempf’s lettering is a great navigator in this Maniac Bowler Slasher Story. The 80s called and it approves of this short!
Story 3: 'A Monster Walks Into a Bar'
Onwards to this Something Is Killing the Children adjacent story called ‘A Monster Walks Into a Bar.’ Written by James Tynion IV, illustrated by Werther Dell’Edera, colored by Miquel Meurto and lettered by Andworld Design, A Monster Walks Into a Bar Part 1 has the usual trappings of an Erica Slaughter story. Dell’Edera’s artwork is unique and Tynion’s writing is very typical of what you’ve come to expect - but Miquel’s coloring delves into Neo-noir inspired lighting which leaves a suitable mood on every page.
As the bartender tells stories of children going missing and Erica sits there listening we get the feeling she’s stumbled into the aftermath of something big. It’s hard to critique part one of a story which has barely explored the first act of its own narrative but if you’re a Something Is Killing The Children fanatic then this short story will leave you begging for more.
Story 4: 'The Siren'
Next up is three-pager, ‘The Siren,’ which is written, drawn and colored by cartoonist Sarah Andersen. Who you may have heard of due to the wildly successful FANGS and Sarah’s Scribbles comics. So it’s an incredible privilege for BOOM! Studios to bring Andersen into this mix of creators. The result being this creepy haunting of a lighthouse keeper being harassed by a mythical siren who decides to head to land in search of him. It’s this creepy dark fairy tale which has the usual goth girl vibes of Andersen’s earlier work.
Story 5: 'The Foster'
We’ve now turned the corner and things are about to get really strange in ‘The Foster.’ A short that bizarrely features a young man who’s had a hand grafted onto his torso for when the hand will eventually be needed for an amputee. ‘The Foster’ ponders the question that maybe there is a lot of unrequited jealously to be had when all the attention he’s suddenly getting is the hand and not him. You feel the emptiness the protagonist feels. The shallow vanity is amplified to a whole 'nother level thanks to A.L. Kaplan’s artwork.
The scene involving the night club has a cinematic draw to it as it feels like one of those scenes where time itself slows down and all you can hear is the heartbeat of the characters themselves. Thankfully, the surrealism doesn’t take over the tempo of the story nor does it slow it down. If anything, it continues on a steady pace as Steve Orlando’s writing preps you for a bloody ending.
Story 6: 'The War, Part One'
On the other hand, Garth Ennis and Becky Cloonan’s ‘The War, Part One’ takes you down a conspiracy theorists wet dream as a group of friends get together and, after dinner and drinks, ponder the escalating political upheaval and potential upcoming war. Subject matter that is typically Ennis, who is a writer that has tackled many subject matter around wartime, whether it’s 2000 A.D.’s Rogue Trooper or the covert militarism played out in ‘The Boys.’
Although this tackles wartime from the philosophical standpoint as friends argue which country would likely be the first target. As they do so, Cloonan’s illustration captures the tired, sullenness of a generation woefully under siege in a world which grows darker by the hour. Rightfully, this short claims its place in this anthology and leaves a haunting bitterness in the reader’s mouth. One that’ll demand the purchase of the next issue.
Is 'Hello Darkness' My Kind of Weird?
All in all, ‘Hello Darkness’ does what all good anthologies should do: pick a theme and then approach that theme from many different angles. Angles that have proven that darkness can take on many different forms. ‘The Foster’ has my pick as the standout story with ‘Contagion’ a close second, narrowly missing out with ‘Stay in Your Lane’ being a third. All in all, Hello Darkness tries to capture that comic magazine nostalgia feeling but falls short. Giving this anthology a 7.5 out of 10.
