Written and Illustrated
by Jay Stephens
Published by Oni Press
Horror comics have been around for about 75 years.
Like horror movies they thrill and chill us and the best of them offer windows into the darker parts of our souls.
The horror comics boom of the early 1950s was started by the almost unexpected success of William M. Gaines’ line of New Trend EC Comics—Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, and The Haunt of Fear. The stories in those comics were classic twist ending-style tales highlighted by the work of arguably the best comics artists ever at one company at one time.
It makes sense that more than a dozen other publishers jumped on the horror comics bandwagon.
Some, like Atlas (the future Marvel) and Harvey turned out some well-drawn lurid product, but most of the other publishers just cranked ‘em out, often with substandard printing to match their substandard art and stories.
Then came the anti-comics backlash of the 1950s, with Senate Hearings and the creation of the Comics Code Authority essentially ending horror comics…for a time.
Almost by definition, horror comics could never be held to a grave and from time to time they began to slowly return to the stands, again with impressive artwork from the likes of James Warren’s Creepy and Vampirella, and stomach-curdling bloodletting from the likes of Myron Fass’s ultra-cheap Eerie Publications.
Since those mags flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, there have been some very original and nightmare-inducing takes on the genre such as Stephen Bissette’s Taboo and the environmental horrors of Last Gasp’s Slow Death Funnies. But those are the exceptions. Mostly, every few years someone tries to re-create, reboot, or revive either EC or Warren, to widely varying degrees of success.
Now comes something truly unique and truly scary—Dwellings! Canadian comics creator Jay Stephens has created a series of interlocking stories set in a small, seemingly idyllic town called Elwich.
What truly sets Dwellings apart from other modern horror comics, though is that it’s drawn in a simplistic, ultra-cutesy style reminiscent of the art of Richie Rich or Little Lulu. Like some of Ed Piskor’s comics, even the pages seem artificially aged with occasional creases and such and the art itself shows a type of…I guess one would call it color texture, that I’m not sure how was pulled off.
The Dwellings collection at hand, from Oni Press, collects a number of comics originally published separately. As such, we get along with their main stories the great covers (and variants in the back), a running single page black and white “humor” strip, and a continuing series of very detailed faux ads, all of which should not be skipped as they themselves add to the horror in ways that become more apparent as the reader reads along.
What are the stories about, you ask? Well, this is one of those books where the less you know, the more likely you are to appreciate the jump scares…and there ARE jump scares. There are also ghosts, a missing girl, creepy children, a volent hand puppet, a haunted house, demons, and lots of just flat-out murder…including a murder of crows.
Jay Stephens’ Dwellings surprised me. It looks colorful and fun. I think I expected an amusing novelty parody of children’s comics but instead I read a riveting, intelligent, and very adult—hardcore language included throughout, as well—collection that to me rivals the best horror comics since the heady days of the Crypt Keeper and his rotting pals.
If you offend easily, stay away. If you’re an EC Fan-Addict or a Warren junkie, you need to be reading Dwellings. Warning: Nightmares may follow.
Booksteve recommends.
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