Review – Shadows On the Grave #1

Shadows On The Grave #1 – 
Dark Horse Comics
 
Written by Richard Corben
Art by Richard Corben
 
Nostalgia is not hard to come by these days in most genres.  Want a World War II epic?  There seems to be a  new one at your finger tips at least one a year.  The list goes on and on, except when it comes to the horror genre.  The Tales From the Crypt revival is coming to TV, but what about in the comics world?  Dark Horse takes aim at just that kind of vibe in this new series, Shadows On The Grave by former Eisner Award winner, Richard Corben.
 
The first thing that caught my attention was the narration (you actually get introduced to both narrators in the beginning of the book), and the fact that we are getting FOUR mini-stories.  The first is about a strange puppet master, the next about a vacation gone wrong, another about a combative married couple and finally a story about an ancient land of kings.  Each story is unique and creepy in it’s own way, with a few of them leaving you feeling very uneasy throughout.  It’s actually a compliment for me to say that there are a couple of specific things in these stories that I really hope I forget before I fall asleep tonight.  The last story looks like it may actually be continued, so I will be very interested to see how the second issue is structured.
 
To me, this issue seems very much like an old school horror feature you’d find at an old cinema.  Pay for your ticket, get several shows and creep yourself our for a few hours.  Whether you’re a fan of a Tales From the Crypt style, something like Twilight Zone or even an old radio horror drama, this book seems to have it all.  There is also a very specific detail about the art that I won’t spoil, only because I’m curious how other readers will react to it.  As for the art, even though Corben draws the whole book himself, he gives each story it’s own unique style of art to go with the setting.  Every detail has been crafted out here by Corben, and it shows you why he is a past Eisner winner.  Without a major focus on gore and guts, this book is the kind of horror that is just missing in the genre right now.  I hope this keeps up the trend that the first issue has started.
 
RATING:  PULL / BUY