To start off the new year, Dark Horse Comics tried to scare the pants off its readers with the seventh installment of ‘Creepy’. For those of you who are unaware, ‘Creepy’, along with its cousin ‘Eerie’, was a popular horror comic series back in the ’60s and ’70s by Warren Publishing, to which Dark Horse Comics recently acquired the rights. If you would like a more detailed explanation on how Dark Horse acquired these series, click here.

Let’s see if ‘Creepy’ has truly risen from the dead or if it was robbed from the grave. When first looking upon ‘Creepy’ #7, we are given menacing, yet beautiful, cover art by Sanjulian, which works to give the readers goosebumps even before they open up to the first page.

The comic really seems to be a staple of classic horror tales from the ’60s and ’70s. It is clear that a lot of thought went into this aspect of the comic, which really inspires nostalgia in those who grew up with it. The comic, itself, is a series of short stories by different artists and is brought together by a ghoulish host named Uncle Creepy.

While having different writers and artists for each story is a great way to keep the comics fresh and unique, there are also vices that can bring down the comic in quality. With this in mind, let us look at the first story of Creeper #7!

‘Mud’ is a very simplistic story. We are introduced to Ronnie, our protagonist who is getting pushed in the mud by the town bully, Jake. We then see Ronnie walking through the woods, venting his anger and demanding revenge. In typical horror flare, a monster of vengeance comes to his aid. Overall, this chapter has some classic horror themes.

My biggest gripe about it would be the art design. The details are nice, and the style is gritty. In a few panels, however, I found the noir style intolerable due to the amount of action that was occurring. This made certain panels hard to see and left me sitting there jumping between panels. The chapter was good, but on its own, it would not further the comic’s appeal.

‘The Shroud’ is a chapter filled with stereotypical characters, a foreseeable plot, and an “I saw that coming” ending. These factors make a very entertaining trip through the classic horror story. Our protagonist is Steven, an overconfident man who rushes into things (which usually turns out for the worst).

In the story, he finds himself at a storage site, cleaning out the inventory. His wife, Sherry, is very cautious and always disagrees with her husband’s plans, but still tags along. It was there that they find a mysterious textile  for which people would pay handsomely, and others would kill to get their hands on. Its gritty style brings this chapter to life and is another classic pulled straight from the past.

‘Bloodsuckers’ is Creepy’s version of the modern vampire. Taking place in a swamp town, an angry southern sheriff discredits the citizens’ fear of vampire attacks while an election-weary mayor exploits them for votes. The story is your typical cat-and-mouse game, but takes an interesting twist when murders include both human and vampire victims. This chapter had a really nice twist at the end, which makes this one of the best stories.

The ‘Ultimate High’ was mainly filler and the weakest chapter of the comic. The moral of the story is nothing more than another adaptation of ‘Reefer Madness’. The final story seems to come straight out of the ‘Twilight Zone’. ‘Deep Ruby’ offers a mind-blowing experience filled with bizarre and amazing visuals, where the lack of a true story is forgotten as you are taken on a short, yet amazing, ride from beginning to end.

A final thought on Creepy #7, though, is that the comic is a hit-and-miss. Most of the stories are good with a few exceptions that I found extremely irritating. I felt that ‘The Ultimate High’ was out of place and did not add anything to the volume. Everything else was solid, and the short story format makes it easy to pick up at any volume. It is a must-read if you are a fan of ’70s and ’80s horror. If not, then this will probably not interest you. 7/10

Creepy #7 comes out January 25.

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