Admittedly, we don’t do as many horror comic reviews as we should. Horror anthologies are fan favorites, whether it be film, book or comic. I think it is due to the fact each story is different and more than likely within each story we may find something to our liking. There tends to be something for everyone within the pages or reels of a good horror anthology.
I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the latest edition of the ever growing library from Philbo Entertainment. This a comic that kind of takes you back to the EC comics days and the cover defiantly will give you vibes of old horror comics, Creepshow and such, but we get a much updated view through the story telling. I’ll get into my short review momentarily, yes I will keep it short, I’ve had the opportunity to read all five stories, I just don’t want to spoil anything for any potential readers. This comic is over 140 pages and funding on Kickstarter. If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, it is a crowdfunding source to help projects come to life with your help. Diary of Dread will launch live on Kickstarter October 31st and you can pre-order your copy in color or black and white. Click here for more info or to support Indie comics. You know we here at The Horror Syndicate absolutely support Indie filmmaking, well, as a Indie comic publisher, you know we support Indie comics as well. So, please talk a moment and consider supporting Diary of Dread on Kickstarter.
As I said there are five different stories and each are in-fact different. After reading each I had this moment where I immediately wanted to talk about each story with a friend, knowing I am likely one of few who have had the opportunity to read Diary of Dread, I had to kind of sit on my thoughts. But, each story gave me that smile I can only get from watching or reading a horror story that just, gets me. Whether its good twist, good gore or even just a thought provoking story, all five had me rubbing my chin thinking, “damn, this good stuff”. I’ve read Phillip Russert’s Tragedy comics, which are more inline with the superhero genre and believe me, those are my favorite comics and Tragedy is gooood! Yes, I needed those extra “o”s, but I think Diary of Dread is some of Phil’s best work. He may have found something deep inside, his dark heart of horror, if you will. All five stories are damn good and will keep you wondering what in the hell is going on and how in the hell is this going to end.
I’ve mentioned there are five different stories, Diary of Dread begins with “39 Cedar Lane” and follows the friendship of an elderly woman and a young boy who she has befriended. Next, and possibly my favorite, “Mangle“, we see a Detective investigating horrific crimes and he is at the end of his rope. In story three, “Malevolent“, it is a nice change of pace, but is it really? A woman seeking true love? Not what you’d expect. In “Rigor Mortis” a college professor trying to teach his students to the best of his ability, but are they listening? Finally we get to the finale, “Ashes to Ashes“, lets just say, this one deals with some real world horror and could be terrifying even if not related to a horror comic.
Not only are the stories very good and entertaining, the art is superb, from the illustrations, to colors and letters(very important). Phil Russert wrote every story but he also brought in some great talent to help bring these stories to life. The talents of Alex Sabaria (pencils), Rod Rodolfo (pencils/inks), Richardo Silva (pencils), Gary Jirout (inks), Febri Ferdian (colors), Antonio Diaz (colors) and Jason Meadows (letters) are all on full display in this antholody. The art within the book helps set the tone of Phil’s story and I gotta say, the dialogue is top notch in Diary of Dread. I’ve read so many Indic comics over the past 10 years and the dialogue is so tight in this book, you can almost hear the voices in your head, or maybe…there is something wrong with me.
I think anyone who loves horror comics would be impressed with this anthology. Is there something for everyone? Yeah, I think there is. The one thing about Diary of Dread, while it does have supernatural stories, they’re told in real world environments that you may be able to relate to one of the stories in some way or another, that makes them all the more terrifying. Give it shot, head over to Kickstarter, get notified, pre-order your copy, these are not really short stories, over 140 pages of content gives you about an average of 25 to 28 pages per story. Check it out here!
