Creepshow #1 brings the hit Shudder series to comics with two creepy stories. The first issue brings us a terrifying lesson for trick or treaters, and Shingo the birthday clown who has a taste for more than cake. ‘Take One’ is written and illustrated by Chris Burnham, coloured by Adriano Lucas and lettered by Pat Brosseau. ‘Shingo’ is co-written by Paul Dini and Stephen Langford, illustrated by John McCrea, coloured by Mike Spicer, and lettered by Pat Brosseau.
The Details
- Written by Chris Burnham (Take One), and Paul Dini & Stephen Langford (Shingo)
- Illustrated by Chris Burnham (Take One), and John McCrea (Shingo)
- Coloured by Adriano Lucas (Take One), and Mike Spicer (Shingo)
- Lettering by Pat Brosseau
Creepshow #1 is being published by Skybound Entertainment, and is available in stores and on digital platforms from September 21, 2022.
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Creepshow #1 Story
Given that this issue contains two stories with distinct teams, I will discuss both individually starting with ‘Take One’. To foolishly open with my own bias, this was my favourite of the two stories. My initial thought upon reading that it is as much a classic fairy-tale as it is a horror story; a fairly straightforward story that delivers a moral lesson.
The characters do at times feel a little unnatural in how they act, that some of their dialogue especially feels a bit forced. However, this can also be explained by the fact they are all young. There is an absolute feeling of dread that comes from watching the events play out, in not knowing exactly how it will end. I do appreciate that the ending both hits hard and delivers on the morality it is delivering. I also like that it is a moral that invites discussion.
‘Shingo’ filled me with dread from the start, though due to personal issues rather than story ones (talk of birthday entertainers triggered my coulrophobia, so I was thankful the titular Shingo appears as monstrous and not a clown). ‘Shingo’ did fill me with this discomfort that grew as the story progressed, an impressive feat given how elements threatened to break my suspension of disbelief.
This is also a story of awful people being awful against a backdrop of a hungry monster at a party, and the way the pair of writers weave that into the final theme is really quite interesting. Though the ending did weaken the story a bit for me as I felt they played it a bit too safe, which feels an odd choice.
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Creepshow #1 Art
For ‘Take One’ Burnham’s art has this rather uncomfortable quality to it in the details. We see more than we might want to but what we need to. The art makes it clear that things aren’t safe, places a shadow over the events. I truly love how he uses angles throughout the story, we rarely get a panel that is level and it only helps to increase the unease within the art.
I also want to make note of the fact that I love that of our three trick or treaters the one that seems the nicest is the only one dressed as a monster, which I think is a nice detail. Lucas’ colouring is beautifully dark and subdued. The important elements are obvious but don’t exactly ‘pop’ which helps add to the feeling that the characters are trapped within.
‘Shingo’ is a bit light on the specific details in the art, which really fits the mood of a kid’s birthday party. Though John McCrea still manages to make Shingo delightfully off putting, while still reasonable that he may be mistaken for an entertainer. Much of the story is framed in the manner one would for a drama, which makes the panels where it drops into a more horror style hit that bit harder. The way Shingo simply stands in the background of several panels is also quite unsettling.
Spicer gives the story a fair amount of nice colour suitable for the party setting. Shingo is notably the most distinctly coloured character in the story, and stands out more than any other even compared to the kids whose clothes are only a little bit more vibrant than the adults’. It is interesting to me that Shingo distinctly shares hair colour with our protagonist, which ties into the themes so much I wonder if it was fully a deliberate choice or not.
Check Out Creepshow #1
If you want some creepy scares make sure you grab Creepshow #1. Creepshow #1 will be available from September 21, 2022.
