A Horror
anthology in comic books is not a normal occurrence, so it becomes even rarer if
it happens in India. Being a fan of horror as a genre, I kicked myself for not
hearing about it earlier and immediately got my copy. The cover artwork by
Devaki Neogi is great, the B&W tones and the Creep New Roman font lend a
nice eeriness to the mood. Another achievement here is smart editing which
lends a coherent look to all the stories, as if they were written specifically
for this anthology and were not standalone pieces. On to the stories now…
The Call by
Ashwin Kalmane & Pia Alize Hazarika
A moody,
wordless story of hieroglyphics travelling from the habitable land to ...(won't spoil it). Some great water-color-y artwork here, and the B&W just so
complements the juxtaposition of the mundane with the supernatural. Great opening
piece.
Rickshaw
Raj by Sudeep Menon & Ghanshyam Bochgeri
A werewolf
story told with a touch of realism and humor, I love how Sudeep Menon always
makes the stories and dialogs closer to home, yet makes them highly engaging
and entertaining.
Hazard Pay
by Ashwin Kalmane & Charbak Dipta
This one
requires a couple of readings, to understand the layers of horror and
ghastliness of one human being against the other. Elements of body horror and abject neglect of human rights collide in this moving story of a firework factory employing
kids.
Behind
Closed Doors by Ram V & Nitin Veturkar
A story
built on the ‘don’t open the door’ premise, that demands you to do the thinking
and appreciate the mood brought in here through sometimes expressive sometimes
hazy panels, with a nice Nietzsche reference thrown in too.
Vermin by
Sudeep Menon & Vinay Brahmania
A nice
breather and action-oriented short, this one portrays the workmanlike horror
with a rat as a central cause of disturbance and destruction in the life of a
comic-book artist(!) who is already haunted by non-paying clients. Personally,
give me the rat anyday!
Man Walks
into a Bar by Ashwin Kalmane & Arun Kumar Kaushik
Sell your
soul to the devil stuff here mixed with the angst of a daily job, all happening
in a bar standing on the gates of hell and redemption. I didn't quite like this
story but loved the dialog, which was more funny than frightening, but then I have
always loved RGV’s horror-comedy films.
The Masterpiece
by Sudeep Menon & Shishir C Naik
Another transformative
horror wordless piece, this one nicely concludes the anthology with expressive
artwork and a twist towards the end of the classic human subject theme.
The book
also has a nice insight into the making of all the stories at the end, which
gives a unique touch and a greater sense of satisfaction to the reader. I would
love to see the alternative/variant covers designed for the book, the sketches of which are given towards the end. Get this horror anthology!
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