Writers: David and Maria Lapham, Steve Foxe

Art: David Lapham and Trish Mulvihill, Erica Henderson

$3.99, 32 pages

Image, Skybound

What It Is: CREEPSHOW #2 is an anthology horror series from Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment based on the movie and TV show of the same name. All three owe a debt to TALES FROM THE CRYPT, or any of those classic EC titles from the fifties, especially because The Creepshow Creep looks suspiciously like a crypt keeper.

The Good: A new story written and drawn by David Lapham should be sought out and jumped to the top of any to-be-read pile. The ten page “The Gorgahmorahh Tree” is no exception. His strict, cinematic, eight panel grid trudges forward ominously, giving the descent of a family into supernatural madness an inevitable creepiness.

I prefer Lapham in glorious black and white, like his ubiquitous STRAY BULLETS (El Capitan/Image) or the criminally underread HERO TRADE (Bad Idea) shorts from 2020, but the Mulvihill colors work perfectly in this story. The damp earth tones and rotting leaf textures add to the impending dread of the tale.

“Creator’s Rites” is steeped in the all too real world of maligned comic creators and big-budget movies profiting from their work. It’s another superb blending of story and art. Foxe’s story dives right in and Henderson’s art matches him, segueing smoothly between old cartoonist Sal’s imagined life and the bitterness of his reality. Bill, Sal’s new caretaker, turns to villainy, which is obvious from his first appearance, but with ten pages there’s no time to waste.

The Bad: Anthologies are always a mixed bag and invite unnecessary comparisons between entries. But even at their best, like here, there’s a jarring whiplash received bouncing between styles and approaches.

This title sticks to two stories an issue, no doubt taking cues from the TV show which uses the same format, but I wanted more. Not the worst feeling to leave your readers with.

The Score: 9 out of 10 capes

Further Reading: DRACULA, MOTHERF**KER! (Image, 16.99) has breathtaking Henderson art and is a throwback ’70s exploitation horror blast. You can’t go wrong with Lapham if he’s both writer and artist. SILVERFISH (DC/Vertigo, 24.99) is long out of print, but a freaky psychological nightmare worth tracking down on the secondary market. And Dark Horse Comics has been reprinting the classic EC anthologies in dense, affordable trade paperbacks the last few years, and they’re still relevant and enjoyable after seventy-two years and counting.