No.1
Asylum Press
Web: http:// www.asylumpress.com/
The Asylum of Horrors is a high quality
horror comic packed with a diverse range of stories, comic styles and forms. It
includes about a dozen impressive tales which range from traditional occult
fare through to the exploration of the dark and fractured nature of the human
psyche. Littered throughout are one page images which focus on various
characters and events in a mental institution. This is certainly not mainstream
horror - but visceral, gory and edgy.
The stories vary in quality and offer many
different storytelling styles, the artwork is universally impressive, ranging from
detailed black and white to luxurious colour and even a number when are “photo
realistic”.
Some of the stories have a traditional
occult horror background such as “Ruined Earth” with its dark exploration of
the underworld and Lovecraftian themes, while others mix occultism with sex and
desire such as in “Caveat Emptor”.
One of the more compelling aspects of The
Asylum of Horrors is its strongly psycho-thriller tales which range from “Love
or Obsession”, a tale of jealousy gone way beyond safe limits to “Baazumatuu”
where nightmares and madness meet. The various one page images which explore
madness, medicine gone wrong and mental institutions are especially good.
There are also tales which fall into the
dark fantasy category such as “The Dollhouse” which are intriguing and very
satisfying.
I found the first issue of The Asylum of
Horrors an excellent read. It offers a diverse range of content, many different
styles, superior artwork and a solid dose of horror with some fantasy and
psychological thrillers thrown in for good measure.
This review will appear in Volume 2:1
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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