Indie Comic Review: Comic Nasties #1

Short stories are the bread and butter of comics fundamentals. Writing them teaches creators to pace their stories well, and it's a good exercise no matter what experience you may have. Out of all the genres, horror fits the best in the short story format. Comic Nasties follows this tradition with a regular-sized comic that contains two separate yet self-contained horror shorts. While there is much room for the production to be improved, the shorts more or less accomplish their mission. They get the reader in, they orient the reader to the situation, and then deliver on the horror. As a reader experiencing a horror short, there's not much else one can ask for.

The first short is about a couple that goes away for a camping trip. They encounter weird skulls placed all over the camping site. That night, the man nons a human skull as a mask and attacks his partner. She lashes out and kills him, donning the mask afterwards. The other short is about a silverback gorilla in Africa possessed by a demon. An exorcist arrives in the village to exercise the demon and save the day. 

As black and white, the book has a very indie comics feel to it. Although the art leaves something to be desired, it does match that overall indie pulp tone. The lettering operates in much the same way. But that aside, the horror does its job. The first story, which I like better of the two, has a real Blair Witch vibe that creates atmospheric tension without explaining anything. And out of all the exorcism stories that I've seen, I've never experienced one with a gorilla, so that was something new that checks a box others haven't. Of course, this type of underground horror style isn't for everyone. Casual Comics fans might be disappointed, but genre horror lovers can find something to enjoy.