Posted in: Comics, Dark Horse Comics | Tagged: dark horse comics, horror, HRL, richard corben, shadows on the grave

Richard Corben's Shadows On The Grave #7 Review: Old-Fashioned Horror Pulp

Richard Corben's anthology of horror tales and suspenseful stories continue in Shadows on the Grave #7.

First, we have a pair of nephews seeking the fortune of their sick uncle in "Legacy of Hate." Then, we have the story of a pair of cousins who own and work a graveyard in "Digger." Following that is a couple on the road that stops at a grotesque horror museum owned by a mysterious woman in "Roadside Horror Museum." Finally, Shadows on the Grave continues the story of Grecian-inspired tale, "Denaeus."

Each of the four stories have their strong points. Like the previous issue, it continues its Tales of the Crypt motif of having bad people facing ironic consequences for their actions. In terms of plotting, "Legacy of Hate" has the most coherent story. "Digger" has an actually fairly likable protagonist, if only because he is a fairly pitiable person. "Roadside Horror Museum" was easily the most grotesque and horrific.

"Denaeus" was the weak point of this comic. This is mainly because a lot of the names are pretty goofy and distracting. There is Prince Moronicles, who is the de facto antagonist, and he has a slow and dim-witted soldier in his charge named Mongolox.

All of these stories, since they are short and focused on presenting a horrific shock, aren't strong on character. Many characters are simply evil or greedy without depth. That being said, the comic retains its old-style horror charm, and it is a genuinely fun read.

Corben's art remains really good, and its textured and caricature-esque styling is well suited for the unnerving and unnatural. This issue does display a…fixation with the abnormally large and elongated breasts of some of its female characters that doesn't really add anything to the story or atmosphere. It's a bit distracting. Beyond that, the comic looks really good, and its unique style is appreciated.

If you're a fan of Tales of the Crypt or fairy tale-style horror stories that punish its evil characters in bizarre and ironic ways, Richard Corben's Shadows on the Grave will give you a lot of enjoyment. It's a fun horror anthology series, and it retains the recommendation I gave it last issue.

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