Anthologies are an interesting medium. The positives is that you don't have to worry about collecting the issues in order, you can pick any issue for a few original stories. The downside is that you may get two good stories while the rest range from 'meh' to 'decent.' So sometimes you're taking a risk when purchasing one, but often you'll find hidden treasures in anthologies. Here I review a comic not by any of the big name companies, rather a lesser-known comic. It is called the
London Horror Comic, a UK anthology series. Four issues have been released so far. I have to say that I haven't read too many anthologies, or horror themed comics for that matter, so this was relatively new. I managed to read the first three issues. In my years of reading comics, I saw the potential for some great stories here. Issue One was not an awful start, I saw a missed opportunity with it. As a debut issue, it needed to have more of an exciting edge to invest the reader. Issue Two had a couple of really good, unique stories. Issue Three improved upon Issue One, but I preferred the stories in Issue Two. Issue Four is the lastest issue in this anthology series, and it does what the first three issues do, but better. Rather than a few quick stories like with Issue One, it gives us four main, quality stories.
With an anthology, the review is a bit different. You have to look at each story individually, and then score the comic as a whole based on how all the stories did. Since each story is short, I'll keep the descriptions really brief.
"The Passenger" is about a man a bit on the paranoid side who takes a train ride in the underground of London. In terms of quality, this is the second best story, though it's more of a thriller than horror. It's interesting, cause it just throws you in the situation. The main character of the story is realistic, and often humorous. The thought boxes were great and really carried the story. The art is actually very good, it's interesting how a story part of an anthology has better art than the more famous
Amazing Spider-Man series. Get it together Marvel.
4/5.
"V" is about how Superma, I mean Super-Dude beats Lex Loofer and the ladder is arrested. He gets out, but under a condition: he has to work at a coffee shop. This was definitely the most fun story out of all of them. Trust me, you will have a blast reading it. Comic fans will be having a good time with it, the dialogue is just priceless. It's a parody, so the art is a bit cartoony. But it fits. In terms of quality, it doesn't match up to the rest of the stories, but it's a darn fun read.
3/5.
"Tough All Over" is about a homeless guy who constantly goes into a store, namely the horror section. This is definitely the most boring one, not to say it isn't good of course. The characters aren't as engaging as the others, but for seven pages, it tells a well-paced story. Some really good writing in this one. The art, like the first story, is very good.
3/5.
"Drive Thru" is about a waitress who is stuck working the night shift of a restaurant at the drive thru window when a mysterious black car arrives. Now this is what I'm talking about, by far the best story. It has a classic horror feel, similar of that to
The Twilight Zone. It's the perfect story for an anthology such as this. The main character, Jenny, isn't bland, and the pacing is great. For eight pages you get a great, classic horror story with an ending plot twist worthy of a Stephen King novel. The art is great also.
5/5.
Overall,
London Horror Comic #4 is a great anthology issue. While the series did get off to a bit of a rough start, this issue succeeds in providing some unique, original tales. If you're looking for some short horror-themed stories, give the latest issue of
London Horror Comic a try. If this issue's any indication, the future ones will be interesting reads.
8/10.
The
London Horror Comic anthology series is written by John-Paul Kamath, and this issue can be purchased at the official site via the link at the bottom.