By Damien Becton
As a ten-year-old kid, Jeepers Creepers, the movie, was an absolutely terrifying experience for me. Watching The Creeper toss bodies wrapped in blood-soaked blankets down a well and stare at the two main characters of the movie as they drove down the road is still burned into my memory - along with a haunting, but catchy tune, “Jeepers, Creepers, where’d ya get those peepers? Jeepers, Creepers, where’d ya get those eyes?!” As I got older and wiser, and I (almost) grew out of my fear for The Creeper, the movie became my favorite horror film of all-time because of its terrifying antagonist, cheap-looking, but charming, practical effects, and its’ haunting scenes. With that being said, I read this book with my all of my biases turned 100 and enjoyed the hell out of it. If you’re a fan of this scary character, then you’ll probably think this book is as awesome as I did but if not...well, find something else.
The writer of this book, Marc Andreyko, has been in the industry for a long time now - having stints with DC, Marvel, and Image. Having this proven scribe helm the writing duties of Jeepers Creepers was a solid choice, in my opinion. Even though he has established the main character as a stereotypical and forgettable main character who needs to mind his own damn business and stop being so curious, I am choosing not to complain about it - we all know who the true star of this book is and will continue to be: The Creeper.
In this issue, Andreyko continues to set up an eventual return for The Creeper to terrorize the main character and for the most part, he does a pretty good job. For example, in the early part of the story, the main character is searching for clues about The Creeper, or “Uktena.” While he drives down the road, he asks himself something along the lines of “I know that I am onto something here, but do I really want to find out?” with an absolutely terrifying image of the antagonist’s face hovering over his car in the background. Additionally, Andreyko foreshadows the coming horror with the final panel - and if you’re a fan of the movies, you know what is coming.
The art on this issue, while not the greatest I have ever seen, is serviceable. There are some panels and scenes that stand out and are amazing to look at, while others are drab and lifeless. The few pages that are dedicated to The Creeper are great. It looks like it’s directly from the movies - but the scenes with the regular, human characters aren’t as dynamic or memorable. I will say, however, that the scenes towards the end of the book is an absolute delight to look at. It’s trippy, hypnotizing, and horrifying all at once, with amazing colors conveying the psychedelic visions.
Overall, to reiterate, this issue is a good book if you are already a fan of this series and this character. Andreyko is doing a good job setting up the return of the antagonist with some haunting foreshadowing. The art is not bad either - with the best parts being with The Creeper directly on panel. If everyone in the world was a Jeepers Creepers fan, I would guarantee that this would be a must-read. However, I cannot fully recommend a book that is mostly set-up with only decent art. Again, if you liked the movies, pick it up. If not, give it a shot at your own risk.
SCORE: 3/5
Jeepers Creepers #2
Dynamite Entertainment