Horror anthologies tend to be a hard sell because there are so many of them and they rarely present stories that you actually want to read. For that I commend the creators behind the first issue of Papercuts and Inkstains, because they produce not only some original stories, but they blend horror and humor while doing it. I know I said humor so some of you are turned off, but really you shouldn’t write the issue off that soon. The success of this first issue is that the horror elements are spot on and the humor fits right in with the story. More importantly the creators aren’t trying to mimic other horror stories or the sometimes confused for horror Twilight Zone.

There are three stories to the first issue and I will do my best to give you a taste of the first two tales without spoiling the entire story.

The first tale is a zombie number called “By ‘Eck on Earth”, but its approach is from the Zombie’s POV. A zombie narrates the story and basically explains how he become one of the undead. What I liked about the story was that a lot of it focused on his wife and she is a bad ass. It’s a total swerve because she looks like an average house wife, but then she busts out some great moves while fighting the undead. The art definitely helps sell the story. It’s realistic and almost looks photo referenced.

“The Profits of Doom” is the second tale and it’s about a cult trying to summon a demon. It’s great because it’s not a well-organized cult, but rather friends fucking around with the exception of the main dude. It was quite funny and the art reminded me of Heavy Metal. For me this story really stole the show.

As for the third story, I liked the art and the sequences. There isn’t a lot of story to talk about so I won’t, but it was decent.

Overall I would definitely check out the next issue. I liked the theme of horror, but the humor mixed right in. I wasn’t expecting that so when I actually laughed at something I knew this book was a keeper. Even with it being entertaining there was some places that needed work. Pacing was definitely a weaker area of the comic and the third story needed a fuller story, but overall it’s a solid comic that will entertain and maybe even make you laugh.

Score: 3/5

Creators: Rob Jones, Nick Gonzo, Mike Smith, Kevin Pospisil, Dan Buctcher Publisher: Madius Comics Price: £3.00 Website