HORROR COMICS REVIEW: Epitaphs from the Abyss #8 (Oni Press)

About Epitaphs from the Abyss #8

Epitaphs from the Abyss is a horror anthology mini-series. There are three short stories inside Issue #8.

“Yellow Smoke”

Writer: Stephanie Phillips

Artist: Valeria Burzo

Colorist: Iñaki Azpiazu

“The Honking”

Writer: Brendan Hay

Artists: PJ Holden and John McCrea

Colorist: Elle Wright

“The Main Character”

Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov

Artist: Andrea Sorrentino

Colorist: Michelle Madsen

Lettering is by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith.

Publisher: Oni Press

Release date: February 19th, 2025

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Epitaphs from the Abyss #8 Review

Continuing on in the format of post-WWII horror comic book magazines, Epitaphs from the Abyss brings a modernist take on the terrifying horrors that haunt the minds of many a potential horror comic book reader. Epitaphs from the Abyss continues on in the tradition of horrific short stories being introduced by a crazed narrator. In this case, The Gravedigger, prefaces a warning for the three tales due to follow in this tome of terror as his equally maniacal minion, The Tormentor, experiments on a beautiful and yet, unwilling victim.

The first, Yellow Smoke, tells the tale of what happens when overly anxious woman moves into the house of her now dead mother. Only to her voices and echoes of voices ringing in her head as she tries to sleep. Convinced there’s an infestation somewhere in the bowels of this rickety old house she hires an exterminator who cannot find anything, who instead, recommends she medicate herself. The next evening, however, the house becomes fully alive. Transforming into a living organism of oozing sinew and alien-like tendrils.

Thinking it her best option, she sets fire to the place but manages to make it outside. Only for her neighbours to come running up to her, calling her crazy for setting her house on fire. And just when you thought it could’ve all been in her head, a large tentacle erupts from the basement, furls around her legs and drags her into the house - to meet her demise. Fialkov’s writing is suspenseful and plays into the paranoia of isolation and single home-living while the sick and malformed mutations of Burzo’s artwork gives me creature-feature vibes. An impact only made all the more disgusting thanks to Azpiazu’s coloring as it veers into Creepshow territory. No, not the comic. The Stephen King film.

The second, The Honking, follows a couple, Justin and Cam, in a marketplace who discover a painting of a creepy clown. In love with it, Justin brings it home, despite Cam’s objections. After putting it on the wall, Cam swears she can see its eyes move as Justin moves around in their place, ignoring her worries. Asleep, Cam is woken up by what sounds like clown honking and heads to where the painting is. After it sprays her with red paint, she heads back to their bedroom and demands Justin get rid of the painting. Only for him to rollover and be covered in clown makeup. Blaming her as he tries to wash the clown makeup off, the Clown from the painting appears behind them, grabbing Cam as she frantically fights for her life.

As Justin attempts to take a photo of Cam fighting for dear life he forgets he has his back to the painting frame as numerous clown hands reach from within and drag him into the painting. As the clown tries to do the same to Cam, a chance hissing of their cat leaping at the clown scares it and retreats into the painting. Now trapped in the painting, Justin becomes the clown and smiles back at Cam as she looks on. Promoting their cat to leap at the painting, scratching out most of Justin’s face in the process. Presumably trapping Justin in that painting forever and giving Cam a clean breakup. Hay’s story is simple and yet taps into the fear of clowns and the idea of being lost forever.

With the idea of being trapped in a painting all the more terrifying. PJ Holden and John McCrea’s artwork, on the other hand, is bizarre, playful and thematically creepy. Emphasised by Wright’s colouring as she gets to play with many bright colour palettes. This is a short story that Killer Clowns From Outer Space fans will gravitate towards.

The third and final, The Main Character, is one of existential dread. As marketing executive, Steve, is interrupted during a presentation by a Detective, he is told an ominous accident has been deemed not his fault. As the story continues, Steve realises he’s being stalked by someone in a red hoodie. He follows after them and they flee, however, he eventually catches up to them - standing on the edge of a bridge. As he tries to calm the stranger they take off their hoodie only to reveal it’s him. Distraught, the other Steve tells him, that he could’ve done the right thing and just paid attention to the road.

Crying, he says to him “if only we’d swerved and slowed down” which prompts this other Steve to disappear from the edge of the bridge. Revealing Steve to have been standing there, on the edge, all this time. Overcome with guilt and blaming himself for the accident, he jumps, leaping into whatever void lies beneath him. Fialkov and Sorrentino is a great pairing as Sorrentino’s artwork is an incredibly somber take on a dutifully grim storyline. One proving that sometimes it isn’t murderers, demons or even killer robots that cause the pain we suffer. Sometimes the monsters are us.

Epitaphs from the Abyss #8 is a diverse lineup of incredibly impactful horror comic book tales. From a mutating house to creepy clowns and back to the pain we cause ourselves - it’s a callback to those early days of horror comic book anthologies which didn’t just scare the crap out of us. They served up a lesson for us all to learn. I would’ve only given this an 8 but Fialkov and Sorrentino’s story was the difference maker. A reflection of just how terrifying the terror we can inflict by not paying attention to the road in front of us.

My Mind Of Weird Score:

10/10