There’s no community like the horror community. While we still love our superheroes (don’t we?), the genre that seems to be doing as well if not better in comics is… horror. All kinds of horror. This weekend, you can prove it by walking up and down artists’ alley and small press at L.A. Comic Con.
Better yet, you can join a panel of some great indie horror comics creators Saturday night, September 27 at 6 pm, ROOM 406A! “It Came from Indie Comics” spotlights a wide range of horror, from kaiju to creeping unknown and from traditional monsters to splatter punk. Some creators are in the midst of epics, and some prefer to do quick hits that leave a dread in your soul. We’ll be talking about horror inspirations and how to pass the torch to the next generation — it’s challenging to do indie comics, but absolutely worth it.
J. M. Brandt:
Making his comics debut with Swamp Dogs: House of Crows in 2021, J.M. does more than create good comics. He lifts others up — which is one more reason he’s on this panel. His most recent published work Swallower of Shades from Dead Sky Publishing is a splatter western one-shot that may leave you shaking. But like a few creators on the panel, he may have an announcement concerning his next work.
Jonathan Chance:
If he hadn’t become a horror writer, a man with that name could have only ended up as an occult detective. Maybe Jonathan Chance is both. His short stories have appeared in a variety of horror anthologies, and the second volume of his series Never by Night will debut this weekend. Most of his work borders on social satire, in the dryest of definitions. Though his subjects and styles vary, Chance knows how to get beneath your skin. I can’t vouch if he’ll leave afterward.
Shannon Eric Denton:
Founder of Monster Forge Productions and a long-time figure in animation and comics, Denton has gathered up many of his past collaborations with some legends in the industry and put them on GlobalComix.com for free. That’s on top of his book gHosts, which included characters from Rodney Barnes and David Dastmalchian. Just this week Denton launched a Zoop campaign for Forge of Monsters, an anthology firming up the horror comics universe we suspected he was building.
Phil Mucci:
With his production company Diabolik LLC, Mucci started out as an indie filmmaker and still shoots some incredible music videos. One such video featured a character dubbed “the Paranormal Playboy,” and Mucci’s production partner Ian MacKay inhabited the role so well, they knew Professor Dario Bava had to live on somehow. When a TV series didn’t get off the ground (still hoping), Mucci began a fantastical horror comic with artist Mike Dubisch. Though technically the series is called “Professor Dario Bava,” you’re going to wander the floor at L.A. Comic Con and be grabbed by the title of the first two volumes — Orgy of the Blood Freaks. They’re the living end, man, combining 60s Italian Cinema with pure cheesy horror.
Steven Prince:
Prince’s book Monster Matador may veer closer to action hero than the others, but not when you consider that his protagonist fights one thing other than the darkness in man — KAIJU! Why have they run rampant on Earth? It’s unclear, but one man has a mission to fight them with sword and honor, and that is the Monster Matador. This book just gets better and better, and Prince’s world builds up stronger and stronger.
Your Host Derek McCaw:
I count as an indie comics creator, debuting about 20 years ago with Mark Teague’s Tony Loco from Illusive Arts Entertainment, and collaborating with Rafael Navarro for a story in Bela Lugosi’s Tales from the Grave #1. But mostly, I’ve gathered creators whose books I buy and whose work I admire to talk about what makes their horror sensibilities tick.
Remember, 6 pm Saturday September 27, Room 406A — we lurk forward to seeing you there!
