No, this isn’t a warning against actually going to Hall H this year. It’s Wednesday morning, I’m looking over the line, and so far it doesn’t look like anyone has begun waiting.
Instead, I’m praising a one-shot horror anthology from Chris Ryall’s Syzygy Publishing (through Image Comics): Dread the Hall H. As former editor-in-chief of IDW, Ryall has certainly endured his share of Comic-Con horrors. With tongues firmly in cheek, he and Jordan Hart have crafted horror tales centered on Hall H to mordantly hilarious effect.
Beginning with “Q & A,” written by Ryall with art by Nelson Dániel, the book sets a tone that says “we know you. We know you know this is true.” Semi-serialized throughout the book, “Q & A” focuses on a massive movie franchise panel with time for “one last question.” Beginning with “this is less of a question and more of a statement,” Ryall and Dániel bring one of my biggest Hall H nightmares to life. By cutting away for other stories then coming back, they make this one joke story funnier and funnier.
Those other stories also keep the knowing laughter going — “Line Capped” by Hart, artist Jimmy Kucaj, and colorist Vladimir Popov, illustrates the frustration of just how big Comic-Con has become. If only Syzygy had the budget to put up an outdoor activation like the one here. Popov returns to color Ryall and artist Piotr Kowalski’s “Spoiler Alert,” which feels like a horror story just waiting to happen.
Though Hart does some color assist, Popov finishes up the book with Hart and artist Chris Anderson’s “Never Felt So Alive,” which takes a new twist on Hall H mania. The zombie walks of Comic-Cons past always felt like a recipe for disaster, and now I know why.
Dread the Hall H hit comic shops last week, but if you’ve got FOMO for Comic-Con, you should track down a copy and laugh at what you’re missing. See you on the lawn somewhere… hopefully in one piece.
