Skybound Entertainment will bring the classic Creepshow to comics this fall. The publisher has announced a five-issue comics anthology based on the Shudder TV series, which continues the 1982 movie of the same name (and ignores its two sequels).
Originally created by George A. Romero and Stephen King, Creepshow was adapted for Shudder by Greg Nicotero and is about to enter its fourth season, which will likely debut in early 2023. Meanwhile, the comics anthology will launch in September, with different creative teams working on each of its five issues.
"Creepshow has consistently been one of the best things in horror for the last 40 years, and for Skybound to be able to carry on such a rich horror tradition is an absolute thrill," Skybound Editor Jon Moisan says in the initial announcement. "We knew a franchise this prolific would require the best talent in the industry, so we assembled a collection of creators that will do the Creepshow name proud. The stories they have planned are going to scare the absolute hell out of people."
Each issue will feature two stories. Writer-artist Chris Burnham is featured in the debut issue with a take set on Halloween depicting what happens when trick-or-treaters defy the familiar 'please take one' rule of the wrong house.
"I first saw Creepshow in third or fourth grade...right around the time I had the initial germ of the idea for the story in this issue!" says Burnham in Skybound's follow-up announcement. "I was absolutely terrified to take more than one candy bar from the TAKE ONE bowl. What if the owner of the house was hiding in wait? And what would they do if they caught me?!? I've chewed these questions over for 30 years...and this story is the definitive answer!"
Here's a four-page preview of that story:
Creepshow #1 also features a story by writers Paul Dini and Stephen Langford and artist John McCrea about Shingo, a birthday party clown with an "appetite for more than cake!"
Move over Pennywise.
"Parents might fool themselves into believing that anything big, cute and silly is good for kids, but little ones recognize a monster when they see one. Stephen Langford and I put ourselves back into that childlike mindset when we dreamed up Shingo," says Dini. "In the world of Creepshow, kiddie birthdays are rarely fun, parents often have worse outbursts than their kids, and that strangely grinning party character is not as friendly as it seems."
Subsequent issues will feature stories by Josh Malerman, David and Maria Lapham, Steve Foxe, Kelley Jones, and Steve Orlando.
This marks the second time Creepshow has appeared in comics. In 1982, Stephen King and artists Bernie and Michele Wrightson adapted the film for a graphic novel, containing five horror stories to scare the pants off readers.
Creepshow #1 will feature a main cover by Burnham along with variant covers by Declan Shalvey and Vance Kelly and hits shelves Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Creepshow has a long, enduring legacy, much like the best horror comics of all time.
