"Nyctophobias" Comic Review

One of the first things we're all afraid of is the dark. In hindsight, it's a little irrational, but that doesn't stop the creeping fear that comes from it. Even if we've been in a room a million times, it has a completely different feel when it's shrouded in darkness. You don't know what could suddenly be lurking there when you can't see it. Writer T.W. Burgess explores this in Nyctophobias, a collection of stories about our fear of the dark, each accompanied by artwork from a different artist.

What really stands out in the stories in Nyctophobias is how they're told. Burgess begins each tale by explaining where he heard it. These are usually from friends of friends or a casual acquaintance. It lends just enough truth to it that you have to believe it. Most great ghost stories have the same feel. You might not know the person this happened to directly, but you trust the person who told it to you, so you take it as fact.

Each story stands on its own with a new and alarming way of looking at the dark. You might think you know all there is to be afraid of when it comes to this, but you'd be wrong. There's a nice variety in this collection, with each tale told in that easy-to-approach fashion that adds to the terror.

The artwork in Nyctophobias ranges from a full-page image that gives you a visual for what you just read to complete comic pages. Each piece complements the story very well, enhancing the experience. As much as I love the comic aspect to it, the pin-up style images at the end of a story almost outdo them. They serve as this great capper, like a haunting reminder of the horrors you just witnessed.

Nyctophobias is a solid horror anthology through and through. Burgess is a rising star in the horror comics world and this book is further proof of that. It scratches a slightly different itch than his traditional comic work, but is just as terrifying.

Nyctophobias can be purchased digitally through Gumroad. All proceeds go to the Australia Zoo, which is treating animals affected by the recent wildfires.