In my younger days (I know I'm making myself sound old) I fancied myself quite the connoisseur of horror related comics. I never really went for the Marvel or DC types, mostly the independent/underground titles, I always found that they had more heart (along with much more sex and violence). I wasn't a comic nut by any means, although there was a good year or so of my life that I spent shelling out the bucks at the local comic stop once a week. I was a huge fan of the likes of James O' Barr's The Crow and short lived Razor series (long before the films) and at one time or another, I had anything and everything that was Cry For Dawn including portfolios, comics, calendars, t shirts, you name it. In addition to some of the better-known titles, I was also into a lot of one hit wonders and graphic novelizations of some of my favorite films like Night of the Living Dead and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Boooo, Michael Bay remake!).

This brings us to the year 2003 and a new little comic called Carnopolis Cosmic Horror Illustrated. I was pretty much intrigued from the get go on this one, it had been a while since illustrated horror had peaked my interest so I was eager to take a look. The first issue is a slick black and white package with color covers, front and back. The first thing that struck me is the oversized design, like a magazine - and the nice, thick, high quality paper stock that was used. Cheap paper in a magazine or comic has always bothered me and is a complete turn off like dime store perfume. I was glad to see that the Carnopolis crew went that extra mile on this one, good times.

The first issue is a mixture of short stories (to be continued of course), short comics and sketches. The stories range from the likes of Zombies of the SS (Marco Polo), Deanna of the Dead (Bill Skaar), TOXICTOONS (Eric Pigors) and Winter (Noeland Collins). As if you couldn't tell from the titles, one of the most refreshing recurring themes is everyone's old time favorite, the zombies. While the stories are short (perhaps a bit too short) I was taken by the fact that they are not just a mess of over-exploitative gruesomeness. There are indeed characters and these characters do indeed have personalities. The look and feel of some of the segments is easily a cool 70's and 80's vibe, something that I truly admire and dig.

The shining light at the end of the tunnel here is the broad range of enthusiasm that seems to come from just about everyone involved with the production of Carnopolis. Yes, there is a high level of sex and violence to be found within, so these pages are not for everyone. However, fans of dark art or horror comics (those with an open mind as well) would be wise to give the fellas of Carnopolis a once over. From one fan of cult and horror to another, these guys are doing something right. Check them out. I'd really love to see some of these illustrations offered as posters or lithos, count me on board, recommended.

Click here to visit Carnopolis online for more info or to order!