“DC Horror Presents” is a title I’ve been anticipating ever since it was announced. As I previously mentioned on the AIPT Comics Podcast, I’m a huge fan of anthologies and have greatly enjoyed the work in the DC Horror series dating back to the release of The Conjuring in 2021. The fact that DC is making such a big deal about this new series, pushing the spooky work of David Dastmalchian and the Boullet Brothers (all of whom were wonderful guests on the podcast) to the forefront, has caught my attention. and please collect my $4! Sorry if this sounds like a sales pitch. It’s just that they operate on a wavelength that perfectly matches my own sensibilities. Both of these stories embrace the elevated nature of classic pulp horror and superhero storytelling, with highly entertaining results.
The first story, “Love You to Pieces,” is by the writing duo of David Dastmalchian and Leah Kilpatrick, with pencils and inks by Cat Staggs and colors by Rolumo Fajardo Jr. The reader is reintroduced to Dollhouse, the dollmaker’s daughter. She may have even more troubles than the man who raised her. We follow her in a mad dash to save the man she cares for after he meets an untimely end. Of course, when you’re dealing with a screwed-up villain like this, things don’t always go as planned. The story unfolds like a dangerous slasher sequence, complete with jump scares and a twist ending worthy of a classic EC comic.
The page layout further enhances this feeling, with character reactions and motions layering on each other in fun ways, moving us quickly from beat to beat. The artwork is mean without being overly gory, instead using clever blocks to show just enough scope to know what’s going on and leaving the rest to good old fashioned mad scientist chit-chat. Masu. The dialogue is snappy and oddly tender, presenting a far more family-oriented view of these characters than we’ve gotten in a while, and making us (almost) sympathize with Dollhouse. Readers familiar with this character may have some idea of where this story is going, but the final page of this story still feels like a strangely hilarious punch in the gut. I couldn’t stop it.
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The second story, written by the Boulet brothers, with pencils and inks by Butch Mapa and colors by Christian Rossi, is far more harrowing from an emotional standpoint. Here, Wonder Woman is forced to fight the zombified corpse of her mother, brought back with a vengeance. This story is a little light in terms of story, but the physical and mental damage is heavy. Mapa does an exquisite job with the characters she plays in this story, making Diana look frightened and heartbroken, but just as genuinely frightened. When she does what she has to do at the end of this story, her body language tells us everything we need to know. Her sense of duty and need to protect her sisters must override everything her heart is telling her. The art and dialogue convey the impossibility of this situation and remind us why Wonder Woman is one of the best in the superhero world.
It’s an intense, action-packed segment that delivers as much pathos as it does gory action. Readers are also more likely to be familiar with WW than they are with Dollhouse, so they don’t have to spend as much time explaining to understand the emotional weight of the story. The end of the story serves as both a fun reveal for Wonder Woman fans and a hint at possibilities for future stories. First off, please give the Boulet Brothers some more Wonder Women! Let them cook!
Overall, I wish these two stories had a little more leeway to explore the characters and their situations more deeply (both of them feel like they’re just starting to move on, even when they’re over) , this first attempt was a lot of fun. DC Horror Presents…. It’s exciting to see these voices in the horror community given a bigger platform through a DC Comics anthology, and it whets my zombie-like appetite for the rest of this miniseries.
