By Dustin Cabeal

There’s only one question to ask yourself before considering buying Draw Blood #1. Are you still interested in reading short horror comics? If so, then buy Draw Blood. If not, then we’re done here, and you can move on. I read this because it was sent to us for review. That’s the only reason. I wouldn’t have sought it out otherwise. I’m telling you this because you need to take what I say with a grain of salt.

Overall, Draw Blood isn’t bad. It’s actually one of the better anthologies I’ve read recently, but it’s main probably is that it’s overrun by zombie stories. That was a pun by the way. Listen, I get it. Everyone has a zombie story. Generations of adults grew up talking about why they would do if the zombies came, each one assuming they’d live long enough to do something. We all have a zombie story. Fuck, I have a zombie story. The problem is Robert Kirkman made a shit ton of money from zombies and burnt everyone out on new ideas. No one cares anymore. Your twist isn’t that interesting, and it’s probably something I’ve seen at this point.

The best story and the one that I enjoyed the most was about the woman who prepared for the end of the world. It had a predictable, but great twist to it, but the journey made it worth reading. It was simple and didn’t focus so much on the horror, but the thought process of someone preparing for the end of the world.

The writing is good throughout. Even on the zombie stories. If I were interested in zombie stories, I would be all over this issue. Why there’s three zombie stories in one issue is beyond me because it ends up being overkill. The last zombie story has no chance of being interesting because you’ve already read two others.

The art, for the most part, is good. There’s one story that wasn’t nearly as good as the rest of the issue. The rest is very professional, and you can see a lot of skill and talent coming out of the pages. But that one story is the polar opposite and stands out like a sore thumb.

This is a tough issue to review. Not because of my personal tastes but because it’s strengths are very strong and its weaknesses glaring. In the end, it all balances out though because the strong aspects weren’t quite strong enough to elevate the weak aspects, but they weren’t weak enough to drag the entire issue down. Again, though, if you’re into this type of anthology. If you’re still enjoying and reading short stories from the indie horror genre, then check the book out. If you’re not, then this issue isn’t going to bring you back into the fold.

Keep making comics.

Score: 3/5

Draw Blood: A Horror Anthology #1
Writers: Hannu Kesola, Lee Newman
Artists: Various
Publisher: Top Secret Pres