Poe is back, and this time, he’s going to the movies. There’s plenty of variety here with something for everyone. Bryce Ingman and Greg Scott open the latest issue of Snifter of Terror with “The Black Cat,” a story about a smart car leading a lobbyist to murder. Dean Motter and Shawn Crystal continue ‘The Gold Bug’ which adds even more peril to the space station astronaut. Of course, Hunt Emerson’s “Poe and the Black Cat” continues but there’s also some poetry from Lisa R. Jonté and short prose form Robert Jeschonek in the forms of “Hell Hath No Like Invention” and “Eggs of that Dog That Bit You” respectively. These are accompanied by illustrations from Molly Stanard and Carly Wright.
The Good
Where to even begin? “The Black Cat” by Ingman and Scott is fantastic. It has that Twilight Zone/Black Mirror vibe, but keeps the tongue-in-cheek Snifter of Terror tone. Featuring one of the most unlikeable protagonists to be featured in a short story, the creators masterfully convince readers to care about a car instead. Pluto Panther is a hilarious character that still manages to drive home some serious moments (pun intended). As is often the case with AHOY Comics, the opening story is worth the price of admission alone and “The Black Cat” is no different.
Coming in between the two graphic fiction stories is R. Jonté’s poem that paces the issue well. It’s still fun to consider just how much variety readers get with AHOY Comics as they read a poem immediately following a sci-fi/ horror about a smart car and a murderous lobbyist.
“The Gold Bug” carries on the twisting nature of sci-fi stories with some standout art from Shawn Crystal. The short prose story by Robert Jeschonek is a great piece of fiction. Shorts like these are the reason short stories are so popular. It can’t be stressed enough that AHOY Comics has such a variety in content. If this wasn’t said enough, however, Hunt Emerson’s next installment closes out the issue providing an amusing cartoon to round out the issue.
The Bad
There’s really nothing to complain about here. In terms of sheer value the comic made back its asking price within the first story. At this stage there’s not so much “bad” as there is “not as good.” And when you reach that level of success within a single issue, any example of “not as good” just feels like a petty nit pick. Overall, there are no major negatives.
The Verdict
Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror continues to be one of the best in the AHOY Comics line, if not the store shelves in general. The industry needs good variety comics, and that’s exactly what this is. From sci-fi to fantasy to horror in terms of genre and from comics to prose to poetry, Poe’s Snifter of Terror has everything. Readers can pick this up expecting some good laughs, a little existential dread, maybe a couple spooks, but most importantly, they can expect more coming from AHOY.
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