It’s safe to say Creepshow is one of the most iconic horror series in history. The film was created as an homage to the classic EC comics of the 1950s, evolved into a hit Shudder TV show, and has had a years-long comics run at Skybound. This week, the Creepshow comic breaks away from the anthology format to tell a one-shot adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story Wolverton Station.
Adapted by writer Jason Ciaramella and artist Michael Walsh, it’s safe to say this one-shot has everything going for it. Not only are the creators seasoned, but this story offers up a werewolf yarn, something we rarely get.
The issue opens with The Creep introducing us to the lead character—a rich American businessman named Saunders who is obsessed with getting a great deal and collecting classic horror memorabilia. Right off the bat, we see him shorting people on the value of things by lying and bullying just to fill his private home with horror memorabilia locked away under glass. The dude is a snake, and he sets his sights on continuing to get what he wants for cheap when a cane from a werewolf movie becomes available.
So begins a journey to England where the man deserves what is coming to him. As he travels, we see werewolves here and there, as if they are normal staples of the English population. Played up like our main character is seeing things, the number of werewolves increases, and so does Saunders’ nerves.
Courtesy Skybound
There are interesting themes at work here. The first half delves into collecting and the rigamarole people go through to sell their wares. Once on his journey, the nervousness we carry traveling is apparent, as well as a foreign place seemingly off-kilter, yet we continue on like nothing is amiss. All the while, we hope Saunders gets his due because he’s a totally selfish jerk. The only element that could have been cemented more was the xenophobia aspect. While Saunders isn’t afraid of Englishman by any means, his Americanness is clearly an issue for the werewolves, albeit it’s a bit vague to the point of not really making a point in that regard.
Walsh does a great job rendering the werewolves, who seem natural in regular clothes. Fans of gore will adore the stretched-out intestines and half-eaten people. I can’t get enough of Walsh’s now-iconic color palette as he uses purples and cool blues to convey a sense of dark edginess and the weird. The Creep, for instance, has purplish skin that conveys a rot that’s unmistakable.
Creepshow: Joe Hill’s Wolverton Station is a great one-shot featuring the worst America offers in greedy businessmen and the fate that befalls them when they take their work abroad. It’s a good werewolf story that perfectly matches the gore and weirdness.
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