EC Comics is back, and they’re better than ever thanks to Oni Press’ Cruel Universe and Epitaphs from the Abyss. This week is the third anthology issue of Cruel Universe, packed with four tales of highly advanced technology, the dangers of chemicals, and people getting too comfortable with creature comforts.
Cruel Universe #3 opens with “Automated” By J. Hotham and Kano. It’s about a dystopian future taken out by A.I., but not how you’d expect. Think Maximum Overdrive meets The Matrix! Told exclusively through captions and Kano’s visuals, the story reveals how one man’s desire to win and beat everyone destroys society. The fact that he comes off a bit like Elon Musk is probably not by accident, and the story offers some excellent gory murder.
“We Drown on Earth” by Zac Thompson and Dan McDaid opens with a tanker filled with dangerous chemicals. They’re soon dumped into the ocean, and god knows what that’ll do to creatures that touch it. You don’t have to imagine it, though, as the story goes in that direction. Part eco-horror, the story is also about people assuming they can be top dogs with a few moves, not realizing karma is a bitch. The ending is the best part of this brooding tale.
Credit: Oni Press
Ben H. Winters and Carson Thorn explore how a very bad man bites off more than he can chew in “The Deleted Man.” Thorn’s very simple style suits the direction this story is taking. It opens with a slovenly-looking man requesting his internet history be deleted. A specialized company can do just that, but there are some side effects. He loses parts of himself! This one has a Thinner vibe that horror fans will like.
The final tale is “Behave” by Cullen Bunn and David Rubin. It opens by detailing a future where angels killed most of humanity. Over the course of the story, we find out what angels are, and it’s a tale of woe because humanity is trying to perfect itself. That is, morally. But how far can society go before it’s a tool to correct bad behavior goes too far? A slight religious element to a story pops off the page thanks to Rubin’s art.
Cruel Universe #3 is another good anthology edition, with four stories that blend sci-fi and horror well. Frankly, I wonder if there’s too much horror in these tales since EC Comics has an anthology devoted to horror, but at least each tale takes a unique angle on science fiction.
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