Oni Press’s EC Comics resurgence has been a ton of fun, with Cruel Universe playing with sci-fi and horror tropes in the best of ways. This week, Cruel Universe 2 #2 offers three tales that are certainly sci-fi weird, but also very scary. Robots uprisings, delusions, and alien encounters have never been so terrifying!
Opening up this anthology issue is Dave Wielgosz and Riley Rossmo’s “I Have an Alien in my Basement.” The title says it all, as a rather straight-laced all-American dude has an alien in his basement. He’s brought a journalist in to verify his findings, with the story unfolding once we discover that the owner of the alien is a truth-mistrusting conspiracy theorist. Somewhat sadly, the treatment of the alien isn’t much of a surprise, given the lack of empathy this world is known for.
Rossmo draws the journalist in a rather weird way, creating a sense of lengthened oddness only he can pull off. Once we get to the alien and the final scene of graphic gore, Rossmo really shines.
Next up is “Ham Radio” by Melissa Flores and Claire Roe. This is a story of a man trapped in a space station, pining for a lost love. He does the impossible to get to her, which leads to a rather fantastic final few pages of confusion and horror. The twist is deliciously twisted and makes the story a solid entry, though it does require a bit of patience to get into it.
Prepare for some dissecting.
Credit: Oni Press
Closing out the anthology issue is “For Art’s Sake” by Chris Condon and Sami Kivela. With the fears of AI and robot uprisings stronger than ever, this story feels rather apt. It focuses on a robot making a painting in the style of an artist he’s literally plugged into. The world seems to be destroyed around them, but the robot aims to honor humanity with one final work by the artist, in its own hand. The artist is still alive and finds the robot has missed the point.
If ever there was a story about the fears of AI. This is one of them. It’s well thought out and crafted, in a way that is reminiscent of a great Twilight Zone episode. It’s also refreshing to see a story that doesn’t hinge on a twist ending to be entertaining, though it does have one to wrap things up.
EC Cruel Universe 2 #2 continues Oni Press’ revival of EC Comics with confidence, offering three inventive tales that balance grotesque horror, eerie sci-fi, and timely commentary. While pacing and familiarity hold back a couple of stories, the mix of unsettling art, sharp twists, and thoughtful themes proves that this anthology is quickly becoming a must-read for fans of classic horror with a modern edge.
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