Coming off an excellent third issue, Creepshow returns this week with two stories by two of comics’ best creators working today. Joshua Williamson features the first tale, and happens to be relaunching Iron Man this week, while Tradd Moore, a guy who puts out work that’s always excellent, delivers the second. The two tales offer very different flavors of horror, but equally surprise, shock, and get under your skin in more ways than one.
Opening up Creepshow Vol. 4 #5 is Joshua Williamson and Andrew Milana’s “Artificial Ignorance.” This story is like if someone wanted to tackle incels via a Weird Science remake. The story opens with the Creeper, as always, then dives into a very ugly, overweight man’s obsession with a new technology he’s developed. The way it works is he inputs what he wants, and it appears. He seems not know, however, that the parts are coming from somewhere else in the physical world. When he combines two vehicles, the real-world vehicles are split in half.
With the premise set up, Milana does a great job making this scientist look gross and disturbed. The man is clearly disconnected from real people and the real world, and shows no care for how his device works. When he pops out a “perfect” woman, Milana makes the amalgamation of parts look like a comical take on what beauty is. It’s in the third and final horrific combination that Milana gets to lean into body horror and cap off a solid science-ey horror tale.
This story ends a little suddenly, as if the creators didn’t have enough page time to fully commit to our scientist’s final transformation. Williamson’s final farewell from the Creeper is an excellent cap to the tale, though.
Beautiful art in the second tale.
Credit: Skybound
Next up, Tradd Moore writes, draws, and letters “When I Am Alone.” This is a broody tale, opening with Creeper in an almost angelic and beautiful light. The first page features stained glass for its first panel as a title card, and then we see the Creeper at a stone grave in front of a gnarly tree.
Moore tackles an interesting subject here, introducing a woman who lives alone in a large New York apartment. She’s easy to relate to, as she looks in the mirror and sees all her flaws, and yet she looks perfectly healthy. The horror edges on the thoughtful, as we hope she can see herself in a brighter light.
As she moves through her apartment, Moore plays with caption boxes, making them twist and turn with the story. It adds a 3D element and informs a bit of what is happening. It leads to a rather creepy moment, one that is reminiscent of the child standing at the parents’ bed in Paranormal Activity. One might assume it’d cause horror in our main character, but her reaction suits the story’s purpose.
My only gripe is that it may be a bit too obtuse for some readers. I particularly didn’t understand the final page, but maybe that’s purposeful as we ponder the deeper meaning.
Following a strong previous issue, Creepshow keeps its momentum with two memorable horror stories from top-tier creators. Williamson and Milana deliver a biting, science-gone-wrong tale that leans hard into discomfort and body horror, even if it wraps up too quickly. Moore’s solo effort is quieter and more introspective, using visual experimentation and emotional unease to linger long after the final page. Together, the stories highlight the flexibility of Creepshow. Creepshow is capable of shocking, disturbing, and provoking thought in equal measure.
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