It’s fair to say Oni Press is leading the charge with anthology comics, especially since they are leveraging EC Comics’ banner with one-shots like Tortured Hearts. The anthology is a great way to celebrate holidays, and right in time for Valentine’s Day, this issue delivers romance in multiple bloody and twisted ways. Often, you don’t know what you’re going to get with so many creative teams, but in the case of Tortured Hearts, it’s like getting a Valentine sealed with a kiss and splattered with arterial spray, where love is declared in whispers and paid for in screams.
Kicking things off this issue is Amy Roy and Fabiana Mascolo’s “The Perfect Woman.” The story opens with a regular-looking guy from the ’70s on a dating show. He quickly rejects all three women right off the bat, and soon we learn he’s up to something in his lab. With a Frankenstein angle, Roy and Mascolo show that even if you can make a perfect match, that match won’t be perfect in your eyes forever.
Mascolo’s art is great, with a thinner pencilled line that suits the ’70s vibe to start, and some standout moments with gore here and there. There’s an incredible page that uses layout to convey bits and pieces the man uses to make his woman perfect, even after she was the apple of his eye.
Next up is “Dead and Buried” by Jordie Bellaire, with writing and coloring by Jordie Bellaire and art by Sebastian Cabrol. The story opens in a medieval-style fantasy setting, with a solemn-looking woman digging up a body. We see on the very first page that there are piles of zombie-looking creatures, but Bellaire makes you wonder why dig up a body at all? Soon, the story whisks us to a brighter and more positive time with marriage, and the attempt to make babies takes up our main character’s time. Things go from happy to horror in moments when a previous suitor confronts her, and he happens to be a vampire.
Cabrol delivers on the action and melodrama of this very sad woman throughout the tale. The end feels truly tragic, and the art keeps you fully invested.
Some of these tales get lusty.
Credit: Oni Press
Tini and Black Howard team up with Arjuna Susini for “The Spark,” a rather twisted story of lovers who like to kill. Similar to the last story, there’s a bit of pillow talk and lustiness that opens this tale, giving it an adult feel. The Howards and Susini juxtapose this rather adult and freaky couple with new tenants of the place they’re staying, who are quite the spark-less couple to say the least. The husband is on his Nintendo Switch while his wife badgers him, clearly unattracted to this manchild.
This was a satisfying story because you don’t know where it’s going. From the infantile husband running to the bathroom to the incredibly violent ending, the creative team captures the sometimes twisty things we do to spark our relationships back to life.
The last of the new stories is “A Pocket Full of Nails” by Ann Nocenti and Dan McDaid. This is a story all about obsession, with a woman getting her circuit breaker fixed, only to have the repairman fall in love with her. This tale takes a surprising turn as it shines a light on the cops who couldn’t care less about her stalker. The way they talk to her, it’s as if they think she should give the stalker a chance. Set in the 1990s, Nocenti clearly makes a point about how far we’ve come with stalkers, and the story even ends with a text blurb explaining that there are more protections for cases like this.
Of course, it’s not the most realistic tale, given this is a horror anthology. McDaid gets to go all out with a bloody finale to the “relationship,” complete with some home remodeling. A key element in the big finish is a nail, which McDaid integrates into the story nicely.
Closing out this collection is a reprint from Tales from the Crypt #38 by William M. Gaines and Al Feldstein. Originally published in 1953, one can see why EC Comics was considered way too adult for a comic book. The story centers on a man falling for a woman at a Mardi Gras party where everyone has dressed up. Herbert is dressed as a matador, while his precious Suzanne, whom he hasn’t seen in five years, is dressed as an old witch. After he marries her and sleeps with her, he realizes he’s never seen her “real” face and demands she take off her mask. The only thing is that that is her real face! It’s a tale of vanity gone too far when Herbert decides to rip her mask off, face and all!
Tortured Hearts lands as a confident entry in Oni Press’ growing EC-inspired anthology line. The collection thrives on creative risk, letting each team explore how love can slip into obsession, jealousy, or outright horror. Some stories resonate more strongly than others, which is part of the anthology experience, but the overall quality remains consistently engaging. The artwork across the issue keeps the tone sharp and visually striking, helping each tale leave a clear impression. The closing EC reprint ties the modern stories to horror’s roots and reinforces how these themes remain timeless. Readers looking for twisted romance and stylish horror will find plenty to enjoy here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.