Following the Super Creepshow Special, Skybound is back with Super Creepshow #1, an anthology with superhero DNA, but still offering the horrors of Creepshow. Armed with two of the best writers in comics today, Kieron Gillen and Ryan North, Super Creepshow #1 tackles being bitten by a spider, and super speed gone wrong.
Kicking things off is Kieron Gillen and Rossi Gifford in a whole new spin on Spider-Man. The story opens with two teens who like taking recreational drugs, but in the broken-down cabin, a spider lurks. Gillen mixes up the Spider-Man connections a bit while making the themes far more adult. Instead of our main character worrying about a smooch, there’s a sex scene, for instance.
The horror of becoming a spider is also leaned into quite a bit, which works for the body horror of it all. Not only the many eyes, but also where the webs come from. More gruesome than the body horror, however, is Gifford’s mayhem of people, like the local bully. It’s graphic stuff, with head-tearing effectiveness.
While it’s no surprise how the love affair of our main character, now a spider, plays out, it does have a freakish twist ending that’ll send shivers down your spine. Throw in the Creep wearing heart sunglasses to cap off the tale, and it’s a great start.
Next up, Ryan North writes “Super Freak” with art by Derek Charm. If you’re unfamiliar with a nerd talking superpowers like super speed, prepare for the opening page. Our main character explains it all to his friend, who learns the hard way how bad super speed can get.
Nice ring, Creep!
Credit: Skybound
This story leans into the nature of how one act of vengeance can spiral and snowball into far more violence, even if our main character should know better. North cleverly points out, at super speed, nobody can hear or see you. Being eternally alone is the most frightening thing if you can’t slow down.
Charm’s art has a cartoony look, which makes the opening feel wholesome and kind. That way, when bones are broken and blood spilled, the horror of bodies everywhere is twisted stuff.
While the themes make sense, I do wonder why our main character has to kill so much. I guess they lose their mind when they’re all alone with their thoughts, but the story doesn’t really delve into or explain that. With more pages, maybe the story could feel more fleshed out, but as it stands, it’s a basic good-guy turns bad, simply because.
Super Creepshow #1 proves the Creepshow formula works well with superhero ideas. Gillen and Gifford deliver a nasty body horror riff on the spider bite origin that feels disturbing and unpredictable, while North and Charm explore the terrifying implications of super speed with a story that turns vengeance into a nightmare. Both tales lean into horror first while still playing with superhero concepts readers know well. The anthology format leaves some ideas feeling a bit rushed, but the creative teams deliver enough shocks, clever twists, and gruesome imagery to make this a strong opening for the series.
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