Oni Press brought EC Comics back last year with new horror and sci-fi anthologies, and now it’s time for the historic label to grow further with EC Cruel Kingdom. The new dark fantasy anthology is all about fantasy and its tropes, with a bit of sci-fi thrown in the first edition. Collecting four stories, EC Cruel Kingdom features some of the comic’s best creators in an excellent first issue.
Kicking things off is “Blood of the Robo King” by Greg Pak and Leomacs. The story perfectly opens on a village made of wood, straight out of an earlier era of human history, yet skyscrapers line the horizon. These pious folks fear an invasion, but a few monk-looking folks have a trick up their sleeve: A robot knight! Pak crafts a story here to comment on those who proclaim themselves pure yet use others to avoid sinning themselves.
Leomacs has been a staple of the EC Comics revolution and doesn’t disappoint here. His detailed art captures the brutality of the robot knights’ fighting style and the fear in the people’s eyes when death looms. The general design of the robot is quite cool, too, with a floating crown that makes it look godly.
Vairant cover to issue #1.
Credit: Oni Press
“Friendly Visitors” by Al Ewing and Kano follows the opening and also combines sci-fi with fantasy. A space traveler visits a person who wields magic, but he portends his technology is far superior. Ewing and Kano make a strong case for things not appearing as they seem, with the space traveler grossly underestimating their magic. It’s a nice twist-ending sort of tale.
Chris Condon and Charlie Adlard team up for “Death and Pickaxes,” a riff on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The story picks up when the prince saves the Snow White character, yet most dwarves are dead save for one. Enraged, the last living dwarf takes action, leading to a very dark turn of events.
Closing out the collection is “The Demon’s Face” by Ben H. Winters and Andrew Mutti. The story is set in a classic fantasy world, focusing on a sword that must be plucked from a stone that looks like a demon’s face. It’s a riff on Sword and the Stone, but it takes a different turn.
Thanks to the color choices by Michael Atiyeh, Mutti’s art has a dreamlike quality, leading to a horrific twist. Mutti draws on the trope of a mysterious traveler in a bar, which works to craft an air of mystery and danger.
All told, EC Cruel Kingdom is a great start, and while it’s missing a host, like with Epitaphs from the Abyss, it thoroughly makes a case for its fantasy-first storytelling. EC Cruel Kingdom is a worthy continuation of EC Comics’ legacy, blending dark fantasy, sci-fi, and thoughtful storytelling into an anthology that stands out in today’s comic landscape.
You must be logged in to post a comment.