John Carpenter's Tales of Science Fiction: Hell #7

John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction: Hell #7

Storm King Comics 2021

Written by David J. Schow

Illustrated by Andres Esparza

Coloured by Sergio Martinez

Lettered by Janice Chiang

Gargoyles in Hell? they're real! Captured, jailed and used for arena combat and lab experimentation by magnificent living monsters from Earth's medieval past, the surviving members of the CalEx incursion team must figure out whether escape - or survival - is even possible down in the Underneath. These creatures have always been with us. Waiting for their chance to come back, topside... and reclaim the surface-world of Earth for their own.

Each issue just gets better and better than one before it. We know at least one person makes it out of Hell but the question really is, is she the only one or are there more that made it out with her? I don’t know about anyone else but after that experience I’d lock myself up in my home and hide away from the world for as long as I possibly could. With everything we are learning here and that there was a traitor among them, I surely wouldn’t want to see another human being, or demon, for quite some time. This is just a brilliantly told epic story that seems to get that much more intense and mystifying with each turn of the page and it's utterly and brilliantly being told.

I absolutely adore the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a brilliant job showcasing these ever evolving personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists & turns, revelations and the story itself see just how invested and engaged we’ve become in this insane tale.

I’m greatly appreciative of the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I like how we see the layers within the story open up new avenues to be explored and whether they will be or won’t be, they all add this great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably achieved.

The interiors here are just utterly brilliant. The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of work and in the attention to detail is astounding. The creativity and imagination is truly gorgeous to see and how the denizens of Hell are rendered is familiar, frightening and do wonders in creeping the reader out. The backgrounds that we see enhance and expand the moments and work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story beautifully. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is inspired and shows a sublime eye for how colour works and how to maximise its effects.

​

There’s a reason this series, John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction, is one of my top five favourites and if I had to choose or limit myself to a handful of books without hesitation this would make my list. The consistency of the writing, the interiors and the lettering make this one of the best books you aren’t reading and that needs to change. The writing here is flawless and the characterisation is impeccably rendered while these bloody brilliant interiors will bring this to life to give you nightmares. Do you need more reasons to read this? I think not.