The iconoclastic comics publisher AfterShock Comics is partnering with the acclaimed artist Juan Doe (Bad Reception, American Monster, Batman: Joker’s Asylum), to create Spectro a prestige format one-shot horror anthology with a science-fiction twist that takes inspiration from media such as Black Mirror. Juan Doe, who is helming all creative duties for the anthology, is hoping to evoke vintage horror science fiction stories such as Weird Science and says that Spectro will be a “an homage to that cosmic horror ethos.”
AfterShock Comics has become known in recent years for operating with an interesting hybrid model of part independent publisher and part traditional publisher, with many big names helming its comics and graphic novels while all published work remains creator-owned. Spectro is being written, illustrated, colored, and lettered by Doe and is the most recent in a series of gorgeous and mind-provoking horror comics from AfterShock, such as Midnight Rose from Jim Starlin, which will debut this April. Doe’s new comic will be an interconnected horror anthology delving into the deep anxieties and insecurities of our current society.
A preview and synopsis of Spectro released by CBR reveals only more questions about the mysterious and mind-bending anthology. Using the lens of science fiction and horror, Doe told CBR that he is setting out to tackle universal themes such as “the fear of social failure and its consequences. The fear of not being recognized, appreciated or seen. The fear of success, of giving in to your ego. The fear of hope, of believing in something good that may never come.” He said that the four tales in the comic horror anthology would each have their own universes and characters, but “would feel like all the stories were tangentially connected.” Check out the text-free preview images and the synopsis below for even more cosmic confusion.
SPECTRO explores the unnerving spectrum of fear through four terrifying stories rooted in a cosmic game of twisted karma and phantasmagoric terror:
1. What is at stake when sentient technology manipulates a man with projections of his desired self?
2. What are the consequences of excommunicating a member of the “nine” planets?
3. What is discovered when an explorer travels to Mars to ascend the tallest mountain in the solar system?
4. What happens when a scientist aboard the International Space Station is confronted with the most horrifying aspects of humankind?
In what realm of fear do these stories exist? SPECTRO.
From the preview images alone, even without text, it is clear that the art and story telling of Spectro is going to be fabulous and incredibly engaging. While it is hard to discern what exactly is happening in the images, clearly there is a very Black Mirror-esque futuristic technology that seems to be ruling or influencing the daily life choices of what appears to be the protagonist of this particular story. That may seem like a simple weight scale at first glance, but judging by Doe’s explanation of his vision for the anxiety-inducing anthology, that scale is going to be nothing like what it seems.
Based on AfterShock’s huge catalogue of amazing comics, ranging from YA horror to messed up Santa Claus stories, plus Juan Doe’s long history of producing beautiful and meaningful works, it can be pretty confidently predicted that Spectro is going to be a great new anthology. Make sure to check out Juan Doe’s new horror anthology one-shot Spectro published by AfterShock Comics when it debuts on May 18th, 2022.
