Tag Archives: ryan kelly

‘Tis the Season for Terror! EC Comics’ Haunting Holiday Tradition Returns in Shiver Suspenstories 3 #1

Oni Press and William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. are proud to unveil the giant-sized Shiver Suspenstories 3 #1 – an all-new, all-unhinged 56-page giant featuring EC Comics’ most terrifying assembly of sickenin’ stocking stuffers yet! That’s right, Shiver Suspenstories is back . . . and we’re bringing three times the chills, three times the spills, and three times the murderous intent with us for our most vengeful celebration of X-mas anarchy and New Year’s nightmares ever attempted on December 9th! 

For the third year running, gather ʼround our flaming hearth and join tortured (literally!) creators John Arcudi, Sarah Gailey, Ryan Kelly, David Lapham, Jay Stephens, and more surprise guests as we begin a frightening festival of merciless merriment and holiday horror, all tinseled up in the mangled EC Comics manner!

Plus: For your reading displeasure, feast upon another restored and remastered EC classic straight from the Vault-Keeper’s lair! Heh heh, ho ho, this Christmas season, someone’s gotta go! Just remember, kids: Some stains don’t come out . . . especially under Luminol!

Get into the spirit with killer covers from Dustin Weaver, Steve Lieber, Shawn McManus, and Rian Hughes! Tell Santa to make with the comic – or else!!!– when Shiver Suspenstories 3 #1 comes calling on December 9th!

  • Cover of 'Shiver SuspenStories' comic book featuring a chaotic holiday scene with a demonic creature among frightened partygoers wearing Santa hats.
  • A comic book cover featuring two men in military attire preparing to perform an unsettling procedure on a Santa Claus figure, who is tied to a chair. The title reads 'SHIVER SUSPENSTORIES' with a subtitle indicating the issue number.
  • Cover of the comic book 'Shiver Suspense Stories' depicting a frightened man reaching toward a door with a woman visible inside, surrounded by eerie, icy surroundings.
  • Cover illustration of Shiver Suspense Stories comic, featuring two men restraining a bearded man in a chair while preparing a medical procedure.
  • Cover of 'Shiver SuspenStories' Volume 3, featuring a green background with various Halloween and winter-themed illustrations, including a haunted house, skeleton, snowman, and Christmas gift, along with titles and author names.

Preview: A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #5

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #5

(W) Phil Hester (A) Ryan Kelly

It’s a standoff between the citizens of Pearl and the mysterious violent creatures who kill anything and anyone that dares to make a sound! With the thunder from exploding fireworks covering the noise of their escape, Gloria, Mia, and Brody take cover from the creatures near the firehouse. Inside, Phair deliberates how to save the Fry family without endangering the surviving townspeople huddled beside her.

Tension mounts on the bridge as Chief Fry and Mayor Phair reach an impasse. Will Lonnie be able to convince his sister to follow his plan in a last-ditch effort to protect the people of Pearl and save their family? Or has her previous ignorance already cost them more than their lives?

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #5

Preview: A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #4

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #4

(W) Phil Hester (A) Ryan Kelly

After the failure of his desperate plan to cut off the island town of Pearl from the invading creatures, Chief Fry finds himself held captive at gunpoint by his own neighbors. He must reason with his sister, Mayor Phair, to convince the people of Pearl to destroy the bridges connecting the town to the mainland. If she is unwilling to listen, their lack of action could lead to devastation. Meanwhile, with the sounds of the rain no longer masking their dash for the firehouse to escape from the creatures, Caleb tries to help Gloria and Brody get to safety silently.

Will Phair be able to protect her family, let alone her entire town? Find out in the first-ever comic continuation of the critically acclaimed A Quiet Place franchise!

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #4

Oni Press and EC Comics Conjure a Hateful Hex in Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 – Coming in September!

HEAVY IS THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN  . . . UNTIL THE KING GETS IT  LOPPED OFF! Oni Press and William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. have announced Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 (of 6)! Welcome, traveler . . . back to the blood-drenched ramparts of ye olde EC Comics that yearn for MORE tales of sadistic sorcery and malevolent magic! Yes, draw your sword and start swinging, because CRUEL KINGDOM lives again this September with an ALL-NEW volume of fatal fantasy, told in the immortal EC Comics manner by a magnificently malicious cast of all-star storytellers!

In this Cruel Kingdom, there is no “happily ever after” . . . and sometimes the witch hunter becomes the hunted in the end, heh heh! Come, warm yourself by the pyre as vengeance-fueled writers David M. Booher, Matt Bors, and Jude Ellison S. Doyle turn the screws in tandem with axe-wielding artists Ryan Kelly, Lukas Ketner, and David Lapham to extract answers the burning question of every knight and squire: Must every wizard’s tower also have an executioner’s dungeon buried down below?

Plus: Cower in fear as upcoming issues of EC Comics’ latest six-issue exercise in “black magic gone good” prepares to feature even more writers and artists with ogre’s taste for blood and bone, including John Arcudi, Ramón F. Bachs, Sarah Gailey, Sami Kivelä, Curt Pires, SOM, Alison Sampson, and more!

If you thought the Dark Ages were scary, just wait for the return of EC Comics’ carnage-strewn ode to high fantasy and low blows in Cruel Kingdom 2 #1 (of 6) – storming the ramparts of your local comic shop on September 2nd with covers from legendary artists Mark Buckingham, Yanick Paquette, Shawn McManus, and Rian Hughes.

Preview: A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #3

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #3

(W) Phil Hester (A) Ryan Kelly

Separated by a raging flood and stalked by the last surviving creature on the island, Phair and young Mia fight to stay alive as the storm becomes both their greatest enemy and their only shield. But as the thunder fades, so does their cover — leaving them exposed at the very moment Mia’s brother’s cries give the monster its next target.

Meanwhile, Chief Fry faces the impossible: a ruined bridge, a stranded family, and monsters massing just across the gap. His desperate mission to protect what’s left of civilization ignites a chain of events that will echo straight into Phair’s fight for survival.

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #3

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #2 continues the action but also the tragedy of the situation

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #2

Fire Chief Fry’s pleas went unheard in the last hours of Pearl, Iowa—but in the present, his sister, wingnut mayor Phair, is finally heeding his warning. As she desperately defends what’s left of her town and Fry’s daughter from the invading creatures, Phair wishes more than anything she had listened to her brother when she had the chance. But now…her brother is nowhere to be found. A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #2 is an interesting second issue jumping between two time periods and delivering action, tension, and tragedy.

Written by Phil Hester, A Quiet Place: Storm Warning is a spinoff from the popular film series but thankfully you need no knowledge of the movies to enjoy. Instead, Hester keeps things focused on a small town that could weather the storm and strange creatures but due to incompetence in its leadership, won’t. Hester gives us a sci-fi tragedy in that this is an alien invasion and we’re given a community built to withstand it but chooses not to. Hester’s jumping between times sees the tragedy unfold while also showing off the aftermath of poor decisions.

Hester also provides the layouts while Ryan Kelly handles the pencils and ink along with Lee Loughridge on color and lettering by Nathan Widick. The art does well to match the tone of the story with a gray overcast to it all, matching the tone of the rather sad and frustrating actions within. The action feels tense and the art helps also keeps things focused staying away from broad, grand, views, and instead of framing the action so that the art is right close to what’s going on. You also get a good sense of the emotion of the individuals involved as they celebrate their victories or show their fear.

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #2 is a solid second issue continuing the story and keeping it accessible for new readers. It delivers a mix of tense action and frustrating tragedy as it an unfolds. It’s enough that it has me wanting to check out the films and see what I’ve missed.

Story: Phil Hester Layouts: Phil Hester Art: Ryan Kelly
Ink: Ryan Kelly Color: Lee Loughridge Letterer: Nathan Widick
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.9 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review


Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #2

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #2

(W) Phil Hester (A) Ryan Kelly

Fire Chief Fry’s pleas went unheard in the last hours of Pearl, Iowa — but in the present, his sister, wingnut mayor Phair, is finally heeding his warning. As she desperately defends what’s left of her town and Fry’s daughter from the invading creatures, Phair wishes more than anything she had listened to her brother when she had the chance. But now… her brother is nowhere to be found.

From legendary creators Phil Hester (Green Arrow, Swamp Thing) and Ryan Kelly (Lucifer, Local) comes the first-ever A Quiet Place comic series — an untold chapter of fear, family, and sacrifice set in the terrifying world of the blockbuster films.

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #2

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 Brings the Popular Film Franchise to Comics

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1

The world ended in a hush. The creatures came for the cities first. But in Pearl, Iowa—a tiny island town on the Mississippi—the mayor and townsfolk believe that’s someone else’s problem. Cut off from the chaos of the coasts, they think they can ride out the storm. But fire chief Lonnie Fry knows better. The creatures that hunt by sound are coming west, and unless the people of Pearl take drastic action, silence won’t save them—it’ll bury them. A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is based on the film franchise, but you don’t need to watch the films to enjoy the comics.

Written by Phil Hester, A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is a nice start to the popular horror franchise that keeps things focused. I’ve never seen any of the films, but it’s a debut that is accessible by anyone and really relevant to today’s world.

Hester introduces us to a small town, rather isolated from the world. And with that isolation comes a disbelief about what they’re witnessing on television, in the news, and warnings from others. They don’t believe there’s creatures on their way, a denial of the clear evidence before them. Hester delivers an allegory from modern times of a conservatism that’s built on false beliefs and denial of reality. This is a town set up for success and survival and refuse to do what’s necessary because it means they’d need to sacrifice something or be inconvenienced. A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is our modern politics in a nutshell.

Hester provides the page layout with Ryan Kelly‘s pencils and inks delivering an issue that focuses in on the small town quality of it all but also the storm to come. With color by Lee Loughridge and lettering by Nathan Widick, the comic delivers a solid story of what is primarily adults yelling at each other. It’s a debate that you know will end badly and the art has a sadness to it, you can hate those who are clearly wrong, but the art also adds in a chance to pity them.

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is a welcoming debut that those new to the franchise can dive in and enjoy. It can be enjoyed on the surface level or appreciated for its deeper examination of how a minority, who are so wrong, can be the death of us all.

Story: Phil Hester Art: Phil Hester, Ryan Kelly
Color: Lee Loughrdige Letterer: Nathan Widick
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.85 Overall: 7.95 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review


Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1

(W) Phil Hester (A) Phil Hester, Ryan Kelly

The world ended in a hush.

The creatures came for the cities first. But in Pearl, Iowa — a tiny island town on the Mississippi — the mayor and townsfolk believe that’s someone else’s problem. Cut off from the chaos of the coasts, they think they can ride out the storm. But fire chief Lonnie Fry knows better. The creatures that hunt by sound are coming west, and unless the people of Pearl take drastic action, silence won’t save them — it’ll bury them.

From legendary creators Phil Hester (Green Arrow, Swamp Thing) and Ryan Kelly (Lucifer, Local) comes the first-ever A Quiet Place comic series — an untold chapter of fear, family, and sacrifice set in the terrifying world of the blockbuster films.

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1

NYCC 2025: IDW Dark Unveils Four New Titles coming in 2026

Don’t read these comics before going to sleep. From silent terrors to sinister hauntings, IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW Dark is expanding with four new comic book series​ that are guaranteed to slither under your skin and give you nightmares. Coming in 2026 are: Smile, A Quiet Place, Operation: Iron Coffin, and The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace.

Unleashing psychological supernatural scares in comic shops next February is Smile: For the Camera #1. From horror writer Hannah Rose May and artist Miriana Puglia, the frightening tale brings readers back to the year 2005 to follow a group of international models as they kick off Fashion Month in New York. They’re dying to smile for the camera, but paranoia quickly creeps in as the mysterious Smile Entity begins to stalk the group.

Invading comic stores next March is A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 from the blockbuster creative duo of writer and layout artist Phil Hester and artist Ryan Kelly. As spine-chilling creatures create chaos around the globe and slaughter anything that makes a sound, a small island town in the midwest will struggle to survive in silence as the ferocious and seemingly unstoppable extraterrestrial terrors lurk all around them. 

Spooking shops next March is The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #1, the sequel to the hit IDW original horror series The Exorcism at 1600 Penn. Writer Hannah Rose May returns to craft a new demonic saga and is joined by artist Kelsey Ramsay to torment London’s royal residence and reveal its shocking family curse.

Crashing into comic shops next July is Operation: Iron Coffin #1, a new IDW original horror from writer Kenny Porter and artist Tyrell Cannon. Based on Dracula by Bram Stoker, this action-packed thriller transports readers to World War II as a British bomber drops an iron coffin onto a heavily fortified Nazi train full of superweapons. Dracula emerges, ready to tear through hordes of enemies and stop Hitler from creating an army of vampires to win the war.

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