#504-#505 = DREAD THE HALL H one-shot anthology (Image Comics, July 2025)
I did not enjoy this one as much as the previous DREAD THE HALLS anthology of Christmas horror stories; but it was still fun. This time, the theme is the San Diego Comic Con, specifically the massive Hall H where fans often wait overnight to get inside because the large capacity hall still gets filled up.
There’s one story that gets the most spotlight this time, and it is “Q & A” by Chris Ryall and Nelson Daniel. It serves as bookends to the other stories and acts as a kind of intermission between them. Unfortunately, it’s not the best story of the bunch and way too long. I got the point/message early on, and it is kind of funny and a little typical regarding certain types attracted to celebrity events. The story centers around a movie preview featuring two of the actors involved, who stick around for questions and answers.
The last question comes from a long-haired, braided male wearing a karate suit and a Viking Helmet who wants to ask a single question but rambles on and on, goes off on unrelated tangents, and sucks up the remaining time of the presentation. Funny, but only for a few pages.
A couple have trouble attending any presentations at the Con because every line they enter is already “capped”, including a coffee shop in “Line Capped” by Jordan Hart and Jimmy Kucaj. They end up entering the only exhibit that doesn’t have a line, and it’s outside of the main convention. They believe they’ve entered an elaborate thrill attraction, but they were lured by a persuasive demon into a creepy castle-like building with a torture dungeon. They continue to believe they’re part of a dungeons & dragons campaign and are too dim to realize where they are. Don’t worry: this has a happy ending.
The most creative story, and one with an appropriately grim ending (and with a subtle dig at current fandom attitudes) is “Spoiler Alert” by Chris Ryall and Piotr Kowalski. A couple come up with a new way to get into the con and guarantee they can access the panels they want to. They use the sewers to sneak in under the convention center, steal food vendor uniforms, and meet two celebrity stunt performers (whose entrance is not going to go off as planned).
The final story is my favorite, as it most reflects the intentions of a horror comics anthology (which I guess DREAD THE HALL H is not so much). In “Never Felt So Alive” by Jordan Hart and Chris Anderson shows what happens when an actual “walking dead” zombie enters the comic convention and is mistaken for a cosplayer and welcomed into the group.
Overall, I expected more from this one-shot based on my favorable experience with the last anthology from Ryall and Hart. And, it’s going to take a while to get that horrible, rambling “Q & A” out of my memory. THREE STARS.
#506-#507 = CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD PRESENTS: ILLUMINATI #1, #2 of 5 by Bryan Edward Hill, penciled by Denys Cowan, inked by Bill Sienkiewicz (AWA, July-August 2025) Regarding the urban mythology of Illuminati - - it’s a frequently used subject in genre fiction, comics, movies and familiar to pop culture fans as well as conspiracy theorists. What’s different is that the shadow society pulling the levers of power in this comic is grounded in hip hop culture and the music business, pretty timely coming on the heels of the Sean Combes trial. There’s also a supernatural element at play here as well.
I purchased the first two issues and found this thriller interesting enough to subscribe to the series. Jackie and Lilly are twin sisters with musical abilities. Jackie sets off for Los Angeles, and is later pronounced dead of a drug overdose. Lilly, who has a psychic bond with her sister and receives warning messages from her, believes that she was murdered and wants to investigate the killing. She’s warned away by Michael, whom she later decides to partner with.
The same people that were supposedly grooming Jackie for musical fame approach Lilly and make her the same offer. She declines, but they are persistent. She’s going to try and expose them, and enlists Michael as advisor. While she is persuaded to attend a party by dangerous music producer Damien, Michael is being attacked by a hitman.
The story has a good flow, and feels cinematic. The art is expressive and well-suited to the mood of the story. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
P.S. Charlamagne The God may be involved in this title in name only. His name is absent from the credits page, although he does write an afterword revealing his love of comics and interest in helping shine a spotlight on more black creators.
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