Dwellings Comic #2 by Jay Stephens

 I recently got my Kickstarter rewards for the second issue of Dwellings from Jay Stephens. You might knew Stephens as the creator of the cartoons Tutenstein and, one of my personal favorites, The Secret Saturdays. I usually only go in for digital with comics but they offered some cool physical rewards that I had to have!

 

At first glance, the art style looks cutesy and might remind you of something you'd see in Harvey Comics if you're of a certain age. But let me assure you, this is a horror comic and definitely not for the kiddies!

In Dwellings No 2: “Second Tongue”, the internal conflict between the rational and the supernatural becomes deadly, as a science-minded stranger to town investigates a case of Foreign Accent Syndrome. Mistaken Identity? Or another entity entirely?

 

I went digital with the first issue but I'm SO happy I went with the physical version on this one! While the retro vibe came across clearly in the digital copy, there's something kind of cool (and weird) about holding the comic. The paper that's used, the art style, and reproducing that vintage printed comic look make it a real nostalgia treat.

But just like the story, things aren't quite what they seem on the surface. There are ads throughout the book, like the one above, that might look like classic ads you've seen before..until you actually read them. I think this gives the whole thing an extra layer of creepy, almost like you're sucked into the world of the comic.

 

As I was reading it, I was also picturing in my head how this would have looked in a more adult style that fits the story. You feel a little off because the story and the art style don't quite mesh and that's just another thing I love about it!

In addition to the comic, I also got this pair of postcards with alternate cover art. It's not often that you get to reference Archie comics and EC Horror in the same sentence so here you go!

And the real reason I went beyond digital on this campaign...

A limited edition, signed print! I'll probably never run into Jay at a convention so this is the next best thing. Did I mention I'm a huge fan of The Secret Saturdays? When the show originally aired I was helping to update its Wiki after every episode. That's how much I love it! If you're reading this Jay, please bring them back somehow!

If you want to get more of a look at the comic, head over to the Kickstarter page where you can see full pages and some creepy cool horror flick postcards in this same art style.

You can grab your own digital or physical copies of the first two issues of Dwellings from Black Eye Books. His other book, Dejects, is a collection of various comics he's done and while on the more humorous side, is still not for kids.