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Tales from the Darkside
Te estremecieron con Locke & Key. Ahora Joe Hill y Gabriel Rodriguez regresan al juego del terror, con una sorprendente actualización de la mítica serie de televisión Tales from the Darkside creada por George A. Romero. Un puñado de relatos autoconclusivos que no te permitirán apagar la luz después de leerlos.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published March 14, 2017
About the author
Joe Hill
479 books31.5k followersJoe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 13, 2018
Not a fan of this one 🙈
February 22, 2018
A disappointment to say the least. Not what I expected from the same team who created the comics masterpiece, Locke & Key. Collected are the first three scripts from a failed attempt at a remake of the 80's TV anthology, Tales from the Darkside, this time for CW. The adaptation from Joe Hill's scripts into comics form was actually done by Michael Benedetto who has only written one other adaptation into comics and it shows. The stories are just plain boring. They try and portray horror but it just translates to a yawn.
April 16, 2020
While I didn’t love this as much as I hoped I would I did still thoroughly enjoy it! It was just lacking that extra little bit of spark to really make it shine. The stories were interesting and very reminiscent of old school horror which I adored. I sped through the tales quite quickly but a few of them felt very unfinished and left me wanting more and that was a bit of a disappointment. The artwork more than made up for it though, Rodriquez truly is a master at his craft and the illustrations are just amazing!
August 20, 2023
Se lee de una sentada, pero es como si solo fuera la introducción de una historia más larga. Esta novela gráfica se divide en 4 capítulos, los cuales tienen diferentes tipos de trama y distintos protagonistas, aunque se ve que hay un nexo común. Voy a hacer una pequeña valoración individual de cada uno sin dar spoilers.
Capítulo 1.- Sonámbulo: fue mi favorito. La base era original y tuvo una muy buena mezcla de tensión y drama. Además, el final me pareció muy emotivo y, al mismo tiempo, bastante triste. A raíz de un accidente, un chico se verá condenado a la soledad porque nadie puede mirarle y permanecer despierto... ¿cómo se soluciona algo así?
Capítulo 2 & 3.- La caja negra (1° y 2° parte): en este caso, nos encontramos con un hombre que vive atormentado por las cosas inexplicables e incontrolables que es capaz de hacer. Un extraño ofrecimiento hará que su vida pueda cambiar para mejor... o para peor. Debo decir que comenzó muy bien y que logró inquietarme cuando vi al culpable de los miedos del protagonista, pero luego todo se desarrolla de manera precipitada y nunca llegamos a obtener todas las respuestas.
Capítulo 4.- Se abre una ventana: tuvo un inicio perturbador y me enganchó de inmediato. Una chica conoce a un matrimonio que provoca escalofríos con solo mirarlos, pero, debido a que quiere compensarles por un pequeño incidente, se ve obligada a acepta cuidar de sus hijos. Lo que no se esperaba era lo que esos dulces "angelitos" eran capaces de hacer. Os prometo que esa familia da mucha grima y quería saber más de ellos. El problema vuelve a ser lo apresurado que es todo y la sensación de que el desenlace es únicamente una puerta abierta a otra historia.
No llega a las 100 páginas y es innegable que sabe captar la atención, así que se devora en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Además, las ilustraciones están bien definidas y consiguen tener un toque escalofriante cuando es necesario. Sin embargo, es imposible ignorar el hecho de que no tiene ni profundidad ni una línea argumental que conecte bien todos los capítulos y que les dé un significado final. Y es una pena, ya que daba para más.
Capítulo 1.- Sonámbulo: fue mi favorito. La base era original y tuvo una muy buena mezcla de tensión y drama. Además, el final me pareció muy emotivo y, al mismo tiempo, bastante triste. A raíz de un accidente, un chico se verá condenado a la soledad porque nadie puede mirarle y permanecer despierto... ¿cómo se soluciona algo así?
Capítulo 2 & 3.- La caja negra (1° y 2° parte): en este caso, nos encontramos con un hombre que vive atormentado por las cosas inexplicables e incontrolables que es capaz de hacer. Un extraño ofrecimiento hará que su vida pueda cambiar para mejor... o para peor. Debo decir que comenzó muy bien y que logró inquietarme cuando vi al culpable de los miedos del protagonista, pero luego todo se desarrolla de manera precipitada y nunca llegamos a obtener todas las respuestas.
Capítulo 4.- Se abre una ventana: tuvo un inicio perturbador y me enganchó de inmediato. Una chica conoce a un matrimonio que provoca escalofríos con solo mirarlos, pero, debido a que quiere compensarles por un pequeño incidente, se ve obligada a acepta cuidar de sus hijos. Lo que no se esperaba era lo que esos dulces "angelitos" eran capaces de hacer. Os prometo que esa familia da mucha grima y quería saber más de ellos. El problema vuelve a ser lo apresurado que es todo y la sensación de que el desenlace es únicamente una puerta abierta a otra historia.
No llega a las 100 páginas y es innegable que sabe captar la atención, así que se devora en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Además, las ilustraciones están bien definidas y consiguen tener un toque escalofriante cuando es necesario. Sin embargo, es imposible ignorar el hecho de que no tiene ni profundidad ni una línea argumental que conecte bien todos los capítulos y que les dé un significado final. Y es una pena, ya que daba para más.
February 19, 2018
I adore Joe Hill. And I also love Gabriel Rodriguez. The last time these two came together they created the magic that was Locke & Key, and I was completely blown away. That series will always be one of my favorite graphic novels, and the pairing of Hill and Rodriguez was absolutely perfect. Sadly, Hill and Rodriquez fail to create the same magic with Tales from the Darkside.
I"m pretty sure that Hill had wanted to revive this television series for a long time. He actually worked with his father as a child actor on Creepshow, and grew up being heavily influenced by both that series, The Twilight Zone, and the original Tales from the Darkside. I don't know exactly how many episodes Hill actually wrote, but only three made it into this graphic novel, and sadly all three seem half-finished, disjointed, and forgettable.
None of the stories are long enough to give you time to care about any of the characters. And most of the characters aren't very likable anyway. I think Hill's plan was to sort of connect each of the stories so that they all seemed to come from the same universe, which explains why one of the characters from the second story shows up briefly in the third, but the reader still hasn't had enough time to get to know the characters to care about any connection. Also, none of these stories are even remotely tense or scary. I never saw the original series, but I know a lot of horror writers contributed to it, one of which being Hill's father Stephen King. If Hill was going for horror with these stories, he totally missed his chance.
I'm not going to summarize the three tales. They are all pretty forgettable, and I'm sincerely disappointed. If you want to see Hill and Rodriguez really shine, skip this one and read Locke & Key. I'm still hoping that they will collaborate again in the future and return to Keyhouse.
I"m pretty sure that Hill had wanted to revive this television series for a long time. He actually worked with his father as a child actor on Creepshow, and grew up being heavily influenced by both that series, The Twilight Zone, and the original Tales from the Darkside. I don't know exactly how many episodes Hill actually wrote, but only three made it into this graphic novel, and sadly all three seem half-finished, disjointed, and forgettable.
None of the stories are long enough to give you time to care about any of the characters. And most of the characters aren't very likable anyway. I think Hill's plan was to sort of connect each of the stories so that they all seemed to come from the same universe, which explains why one of the characters from the second story shows up briefly in the third, but the reader still hasn't had enough time to get to know the characters to care about any connection. Also, none of these stories are even remotely tense or scary. I never saw the original series, but I know a lot of horror writers contributed to it, one of which being Hill's father Stephen King. If Hill was going for horror with these stories, he totally missed his chance.
I'm not going to summarize the three tales. They are all pretty forgettable, and I'm sincerely disappointed. If you want to see Hill and Rodriguez really shine, skip this one and read Locke & Key. I'm still hoping that they will collaborate again in the future and return to Keyhouse.
November 19, 2016
2.5 stars.
Tales from the Darkside is probably in my top ten favorite tv shows of all time, so I was really looking forward to this. Throw in Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez and it seems like this would be a can't miss. However, I have to say I was very disappointed with this one. I don't know if the series was canceled before it could be written to a conclusion or if this is was how it was supposed to be written, but it just didn't make any sense. Also, I also remembered Darkside as more of a horror based show, but this was closer to science fiction than horror.
There were three stories in this one, and while they weren't bad, it was like they had no ending. It felt to me like the story was going to continue and tie all three parts together, and then reach a conclusion. But it never did, so we ended up with a bunch of unfinished stories. The writing itself was well done of course, as was the art. It all just felt lacking to me, though, which was a shame. I'd love to see this team do a more traditional take on Darkside, but this one didn't do it for me.
Tales from the Darkside is probably in my top ten favorite tv shows of all time, so I was really looking forward to this. Throw in Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez and it seems like this would be a can't miss. However, I have to say I was very disappointed with this one. I don't know if the series was canceled before it could be written to a conclusion or if this is was how it was supposed to be written, but it just didn't make any sense. Also, I also remembered Darkside as more of a horror based show, but this was closer to science fiction than horror.
There were three stories in this one, and while they weren't bad, it was like they had no ending. It felt to me like the story was going to continue and tie all three parts together, and then reach a conclusion. But it never did, so we ended up with a bunch of unfinished stories. The writing itself was well done of course, as was the art. It all just felt lacking to me, though, which was a shame. I'd love to see this team do a more traditional take on Darkside, but this one didn't do it for me.
March 22, 2017
ORIGINALLY POSTED: https://bibliomantics.com/2017/04/09/...
Joe Hill’s planned three year Tales from the Darkside reboot may have not been picked up by the CW — or anyone else for that matter — but thankfully the scripts still got to see the light of day in comic book form. While Hill’s individual stories are intriguing and unique, they ultimately feel like a small piece of a much larger vision and suffer for it.
Joe Hill’s planned three year Tales from the Darkside reboot may have not been picked up by the CW — or anyone else for that matter — but thankfully the scripts still got to see the light of day in comic book form. While Hill’s individual stories are intriguing and unique, they ultimately feel like a small piece of a much larger vision and suffer for it.
August 26, 2018
Hill and Rodriguez are horror’s Brubaker and Phillips. Great tales, tight artwork and fabulous extension of the “Darkside” universe. Too cool for school y’all!
November 4, 2020
Us nerds of a certain age range, taste, and sensibility fondly recall a late-night low-budget TV show called Tales From the Darkside, a fantasy/horror/sci-fi anthology series that was essentially a poor-man’s Twilight Zone. More fun than good—-and vastly more entertaining than it probably should have been—-TFTD always managed to surprise the viewer by either being somewhat better-written than its low-budget production quality let on and/or somewhat more disturbing and frightening than expected.
Joe Hill was a fan. In 2015, Hill was in talks with CBS to work on a reboot of the show for the CW. Sadly, it never came to fruition, but the few scripts and stories that Hill penned for the proposed show have now found the light of day in graphic novel form.
Re-teaming with artist Gabriel Rodriguez (the two worked together on Hill’s wonderful “Locke & Key” graphic novel series), Hill, along with writer Michael Benedetto, has attempted to create a similar horror anthology with a twist: a built-in longer mythos story with recurring characters and motifs that appear in all the stories; much like The X-Files, with its long-running “UFO history/Project Blue Book/aliens-walk-among-us” storyline interspersed with stand-alone episodes.
In the first story, “Sleepwalker”, a young man named Ziggy makes a fatal mistake as a lifeguard. His late nights of partying and drinking take a toll on him when a few minutes of shut-eye result in him missing a drowning death of a woman. As a cosmic punishment, now whenever someone looks into his face, they instantly fall asleep.
In “Black Box”, a man named Brian suffers from seizures that accompany inexplicable supernatural events. A group of scientists, in an attempt to study his brain, unwittingly unleash a new horror into the world when a surgical procedure unlocks the source of his malady.
In “A Window Opens”, a babysitter named Joss takes on two demonic little brats who refuse to give up their tablets. Or rather, their tablets refuse to give them up. It’s those new-fangled 666-G Darkside processors…
I’m really hoping this graphic novel series continues in the future. Personally, I’ve seen some of the stuff that’s on the CW, and I have a feeling that this show would have simply been too cerebral for them…
Joe Hill was a fan. In 2015, Hill was in talks with CBS to work on a reboot of the show for the CW. Sadly, it never came to fruition, but the few scripts and stories that Hill penned for the proposed show have now found the light of day in graphic novel form.
Re-teaming with artist Gabriel Rodriguez (the two worked together on Hill’s wonderful “Locke & Key” graphic novel series), Hill, along with writer Michael Benedetto, has attempted to create a similar horror anthology with a twist: a built-in longer mythos story with recurring characters and motifs that appear in all the stories; much like The X-Files, with its long-running “UFO history/Project Blue Book/aliens-walk-among-us” storyline interspersed with stand-alone episodes.
In the first story, “Sleepwalker”, a young man named Ziggy makes a fatal mistake as a lifeguard. His late nights of partying and drinking take a toll on him when a few minutes of shut-eye result in him missing a drowning death of a woman. As a cosmic punishment, now whenever someone looks into his face, they instantly fall asleep.
In “Black Box”, a man named Brian suffers from seizures that accompany inexplicable supernatural events. A group of scientists, in an attempt to study his brain, unwittingly unleash a new horror into the world when a surgical procedure unlocks the source of his malady.
In “A Window Opens”, a babysitter named Joss takes on two demonic little brats who refuse to give up their tablets. Or rather, their tablets refuse to give them up. It’s those new-fangled 666-G Darkside processors…
I’m really hoping this graphic novel series continues in the future. Personally, I’ve seen some of the stuff that’s on the CW, and I have a feeling that this show would have simply been too cerebral for them…
December 31, 2018
I had a lot of fun reading this one. I think Black Box was my personal favourite. The dynamic between 2 of the characters really reminded me of the struggle between David Haller and Farouk in Legion.
This was my first foray into the Tales from the Darkside franchise and now I really want to check out the original tv show.
This was my first foray into the Tales from the Darkside franchise and now I really want to check out the original tv show.
June 29, 2017
"Tales from the Darkside" is Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's take on the old series/movie and reading it only made me love Joe Hill even more. I believe it was originally conceptualized as a rebirth of the old show into a new series, but it never took off. Nonetheless, the tales do transitional well on paper and made a heck of a graphic novel.
There are three separate tales in this volume. The first is "Sleepwalker" which is also my favorite. In it a teen lifeguard falls asleep on the job leading to a horrible tragedy in the city pool. Afterwards, this teen is cursed and everyone in his presence falls asleep upon looking at him. On a single scale, I give "Sleepwalker" 4/5. The next tale is "The Black Box." This is the longest tale in length and overall I wasn't real interested in the subject matter. It didn't pull me in like the first tale and delves into the concept of mind control. I give it 3/5. Finally, the last tale is "A Window Opens" in which two evil kids use technology to see into the future and influence it in bizarrely evil ways. I liked the idea of the little evil "zombie" kids and felt it was a fun tale to say the least. I give it 4/5.
So overall, I feel "Tales from the Darkside" is a great choice for lovers of horror and graphic novels. Both author and illustrator worked together on the infamous "Locke & Key" series and its quit evident from the artwork, which is absolutely spectacular. Definitely grab this one if you get the chance.
There are three separate tales in this volume. The first is "Sleepwalker" which is also my favorite. In it a teen lifeguard falls asleep on the job leading to a horrible tragedy in the city pool. Afterwards, this teen is cursed and everyone in his presence falls asleep upon looking at him. On a single scale, I give "Sleepwalker" 4/5. The next tale is "The Black Box." This is the longest tale in length and overall I wasn't real interested in the subject matter. It didn't pull me in like the first tale and delves into the concept of mind control. I give it 3/5. Finally, the last tale is "A Window Opens" in which two evil kids use technology to see into the future and influence it in bizarrely evil ways. I liked the idea of the little evil "zombie" kids and felt it was a fun tale to say the least. I give it 4/5.
So overall, I feel "Tales from the Darkside" is a great choice for lovers of horror and graphic novels. Both author and illustrator worked together on the infamous "Locke & Key" series and its quit evident from the artwork, which is absolutely spectacular. Definitely grab this one if you get the chance.
June 24, 2018
Eh.. the artwork was rad as hell! The stories felt unfinished, however.
August 23, 2017
My previous review covered the Tales from the Darkside Scripts which were the scripts for the failed revival of a new Tales from the Darkside series no network would pick up. After it was decided that these tales would never become the hoped for series it was decided that the scripts would be published and since Mr. Hill had previous comic book experience, the scripts were then turned into a graphic novel.
The first story is about a man who sleeps through life and finally gets a chance for atonement. The second story is about the host and cryptkeeper style guide named Brian Newman and how he came to be the Darkside guide. Although in this graphic novel version he is more of a protagonist trying to keep the darkside from rising and taking over the world. The last story is about 2 children who are obsessively plugged into their tablets and use them to antagonize their babysitter.
There are things about this graphic novel version that are quite a bit different than the scripts. The scripts are more in depth, whereas the graphic novel versions are more abbreviated. As I mentioned earlier, Brian Newman's story arc is quite a bit different. What I didn't care for is how they stuck his story in the middle. It would make more sense and have greater continuity if they would've placed Newman's story at the beginning, the sleepwalker in the middle, and the crazy kids at the end. Because with the children's story he is at the point of trying to change the course of the darkside events. As it is, you can figure it out but to me it came off more muddled.
I give this one a 4 out of 5. I liked it and Joe Hill's concepts for this new series was awesome. But this was a testament to the fact that my imagination is always better than what someone else can come up for me. The script versions were definitely better. But if you are someone who doesn't love to read and prefers visual media then this is a great throw back to the Tales from the Crypt comics. I think anyone who is a Joe Hill fan should give these a go.
The first story is about a man who sleeps through life and finally gets a chance for atonement. The second story is about the host and cryptkeeper style guide named Brian Newman and how he came to be the Darkside guide. Although in this graphic novel version he is more of a protagonist trying to keep the darkside from rising and taking over the world. The last story is about 2 children who are obsessively plugged into their tablets and use them to antagonize their babysitter.
There are things about this graphic novel version that are quite a bit different than the scripts. The scripts are more in depth, whereas the graphic novel versions are more abbreviated. As I mentioned earlier, Brian Newman's story arc is quite a bit different. What I didn't care for is how they stuck his story in the middle. It would make more sense and have greater continuity if they would've placed Newman's story at the beginning, the sleepwalker in the middle, and the crazy kids at the end. Because with the children's story he is at the point of trying to change the course of the darkside events. As it is, you can figure it out but to me it came off more muddled.
I give this one a 4 out of 5. I liked it and Joe Hill's concepts for this new series was awesome. But this was a testament to the fact that my imagination is always better than what someone else can come up for me. The script versions were definitely better. But if you are someone who doesn't love to read and prefers visual media then this is a great throw back to the Tales from the Crypt comics. I think anyone who is a Joe Hill fan should give these a go.
August 22, 2017
I can now see why this didn't make it to TV and became a comic instead.
The three stories featured in this volume were already lame. Not exactly horror.
A guy who makes people sleep whenever they look at his face. Another guy with a black rubik's cube. And a weird family with evil tech thingies. YAWN! Can't expect it to get any better in the future.
Kinda disappointed, really. I was expecting more from Joe Hill.
The three stories featured in this volume were already lame. Not exactly horror.
A guy who makes people sleep whenever they look at his face. Another guy with a black rubik's cube. And a weird family with evil tech thingies. YAWN! Can't expect it to get any better in the future.
Kinda disappointed, really. I was expecting more from Joe Hill.
September 14, 2019
A disappointment! Three stories that aren't bad but aren't dark enough, weird enough nor good enough to go in the heritage of Tales From the Crypts comic.
January 10, 2020
"Man lives...in the sunlit world...of what he BELIEVES TO BE...reality."
Man, was I looking forward to reading this collection. TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, plus Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, telling stories that were too cutting-edge to be picked up for network television...? What's not to like...?
Turns out, everything.
This was so, so, sooooo disappointing. Easily the worst thing Joe Hill has done, by far. Aside from the stunning Rodriguez artwork, I found literally nothing else to enjoy here. I was expecting four short Horror stories, but what I got was three interconnected episodes attempting to build a Sci-Fi mythology for the aborted series. The original TALES series was hit-or-miss, at best. Mostly miss. But this boring mess doesn't do justice to the potential of the old series at all.
I usually give a few extra stars to bad comics if they at least have good art, but not even the excellent Rodriguez artwork was enough to save this mess. TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE gets one measly star, and it is lucky to get that much.
Man, was I looking forward to reading this collection. TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, plus Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, telling stories that were too cutting-edge to be picked up for network television...? What's not to like...?
Turns out, everything.
This was so, so, sooooo disappointing. Easily the worst thing Joe Hill has done, by far. Aside from the stunning Rodriguez artwork, I found literally nothing else to enjoy here. I was expecting four short Horror stories, but what I got was three interconnected episodes attempting to build a Sci-Fi mythology for the aborted series. The original TALES series was hit-or-miss, at best. Mostly miss. But this boring mess doesn't do justice to the potential of the old series at all.
I usually give a few extra stars to bad comics if they at least have good art, but not even the excellent Rodriguez artwork was enough to save this mess. TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE gets one measly star, and it is lucky to get that much.
July 31, 2017
Entretenido, pero no se puede evitar la sensación de que se deja el trabajo a medias, de hecho uno de los capítulos no tiene un final propiamente dicho. Exceptuando la primera, todas las historias dan la impresión de tener un nexo común, una trama que se habría ido entretejiendo y dando sus frutos a lo largo de una serie de larga duración que no pudo ser, supongo que por otros compromisos de los autores.
Al final deja una sensación agridulce, se disfruta pero se acaba en seguida y te deja a medias.
Al final deja una sensación agridulce, se disfruta pero se acaba en seguida y te deja a medias.
August 15, 2020
Dopo aver letto la saga di Locke & Key, non mi stupisco della bravura del connubio Joe Hill - Gabriel Rodríguez.
I tre racconti di questa raccolta sono geniali e i disegni spettacolari!
L'unico difetto è che finisce troppo presto.
Consigliatissimo!
I tre racconti di questa raccolta sono geniali e i disegni spettacolari!
L'unico difetto è che finisce troppo presto.
Consigliatissimo!
April 13, 2019
A few years ago Joe Hill penned a few scripts for a reboot of horror anthology series Tales From the Darkside. Hill planned an ongoing connective plot, because, as he explained, no one wants to see a pure anthology series. It didn't get picked up. The next year Netflix picked up Black Mirror. Now there's anthology shows everywhere. Networks need to realize that people aren't looking for ongoing plots or standalone plots, they're looking for quality television. I really am unsure if this would have been quality, it's hard to tell from these comics.
Comics, when rushed, read less like a story and more like a synopsis. You generally lose all extraneous non plot elements, including character development. This was especially true here and robbed the stories of any impact. The first story hinged on a romance, one which had about two panels to establish it before it became key to the story. The last story centered on trapped characters who never got any character development. The ideas were interesting enough, but without real characters they were incapable of being properly chilling.
I really think this is an adaptation problem and not a story problem. The series themselves were alright, and I don't mind the concept of an anthology show with a connective plot. The bits hinted at are really unexciting though. Th art is excellent and deserved better writing to go with it.
I wonder if the CW is kicking itself now that anthologyy shows are the hot new thing. I wanted to like this more than I did. It was readable, and the art was nice, but overall it felt kind of outdated and boring. I should read the scripts to see if they're better.
Comics, when rushed, read less like a story and more like a synopsis. You generally lose all extraneous non plot elements, including character development. This was especially true here and robbed the stories of any impact. The first story hinged on a romance, one which had about two panels to establish it before it became key to the story. The last story centered on trapped characters who never got any character development. The ideas were interesting enough, but without real characters they were incapable of being properly chilling.
I really think this is an adaptation problem and not a story problem. The series themselves were alright, and I don't mind the concept of an anthology show with a connective plot. The bits hinted at are really unexciting though. Th art is excellent and deserved better writing to go with it.
I wonder if the CW is kicking itself now that anthologyy shows are the hot new thing. I wanted to like this more than I did. It was readable, and the art was nice, but overall it felt kind of outdated and boring. I should read the scripts to see if they're better.
April 10, 2017
Le pongo 5 estrellas por el gran rato que he pasado mientras lo leía. Son como varias historias relacionadas entre sí por un elemento central que no empezamos a comprender del todo hasta el final del cómic. Me ha parecido sumamente original y que sus siguientes números pueden dar mucho más de si. Así que con ganas y a esperar el siguiente
August 8, 2021
Enjoyed this. Dark. Weird. Beautifully rendered. Hurtles along nicely too.
January 25, 2018
This graphic novel was made up of three stories. The first was rather depressing. It had a neat concept but it was not really explained and I felt like the story went by really quickly with a not great ending. The second story was kind of creepy. One image, in particular, was really freaky. The third story was the 'scariest' and had a really cool idea, it just all seemed too simple and quick.
Overall it was a fun little read but not my favorite.
Overall it was a fun little read but not my favorite.
March 13, 2017
Only issue to me is it's too short. I hope they decide to do more of these. Great stories and great art.
March 13, 2017
Good stories, but they ended strangely. Not strange like mysterious, rather strange like disjointed/odd.
February 19, 2018
Just didn't get it, It felt like it was just being weird for the sake of being weird no real story line. The only thing that pulled this from a 1 star is the artwork which i did like.
April 19, 2021
“Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality. But . . . there is, unseen by most, an underworld, a place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit . . . a Darkside. . . . . .”
I read TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE in the original monthly issues. For this mini-series Hill teams up with Rodriguez again, the perfect artist to capture the facial expressions of the characters and bring Hill’s dreamworld to fantastic life.
“SLEEPWALKER”: Issue #1 opens with this bittersweet and dreamlike tale of justice too late to atone for an unfair death.Ziggy is a college student working summer as a lifeguard who burns the candle at both ends. He parties all night, and then slips the sunglasses on while sitting in the lifeguard chair so he can get some sleep. When someone drowns on his watch, he loses his job and becomes the unwitting catalyst for a “dark side event” with dangerously sleepy consequences. Hill adds an extra twist at the end to keep readers on their toes. FIVE STARS.
“THE BLACK BOX”: This nerve-shredding story spanned two issues and overlaps into the final issue. Brian Newman has suffered from spontaneous seizures since his childhood. Plus, bizarre events accompany these episodes. But Brian has a special otherworldly friend, Big Winner, who sometimes assists him through tight situations. He accepts an offer from Briterside Corporation to implant a chip in his brain to help control matters.
Something goes wrong, of course. Brian does his best to fix things, but . . .
FOUR STARS.
“A WINDOW OPENS”: It seems like Brian’s unfortunate situation has resulted in Darkside events all over the world. Young Joss Waldrop thinks she just ran over a familiar character while texting and driving. Or was it a mailbox? She takes a babysitting job for an odd couple with even odder children who seem to have smart tablets that can alter reality. FOUR STARS.
The title of that final story appears to be prophetic, as this series ends just as things seem to be kicking into a higher gear. Too bad Hill’s scripts for a revised TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE television series were never made.
I’d like a chance to see all of them in comics adaptations.
“The Darkside is always there, waiting for us to enter - - waiting to enter us. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.”
I read TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE in the original monthly issues. For this mini-series Hill teams up with Rodriguez again, the perfect artist to capture the facial expressions of the characters and bring Hill’s dreamworld to fantastic life.
“SLEEPWALKER”: Issue #1 opens with this bittersweet and dreamlike tale of justice too late to atone for an unfair death.Ziggy is a college student working summer as a lifeguard who burns the candle at both ends. He parties all night, and then slips the sunglasses on while sitting in the lifeguard chair so he can get some sleep. When someone drowns on his watch, he loses his job and becomes the unwitting catalyst for a “dark side event” with dangerously sleepy consequences. Hill adds an extra twist at the end to keep readers on their toes. FIVE STARS.
“THE BLACK BOX”: This nerve-shredding story spanned two issues and overlaps into the final issue. Brian Newman has suffered from spontaneous seizures since his childhood. Plus, bizarre events accompany these episodes. But Brian has a special otherworldly friend, Big Winner, who sometimes assists him through tight situations. He accepts an offer from Briterside Corporation to implant a chip in his brain to help control matters.
Something goes wrong, of course. Brian does his best to fix things, but . . .
FOUR STARS.
“A WINDOW OPENS”: It seems like Brian’s unfortunate situation has resulted in Darkside events all over the world. Young Joss Waldrop thinks she just ran over a familiar character while texting and driving. Or was it a mailbox? She takes a babysitting job for an odd couple with even odder children who seem to have smart tablets that can alter reality. FOUR STARS.
The title of that final story appears to be prophetic, as this series ends just as things seem to be kicking into a higher gear. Too bad Hill’s scripts for a revised TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE television series were never made.
I’d like a chance to see all of them in comics adaptations.
“The Darkside is always there, waiting for us to enter - - waiting to enter us. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.”
June 3, 2020
I first watched Tales from the Darkside on a sick day home from high school. I was browsing daytime cable, bored, when I flipped to the Sci-fi Channel. At the time (and maybe to this day; I don't know, I don't watch cable anymore) the Sci-fi Channel had a habit of airing old episodes of The Twilight Zone in between other scheduled programming. When I saw the opening credits of "Halloween Candy," I immediately felt the same genuine curiosity that the old TW episodes gave me. The episode was effectively creepy and left a serious impression on me, but I could never remember the name of the show.
Years later, I did some research, ordered the complete series, and started watching. I've always loved short stories, and a good anthology series is basically the equivalent of a good collection of short stories. Barring some stinkers, Tales from the Darkside was generally a strong series!
Unfortunately, this collection is not. Joe Hill has his heart in the right place, I think, but the attempts to connect the stories to a larger mythology are just... lame, I guess? One of the best things about the original series is its discrete nature! Of course, the narrator references a general thematic connectedness, like Rod Serling did in the original Twilight Zone, but it never went so far as to establish a "Darkside-verse," and it was better for it.
A missed attempt at connecting the stories could be fine if the stories themselves were memorable, but unfortunately they come off as trite and generic. The art (by Gabriel Rodriguez) is generally good, but not exceptional. So, ultimately, we're left with a lacking collection. I did really enjoy the interview with Hill and Rodriguez at the end of the collection--they clearly have a passion for the original show. It just makes it all the more disappointing that it didn't come together as something better than this.
Years later, I did some research, ordered the complete series, and started watching. I've always loved short stories, and a good anthology series is basically the equivalent of a good collection of short stories. Barring some stinkers, Tales from the Darkside was generally a strong series!
Unfortunately, this collection is not. Joe Hill has his heart in the right place, I think, but the attempts to connect the stories to a larger mythology are just... lame, I guess? One of the best things about the original series is its discrete nature! Of course, the narrator references a general thematic connectedness, like Rod Serling did in the original Twilight Zone, but it never went so far as to establish a "Darkside-verse," and it was better for it.
A missed attempt at connecting the stories could be fine if the stories themselves were memorable, but unfortunately they come off as trite and generic. The art (by Gabriel Rodriguez) is generally good, but not exceptional. So, ultimately, we're left with a lacking collection. I did really enjoy the interview with Hill and Rodriguez at the end of the collection--they clearly have a passion for the original show. It just makes it all the more disappointing that it didn't come together as something better than this.
December 5, 2020
Das Konzept für eine Neuausgabe der bekannten TV-Serie “Tales from the Darkside – Geschichten aus der Schattenwelt” stand, aber das Projekt wurde nie umgesetzt. Die Ideen sind aber nicht verloren gegangen, sondern Joe Hill hat zusammen mit Gabriel Rodriguez einen vierteiligen Comic kreiert, der bei Panini als Gesamtwerk veröffentlicht wurde.
Ein Wesen der Geschichten sollte sein, dass sie auf der einen Seite zwar abgeschlossen sind, auf der anderen aber eine übergeordnete Handlungen haben, die sich als roter Faden durch alle Teile zieht. In meinen Augen wurde das nur bedingt mit den vier Geschichten geschafft.
Das gilt in meinen Augen insbesondere für die jeweiligen Abschlüsse der Geschichten, die gerne nicht vollständig beendet wurden. Wenn Autoren für eine Reihe ihre Geschichten schreiben, dann mag es Sinn machen, wenn diese mit kleineren Cliffhangern enden, in einem abgeschlossenen Werk kommt es nur bedingt gut an.
Den roten Faden wird der Leser erst erkennen, wenn er nach dem ersten Lesen die Geschichten ein zweites Mal liest. Erst dann wird ersichtlich, wie die Figuren durch die Episoden huschen. Das geht natürlich nur, wenn sie eindeutig identifizierbar sind. An dieser Stelle wird dann wieder die Klasse von Gabriel Rodriguez sichtbar, dessen Umsetzung wieder sehr gelungen ist. Viele Leser werden das Paar Hill/Rodriguez schon von den Locke&Key-Geschichten kennen. Hier erschaffen sie ebenso unterhaltsame Geschichten, denn die umgesetzten Ideen sind schon klasse und es ist sehr bedauerlich, dass es nicht mehr solche Episoden gibt.
Fazit
Die Umsetzung, die Ideen und die Gestaltung sind in diesem Comic wirklich gut gelungen. Da stört es nur wenig, wenn die jeweiligen Episoden mit kleineren Cliffhangern enden und wenn sich die Zusammenhänge erst beim zweiten Lesen erschließen. In Summe ein gelungenes Werk der beiden Horror-Schöpfer.
Ein Wesen der Geschichten sollte sein, dass sie auf der einen Seite zwar abgeschlossen sind, auf der anderen aber eine übergeordnete Handlungen haben, die sich als roter Faden durch alle Teile zieht. In meinen Augen wurde das nur bedingt mit den vier Geschichten geschafft.
Das gilt in meinen Augen insbesondere für die jeweiligen Abschlüsse der Geschichten, die gerne nicht vollständig beendet wurden. Wenn Autoren für eine Reihe ihre Geschichten schreiben, dann mag es Sinn machen, wenn diese mit kleineren Cliffhangern enden, in einem abgeschlossenen Werk kommt es nur bedingt gut an.
Den roten Faden wird der Leser erst erkennen, wenn er nach dem ersten Lesen die Geschichten ein zweites Mal liest. Erst dann wird ersichtlich, wie die Figuren durch die Episoden huschen. Das geht natürlich nur, wenn sie eindeutig identifizierbar sind. An dieser Stelle wird dann wieder die Klasse von Gabriel Rodriguez sichtbar, dessen Umsetzung wieder sehr gelungen ist. Viele Leser werden das Paar Hill/Rodriguez schon von den Locke&Key-Geschichten kennen. Hier erschaffen sie ebenso unterhaltsame Geschichten, denn die umgesetzten Ideen sind schon klasse und es ist sehr bedauerlich, dass es nicht mehr solche Episoden gibt.
Fazit
Die Umsetzung, die Ideen und die Gestaltung sind in diesem Comic wirklich gut gelungen. Da stört es nur wenig, wenn die jeweiligen Episoden mit kleineren Cliffhangern enden und wenn sich die Zusammenhänge erst beim zweiten Lesen erschließen. In Summe ein gelungenes Werk der beiden Horror-Schöpfer.
March 7, 2020
The show that could have been...
So reading the Author and Artist interview in the back I found out this series was suppose to be a reboot on Tv, which you can totally tell. It reads like an episode. Instead, they did a few stories here, just a taste of what could have been...and you can totally tell. The stories are quick and shallow, just barley connecting to each other. They could probably each be a volume instead of an issue but it seems that Hill had all this info and just needed to put it somewhere, fast. With the same artist as Locke and Key, it probably could have done well too. Who knows! Maybe someday they'll get back at it.
This book was fun and interesting but nothing new. Again its only 3 stories and they are very quick. It definitely reminded me of "Tales from the Crypt" or the movie "Trick or Treat". Its not a bad read, I just don't know if its necessary. If your a big Joe Hill fan, don't be afraid to add it to your collection. If not, maybe skip this one.
So reading the Author and Artist interview in the back I found out this series was suppose to be a reboot on Tv, which you can totally tell. It reads like an episode. Instead, they did a few stories here, just a taste of what could have been...and you can totally tell. The stories are quick and shallow, just barley connecting to each other. They could probably each be a volume instead of an issue but it seems that Hill had all this info and just needed to put it somewhere, fast. With the same artist as Locke and Key, it probably could have done well too. Who knows! Maybe someday they'll get back at it.
This book was fun and interesting but nothing new. Again its only 3 stories and they are very quick. It definitely reminded me of "Tales from the Crypt" or the movie "Trick or Treat". Its not a bad read, I just don't know if its necessary. If your a big Joe Hill fan, don't be afraid to add it to your collection. If not, maybe skip this one.
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