Reading Time: 2 minutes

Poser #2 from Waxwork Comics is the next issue in the new comic written by Matt Miner, illustrated by Clay McCormack, colored by Doug Garbark, and lettered by Taylor Esposito. An alternative love letter to punk rock, through the gore of a horror slasher film- everything about the comic fits perfectly with the 80s punk aesthetic that obviously inspired it.

The cover alone captures the blend of creep and punk that makes this take on the horror genre in a wholly different direction than many other recent horror stories of late. While other titles are taking the wholesome and making it horrifying, Poser takes the already objectionable punk movement and is able to fit a murderous urban legend in effortlessly.

The gritty artwork fits perfectly with that underground subculture, and the “gorror” is solid. The murders are gruesome but simple, just heaps of intestines and a little bit of overkill. There’s also that one log scene, which is pretty awesome, but I digress.

It’s in that grime that McCormack and Garbark truly shine. There’s the occasional brightly lit, SoCo scene, mostly where main character Ash’s dad is concerned and again at a very public, media frenzied funeral. Everywhere else, though, the color choices and overcrowded stickers and posters make for a dark, underbelly of a comic that hits all the right tones.

That said the story also falls in some of the same pits of your typical horror film. The characters’ first thought upon finding their friend murdered is to run from the cops, others have inappropriate conversations at funerals, and there’s a bunny mask being worn by a punk rocker on a beach. So I guess that’s one way to start a comic series. Poser manages to tell a lot of story in only two issues, and for that, I find it admirable. It’s just not yet a home run for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I love horror movies and have fallen more in love with the genre in recent years. But that newfound love is for the break-in procedure and the fresh approach found in modern horror. Poser is an admirable addition to the horror comic genre, there’s no denying that. It’s just that it’s an overdone premise. It’s got a creepy villain who may or may not be reborn from a watery grave, characters who already seem to be falling into the classic tropes despite breaking molds in terms of representation, and love quadrangles that will likely end in death. That said, I’m going to push aside those horror movie expectations that Poser is only too happy to adhere to and at the very least, the art will make it worth my time.

Poser #2 is out in shops as of October 3, 2018.

Rating: 3 out of 5 punk rockers