Writer: Eric Dahlberg
Artist: Devin Kelsey
Markosia Enterprises, August 2026
Eric Dahlberg and Devin Kelsey’s The Terrifying Tales of Monsters & Madmen operates on a fundamental principle of short-form horror: the triggers of fear are momentum and omission rather than exposition. Published by Markosia Enterprises, this eight-story collection covers a wide array of supernatural sub-genres, ranging from localized folklore like skinwalkers and boogeymen, to broader cosmic horrors and occult cults. While anthology comics are sometimes scatty, with erratic shifts in tone and quality, this volume maintains a stable standard of work. Because Mr Dahlberg scripts the entire book and Mr Kelsey handles all the illustration work, the collection has a structural cohesion. Multi-creator anthologies cannot easily replicate this, even if they wished to do so.
The strength of the collection lies in its pacing and narrative variety. The scenarios shift rapidly across historical eras and geographical locations. As a result, it never feels stale. In one story, a Wild West outlaw gang flees into the Colorado Rockies, unknowingly trespassing on the territory of an ancient entity. Another story is set in the isolated chill of Antarctica, where a modern research expedition uncovers a buried medieval prison and makes a deeply unsettling discovery regarding its sole prisoner. Elsewhere, an isolated lighthouse keeper ‘s brief moment of negligence invites a nightmare from the ocean depths. (The spiral interiors of lighthouses invite vertical sequences of movement, and this one is better than most.)
Across these varied setups, Mr Dahlberg demonstrates a clear understanding of space management. Most of the entries span only a handful of pages, forcing the narrative to move swiftly from setup to escalation. Rather than burdening the reader with heavy lore or explicit origin stories, the scripts frequently cut off at the moment of peak tension. Crucial background details are deliberately left unresolved. This narrative restraint trusts the reader to fill in the gaps, allowing the lingering implications of the plot to generate discomfort. In this vein, much of the horror occurs off-panel, relying on implication rather than explicit visual gore.
Visually, Mr Kelsey abandons standard full-color comic rendering in favor of stylized, story-specific aesthetics. Rather than relying on uniform line work across every entry, the art adapts its texture to match the tone of each narrative. Historical sequences utilize sepia-toned, heavily crosshatched ink drawings that evoke vintage woodcuts or archival sketches, while aquatic and nocturnal scenes (inevitably) rely on inverted white-on-dark line work. The color palette remains muted throughout, using selective washes of blue or parchment tones to separate figures from their environment. This stripped-back approach prioritizes stark silhouettes and mood over fine detail.
At times, this minimalist direction reveals technical trade-offs. Perspective in larger action panels can feel flat, and character anatomy occasionally appears rigid, particularly during violent kinetic moments. Background details are often reduced to simple linework or scratchy textures, leaving environmental depth feeling sparse. However, these stylistic choices generally serve the anthology format well. By leaning into heavy shading, high-contrast lighting, and coarse textures, Mr Kelsey creates an unpolished, indie graphic quality that complements the dark folklore themes without cluttering the page.
It seems to us that despite its Lovecraftian title, The Terrifying Tales of Monsters & Madmen functions as an homage to classic anthology traditions, recalling the structural sensibilities of vintage publications like Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow, or mid-century horror magazines. The book makes no pretense toward sprawling epic narratives or deep psychological character studies. Instead, it offers a controlled, predictable rhythm of eerie setups and swift executions. As a collection of compact, efficient horror vignettes, it succeeds in delivering a satisfying dose of dark folklore and cosmic dread. This title is available for sale by way of this link: https://markosia.com/2026/08/07/the-terrifying-tales-of-monsters-madmen-out-now/