Skeeters
Those who like horror comics might be familiar with Mad Cave Studios. While not as well-known or prolific a publisher as Image Comics or Boom! Studios, they are certainly carving out their own niche in horror comics, whether it’s the bloody historical horror of Hound, which follows a disillusioned WWI soldier, or the subtle folk horror of Whisper of the Woods, which follows a young man in a foreign land searching for his best friend. Their latest collection goes a different route, both by ignoring subtlety and by seeking inspiration not from history or folklore but from pop culture, specifically the science fiction B movies one would catch on premium cable. For those fans who like their monster movie nostalgia mixed with generous amounts of gore, Mad Cave Studios presents Skeeters, with the writing talents of Bob Frantz and Kevin Cuffe along with illustrations by Kelly Williams.
Skeeters is set in Kankakee, Virginia, a rural seaside community that, apart from an annual seafood festival and a government research lab, doesn’t attract a lot of attention. But that government installation houses an alien pest that escapes and starts infecting the town. Along with local exterminators JJ and Luis, Carla, the town sheriff, must take up guns and other exterminating tools of the trade to save the town before the Skeeters drain the entire world.
While a lot of Mad Cave’s catalog contains more cerebral horror, Skeeters is anything but cerebral and seems to rejoice in that fact. Rather than spend a few pages setting up ambiance, the book takes the minimum amount of time setting up the story before throwing the alien bugs out into the world and painting the panels with blood. Just like the creature features that inspired this book, the quirky characters also give this book its buzzing wings, whether it’s fairly no-nonsense sheriff Carla, who must in fact deal with some deadly nonsense, or conspiracy-minded exterminator Luis, whose extracurricular imbibing might just save the day.
And of course, there’s the blood, which is generously added by illustrator Kelly Williams. Williams renders many of the characters in a style that balances between realistic and animated, almost like panels from an underground comic. This helps keep the tone light despite the death that plagues many of Kankakee’s residents. Williams also gets to show some interesting creature designs that make use of the book’s mosquito theme. From van-sized mosquitoes to people mutating into mosquito hybrids, the book shows off some nausea-inducing designs without taking itself too seriously.
Skeeters isn’t horror that makes you think, but it’s horror that makes you remember. Specifically for a particular adult demographic, it makes them remember the excitement of catching movies like Slither and Sharknado on television when you’re just flipping channels or seeing what’s on streaming. While the predictable plot won’t overtax the reader’s brain, this book has loads of gory, gaudy fun with its premise. The scares it provides are the ones that leave readers screaming giddily and throwing their popcorn in the air rather than pondering what’s lurking in the shadows.
Skeeters
By Bob Frantz and Kevin Cuffe
Art by Kelly Williams
Mad Cave Studios, 2024
ISBN: 9781952303814
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
