Review: Dark Horse Presents #8

If there were ever a time to jump on board with Dark Horse Presents, It’s with this issue. Some of the best stories in this serialised anthology are right here, including a touching Hellboy story, a new tale from the Beasts of Burden and the first preview of Brian Wood and Kristian Donaldson’s The Massive – worth the admission price.

The issue begins with a touching requiem to Hellboy – those following the series will be moved by the short story.
A touching coda to an epic series. Next up, Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson present a phenomenal new Beasts of Burden story, where the beasts come across a herd of sheep who just happen to be dead. Chilling stuff. Other stand out stories include the second part of Tony Puryear’s intriguing Concrete Park,which is kind of 100 bullets meets 100 Percent. Thomas Yeates and Alan Gordon bring Tarzan out of the jungle in The Once and Future Tarzan and Martin Conaghan tells an interesting time travel story illustrated beautifully by Jimmy Broxton. The epilogue to Wood and Donaldson’s The Massive has got me so excited about the series, as a series of rogue waves hit an oil station. It’s beautiful, powerful and terrifying.
What I love most about anthologies is the diversity in the art. Dark Horse presents is no exception, as every story is unique and (Howard Chaykin aside) visually spectacular. From Jill Thomson to Neal Adams to Mark Wheatly, the book is a pleasure to look at. A buffet of comic art goodness. A must read for any Dark Horse fan, or anyone who, like me, goes gaga over anthologies.