Keenspot; $5.99  

 Many years ago, a sorcerer trapped the souls of the most wicked beings in a vault, and once he died, the only way that vault could be opened was with his ring. Whoever finds the ring and uses it to open the vault could unleash the monsters to do their bidding.  

The knowledge of the ring’s whereabouts is a secret that was passed down through the Locke family. In the more modern time of 1981 in Grimewood, Alabama, John Locke’s elderly daughter is being interrogated about the whereabouts of the ring. The story also flashes back to London, England in 1896 where a group of men debate how best to protect the ring from falling into the wrong hands. 

The first issue of Mark Spears Monsters arrived in September 2024 with a gorgeous cover that heralds the return of classic monsters. Spears pulls double duty as writer and artist, and he delivers big time. The debut issue succinctly sets up the mythology of the monsters, the vault, and the ring, and introduces a cast of characters across two time periods. It has a modern noir vibe but strongly follows the motifs of an early 20th century monster movie.  

Spears’ art is phenomenal. The characters are so realistic that the creases on their foreheads and strands of hair are precisely drawn. Spears makes bold color choices with neon hues that contrast beautifully with the shadows. There are also black and white pages that produce so much depth it feels like watching a movie.  

What Spears is doing with this book is just plain awesome and well worth the cover price. It’s proven to be very popular with readers with a fifth printing of the first issue already on the market.  

–Amanda Sheriff