Hello Darkness is back with another round of dark and sinister tales. This time around, the focus is on an ice hockey player who faces his demons (literally), a superb liminal horror, and more!
The last few issues of BOOM Studios‘ horror anthology Hello Darkness have been really solid instalments. Does the second issue of 2026 continue the solid run of form? The short answer: yes, mostly. Let’s dive into these excellent tales, and worry not, our thoughts are all spoiler-free!
The opening story, Inner D-Man by Jeffrey Brown with colors by Bill Crabtree, is a fun little tale. Tightly plotted and fast-moving, it follows Doug Lemieux, once a big-time ice hockey player, who suffers a devastating injury that sets his career back years. He never gets back to the level he was once at, and instead pursues success in the lower rec leagues. There, he makes a friend called Nick. As their friendship blossoms, we start to see Doug’s inner demons seep through.
The cartoony artwork is a joy to read; it’s both highly expressive and retains a strong retro feel. The story itself is short and sweet. It doesn’t sway too dark, and instead veers into psychological territory. It’s a solid opener to this issue of Hello Darkness, but the tales do get better…
This brings us onto Sauna 24 by Rocky Obk This story values chilling atmosphere and lets the dark, engrossing liminal visuals captivate you. From a visual standpoint, it’s really magnificent, evoking feeling above a tight plot. It doesn’t need to be wordy. It gives the reader just enough, letting the artwork do the talking. The line work is stellar; the world moulds around our main character. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Next up is Afters, written by Tini Howard, illustrated by Chloe Brailsford, and lettered by Jodie Troutman. Following on from the melancholic tone of Sauna 24, this story is striking by pure juxtaposition. It’s bursting with colour. The story is decent, following a woman recalling her lucid, recurring dreams to her friends. As she goes into more detail, truths come out and revelations are shown. This story is certainly worthy of Hello Darkness, but it’s not as memorable as other tales. It falls somewhere in the middle of the pack.
And finally, Cassie is the first part of a story that’ll be continued. Written by Sam Humphries with art by Eleanora Carlini. For a story that’s to be continued, I personally found this to be the weakest of the bunch. We follow Cassie, a young girl. When she meets a group and they decide to play a game of baseball, things soon take a turn to the demonic. The artwork is great, and it takes a fun perspective on demons, but the end of Part I didn’t exactly leave me hanging on desperate to see how the story continues.
Overall, Hello Darkness #18 is a mixed bag, but mostly brilliant. It was also a welcome addition to see Robert Hack’s I Can’t Take You Anywhere sandwiched in the middle. Each story offers something unique and fun. Rocky Obk’s outstanding liminal horror Sauna 24 definitely takes the crown for this issue.
