In Aleister Arcane, a horror host proves that monsters are real — and all he has to do is die for them to be unleashed. Steve Niles’ tale of terror remains one of the most underrated horror miniseries of the 21st Century so far.
Before Steve Niles became a household name for horror fans with his vampire classic 30 Days of Night, he penned one of the highlight horror comics of the 21st Century so far. Back in 2004, he released 3-issue series Aleister Arcane, which reads like a love letter to the golden age of horror hosts. Published by IDW — which was killing it at the time with titles like Nightfall, Underworld and 30 Days of Night — Aleister Arcane is a short series, but terrifyingly brilliant and chillingly drawn by illustrator Breehn Burns.
What is Aleister Arcane about?
The series follows Aleister Greene — better known by his stage name Aleister Arcane — a local TV horror host in Jackson, Oklahoma. He’s exceedingly good at his job, especially at terrifying his younger viewers. He becomes a local hero among children, who idolise him. However, the adults of the town berate Aleister; his show corrupts the children’s young minds and promotes violence. Before long, the elders in the town strip Aleister of his power and influence, and he ultimately departs his career and lives a quiet, secluded retirement.
Despite abandoning his career and losing his dignity, Aleister has one final, horrible, trick up his sleeve. Upon his death, he leaves behind a supernatural curse that manifests by turning the townspeople into monsters.
What makes Aleister Arcane so good?
There’s a few stand-out aspects of this series. The main theme of story itself is censorship (and how it backfires massively). It’s bathed in nostalgia, from the group of kids fighting off supernatural threats, to the inspiration taken from the golden age of horror hosts.
The artwork by Breehn Burns is particularly outstanding: it’s scratchy, gritty, claustrophobic, and atmospheric. It certainly isn’t afraid to get bloody when the chaos unfolds. Burns generates a similar unsettling feeling to what Jock achieves Scott Snyder’s widely-praised Wytches.
Aleister Arcane encompasses everything great about horror comics, and it’s a must-read title for fans of EC Comics, Creepshow and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Over the years, the series has been cited for a big-screen adaptation. Given the success of 30 Days of Night on the big screen, Aleister Arcane was rightly auctioned for a movie. In fact, there was a time when a film adaptation had legs, with 2016 reports noting that Jim Carrey was attached to star with Eli Roth directing. Unfortunately, time has passed and it never came to fruition.
Nowadays, the single issues of Aleister Arcane are fairly difficult to get hold of, but they tend to pop up regularly at comic book fairs. Keep your eyes peeled folks!
You can pick up 'Aleister Arcane' digitally here!
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