"Dark Regards: The Comic with an Outrageous Origin Story"

Dark Regards stands out as one of the most captivating new indie comics in recent times, with a backstory as wild and engaging as the comic itself. Dive into this exclusive preview of Dark Regards #1 and form your own opinion on this intriguing new series. Just a heads up—there's some NSFW language in the preview!

Oni Press' Dark Regards #1: Preview Gallery

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Dark Regards is the creative vision of comedian, writer, and musician Dave Hill, paired with the artistic talents of Artyom Topilin, known for his work on Cruel Universe and I Hate This Place. This four-issue series draws inspiration from Hill's own adventures in creating a fictional Satanic metal band, Witch Taint, and the chaotic aftermath that followed.

Here's how Oni Press describes the series:

Two decades ago, Dave Hill and his first band set out to rock their high school auditorium with a blaze of heavy metal hellfire. They failed spectacularly. Fast forward to today, and Dave has carved out a new life for himself as an up-and-coming star in New York's comedy scene—a career where being laughed at on stage is the goal, not just a sad side effect. But when Dave's metal ambitions are reignited by the über self-serious genre of Norwegian black metal, he creates a hyperbolic alter ego and a band to match, sparking his long-forgotten rock 'n roll dream. However, when Dave's internet-fueled rumors about Witch Taint—a band "so extreme that you must remove all sharp objects from the immediate area" when their music plays—spread to Europe, his story spirals dangerously out of control. Norway's most extreme black metal bands come seeking revenge, putting everything Dave holds dear in the line of fire (or rather, the swing of their axes, which, let's be honest, don't have crosshairs, but it's a powerful metaphor).

In a statement, Hill recounted the origins of the series: “A few years ago, I was sitting in my underwear late one night and decided to indulge my obsession with Norwegian black metal by emailing a record label, claiming their bands were terrible despite never having heard them, and proposing they sign my extremely extreme black metal band Witch Taint, which didn't exist beyond a name I'd just concocted. This initial email led to months of correspondence that I never meant for anyone to see. But, as the internet tends to do, it spread, and things got wild. Now, beyond my wildest dreams, this story has become my first comic book series, Dark Regards, written by me and illustrated by the incredible Artyom Topilin. If you miss out on any issue, you're missing out on something truly special.”

Dark Regards #1 is priced at $4.99 and is set to hit shelves on May 13, 2025.

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