Here are five more anthology comics I’ve read this year! And remember to think of these as roundups and not reviews as it is difficult to review the individual stories in an anthology as some are so short that more than two sentences would spoil it. Onward to the comics!
If you missed Part 1, click here to read it: https://thepointofclicking.com/crowdfund-comic-anthologies-ive-read-in-2025-part-1/
Roseblood Manor #5
Roseblood Manor #5 is a horror anthology that primarily takes place in a sinister house haunted by a woman named Evelyn. Normally these stories are centered on Evelyn’s or the house’s actions but this time around they focus on familial horror. “An Adoption” stars a young boy with a hateful and cruel mother, “A True Masterpiece” shows an artistic and intense family, and “Only A Mother Can Love” is about the ups and dark downs of motherhood. All of these tales have a dark tone with memorable characters and palpable fear and dread. The violence can be grotesque with heavy gore, gruesome moments, and body horror. The art has a sense of realism which makes the stomach-turning parts hit harder. They are all in color and have strong shading. There is some nudity in both an erotic and a creepy way. The backgrounds and overall environment do as much storytelling as the words do.
“Which story was your favorite?”
A True Masterpiece.
“Which story had your favorite art?”
A True Masterpiece.
“How many stories are there?”
Four, they are all twelve pages in length except the framing story which is six.
“All those stories, can I get one quote?”
“Children truly are the most wonderful gifts.”
“Have you ever seen a creepy kid?”
A couple times I think.
Physical Link: https://badbugmidnight.com/products/roseblood-manor-4-cover-f-alessandro-amoruso-naughty-variant-1?variant=46851988521181
Digital Link: https://badbugmidnight.com/products/roseblood-manor-5-digital?variant=46932280836317
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/williamtener/roseblood-manor-5/description
Nightmares & Esoterica
Nightmares & Esoterica is an anthology with three horror stories all written by Erica J. Heflin. These tales tend to focus on close-knit groups like childhood friends and family as they deal with odd and creepy events. These are all dramas but they begin differently with one starting off somber, another casual, and the last happy. The characters here are fleshed out with at least a couple of people that will linger in your mind when you’re done reading. The violence tends to be physical with many bloody, gruesome, and grotesque moments as well as some body horror. One story is in black-and-white with a cartoonish style while the other two look more modern and are in color. They all do a good job when it comes to showing detailed surroundings and expressive characters.
“Which story was your favorite?”
The Envy.
“Which story had your favorite art?”
Manifest.
“How many stories are there?”
Three, the first is 20 pages while the other two are 24 pages.
“All those stories, can I get one quote?”
“What in the name of God had I witnessed?”
“You ever had a creepy nightmare?”
Who hasn’t?
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laporte/nightmares-and-esoterica-a-horror-anthology-by-erica-heflin/description
The Dark Chronicles of Cymru Volume 1
The Dark Chronicles of Cymru Volume 1 is a collection of two tales centered around Welsh folklore. There are two stories with distinct vibes and art styles. The first story is “Morgens Chantey”. This is about a reverend in Cardiff who spend the evening preaching a sermon that warns his congregation about a pagan sea creature’s impending return. After the service ends a drunk man is stumbling by the docks when sees a woman in the water. The reverend is the star here and he speaks in a direct and stirring manner. The art has a roughness to it and it is somewhat cartoonish with a realistic and decent a range of color. The violence here is physical with a light amount of blood. There is also some topless nudity. The second story is “Gelert”. This is a story about Prince Llewelyn and his dog. We get to see a glimpse of the strong bond between the two before we launch into the meat of the story. While the other tale was original this one appears to be an accurate adaptation of the actual folktale. The art is in black-and-white with a lightly cartoonish and soft style. The violence here involves swords, bows, and physicality. There is a significant amount of blood with some gruesomeness.
“Which story was your favorite?”
Morgens Chantey.
“Which story had your favorite art?”
Gelert.
“How many stories are there?”
Two, the first is twelve pages and the second is thirteen.
“All those stories, can I get one quote?”
“Oh I will tell you harlot, I will tell you all, my friends.”
“This anthology only has two stories, why is it here?”
Because I supported the campaign for the second volume(which has three stories) and assumed this first volume had a similar layout. But it does not, and rather than writing an official comic review for the first volume and placing the second volume in this “Anthologies I’ve Read” list I’ve decided to put both here.
Physical Link: https://www.afterlightcomics.com/product-page/the-dark-chronicles-of-cymru-volume-1
Digital Link: https://www.afterlightcomics.com/product-page/the-dark-chronicles-of-cymru-volume-1-digital-edition
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ghostislandcomic/the-dark-chronicles-of-cymru-a-horror-comic-anthology/description
Stage Fright
Stage Fright is a collection of stories that are drawn by Craig A. Taillefer with all but one being written by him. I received this as a bonus reward when I backed Sian: Thief of Khor-Shavarah #1, this wasn’t crowdfunded. Each comic is preceded by a page of describing the headspace, motivation, and environment of Craig when he created that specific work. Most of these stories are dramatic slice-of-lifes with the occasional supernatural or superhero element. There are some standout characters and good conversations with a decent bit of humor. The art is drawn in black-and-white for every comic except one with a strong 80/90’s realistic art style overall as well as pointed shading. Though it is all drawn by the same artist some look more alike than others. There is some violence but there isn’t any blood, gruesomeness, or gore. You will some implied nudity but thanks to the shadows you won’t see any junk.
“Which story was your favorite?”
The Party.
“Which story had your favorite art?”
The Party.
“How many stories are there?”
Six stories ranging from 4 to 13 pages, each preceded by a one-page article.
“All those stories, can I get one quote?”
“Can’t have you drowning on us now, can we?”
“Have you ever gotten stage fright?”
Not to the point of freezing up.
Valor: Wands
Valor: Wands is an anthology full of comics and short stories that star women and have a fairy tale feel; usually involving magic. Most of these are upbeat and lighthearted though some can take a dark Disney-like turn. Main characters are usually princesses and aristocratic ladies along with magically powerful women. There are dramas both romantic and somber, comedies, retellings of classics, and a few action-heavy stories. While most have dialogue there are a few silent tales. At least one is a sequel story from the first anthology, Valor: Swords. Overall there is a noticeable softness and many of the lead characters are LGBT+. Violence here isn’t very brutal or gory and blood is light. The art here tends to lean towards the very stylized and cartoonish with most of it looking like something you’d see in webcomics. A lot of these tales are very colorful and some have purposefully limited color palettes.
“Which story was your favorite?”
The Laughing Queen, Lizard King, Dragonslayers Not Permitted, and Heartless.
“Which story had your favorite art?”
The Princess without a Reflection, The Six, A Little Bird Told Me, The Glass Knight, Dragonslayers Not Permitted, The Dragon Princess, and Heartless.
“How many stories are there?”
Twenty-two comics ranging from 2-15 pages, most are above ten. There are three short stories, one is five pages the other two are eight.
“All those stories, can I get one quote?”
“What will you do once you’ve found it?”
“What’s your favorite fairy tale?”
I don’t think I have one. Should I?
Purchase Link: https://fairyloguepress.com/products/valor-wands
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1987386669/valor-anthology-volume-2/description
If you want to read Part 2, click here: https://thepointofclicking.com/crowdfund-comic-anthologies-ive-read-in-2025-part-3/
