Shook! A Black Horror Anthology

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 8. JAN. 2024

This hit-or-miss collection embeds social issues in supernatural fare, remixing classic horror elements into a dozen tales where monsters prowl through historical pasts and apocalyptic futures. In "The Last March" by Rodney Barnes and David Brame, white supremacists in 1972 Mississippi attempt to lynch a Black man, who in turn evokes "all who walked in a world that spat on your existence" to rise from the dead and destroy the Klansmen. In "Evil Lives," Bradley Golden and Alessio Nocerino's elaborately gruesome Lovecraftian monstrosities compensate for a faltering plot about human sacrifice. "Suckers Revenge," from Marcus H. Roberts and Phillip R. Williams Jr., and "Lady of Rage," a collaboration between John Jennings and Jermel Williams, dig into embezzlement and domestic abuse, respectively, tapping into a parabolic storytelling tradition reminiscent of Tales from the Hood. The artists' stylings range from amateurish to sophisticated. Muddied images often leave backgrounds and characters indistinguishable, and too many stories end abruptly. A few pieces rise above the rest, however. One such standout is "The Breaks" by Jennings and Charlie Goubile, a stunningly drawn gem with clever pop culture references, about "Queen Proppa the Showstoppa," who's dying of AIDS but yearns to breakdance at the Starlight once more. It's a motley grab bag.