CSBG Archive
The Scariest Comic Books of All-Time! – A Frog is a Frog
A reader named Chris S. suggested that I devote October to the scariest comic books of all-time, as suggested by you readers out there! Sounds like a plan to me! So all October-long, I’ll be featuring 31 comic book tales of terror, based on YOUR suggestions! So e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com your scary suggestions! Here is an archive of all the comics featured so far!
Reader benday dot e-mailed me to suggest a short story by the late Stephen Perry and Stephen Bissette from 1982′s Bizarre Adventures #31 called “A Frog is a Frog,” which is a disturbing look at the de-humanizing effects of violence.
Enjoy!
It is interesting to see work from Bissette that is basically right before his acclaimed Swamp Thing run with Alan Moore and John Totleben. Bissette and Perry did a number of good stories for Marvel’s various magazines, but I think this is probably their strongest effort.
It opens with two young boys reading comic books in their treehouse.
Pretty damn striking.
Boomas’ following actions are quite powerful. I heartily recommend tracking down a copy of this issue to see what happens next (the whole issue is filled with stories on the topic of violence).
10 Comments
Graham Vingoe
October 4, 2011 at 5:28 am
A Frog is a Frog is, without doubt, my favourite horror one-off story ever. Really good choice by Benday-dot
chad
October 4, 2011 at 7:00 am
seeing that preview of a frog is a frog proves that steve bisset art is perfect for horror comics. the greys and fore shadowing of boomer wondering about wally true fate is a little chilling perfect for halloween.
Dr. Bob
October 4, 2011 at 7:12 am
Let’s not forget Taboo magazine. Some very creepy stuff in there!
Edo Bosnar
October 4, 2011 at 12:14 pm
I was thinking of suggesting this myself – it so thoroughly freaked me out when I first read it. And now I’m all freaked out again remembering it….
benday-dot
October 4, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Many thanks for sharing this great story with your readers Brian. I hope it was enjoyed… and the appropriate chills felt!
I suspect we will be seeing a fair number of shorter form anthology style tales in this feature. It is a format that lends itself particularly well to the horror genre.
Dalarsco
October 5, 2011 at 12:14 am
Bissette is truly a master of horror. He knows how to show just enough to make the imagination fill in the blanks as terrifyingly as it can.
Keith Bowden
October 5, 2011 at 10:04 am
I miss Bissette. (And I still mourn Tyrant.)
kt
October 8, 2011 at 1:04 pm
the girl is dead right???
Anonymous
October 9, 2011 at 9:12 pm
I don’t think its fair to publish a review ending with “so go find a copy” when it’s an old, out of print, non-collected book.
Pat M
October 20, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Life is not fair. That is why we are collectors. We go out and collect. You have the WHOLE internet to look for a copy. Not too hard. The world is yours.