It is very difficult for a short story to make an impact. That being said, it's even harder for ten pages of comics to do the same. There is very little room for character development or suspense and both tend to fall flat when not handled with care.

This anthology has no theme or genre but most stories tend to fall under the holy trinity of Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi. I've never read a comic anthology before. Because the comics are extremely short, I've decided to review them minimallistically with a sentence or two, along with a screenshot of coinciding artwork.

I've also decided to give two ratings: one on an overall average of my rating for each comic, as well as a final rating that also takes into considerations the careful selection and hard work taken on by the anthology's compilers to showcase such a diverse range of stories.

Average rating: 3.4 stars
My final rating: 4 stars

In a way, I'm glad I'm finally done with this wonderful mess. My brain was addled by this one because I struggled to keep up with the shifting tone and genre changes between comics.

Please see attached my Goodreads review for a more in-depth look at each comic.

This is a collection of short horror stories, accompanied by very good quality of artwork. All stories are brief and involve something provoking either fear or great sorrow, and in some of them there are also strange creatures involved.

The artwork is detailed, beautiful and very interesting. As far as the stories were concerned, I found some of them very smart and interesting. However, there were many among them that stopped abruptly or lacked certain details and explanations.

Overall, this is an interesting anthology.

SHOCK Anthology has a mix of stories by known and unknown writers and artists. Each story is about 6-10 pages, so no long drawn-out tales here. Instead the tales tend to be pithy, gritty, strange, weird, and grabbing the reader by the throat and demanding attention. There is a nice blend of genres so the reader is likely to find plenty to enjoy in these short comics.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this volume!

I wanted to like this: I love horror and I love comics and I love horror comics (usually). But I found the stories flimsy and the artwork ugly. Some of it was impossible to read - WHY would you put red text on a black background? I started each story hoping it would be better than the previous one - more satisfying, maybe, with something actually happening - only to be disappointed.

A couple of the stories were genuinely creepy, but it wasn’t enough to make trudging through the rest worth it.

The artwork in this book is absolutely gorgeous! Some stories were ok, they just seemed out of place to me. My favorite was "Blooderflies", it was so hauntingly beautiful, my heart ached at the end.

A collection of short comics edited by AfterShock founder Joe Pruett, who previously edited Negative Burn - which I'm vaguely aware was significant, but have never read. Contributors include big names such as Gaiman & Zulli, Charles Vess, and Jim Starlin, all of whom do pretty much the sort of stuff you expect, and none of whom do the stuff for which they'll be remembered. Similarly, previous AfterShock contributors are on form but not top form, so the Marguerite Bennett piece is at the more heavy-handed 'aren't men awful' end of her range - though given she appears to be the only female writer across 15 pieces, one can't entirely blame her. And the Paul Jenkins story is crushingly predictable, but aren't they always? The only real surprise for me was Mike Carey, in that I like his fantasy but don't recall seeing autobiography from him before. Worth a look if you see it in a library or a sale.

(Netgalley ARC)

It started off strong with a couple of stories by Neil Gaiman and Cullen Bunn (<i>Witch Work</i> and <i>Bloodflies</i>, resp.). But the 3rd story? <i>Kerguelen</i>. Seemed pointless.

And Marguerite Bennett’s story? The best!

Paul Jenkins’s <i>Last Dance with You</i> was chilling.

I like anthologies because they provide experimental stuff. But <i>Endgame</i>? What?

And let me do my best to describe Charles Vess’s story. It is ancient times. This old man on a donkey comes to a creek. Then all these Jesuses fly out of the water. Then he rides a ship to a city. Then he travels forever in the city to get to the bazaar. Then the pterodactyl lady picks him up. And drops him into modern times. And he turns into a giant. The end. (Just weird.)

And <i>Based on a True Story</i>. WHAT??

There was something satisfying about <i>Little Red Hood</i>.

I loved the art of the short, sweet <i>Dead City</i>.

<i>Paroled</i> looked like an intro to an interesting story!

Overall, a recommended anthology. Some misses (IMO), but pretty good for the most part.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Distributors, and Aftershock Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

Dnf. I couldn’t really get into this comic. The drawings were really good and detailed but I just didn’t like the stories. Though I think that is just because it’s not for my taste not because it wasn’t good, it was.

As with any anthology, there was a mixture of good and bad here. I felt like many of the pieces didn't feel complete, just half-finished thoughts interrupted before they could really reach any sort of resolution, or pieces where way too much story was crammed into a couple pages so they didn't read well, often with way too much tell and not enough show (which is a rare issue in comics). That said, there were a few gems throughout as well. I particularly liked the piece about the woman getting the recording of her father on her wedding day, even if it was a tad overly sentimental.

I was beyond thrilled to receive a copy of this on NetGalley, as I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman and graphic novels in general. This was a fun collection of short anthologies in graphic novel form. There is a fantastic and wide variety of amazing authors, and illustrators in this collection. Personally my favorite stories in this graphic novel were Witch Work, Bloodflies, The Last Dance With You, and Little Red Hood. I can't wait until this comes out in print, as I will be heavily recommending that my library purchase a few copies for my city.

This an excellent collection of short story comics. The comics all have different themes ranging from sci-fi to urban fantasy. Some of the stories have twist in them and all of the stories leave you wanting to know more. You either want to know what the history was behind the story, or what happens next, or what it is all about in the first place.

All the stories pack a punch.

The art is excellent and very different, and the prose and pictures blend well and convey stories that are rich in the telling. There were a few stories that I wished were longer, especially the one about a man cleaning out his aunt's attic after her death, and a really great story about Red Riding Hood who is actually a 'hood' and not to be trusted.

The anthology is produced by a range of artists and authors (most of whom appear to be men). Despite that it is a first class anthology of graphic art stories, with excellent artwork and hard hitting stories.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Quindici storie brevissime, tra le quattro e le quindici tavole. 

Una miriade di autori, coloristi, illustratori, fra cui alcuni dei miei preferiti: Charles Vess (con un bellissimo, bellissimo pezzo su Istambul), Michael Zulli, Neil Gaiman, Brian Azzarello.

E completa libertà di temi e ambientazioni.



Sono questi gli ingredienti di una raccolta che paga, come tutte le antologie multiautore, la differenza di talento fra i vari artisti, con pezzi meno interessanti che vanno a scontrarsi con alcuni di qualità media e con altri di eccezionale bellezza.

E questi ultimi non mancano, e spaziano in ogni genere: dal fantasy allo storico-biografico, dalla fantascienza alla fiaba più sognante al noir.

Fatevi un favore, e andate a caccia di queste perle: non le indico apposta, per lasciare il piacere della scoperta. ;)

Overall, a great anthology of graphic novels. Gaiman's was, of course, the best.

Shock Anthology runs the full gamut on short stories from horror to sci-fi. The art is sometimes great and sometimes chicken scratches. Some of the stories were bright lights and I would love to read more from the authors, especially Endgame: The Show That Never Ends which added a flair of fun to the whole thing. I enjoyed the stories that were spooky with almost a moral to them. There were a few stories about as appealing as burnt toast and I found myself flipping past to read the next story. Like most anthologies, there is something for everyone and the art really expresses various styles for an overall okay read. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

This is a collection of 15 different Anthologies. Each between 4-15 pages short and they could not be more different from one another.

There isn’t really one theme or mood, but a great mix of sci-fi, historical, relationship and outlandish shorts. Each with a different flavor. You’ll find anything from gore to sinister and love to hate and everything in between. I think that is what makes this novel so interesting. The collaboration of writers and artists doesn’t leave any wishes out. The graphics and content range from subtle to intense and so much is said in them with so little words. It makes you stop and think, analyze or just ‘feel’ for the characters.
My favorites were:
The Mountain Pass,
Dumb Bitch,
The Last Dance With You,
Escape From The Lost World,
Iste Bu Istanbul!

Worth checking out! Enjoy :)

When the pieces in this book are bad, they can be very, very bad indeed (no names, no pack drill). But when they are good, they can be among some of the most effecting pieces of fiction you could care to read. And none are longer than a couple of minutes, so if you like the anthology format, then jump on board. Yes, quality control could have been a whole lot better, but there are some real gems here.

This was a mixed bag when it came to the stories, there were some that had great writing and style, some that excelled in one or the other, and some that i did not like either. I feel like that the graphic novel could have done with some editing of the stories and evening out of the lengths of them as i feel like a couple of the ones that were 2 pages long could've been lengthened whilst there were some that felt too long and drawn out.

I must admit, I was drawn to this anthology by its cover – seems like a scene from Tales from the Crypt, which I adored at the time. Out of the 21 stories within, some are in the same spirit, others are not, but overall, it was a pleasant surprise for someone like me, who is not a fan of graphic stories.

Like in most anthologies, there are some remarkable stories, others are good and a few which I did not find to be on my taste. But the drawings are particularly well done and expressive.

The real shock for me was Gaiman’s “Witch Work”, which is in verses – and I am not a fan of his work and neither of poetry. However, this one is exquisite.

I laughed out loud at Franceso Francavilla’s “Invasion”, my heart broke because of Cullen Bunn’s “Bloodflies” and I tasted sweet revenge at Marguerite Bennett’s “Dumb Bitch”.

The stories are from a multitude of genres: sci-fi, fantasy, horror, dystopia, magical realism, the drawings are mostly in colors, with some tinges of black & white and sepia. There is a story for each taste, even if you’re not a fan.

Worth a shot, from my PoV.

As Joe Pruett says in his opening introduction, ‘Now prepare for a treat.’ He is not wrong. Shock Anthology brings together such giants as Neil Gaiman, Bill Willingham, Brian Azzarello and Jim Starlin as they tell a wide mix stories accompanied by beautifully illustrated panels that make this collection stand out from the rest. A real treat for fans old and new.