Hello Darkness #23 Preview: BOOM! Studios Serves Up a Fresh Pool of Summer Nightmares
Hello Darkness #23 keeps BOOM! Studios’ horror anthology rolling with another issue packed with twisted short stories, eerie visuals, and sharp genre hooks. This installment brings readers back into the dark with a lineup that includes Ryan North, Giada Belviso, Rich Douek, Stevan Subic, Kelly Williams, Marguerite Bennett, and Helena Masellis.
The issue is part of BOOM! Studios’ ongoing Hello Darkness anthology series and is listed by Penguin Random House as a 48-page release from BOOM! Studios. Readers tracking comic shop information can also find the issue on League of Comic Geeks.
A New Batch of Horror Stories From BOOM! Studios
The official description for Hello Darkness #23 teases a summer-themed plunge into terror, with multiple stories designed to hit different corners of the horror genre. Rather than leaning on one long narrative, the anthology format gives the issue room to shift tones quickly: psychological horror, western dread, nautical unease, and a taste of erotic thriller suspense all appear in this installment.
That range is what continues to make Hello Darkness one of BOOM! Studios’ most flexible horror releases. Each issue can feel like a curated nightmare sampler, giving readers several different creative teams and several different kinds of fear in a single package.
“Sunday Pt. II” Brings Ryan North and Giada Belviso Back Into the Darkness
One of the major stories in Hello Darkness #23 is “Sunday Pt. II” from Ryan North and Giada Belviso. The story follows Sister Amanda as her torment reaches a breaking point, pushing the character deeper into madness.
That gives the issue a strong continuation thread for readers who picked up the previous chapter. Anyone following the series from our earlier Hello Darkness #22 review will want to see how this second part escalates the tension.
Ryan North’s involvement immediately gives the story extra attention, while Belviso’s art brings the kind of visual intensity needed for a story centered on spiraling faith, pressure, and psychological collapse.
Old West Horror Arrives in “The Man Who Outdrew Death”
The issue also features “The Man Who Outdrew Death” by Rich Douek and Stevan Subic. This story sends readers down a bloody western trail, following a young gunfighter searching for a showdown.
Western horror can be incredibly effective when done right because both genres already carry death, isolation, and violence at their core. With Douek and Subic attached, this segment looks positioned to bring a grim, dust-covered edge to the issue.
The title alone gives the story a pulpy hook: a gunfighter trying to outdraw death itself. That kind of premise fits perfectly inside a horror anthology built around fast, memorable nightmare concepts.
Kelly Williams Dives Into “Old Wounds”
Kelly Williams contributes “Old Wounds,” a story centered on a grizzled lighthouse keeper who hears the call of the sea one final time. That setup brings a colder, more atmospheric kind of horror into Hello Darkness #23.
The sea has always been one of horror’s best settings because it can represent memory, guilt, isolation, and something ancient waiting beneath the surface. A lighthouse keeper answering one final call has all the ingredients for a bleak, haunting short story.
For readers who enjoy mood-heavy horror over pure shock value, “Old Wounds” may be one of the issue’s strongest draws.
Gastronomique Gets a Preview Platter
Hello Darkness #23 also includes a preview of Gastronomique, an erotic thriller from Marguerite Bennett and Helena Masellis. The story follows royal spy Lady Charlotte as she hunts the deadly cannibal Tarrare.
That premise gives the issue one of its most striking tonal shifts. It moves from religious madness and western bloodshed into something more stylish, dangerous, and predatory. The word “Gastronomique” already suggests appetite, indulgence, and excess, while the cannibal-hunt setup makes the horror angle unmistakable.
For readers looking for a new genre hook inside the BOOM! Studios catalog, this preview could be one of the biggest reasons to pick up the issue.
Why Hello Darkness #23 Stands Out
Hello Darkness #23 looks like a strong anthology issue because it does not rely on one type of scare. It offers a spread of horror concepts, each with its own flavor and creative identity.
The issue includes:
“Sunday Pt. II” by Ryan North and Giada Belviso
“The Man Who Outdrew Death” by Rich Douek and Stevan Subic
“Old Wounds” by Kelly Williams
A preview of Gastronomique by Marguerite Bennett and Helena Masellis
That lineup gives horror fans a broad mix of dread, violence, religious unease, western terror, nautical mystery, and thriller energy.
Final Thoughts
Hello Darkness #23 is shaping up to be another strong entry in BOOM! Studios’ horror anthology line. The issue offers a deep bench of creators, multiple story styles, and enough tonal variety to appeal to readers who want more than one kind of scare from a single comic.
With Ryan North and Giada Belviso continuing “Sunday,” Rich Douek and Stevan Subic bringing western horror, Kelly Williams heading toward the sea in “Old Wounds,” and Marguerite Bennett and Helena Masellis previewing the deadly world of Gastronomique, this issue looks like a sharp summer horror release for anthology readers.
For more outside coverage and listing details, readers can also check this IMDb news item tied to the issue.
Comic Details
Title: Hello Darkness #23
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Format: Horror anthology comic
Pages: 48
Release Date: July 22, 2026
ISBN: 9798217384532
Main Listed Creators: Ryan North, Giada Belviso, Various
Additional Featured Creators: Rich Douek, Stevan Subic, Kelly Williams, Marguerite Bennett, Helena Masellis
Genre: Horror, Graphic Novels, Anthology
Join the Discussion
Which kind of horror story pulls you in first: religious terror, western horror, nautical nightmares, or cannibal thriller suspense?
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