"Dark Regards Comic Unveils Absurd Origin Story"

Dark Regards is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating new indie comics to hit the scene in a while. The comic's backstory is as wild and unpredictable as the story it tells, and now you have the chance to dive into it with our exclusive preview of Dark Regards #1. Get ready for a thrilling ride, but be warned—there's some NSFW language ahead!

Take a peek at the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive glimpse inside the new series:

Oni Press' Dark Regards #1: Preview Gallery

13 Images

Dark Regards is the creative brainchild of comedian, writer, and musician Dave Hill, teaming up with artist Artyom Topilin, known for his work on Cruel Universe and I Hate This Place. This four-issue series draws inspiration from Hill's own escapades with his fictional Satanic metal band, Witch Taint, and the ensuing whirlwind of chaos.

Here's how Oni Press describes the series:

Two decades ago, Dave Hill and his first band set out to rock their high school auditorium in a fury of heavy metal hellfire. They failed miserably. Years later, Dave has made a new life for himself as a rising star in the New York comedy scene—a career where getting laughed at on stage is the entire point and not just a tragic consequence. But when Dave's metal ambitions are re-awakened by the über self-serious, “Satanic” genre of Norwegian black metal, Dave creates a ridiculously hyperbolic alter ego and a band to match that, together, reignite the spark of his forgotten rock 'n roll fantasy. But when Dave's internet-fueled rumors of Witch Taint—a metal band “so extreme that you must remove all sharp objects from the immediate area” when their music is played—spreads all the way to Europe, his story will spiral dangerously out of control as Norway's most extreme black metal butchers come to reap their revenge . . . and put everything and everyone Dave holds dear in the crosshairs (of their axes, which, truth be told, don't actually have crosshairs, but, hey, it's a metaphor).

Reflecting on the comic's origin, Hill shared, “A few years back, I sat down in my underwear late one night and decided to let my obsession with Norwegian black metal run wild by emailing a Norwegian black metal record label, telling them all the bands on their label sucked despite the fact that I had never listened to any of them, and suggesting they sign my extremely extreme black metal band Witch Taint, which had yet to record any music and didn't even exist beyond the band name I'd just made up on the spot. This first email led to months of correspondence with the record label that I never intended for anyone to see. But the Internet being the Internet, eventually a lot of people saw it and things got nuts. Now, beyond my wildest dreams, this story has become my first comic book series Dark Regards, written by me and illustrated by the amazing Artyom Topilin. If you don't devour every single issue, you are basically insane.”

Dark Regards #1 is priced at $4.99 and will hit the shelves on May 13, 2025.

For more exclusive comic book previews, don't miss out on a look at the final issue of TMNT: The Last Ronin II and the Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell, inspired by The Dark Knight Returns.