Comics / Comics News

Gene Simons Scare Comic Books

By The Editor
May 4, 2007 - 09:34

In July 2007, rock legend Gene Simmons  takes the stage in an all-new capacity—as the mysterious master of  ceremonies for his own quarterly horror anthology, Gene Simmons House of Horrors, which kicks off with a deliriously gruesome cover image  by the legendary creator of Spawn, Todd McFarlane, based on an idea  by Simmons.

As the flagship title for the newly-formed IDW Publishing imprint,  Simmons Comics Group, Gene Simmons House of Horrors promises to bring  readers the best in horror, fantasy and science fiction over all 64  full-color pages.

The anthology will feature intro and outro pages illustrated by Matt  Busch and written by The Demon himself, as well as a short prose  story by Nick Simmons—Gene’s son, budding co-star on Gene Simmons  Family Jewels, the top-rated A&E reality show, and the creator of the  upcoming IDW comic Skullduggery. Top that off with five short horror  stories by some of the hottest new talent in comics today and wrap it  in the terrifying cover image by Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo, and  you’ve got all the makings of a deliciously scary treat.

“I had always loved the Twilight Zone. I never missed an episode,”  says Gene Simmons.  “I read Amazing Stories and Analog. In short, I  loved the anthology horror/sci-fi canvas and wanted to re-introduce  the format into comic books.  [Gene Simmons House of Horrors] is a  chance to showcase the best in professional talent, and to introduce  new talent, as well. Each story will be written and drawn  independently, with wraparound commentaries by myself. The fact that  I'm powerful and attractive will only add to the stunning effect of  the stories.”

Stories featured in the debut issue of Gene Simmons House of Horrors  include:

“Into The Woods,” written by Leah Moore & John Reppion (Raise the  Dead) and illustrated by Jeff Zornow (American Werewolf).

“Into The Woods” is somewhere between Midwitch Cuckoos and Grimm’s  Fairytales. A teenage pyromaniac with mismatched eyes who destroys  her village but doesn’t know why. We follow the girl as she seemingly  condemns herself and her neighbors to a gruesome death. We see wild  animals and the forest itself turn on the hapless peasants as they  fight for their lives.  This is what might happen if Hansel and  Gretel stumbled into The Evil Dead… they might need more than  breadcrumbs this time.

“Circle Seven,” written by Chris Ryall (Zombies Vs. Robots) and  illustrated by Steph Stamb (Angel: Masks)

Dack is a new recruit to the Eternal Punishment Border Patrol, but  he's got too much to prove to let simple inexperience slow him down.  So he's set to be the Neil Armstrong of his generation, only instead  of going up, he's headed down—into the newly discovered gateway to  Hell. He's sent there alone, because you can't trust a partner once  you enter the Stygian depths. There have been doomsday cries of big  plans being made in the worst area of Hell, Circle Seven, and Dack's  job is to see if a human being can successfully enter—and exit—Hell,  and, most importantly, stop Hell from spilling into the real world.

“Crude,” written by Tom Waltz (Children of the Grave) and illustrated  by Esteve Polls (Mega-City Noir)

In 1991, Desert Storm rages in the Kuwaiti Desert. Iraqi forces, in a  desperate attempt to delay the overwhelming Coalition onslaught and  turn world opinion against the campaign for liberation, ignite many  of Kuwait's oil wells, creating an unprecedented environmental  catastrophe in the region. As the Coalition attack surges forward,  pushing the Iraqi defenders back into their own country, an elite  Delta Force team is sent in to investigate the damage done to the oil  wells by the blazing, pollution spewing fires.  The team goes in with  six men, but only one man returns.  Something massacred the Delta  Force soldiers during the recon mission, and it wasn't enemy  soldiers. No, it was something far more sinister, vicious and  inhuman. It was something straight out of the depths of the earth  itself.

“The Basement,” by Dwight L. MacPherson (Dead Men Tell No Tales) and  illustrated by Grant Bond (Revere)

When Agnes Beecham's 9-year-old daughter Rosa began telling fantastic  stories about a visitor from another planet living in the basement,  she dismissed them as childhood oneirism. One day, however, Rosa's  father Michael decided to step into the basement to investigate and  returned a vegetable. The doctors told Agnes her husband had suffered  a stroke, but Rosa knew it was the man in the basement who made her  father a helpless invalid. In the days that followed the incident,  Rosa began drawing pictures of strange flying objects and telling her  mother the man in the basement wished to take her to his home -- and  then she mentioned the name Aleister Crowley.

“Nymph,” by Sean Taylor (Fishnet Angel) and illustrated by Jon  Alderink (City of Fire)

Jane is an eco-happy entymologist married to Dave, a commercial  contractor who builds strip malls and parking decks. While  celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary on a picnic in the  mountains, Dave goes missing after an argument about his work. Jane  looks for him, only to find him already consumed by the trees and  herself the prey of a blood-thirsty tree nymph.

Gene Simmons House of Horrors #1 will be available in July and is  available for pre-order now. Diamond Order code MAY07 3563.

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51