"Dark Regards: The Comic with an Outrageous Origin Story"

Dark Regards stands out as one of the most captivating new indie comics in recent memory, with a backstory as wild and thrilling as the comic itself. Dive into our exclusive preview of Dark Regards #1 and decide for yourself.

Browse through the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive peek at the new series, but be warned: there's some NSFW language ahead!

Oni Press' Dark Regards #1: Preview Gallery

13 ImagesDark Regards is a creative venture by comedian, writer, and musician Dave Hill, alongside artist Artyom Topilin, known for his work on Cruel Universe and I Hate This Place. This four-issue series draws inspiration from Hill's unique experience of forming a fictional Satanic metal band named Witch Taint and the ensuing whirlwind of chaos.

Here's the official description from Oni Press:

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 carved out a new life for himself as a rising star in New York's comedy scene – a career where being laughed at on stage is the goal, not a tragic mishap. But when Dave's metal aspirations are reignited by the über self-serious genre of Norwegian black metal, he crafts a ridiculously hyperbolic alter ego and forms a band to match, reigniting the spark of his forgotten rock 'n roll dream. But as Dave's internet-fueled rumors about Witch Taint – a metal band "so extreme that you must remove all sharp objects from the immediate area" when their music is played – spread to Europe, his story spirals dangerously out of control. Norway's most extreme black metal butchers come seeking revenge, putting everything and everyone Dave cares about in the line of fire (or rather, the swing of their axes, which, honestly, don't have crosshairs, but it's a metaphor).

“A few years back, I sat down in my underwear late one night and let my obsession with Norwegian black metal run wild. I emailed a Norwegian black metal record label, claiming their bands sucked despite never having listened to them, and suggested they sign my extremely extreme black metal band, Witch Taint, which didn't even exist yet,” Hill stated. “This initial email led to months of correspondence with the label, which I never intended for anyone to see. But the internet being the internet, it spread, and things got crazy. Now, beyond my wildest dreams, this story has become my first comic book series, Dark Regards, written by me and illustrated by the incredible Artyom Topilin. If you miss out on a single issue, you're missing out big time.”

For more exclusive previews of upcoming comics, check out the final issue of TMNT: The Last Ronin II and the Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell, inspired by The Dark Knight Returns.