What do you get when you form a creative team consisting of Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Geoff Johns, Rob Leigh, Brad Anderson, and Maytal Zchut? If you’re Ghost Machine Comics, your team brings out a character-centered horror universe called Hyde Street.
This project from Ghost Machine hits bookstores in October – twice. The first monthly issue of Hyde Street debuts on October 2, 2024, while a one-off issue written by Zchut hits the stands on October 30, 2024. Both arrive in perfect time for Halloween and set up graphic novel fans for an exciting winter with dark, foreboding stories that suit the weather.
Kicking Off the Series
The first monthly issue features frights from Mr. X-Ray and Pranky the Most Dangerous Scout. With Mr. X-Ray, Hyde Street delves into a Twilight Zone-inspired story of a unique product, Mr. X-Ray glasses. According to a comic book preview posted to Rabbit Comics, the storyline revolves around a pair of x-ray glasses sold by Hyde Street Amusements that create an optical illusion, allowing the wearer to seemingly see past the clothing and skin of those around them. The glasses may let the wearer see right into the person’s soul, to their darkest secrets and greatest fears.
Pranky looks like every Boy Scout, but he’s far from the do-gooder who helps elderly people safely cross the street. According to Andy’s Newsletter, which obtained a preview copy of Hyde Street, the Pranky storyline leverages the EC graphic novel format, which uses a supernatural host as the narrator. The Pranky vignette also uses the service of “well-deserved poetic justice” meted out on its other central character.
A One Shot to Enter Fall
Once the team hooks you, they hit you with Zchut’s character study on a bride-to-be named Lily who’s determined to look fabulously thin on her wedding day. The story, “Devour,” centers around Ms. Goodbody’s diet product, which Lily’s trim grandma recommends. How will things work out for Lily? Take a hint from the product’s tagline, “Get thin… or die trying.”
By the time we reach October 2024, a year will have passed since the Hyde Street team first teased comic fans with a preview of the graphic novel and three months will have passed since it previewed the covers and other artwork at FanExpo Denver, according to Florida Geek Scene. Fans of horror, comic books, and the creators involved in these stories can look forward to a creepy winter of old-fashioned scares. Ask your local comic bookshop to order the series so you can enjoy the terror.
