When I picked up my first comic a few years ago, I never expected to form such a personal connection. With each creative I meet, each signed issue, and the accompanying story, I become emotionally invested.
My local comic book store, LFG Comic & Game, lost its beloved owner this past week. This has impacted his surviving family as they now seek to heal and determine the outcome of the store. While they process this devastating loss they have chosen to keep the store open as normal and I am asking that you pop by to add a few issues to your collection. I know the support will be greatly appreciated. I have included a link to their Facebook page, which can be accessed by clicking on their name above. In moments like this, I’m reminded how much local creators and comic spaces shape our stories.
In February 2025, I was at another local spot, The Venue, attending Gadsden Collector Con. A jam-packed convention that is growing with each event. They have another on July 26, 2025, at the same location. I can’t wait to see the place packed out again. I ended up venturing on stage to talk to the guest—Deegan Puchkor, who had comics and prints on display. I realized I already owned some of his work and kicked myself for not checking the guest list in advance. He was so genuine in the things he shared with me and it’s going to be a joy to run into him again one day. I asked him about the work he had done in horror and he showed me The Closet issue one he did a variant cover for. After he explained the plot to me, I knew it was my kind of material. I felt lucky to walk away with another signed first issue of a comic book I would read again and again for the heartstrings it pulls at.
Published in June 2022, it was a three-issue miniseries under James Tynion IV’s Tiny Onion imprint through Image Comics.
Written by- James Tynion IV
Art by- Gavin Fullerton
Colors by- Chris O’Halloran
Letters by- Tom Napolitano
Edited by- Greg Lockard
Design by- Dylan Todd
Be prepared, Tynion may take you back to your childhood with how familiar the story feels. I was disgusted in the best way by how “knowable” the characters were. The narrative is driven by slow tension, the words seep out of the page into your brain, filling in all the areas you thought you healed in therapy. It’s haunting to me how he feeds you emotional avoidance sugarcoated as good intentions. It goes down so easily. From Something Is Killing The Children to The Department Of Truth, I think you will find his work influential and devourable.
Gavin Fullerton’s art is the ultimate backdrop for such an intimately harrowing experience this comic gives you. Expressive faces and body language dance together to provide the perfect tempo to remind us of all the monsters that plagued us when we were young—not just the ones hiding in the dark, but the ones shaped by memory, trauma, and silence. I love it when the monsters feel real. After finishing The Closet, I’m beyond excited to dig into his earlier work like Bags. If this is your introduction to him, you’re in for something special.
Chris O’Halloran has such a range, his palette doesn’t scream horror—it whispers it, like a creak in the hallway you’re not sure you heard. With a résumé that includes Ice Cream Man, Immortal Hulk, and Ha-Ha, O’Halloran has proven time and again that he can carry the emotional rhythm of a book without overwhelming the line art. His contribution to The Closet intensifies the emotional weight of Jamie’s story in ways that are felt not just seen.
If you are a collector of unique horror, you need to keep an eye on all these individuals. Tynion is collaborating with Michael Walsh on Exquisite Corpses to feature a roster of industry-leading talent. Don’t worry I have a review planned. Tiny Onion has a huge fan here and I can’t help but spread the word.
Thom is sure that a move will cure his son, Jamie’s, fear of the monster in the closet. Maybe he’s drunk, but he just knows it will fix his family. Fix his marriage with Maggie. Sometimes what goes bump in the night can’t be chased away by turning on the light or throwing back a shot.
It’s the kind of horror that creeps up on you—a wicked sense of being watched, something looming just outside your peripheral vision. Watching denial damage a child’s truth felt as scary as the monster. The only comfort was the stuffed toy, adorably vulnerable. Fear doesn’t stay locked away—it follows us, shapes us, and sometimes teaches us how to survive. If you indulge in horror that opens the door to how far fear can follow you, The Closet is for you!
Have you read The Closet? Did it hit you the way it hit me?
What monsters have you outgrown—or maybe haven’t?
Let’s talk horror, healing, and the comics that stick with us long after we close the cover. Answer in the comments box below!
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