Dark Regards Is a Comic With a Truly Ludicrous Back-Story

Dark Regards is a truly captivating new indie comic, easily one of the most intriguing releases in recent memory. Its backstory is as wild and unpredictable as the comic itself. See for yourself with this exclusive preview of Dark Regards #1.

Explore the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive look inside the new series. Fair warning: some NSFW language is present.

Oni Press' Dark Regards #1: Preview Gallery

13 Images

Dark Regards is the brainchild of comedian, writer, and musician Dave Hill and artist Artyom Topilin (Cruel Universe, I Hate This Place). This four-issue series draws inspiration from Hill's own experiences forming a fictional Satanic metal band, Witch Taint, and the ensuing chaos.

Here's Oni Press' official synopsis:

Two decades ago, Dave Hill and his first band attempted to rock their high school auditorium with heavy metal hellfire. They failed miserably. Years later, Dave finds success as a New York comedy star—a career where on-stage laughter is the goal, not a tragic byproduct. But when his metal ambitions are rekindled by the intensely serious world of Norwegian black metal, Dave creates a ridiculously hyperbolic alter ego and a matching band, reigniting his rock 'n' roll fantasies. However, when internet rumors of Witch Taint—a band "so extreme that you must remove all sharp objects" when their music plays—reach Europe, his story spirals dangerously out of control as Norway's most extreme black metal musicians seek revenge, threatening everything and everyone dear to Dave.

“A few years ago, I impulsively emailed a Norwegian black metal record label, trashing their bands despite never having listened to them, and suggesting they sign my extremely extreme black metal band, Witch Taint, which didn't even exist,” Hill explains. “This led to months of correspondence I never intended anyone to see. But the internet being the internet, it went viral. Now, this story has become my first comic book, Dark Regards, illustrated by the amazing Artyom Topilin. If you don't read every issue, you're insane.”

Dark Regards #1 is priced at $4.99 and will be released on May 13, 2025.

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