You are not alone.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Fran Krause
What They Say
We all have weird fears, from getting sliced to ribbons on a subway station revolving gate to getting turned around by the wind while swimming and going too far out ot sea. Based on the wildly popular Tumblr with over 270,000 followers, Deep Dark Fears explores our odd, creepy, and hilariously singular fears. Animator, illustrator, and cartoonist Fran Krause brings these fears to life in vividly illustrated comics based on real fears submitted by readers (plus a few of his own). These “deep dark fears” run the gamut from unlikely but plausible to completely ridiculous, highlighting both our deeply human similarities and our peculiar uniqueness that bring fear (and delight).
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s odd to call a book like Deep Dark Fears delightful, but that’s the best word I can come up with to describe it. While it’s not necessarily a celebration of the things we fear, it is an acknowledgment of them, an acceptance of them, and, by extension, an acknowledgment and acceptance of ourselves, warts and all.
Each fear is wonderfully illustrated, and what makes this work so interesting is the common threads that most fears followed. Mirrors and doppelgangers rule the roost here, and it’s fascinating to see the different permutations of fear that arise from these two themes: the person in the mirror will take over your life; you hear your mother’s voice from upstairs even though you’re sitting next to her in the living room; there’s a whole other universe outside of the mirror, just on the edges where your eyes can’t go.
Childhood traumas also factor heavily in these cartoons—careless or cruel words said by a parent or sibling, a story told that was taken too literally—these all get stored away in the subconscious, to be replayed in times of stress. We see this with the fear of eating blackberries, seeds and all. The seed will never digest, and vines will grow along a person’s veins, until they become petrified. We see this in the girl whose parents wouldn’t let her watch Dracula and the nightmares she had about a robot named “Dracula” chasing her.
Part of the fun in reading this is just in witnessing this panoply of fears, but part of the fun also lies with seeing your own fears and taking comfort in the fact that you’re not alone in thinking this way. Most of my deep-seated and irrational fears center around me discovering that reality as I know it is a lie, or a dream, or somehow different. That’s where the comfort comes in. It’s one thing to laugh at enjoy the fears of others (as cruel as that may sound), but it’s another to see some confirmation of your own deep-seated beliefs.
In Summary
Deep Dark Fears is a delightful tour through the commonly-held, powerful and irrational fears we all experience. The book brings them into the light and exposes them for all to see, giving us something to enjoy, but also giving us a sense that we aren’t alone—defying what may be the greatest fear of them all. Dr. Josh gives this an…
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Ten Speed Press
Release Date: September 29th, 2015
MSRP: $14.99
