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

Dark Regards is shaping up to be one of the most captivating new indie comics 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.

Browse the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive peek inside the new series. Fair warning: there's some NSFW language.

Oni Press' Dark Regards #1: Preview Gallery

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Dark Regards is the brainchild of comedian/writer/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 chaotic whirlwind.

Here's Oni Press' official synopsis:

Two decades ago, Dave Hill and his first band attempted to ignite their high school auditorium with heavy metal hellfire. They failed spectacularly. Years later, Dave has carved a new path as a rising star in the New York comedy scene—a career where onstage laughter is the goal, not a tragic byproduct. But when his metal ambitions are rekindled by the ultra-serious world of Norwegian black metal, Dave creates a ridiculously hyperbolic alter ego and a band to match, reigniting his dormant rock 'n' roll fantasies. However, when internet rumors of Witch Taint—a metal band "so extreme that you must remove all sharp objects from the immediate area" when their music plays—reach Europe, his story takes a dangerous turn as Norway's most extreme black metal musicians seek revenge, putting everything and everyone Dave holds dear in their crosshairs (of their axes, which, admittedly, lack crosshairs, but it's a metaphor!).

“A few years ago, I impulsively emailed a Norwegian black metal record label late one night, criticizing their bands despite never having listened to them, and suggesting they sign my extremely extreme black metal band, Witch Taint, which hadn't even recorded any music and existed only in name,” Hill explained. “This initial email sparked months of correspondence I never intended for anyone to see. But the internet being the internet, many people saw it, and things went crazy. Now, beyond my wildest expectations, this story has become my first comic book series, Dark Regards, written by me and illustrated by the amazing Artyom Topilin. If you don't devour 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 book previews, check out the final issue of TMNT: The Last Ronin II and the Dark Knight Returns-inspired Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell.