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.

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

Oni Press' Dark Regards #1: Preview Gallery

13 Images

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 description:

Two decades ago, Dave Hill and his first band attempted to rock their high school auditorium in a blaze of heavy metal glory. They failed spectacularly. Years later, Dave finds success as a rising star in the New York comedy scene—a career where being laughed at 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 over-the-top 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. Norway's most extreme black metal musicians seek revenge, putting everything and everyone Dave cares about in their crosshairs (of their axes, which admittedly lack crosshairs, but hey, 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 didn't even exist beyond the name I'd just invented,” Hill explained. “This email sparked months of correspondence I never intended anyone to see. But the internet being the internet, it went viral. Now, beyond my wildest dreams, this story is my first comic book series, Dark Regards, illustrated by the amazing Artyom Topilin. If you don't read every issue, you're crazy.”

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.