In the 1960s and ’70s, the underground comics scene gained a lot of steam and started inspiring writers to tackle difficult topics in their work. With the wild popularity of Maus I in 1980, it became even clearer that comics and graphic novels were the right medium to ruminate on trauma, history, and darkness. Comics allow freedom of form and style to explore dark themes in more abstract ways. It can be difficult to find precise language to explain darkness, so that’s why art is the perfect medium. We’ve talked about dark comics before, and there are so many to quench the need for discussions of darkness in a highly stylized format. Dark comics have been embraced by all sorts of authors in different genres, from ultra-dark antiheroes and manga and horror comics. These artistic explorations are great for processing as a reader as well because they invite us to engage a little more deeply. If you’re looking to start diving into the wider world of comics, dark comics are a great place to start.
