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

Dive into the darkly comedic world of Dark Regards, a captivating new indie comic unlike anything you've seen before. Its backstory is as wild and unpredictable as the comic itself. Experience it firsthand with our exclusive preview of Dark Regards #1.

Explore the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive sneak peek into this new series. Fair warning: there's some NSFW language ahead!

Oni Press' Dark Regards #1: Preview Gallery

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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 fury. They failed spectacularly. Years later, Dave finds success as a rising star in the New York comedy scene—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 forgotten rock 'n' roll dreams. 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 spirals dangerously out of control 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 back, 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,” Hill explains. “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 insane.”

Dark Regards #1 is priced at $4.99 and releases 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.