Hearth and Pages: The Creeps by Fran Krause

“If I need to get out of bed late at night, I sing a little song to myself.

That way, I won’t accidentally say any magic words and summon spirits

from inside my mirror.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Creeps is a charming collection of 97 short comics by Fran Krause. It’s also a follow-up to Krause’s NYT Best Selling book: Deep Dark Fears. Both books tell fears–both logical and illogical–that humans face in their life.

I have followed Krause works on his tumblr, and I really enjoy it. It’s such a simple yet fun idea, scary but funny at the same time. Krause first turn his fear of things into short comics and later he opens a submission for other people to tell him their story of fears and he will then turn it into short comics. The story-telling style in Krause’s works quite reminds me of the style in All My Friends Are Dead by Avery Monsen. Though clearly Krause reach into a darker place.

The comics show us many types of fear, from a story that is pretty light and hilarious to a story that is heavy and downright creepy. Krause does a good job giving attention to details to convey the stories from people who submit them. I have to admit, though some stories could be considered as silly, there are quite a lot of stories that I can really relate to. I’m pretty sure that you will also find your own creepy thoughts in one of these comics.

Though I quite enjoy The Creeps, I have to say that I enjoy Deep Dark Fears more. This probably due to how I relate more to the stories in Deep Dark Fears. And though I could relate to some stories in The Creeps as well, I found most stories in Deep Dark Fears scarier than The Creeps.

To conclude, The Creeps is one scary, haunting, self-reflecting, light and funny book. If you’re looking for something a bit creepy and quick read, this could be your book. The simplicity of this comic is pretty charming and definitely entertaining.