Corporate greed, human desperation, technological despair! Such postulations all are but tiny specks swallowed by the unforgiving void of CRUEL UNIVERSE! EC’s Eisner Award–nominated sci-fi horror anthology continues its deep dive into futuristic depravity and darkness with three new tales from writers Cecil Castellucci (Shade the Changing Girl), Sarah Gailey (Eat the Rich, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and, in his EC writing debut, Eisner Award nominee Rian Hughes (Batman: Black and White). Illustrating their dark visions are Kano (EC’s Cruel Universe), UK comics sensation Anna Readman (2000 AD), and Claire Roe (EC’s Epitaphs from the Ab more
Cruel Universe #3 continues the anthology's legacy of sharp, darkly satirical sci-fi, delivering three distinctive tales that probe the intersections of science, greed, and morality. While some of the themes feel familiar, the execution, from inventive visuals to chilling twists, makes this a striking entry that reinforces the series' place in the tradition of American horror and sci-fi storytelling. Read Full Review
Possibly the best issue to date. The stories are fleshed out with more context and dialogue than in previous issues, giving the writers more time to elaborate on their core premise and the reader more time to be immersed. Hughes' story mixed philosophy and humour and was a welcome counterpoint to some of the previous heavy-handed moralizing. Pheromone was well-told. All in all, an issue that does justice to the EC name.
I think Cruel Universe is usually consistent. I enjoyed all 3 stories. My favorite was the second.
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