I’ve got a pile of independent comics from the past five years that I’m currently rereading. The reason for this is that they’re mostly miniseries or longer full runs, and I’m trying to figure out if I want to keep them around. Did I enjoy them the first time I read them? Will I enjoy them on a reread? Are they worth fishing out every once in a while?

One of these is Fear Case, a Dark Horse series written by Matt Kindt with art by Tyler and Hilary Jenkins. The premise is that of a long-standing case the Secret Service deals with and seems to push upon new officers as some sort of hazing ritual: a black box that brings chaos and death to those who come into contact with it. Nobody seems to know what the thing is or what’s inside of it and they’ve been tracking it for years with no luck.

As our protagonists go from gruesome scene to gruesome scene, we learn that the box is kind of like the tape in The Ring: you need to pass it on to the person you hate the most lest you wind up having something bad happen to you. Our protagonists get a little too wrapped up in the whole chase and it doesn’t end particularly well for one of them or the people within the government who are also trying to get their hands on the box.

This is a solid horror comic that is actually a good modern take on the Pandora’s Box myth. It’s a four-issue miniseries with a finite story that’s engaging and horrifying. I’m pretty sure it’s in trade or digital somewhere and it’s very possible that you’d be able to find it for a decent price in a bin.

Keep, Sell, Donate, or Trash?

Keep.