A group of Mississippi writers and artists have joined forces to launch the state’s first horror anthology comic book.
“Mississippi Macabre,” which will be available to readers this month, was the brainchild of Jackson writer and side gig comic book publisher Blake Barnes.
A television producer at Mississippi Public Broadcasting by day, Barnes, 28, launched Jackson Comics as both an outlet for his hobby and passion to write and as an avenue for Mississippi writers and illustrators to tell the stories of the state.
“Mississippi Macabre” will be the third comic book he has published. “Jackson Comic #1” came out in 2021 and featured stories to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the city of Jackson. That comic also launched a local superhero character, Captain Jackson, written by Barnes. “Jackson Comic #2” was published next and featured the writings and illustrations of Mississippi students.
Barnes was able to devise Jackson Comics after receiving a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Barnes said the idea of “Mississippi Macabre” originated when he and Lucedale-based professional comic book artist Steven Butler were talking about horror comics. They wanted to produce something that could inform Mississippi residents about the folklore of the state they otherwise might not have known.
“When Steven and I were talking comics, we both talked about the EC horror comics of the 50s and that style,” Barnes said during a recent interview at Offbeat Comics in downtown Jackson.
EC Comics was founded in the late 1940s by Maxwell Gaines and later run by his son, William Gaines. The publisher specialized in horror comics. The most famous EC comic was the bi-monthly horror anthology, “Tales from the Crypt.” The comic book — featuring the host, The Crypt-Keeper — was a pop culture phenomenon that later spawned the 1980s George Romero and Stephen King film, “Creepshow,” and the TV series, “Tales from the Darkside.”
For “Mississippi Macabre,” Barnes wanted the stories to be based on real Mississippi folklore stories.
The stories featured in “Mississippi Macabre” are “The Witch of Yazoo,” “The Phantom Barber of Pascagoula,” “Terror at the Tavern,” about the Ole Tavern on George Street in downtown Jackson, and a story about bluesman Robert Johnson trading his soul to the devil at the crossroads in Clarksdale.
Thanks to local sponsors and a Kickstarter campaign than raised $5,000 in less than a month, the financing was in place by late August.
Barnes said his group of collaborators already have more than 60 ideas for future issues of “Mississippi Macabre” and hope to produce two issues of the horror anthology a year.
‘The Phantom Barber of Pascagoula’
The Phantom Barber of Pascagoula is a documented case from 1942. The story was written by Barnes and illustrated by Butler.
According to newspaper accounts, the story is the true crime tale of a Pascagoula criminal who would cut locks of hair off young girls when they were asleep.
Butler has been a professional comic book illustrator for more than 30 years. He has worked on Spider Man and Archie titles.
“I chose this story because it gives me to opportunity to draw a period piece, set in a time not that far away, but still radically different than the world we find ourselves in today. It’s also very local to where I live, so that’s of personal interest as well,” Butler said.
“I’m drawing it in the style of classic Archie comics from that time period. I like the idea of juxtaposing that clean, early Archie style with the horrific elements that happened during that particular case. The Archie Americana style makes the horror element that much more chilling.”
The barber story was inked by Mississippian Thomas Florimonte Jr. and colored by Steven Butler’s daughter, Lilly Butler.
‘Terror at the Tavern’
“Terror at the Tavern” was written and illustrated by Jackson musician and comic book creator Jason Turner. Turner, who has been writing and drawing comics since he was 5, is a current co-creator and artist on “The Ripper Gene” comic and has done cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Archie comics.
“My story was loosely based on a personal experience. I’ve been a musician in the state for many years, and one night after playing a show at the Ole Tavern on George Street, I fell down the stairs. I was told about the folklore of ghosts there. After that night I always wondered if I was pushed by a ghost because it was unexplainable how I fell,” Turner said.
Bluesman Robert Johnson
Hardcore music fans know the folk tale of bluesman Robert Johnson trading his soul to the devil at the crossroads in the Mississippi Delta to gain the ability to play killer blues guitar.
For this story, Barnes was able to secure the talents of professional comics writer and illustrator John Jennings. Jennings is a Marvel creator who has produced Silver Surfer titles. Jennings is also a professor of media and cultural studies at the University of California at Riverside; a Harvard Fellow; and a New York Times bestselling author.
Jennings was raised in Clarksdale.
It’s like we’ve been sitting on a secret for a while now, and we are about to finally get to share it. ‘Mississippi Macabre’ is a growing love letter for the state that will grow with each issue.
The Witch of Yazoo
The Witch of Yazoo story was written by Hattiesburg writer Rodney Mooney and illustrated by Hernando artist Rick Harrison.
A college professor, Mooney introduced comics into his English courses at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Mooney asked Butler to give a talk to his classes and met Barnes through the artist. Barnes got Mooney involved in “Mississippi Macabre” as a writer and “historian” for the anthology because of his extensive knowledge of state history.
“This one (story) means a lot to me because when I was in junior high school, I received an assignment to write about a story from a particular Mississippi county. I randomly chose Yazoo because I thought the name sounded cool,” Mooney said.
After seeking out information for the assignment, the Yazoo County Chamber of Commerce sent Mooney a brief write-up about the legend of the Yazoo Witch.
“I was enamored and amazed that I had never heard the story before. This would stay with me my whole life and no doubt led me to wanting to explore the state further,” Mooney said.
Mooney called The Yazoo Witch story “Mississippi’s own Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” He also said The Yazoo Witch will be the horror comic’s official host who will pop up in future issues.
Harrison, who has been a commercial artist for 50 years, has illustrated fantasy and horror stories in small press magazines. His work also appeared in the book, “Knowing Darkness: Artists Influenced by the Work of Stephen King.”
“Blake thought I would be a good fit for this story. My style is sort of old school, which seems to fit the mood of the Curse of the Yazoo Witch story,” Harrison said.
Mooney said everyone is excited about releasing “Mississippi Macabre” to the world.
“It’s like we’ve been sitting on a secret for a while now, and we are about to finally get to share it. ‘Mississippi Macabre’ is a growing love letter for the state that will grow with each issue.”
The comic will be released on Oct. 19 at 3 Alarm Comics in Biloxi. The comic will also be available at Offbeat Comics in Jackson and by mail order at www.jacksoncomics.com.
For more information, fans can follow Jackson Comics on Facebook or @jxncomics on Instagram. There is also an Instagram page for the horror comic @mississippimacabre.
Photos by Chad Calcote. Additional photos provided by featured artists.
