Oklahoma horror comic ‘Bad Candy’ seeks crowdfunding for issue 4
Midweek update: Noted horror artist Tim Vigil pencils the conclusion of the story arc
The Oklahoma artists of Rain King Studios have been creating comic books since the 1990s. For their latest production, they are all providing covers for the conclusion of the first Bad Candy story arc in “Bad Candy” #4. And they are bringing with them horror comics legend Tim Vigil to pencil the issue.
The comic is currently seeking funds on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1993782250/bad-candy-issue-4
The original creative team for “Bad Candy” were local writer/artist Robert Henry and artist Joe Evans, who created the comic book “Bad Candy” as an homage to 1980s horror films.
Henry is a photographer, artist, and Oklahoma native with comic-book credits including the "Rough Cut" comic book series of the 1990s. Artist Evans sadly passed away in September.
Filling in to finish out the series is Tim Vigil, the artist best known for “Faust,” whom Henry befriended after meeting the artist at comic conventions in the 1990s.
The Rain King artists providing covers for the Vigil-drawn issue are Shawn Wilson, Dirk Hooper, Scott “Prime” Delsigne, and Henry. There is also a commemorative cover that was drawn by Evans, a new cover from Vigil, and a cover by the artist Talis.
Henry originally conceived of the pumpkin-headed Halloween character as an "Inktober" sketch in 2015. “Inktober” is a challenge where artists draw a sketch each day of October, often based on a specific prompt.
The series, set in 1982, features a farming family, the Lewises, who provide an offering to a spirit known as Bad Candy each October. But when bank robbers on the run take over the Lewis’ house, the offering isn’t made, and trouble ensues.
Three issues of the regular series have been released, and have been showcased across the region at comic-book conventions from Chicago to Houston. Henry recently adapted part of the “Bad Candy” legend into a short film.
“Bad Candy,” the short film, will show another side of the “Bad Candy” story.
“The gist of the story is five friends go out to the woods to camp,” Henry said. “Along the way, they encounter a child giving offerings to a Bad Candy shrine. A couple of bad decisions later they find themselves having to face what they thought was a simple folktale.”
The story of the film is more modern, but is in the same universe as the comic, Henry said.
“It does expand the mythos some but still serves as an intro for a lot of people,” Henry said.
The trailer for the short film can be seen on YouTube:
Matthew Price, matthew@matthewLprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman.