Zenescope's Conspiracy is the Timely Horror Mystery We Need
Crisis actors. Reptilian overlords. Secret societies controlling and manipulating every aspect of our daily lives. These are just a few of the paranoid conspiracy theories that plague the internet and can easily take you into some dark, terrifying places on YouTube. They’re also the fodder for Zenescope’s latest horror-mystery comic, Conspiracy: The Illuminati. Here at 52 Weeks of Horror we recently got our hands on issue one of this incredible new series and it was nothing short of terrifying.
The Illuminati #1 is every conspiracy junky’s dream. An ultra conservative internet pundit name Tom Morrow is inciting hatred and spewing the most vile and virulent conspiracy theories you’ve ever heard. His online show, The Truth, is now also a best selling book that some people are taking to heart. When a depressed man who has lost everything takes those words to heart it escalates from regurgitating that same hate filled rhetoric to an act of massive violence all in the name of “justice.” And it’s all according to plan as readers quickly learn that Mr. Morrow, his success, and even the events being portrayed on the nightly news are all being carefully choreographed and orchestrated by something that may not even be human.
I don’t want to give away too much of the story in this review but, if you’ve spent any time on YouTube and message boards in the last ten years you’ll no doubt be instantly familiar with the concepts being explored in The Illuminati. The story is a horrific page turner that becomes even more terrifying when you realize you’ve heard this all before. Any number of channels, political and social pundits, and even high ranking members of government agencies have all echoed or alluded to -if not out right declared- some of these otherwise unbelievable ideas.
Conspiracy: The Illuminati is shaping up to be a masterful and timely story with real life horror woven into a mesh of mystery, conspiracy theory, and outright insanity that will make you question reality as you know it. The artwork is vivid, dark and colorful with very modern comic book style full of thoughtfully constructed scenes designed to elicit the maximum emotional response from readers. The story itself is equally gripping with characters and motivations already pulling us deep into the world being created.
The truth is out there...if you’re brave enough to look for it.
Dan is an author, editorialist, podcaster, and horror culture & lifestyle correspondent from the Southeast. You can find Dan's stories at Danno of the Dead Blog and through PDI Press.
