Dead High Yearbook is an anthology of horror stories intended, I suspect, for a teenage audience. Covering 80 hardbound, yearbook-sized pages, the collection includes eight stories, one of which is mostly the glue story tying all the others together for their inclusion in this “yearbook”. The other seven tales concern typical teenagers thrown into not so typical situations, all with very dire consequences.

Amongst the horrors faced are zombies, vampires, homicidal killers, and more. Each tale is a solo piece, save for three stories tied together by the characters involved (but not necessarily the individual plots), and all cover problems that cause angst in most modern teens: weight loss, grades, dating, bullying, home life, and the proper care and feeding of devil dogs are all represented within the pages of this yearbook.

The book should be noted by Prism readers since three of its contributors are also on Prism’s list of creators. Aside from being an editor of the book, Ivan Velez, Jr. wrote the “glue” stories (“Gore-Ientation: Welcome to Dead High” and “Good-Bye and Good Luck”) and segues. Jennifer Camper wrote the story “Devil Dog of the Damned” (look for it later in the review). And lastly, Krista Ward did colors for three of the stories, “What’s Got into Grandma?”, “Fang You So Very Much,” and “Have a Nicey Icee Last Day.”

Now aside from these artists, what is of interest to a gay reader? Well, one of the stories, “Fang You So Very Much” is about a hate crime. In it, a group of four teenage thugs go to a local gay bar where one of the group, Miguel, has a fake ID and attempts to locate a viable victim inside. He settles on Alex, a pretty muscle-bound guy who thinks Miguel just wants a date. Outside, the gang of three (not a typo, one of our thugs disappears from the story) ambush Alex as he goes to his car. They beat Alex, smashing his head with a nearby rock, rob him, and leave him to die. Only Alex’s body quickly disappears, and the gang realizes they picked on the wrong guy and that all actions have consequences.

Told in a mere 8 pages (actually, most of the stories seem to be 8 pages), “Fang You So Very Much” sadly probably isn’t going to change the minds of any would be teen gay-bashers. Aside from its brevity, its ending is a bit too preachy and clinical. Not to mention if you can’t at least guess why Alex was the wrong gay to target from the title, well, maybe books for an even younger crowd would suit you. At least the artwork is very nicely done.

A favorite story of mine in the collection is “Devil Dog of the Damned.” With definite tongue-in-cheek manners, it tells the story of some goth kids who decide to test out a spell and conjure themselves up a demon. The spell works, but instead of some large winged monstrosity they get a cute little dog with horns. Of course, this is a horror book, appearances can be deceiving, and this pup proves that just because some dogs are small and cute, they are not fashion accessories. Socialites be warned!

Now, as is often the case with anthologies, the remaining stories are a mixed bag. Most serve their purpose, which often seems to be Tales from the Crypt style denouements; we even have two undead students as hosts. The artwork and coloring, though, is consistently good. Though covering many different styles and techniques, the main horror themes are represented well throughout. And frequently in gory fashion. It is also interesting to see how the three stories that share characters are interpreted by their respective artists and writers. Likewise, there are the artistic character interpretations for the segues between stories of the recently-departed characters; all the segues and the glue story are by the same writer and artist team. We never do find out how our two hosts met their demise, though. Overall, I’d recommend the book if you are into horror comics, or know a teenager who is.

One last note. The inside of the front and back covers of the book have yearbook-style “photos” of the various characters. The front of the book is before their stories; the back of the book is the after effects. One of the characters is listed as “Jeff”. He doesn’t exist in the stories…though the character of “Charlie” in one story seems to be who they were drawing. Mistakes like this and the aforementioned vanishing character mar an otherwise entertaining book.

Editor's note: Buy this comic here or ask for it at your local comics shop.

Kevin Murray is a technology, horror, video game, and computer geek who hates writing bios about himself.

Dead High Yearbook © 2007 Dutton Books. Review © 2007 Kevin Murray.

Prism Comics promotes the works of the LGBT community in comics. It does not implicitly endorse any other material or products associated with those works. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s).