Review: Deep Dark Fears by Fran Krause

Deep Dark Fears by Fran Krause

144 pages
Expected publication: September 29th 2015
by Ten Speed Press

A charmingly creepy collection of 100 illustrated comics based on idiosyncratic and universal "deep dark fears." We all have weird fears, from getting sliced to ribbons in subway station revolving gate to getting turned around by the wind while swimming and going too far out to sea. Based on the wildly popular eponymous Tumblr, Deep Dark Fears explores our odd, creepy, and hilariously singular fears. Animator, illustrator, and cartoonist Fran Krause brings these fears to life in vividly illustrated comics based on real fears submitted by readers (plus a few of his own). These "deep dark fears" run the gamut from unlikely but plausible to completely ridiculous, highlighting both our deeply human similarities and our peculiar uniquenesses.

Fran Krause is an animator. He is currently faculty in the Character Animation Program at CalArts, creator of several cartoons, and he's the guy who draws the "Deep Dark Fears" web comic series.

http://frankrause.com/

I remember once seeing these Deep Dark Fears comic strips in a 9gag post or on another similar website and being totally intrigued. When requesting this book from NetGalley, I hoped it was the same illustrator and was thrilled to see I was right.

Fran Krause brings the weirdest phobias of people around the world to life in these comic strips that are absolutely fascinating to read. While some of them seem far fetched, others I found I could relate to, so you probably will find some of yours in there too.

Halfway through, I started being afraid I was going to walk away from this read with a few more phobias, but luckily it wasn't the case for me (thank God for the cute style of the drawings). While some of the fears are utterly creepy, others made me laugh and the book was very entertaining. Definitely something I would like to reread sometime in the future, for the fun factor.

I recommend this to anyone who can enjoy something like this, and if you are not sure yet, check out the artist's Tumblr page to see whether you might be in for it. :)