Cross-Hatched Shadows

It's a delight to share these wonderful Dark Shadows illustrations, courtesy of site reader Jack Kusler. The images are the work of comic book artist Bret M. Herholz, reinterpreting some of Collinwood's finest in a style somewhere between Edward Gorey and Tim Burton. Pictured right are Cassandra, Adam, Barnabas and Nicholas Blair menacing Victoria Winters, and below is Bret's take on the classic 1967 Dark Shadows cast photo.

"As an avid comic book collector, I have been collecting Bret's books for years," says Jack. "We've chatted a few times and I commissioned him to do some Dark Shadows characters because of his unique style. He worked from still photos and I was extremely impressed. His stylistic approach with the elongated bodies, roundish heads and simple defining of facial features are all present. Even more wonderful was that I think he was able to convey the characters well, and present them in a unique, whimsical way."

Click on the images for a larger view. To learn more about Bret's artwork, visit his online blog by clicking here.