The Complete Love Hurts

“In a beautiful show of skill and grace, a skating duo take to the ice to compete for the world championship. As the audience “oohs” and “aahs,” the man tells his female partner he has been cheating on her. So she responds a little rashly . . . by severing his head with her skate at the end of the routine. The twisted scenarios in Love Hurts recall ’50s horror comics like Tales from the Crypt, which lured their audience in through shock and dark humor rather than complicated story and development. The stories are often only two- to three-pages long, and, as with any anthology, some are more original than others. But with more than 30 short stories, there’s a lot here for any horror fan to devour. Andersson’s character design often accentuates the obscurity of each situation, with manic smiles and dead set eyes, while also giving a retro vibe that pays homage to the golden age of horror comics. Not for the faint of heart, but wicked fun for the right audience.” — Peter Blenski, Booklist