I’ve been hooked on scary stories since I was a little kid. I’d find the scariest books I could in the children’s room at the local library (anyone else remembers “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”, with those illustrations you could hardly bear to look at? Brr!). Then I’d be terrified for days, and I’d promise myself I’d never read another scary book…and then I’d check out another pile as soon as I went back to the library.

My journey as an artist started from the moment I could hold something to draw with, and I just never stopped. I love making things out of anything – ink, paint, clay, fabric, paper art, felting, wax, soap carving…you name it, I’ve probably tried it. I have an anxiety disorder, and I think art has always been my way of calming my anxieties even before I had a name for the problem. Writing stories just adds another way I can create worlds to escape to when the real world seems overwhelming.

So in October 2020, I decided to create a horror webcomic based on my background growing up in a rural town. I added lots of twists, secrets, creepy characters, and spooky pen and ink artwork. The comic is called Ninecrow, and it’s now almost complete!

More info: Facebook | Instagram | doramitchell.com | ninecrowcomic.com | twitter.com | Etsy | patreon.com | webtoons.com

In Ninecrow, 15-year-old Amanda Adams and her mom have just moved to a town called Black Valley. People in Black Valley are friendly…but only if you don’t ask too many questions. Don’t ask why strange lights appear in the woods above town some nights…don’t ask why so many residents of the town seem to be missing fingers and eyes and limbs…and don’t look too deeply into why teenagers go missing.

Can Amanda free herself, her mother, and her friends from the strange influence of Black Valley before she becomes its next victim?

Make sure you read part 1, part 2 and part 3 first.

Follow me on social media for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more!

Previously in Ninecrow

Ninecrow was inspired by an experience I had once on a drive in the woods at night. I saw rows of bright lights off in the trees. When I realized what they were, although it was fairly ordinary on the surface, it also seemed very creepy and strange. I won’t say exactly what the lights were, because we find out in this installment of the story, and I don’t want to spoil it if anyone hasn’t read it yet! But basically, it was a gathering of people out in the woods at night. I started imagining what kind of strange reason they might have for gathering out there in the middle of nowhere, and the idea of Ninecrow grew from there.

The other part of the inspiration was that I wanted to write about a teenage girl learning to take control of her life and stand up for herself. I’ve always struggled with setting boundaries in my own life, and I hope that I can write stories that help give young women the courage to find their voices sooner than I did.

I love the kind of horror that gives you the feeling that the everyday world is hiding something awful just beneath the surface. I think it’s a way of dealing with the fact that the real world actually is pretty scary in ways that are very hard to accept. A horror story lets you feel scared and anxious in a way you have full control over. Plus, a good scare is just plain fun!

Part 4

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Bored Panda readers have been my most enthusiastic audience ever since I posted part 1 here, and it’s mostly thanks to you that I’ve decided to make Ninecrow into a printed book too! I’m running a Kickstarter campaign to fund printing it as a limited edition graphic novel. The book will also include new artwork and bonus content, plus a preview of Book Two that will only be available through Kickstarter. Check out the Kickstarter page if you’d like to learn more. Thanks again to all of you Pandas for being such supportive and engaged readers and inspiring me to keep going!

The fifth and final part is currently being posted on Mondays and Fridays at ninecrowcomic.com.

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