A Lonely Taxidermist Finds Company in the Shadows — Twilight Zone #7

When a solitary taxidermist wishes for a companion who won't judge his craft, the Twilight Zone answers in the most unexpected way. Tony Fleecs and Andy Price deliver a chilling black-and-white tale of loneliness, love, and the price of getting exactly what you asked for.

There is a specific kind of quiet that settles over a taxidermy shop when the last customer has left and the lights are dimmed. It’s a silence full of preserved things—eyes that watch but never see, fur that holds no warmth. It’s the perfect setting for a Twilight Zone story, and Tony Fleecs understands that atmosphere better than almost anyone writing today.

In this standalone issue, we meet a man whose life is defined by preservation. He is a local hero who saved his remote village from wildfire, a successful business owner, and a devoted son. Yet, beneath the surface of his respectable existence, there is a profound isolation. He desires connection, but he fears his unique passion for taxidermy is a barrier that will leave him forever alone.

Fleecs, known for his empathetic character work in books like Stray Dogs, turns his attention to this man’s deepest wish. He wishes for a companion who will not be disgusted by his work. The narrative doesn’t just grant that wish; it interprets it through the lens of the Zone. What arrives at his door is not a standard romance, but a reflection of his own peculiar devotion.

The visual storytelling by Andy Price is where the chill truly sets in. Working entirely in black and white, Price captures the texture of fur, the gloss of glass eyes, and the stark shadows of the countryside. His art style, often seen in lighter fare like My Little Pony, here proves surprisingly versatile, lending a haunting elegance to the grotesque. The contrast between the mundane rural setting and the surreal twist is handled with quiet precision.

This issue works because it treats its protagonist with genuine sympathy rather than mockery. The horror isn't in the act of preservation, but in the realization of what it truly means to want someone who is exactly as you are. It’s a story that lingers in the mind long after the final panel, a gentle but unsettling reminder that the Zone often gives us exactly what we ask for, not necessarily what we need.