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Read BLIGHT (part 1) in full, now (Patreon)

Published:
2026-08-29 23:01:01
Imported:
2026-09
Tags:

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Content

Thank you for your patience, Early Readers (and up). A new comic is in the world. It's the return of Esther de Groot, and all the information you need is in the pages of this comic. In fact, it may have more information than you need, as there are a couple of back-up features (PUNCH THE CLOCK and the recent STRUCK OFF). I'm afraid that the first of these back-up features is going to be very testing for readers of a certain mindset.

But I'm very happy with BLIGHT so far, and I'm working on part two right now.

Your PDF is linked beneath the cover art. if you enjoyed it, leave me a note.

Files

Comments

Ross Webster

Thanks John! I'm really loving this, especially Esther's 70s fashion style and your mastery of bovine anatomy!

Steve Jeffery

Ah, the old Massey Ferguson 525, a 70s classic. Quality research as ever. And a snakebite, with blackcurrant no less, I haven't even thought about that combo since I was, er, just old enough to drink. honest guv. Sadly for the Finches, Esther's undercover wardrobe doesn't stretch to period accurate flannelette nightwear, however I for one can forgive this transgression. Ahem. When I saw the name Finch my immediate thought was, any relation? If it transpires young James has ambitions toward becoming a hairdresser, "it's all connected" as they used to say about Marvel, even when it clearly absolutely wasn't.

Jacob

Fantastically drawn! So many crowd shots drawn with gusto. I love it. Did you do the coloring work too? It's superb. And thanks for collecting Struck Off at the back. That was a welcome surprise.

Chris Wichtendahl

Ah yes. More of this sort of thing, please and thank you.

Aaron

I flipped to read Punch the Clock first and was delighted. I would honestly read every single title and I wish I lived in the SGR Universe where these are all real books, instead of the endless glut of superhero comics that are published in my reality. First cab off the rank would be the NEMS #113 - but that’s only because I just listened to The Point over breakfast this morning. Otherwise I’m not sure where I would start. Maybe the roller derby one! Or Steeple (gone too soon!) Or Dusty Relics? The prospect of a new Bad Machinery case is also thrilling. I have always loved these little columns (I used to read them first when I was a kid too). When you first started doing them (in Expecting to Fly, I think?), I remember thinking that they were mostly all in-jokes or wilfully obtuse, but this time what struck me was that nearly every title sounds like a viable story that I could imagine and would want to read. You’ve really built out an impressively rich world of characters and premises since that first Bullpen Bulletins pastiche. I know most of these can’t be real stories, but thank you for giving us a glimpse into all the possibilities.

Hank Heyming

Thank you! This makes my weekend. I can't wait to dig in!

Paul Robertson

Ohhhh, you little tease with the check list. I WANT TO READ ALL OF THEM. Also, I'm very much hoping that Struck Off is some kind of cheese dream.

Luke Drotos

This was a really fun read. I’m digging the classic folk horror vibe (reminds me of American Werewolf in London), and I’m intrigued by the mystery surrounding this vampire-esque entity. It’s like a more planned-out version of the kind of monster that would appear in Scary Go Round.

Dirk Bergstrom

Esther is my favorite so I'm looking forward to reading this as it serializes (and then again later in one gulp).

Jon Sibley

You tease us with the next Great British Bump-off series?!?

scarygoround

That sounds right. The beauty of Scary Go Round was that I got to do a bit of everything, I could experiment without a lot of expectation early on, and do different kinds of stories under one banner. Not everything worked, of course!

scarygoround

Think of it as a What If combined with a What The-

scarygoround

It's been more than three years since Dark Horse asked me for anything, so you'll just have to imagine it.

Jon Sibley

That's just criminal. I will imagine it, and it will be awesome!

scarygoround

Those checklist pages have evolved, like the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica. They've become less like a toaster and more alluring with time.

scarygoround

Yes, coloured by me, I'd love to have the budget for a colourist again but in the meantime, I'll keep sloppin' away. (Not AI slop, standard slop)

scarygoround

I can't believe I reused a name like that, I will have to change it when I print it, but in the meantime I've decided to lean heavily into "finching" characters in this story (hopefully finching is not something that has its own subreddit).

scarygoround

There was definitely an afternoon of bovine art practice before I started drawing the cattle shed.

scarygoround

I should add here, the story is about origami and only Max Sarin could do it justice.

Jon Sibley

Origami 😂 Yep, your imagination is better. That would have been amazing.

Jon Sibley

I love that even as a "proper adult" Esther still drink Snakebite and black.

scarygoround

The climax of the story is one of the best ideas I have ever had. It's a very big finish. I've held off on repurposing it because I think it's too big for one webcomic page, it needs a sequence you read in one go, the one thing my webcomics don't afford me.

Jon Sibley

Does it end with the reader having to remove the last page, and fold according to instruction, to reveal the finale?

Steve Jeffery

Not one that I've come across, but Rule 34 after all. I choose to believe the Muse gave you a gentle nudge here, and even if this isn't Jack's direct lineage then another branch of the Finch family who seem to have some ancestral curse to become embroiled in peculiar goings on.

James Churchill

Ships only keep sailing while they're offscreen.

Mark Kirwan

I'm delighted and intrigued by this one, it feels like a great combination of a few of your strands. And another excellent checklist; my mind is blown by the suggestion of Bobby Problems' parentage. I can certainly see a resemblance!

Kevin Morgan

You're always very good at capturing different British 'vibes', which I think Destroy History really showcases. Do you have fun thinking of background props (Matey! Pub peanut pin-up!) or is it a necessary evil? I love the hype box stuff, it's so dense with gags. I have a soft spot for Robert Cop though, so re-running the seminal but divisive Snorpy arc is certainly an interesting choice.

scarygoround

I enjoy thinking up the props. I wonder who the model is on the pub peanuts...

scarygoround

That story is a favourite among my nearest and dearest who have seen it in my notebooks. Everyone seems to love Werewolf & Son!

Claire Bendix

What a wonderful surprise! Thank you.

AJ

Exceptional stuff as always!

Daniel Tobias

I'm hoping that more of the items listed there become actual things in your future publishing stream; several loose ends in your past storylines are covered there.

Charles Rhoads

I loved this first part of Blight, John, and I don't mean to slight it by fixating instead on the mention of Jean Brooks on the Punch the Clock page. I saw "The 7th Victim" a few months ago. That ending! Since then I've been recommending it whenever I can. Your connecting JB/7thV with the Krysten Ritter black comedy is a perfect grace note.

Rimbo (he-him)

"Peter, under no circumstances are you *ever* to knock on that door." :D What can I say? Ya continue to be brilliant.

Andrew Dederer

Can we ever hope to see Ester back in the 1920s. In the right parts of the USA, she would fit in as a "Vamp" wouldn't even have to try. Does she know about "Black Rasberry" (Lindemann's in Guiness, practically a beer milkshake). Available or explainable at quite a few places in my experience.

Phil_M

Thanks for this, John. I’ll read it in the daily pages to savour it. But I did skip ahead to Punch the Clock, and I now suspect that I’m of that certain mindset. I keep wondering which of those titles might yet exist, which I just have to long for, and which I have to pray to the Elder Gods are never permitted instantiation.

angelo

Ok, this is great- but if you are putting together more great Marvel Bullpen listings I hope you are familiar with the early 80’s comic US1 now that we know what Sonny’s job is.

angelo

Yeah, for some reason I think US1 and NFL SuperPro might not have made it overseas.

Toby Hawkins

Love it. Great stuff, thank you :)

Jack Christmas

Fantastic! Esther may not exactly blend in on these excursions but she's mastered the art of persevering as if she does. It's a shame that Tackleford's own isn't nearly Northern enough for these rural Yorkshire folk. I think she's more out of water due to the location than the time period. Also, Esther's Nemulon(s) is slowly but surely rising the ranks of all time cool robots. I love how recognisable it remains across such varied transformations, and how cute it is when it's in the form of a hat or a handbag. Actually I only just realised today that bag-form Nemulon bears something of a resemblance to the baby digimon Botamon, so its look being cute is effectively a proven science now.

Aaron

I finally got a chance to read this, and it was very enjoyable! I always appreciate the jaunts into the past that Destroy History offers. I expect that, as with most horror tales, Part 1 has set the table for a great bit of smashing to occur in Part 2, but let's see! The theme of fear of outsiders is timely (as always), and reminds me of the time I got a cab ride somewhere near Bath just after Brexit and the cabbie ranted for the whole ride about immigrants and how "we used to MAKE things in this country". It was a "memorable" trip. I loved having Struck Off as a back-up feature, making this like a Giant Days reunion double-feature. Am I allowed to cross my fingers that we get to see Dusty Relics supporting Blight Pt 2?

Mr Undisclosed

I am perhaps slightly daft and am playing catch up on this and the absolutely delightful plethora of stuff you've served up. But where can I find out how Esther goes from "evil bosses entombed" to "running around in history?" I feel I keep missing steps to this dance and soon the gothy ladies are going to notice.

scarygoround

This is a fair question Mr U but it has never been explained.

scarygoround

There are clues to Esther's eventually moving in this direction - Giant Days Holiday Special 2017 and issue 52, the Shelley guest spots. But I never felt there was any need to explain it explicitly.

Mr Undisclosed

Thank you very much for the answer. I am at many points unsure if I have missed a step or a volume somewhere. So I figured best ask, I do love the way all these series dance and spin around like a bunch of people in a school gym made to do the Gay Gordons (I've outed myself as Scottish now) Ester is always fun but wanted to be sure I hadn't missed a step.

Douglas Wykstra

One question: when Peter sees Esther's snakebite-and-black (page 15 of the PDF), he remarks, "I bet landlords don't forget you in a hurry." What . . . does he mean by that?

scarygoround

"I bet the proprietors of [British?] pubs don't forget you in a hurry [due to your maverick drink selections]" - how's that?

Douglas Wykstra

Oh, okay, that definition of "landlord" got by me. I think it stayed on your side of the Atlantic.