Don't worry, the art gets better.
"Positively Silly"
—Halfusek's Tagline on tumblr
Abomination is a Bendy and the Ink Machine Fan Webcomic made by Halfusek
on tumblr that can be read here.
The comic tells the story of Joey Drew Studios before its downfall, and how the studio went from a workplace to a hellscape of ink, decay, and horror. The comic started before the official books for BATIM were published, and thus do not adhere to established canon.
The comic is also notable for the at times rather gory shots, so readers are warned. Halfusek has included content warnings whenever they were needed. The comic was finished on May 1st, 2021.
This Comic provides examples of:
- Ambiguously Evil: The Ink Demon (fondly called Squish by the artist) is that. Generally, if the Ink Demon appears, he is not cast in the role of an antagonist.
- May be debated in the case of Story Joey, who is pretty much Joey's wish for a different ending, created by putting Squish back into the machine.
- Amusement Park of Doom: As in the game, Bertrum Piedmont was hired to create an amusement park for Joey. You get to see parts of it, as well as Piedmont ending up in the position he has in the game.
- And I Must Scream: The entire premise of the comic. It tells the story of how the studio turned into the hellscape that it is in the game, and no one really gets a happy ending.
- Art Initiates Life: The Ink Machine is used to bring Joey Drew Studios' cartoon creations, such as Bendy, to life. And not without cost.
- Art Shift: A bit of a subtle one, but whenever Joey's hair is a solid black you deal with Story Joey. Is the hair only scribbled in, you deal with Real Joey.
- Awesome, but Impractical: Wally's opinion on the Ink Machine. It does not differ from the game much in this regard.
- Big "OMG!": More from the reader than anything else.
- Body Horror: Whenever Story Joey touches the Ink Demon, his hands melt and the Ink Demon grows the respective limbs. This is taken to the extremes later in the comic where he gives his entire body to the Ink Demon.
- Norman dies, and you get to see the gory details of how he gets turned into the projectionist.
- This goes for just about every character you encounter in the game. This comic made an art form of this trope.
- Bottomless Pit: In the Story World, you get to see one right where it is in the game during chapter four.
- Like in the game, the Ink Machine hangs over a giant chasm.
- Cast Full of Crazy: People in this comic are not the poster boys for good mental health. Joey Drew himself takes the cake in most examples.
- Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: Played with. On one hand, people die, and do so permanently and gorily. On the other hand, Joey is not that inclined to accept it,and is not afraid to rewrite reality in an attempt to set it right.It does not work and only gets worse.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: In art only. The further down the story you go, the better the art becomes.
- Eldritch Abomination: For all that the Ink Demon generally appears rather innocently and cutely (as strange a descriptior as it is for him) he is nonetheless not a natural creature created with things man should not know.
- Eldritch Location: The studio in the story world is this. It resembles the in-game studio in this regard.
- Elevator Failure: Intentionally initiated. It kills Lacie and beheads her.
- Everyone Has Standards: Even if an animation boss is respected and talented, he'll lose his employees' confidence if he undergoes Sanity Slippage, introduces an Awesome, but Impractical machine, and allows for unsanitary working conditions.
- Sammy is, by the end, not quite on board with Joey's plans anymore, knowing that Joey murdered multiple people at this point, with a few having been his friends.
- Expy: Bendy being one for Mickey, taken over from original canon.
- Eye Scream: Hackenbush misses one eye in later appearances, and in the grand final Joey gouges out both of his eyes, leading to the Ink Demon having no eyes.
- Four-Fingered Hands: The cartoons have this.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Far more often the opposite, but this happens at times. Lacie is not shown after being beheaded from a dropping elevator, for example.
- Hallucinations: Joey starts to see things down the line.
- Human Resources: Humans are turned into inky abominations in this. Most notable examples:Susie Campbell and Allison Pendle both get turned into an Alice Angel. Lacie Benton ends up as a Fisher/Barley, Grant Cohen as a Striker/Edgard, Shawn Flynn as a Piper/Charley. Both Wally Franks and Thomas Connor become a Boris. Joey Drew himself melds with Squish, turning into the Ink Demon seen in the game.
- Killed Offscreen: Lacie Benton gets beheaded by a falling elevator. We only ever see her again as a Fisher afterwards, her head seperated from her body.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Multiple times eye contact is initiated, and at times Joey's monologues convey the feeling that he is talking to the readers.
- Mad Scientist: Story Joey has an attire consisting strikingly of a long, white lab coat as well as elbow length rubber gloves, worn over his normal clothes. He is seen experimenting with toons as well, most notably a dead Boris with an openend chest, most likely the one seen in Chapter One of BATIM.
- Oh, Crap!: The ending. Joey runs from an angry Susie, proceeds to gouge out his eyes, chop off his hand, and then give his entire body into the Ink Demon, resulting in a fusion taking the form of the Ink Demon seen in the game.
- Ominous Obsidian Ooze: The longer the comic goes on, the more ink you see. It's everywhere, it's pervasive, and if you end up in it you won't escape it.
- The Reveal: In the ending, Joey becomes the Ink Demon, revealed in a two posts long, glorious montage.
- Susie finding a room with multiple failed Alices, as well as discovering Allison, who has been turned into an Alice as well. She does not take it well, considering Joey promised her that she would be the only Alice.
- Tragic Monster: Bendy/The Ink Demon is this. He did not want any of the things to happen. Whenever you see his introspection, shown by him appearing as an on model toon, he tends to look scared or confused about the happenings.
- Two Beings, One Body: A few of the ink creatures are essentially controlled by both a human half and a toon half. The most notable examples being the Butcher Gang and Ink Bendy.
- Wham Line: "I've done all this for myself. But now... We're in this together. Aren't we? We've always been. Together. From the very beginning. We. Are. The Abomination"
