Charles Burns crafts eerie, hyper-controlled illustrations that probe the grotesque undercurrents of adolescence, identity, and disease. Best known for Black Hole, a haunting tale of teens afflicted by a sexually transmitted mutation, Burns fuses horror, surrealism, and suburban malaise in narratives that are as psychologically disturbing as they are visually exacting. His signature thick linework and stark black-and-white compositions amplify the unease within his stories. Deeply influenced by EC comics, punk zines, and pop surrealism, Burns helped redefine the aesthetic of independent comics, creating a uniquely unsettling body of work that lingers long after reading.