Vol. 1
I've been subscribed to John Lees's newsletter for just over a couple years now, so I've been meaning to check out all his work with some great creative teams released throughout that time for ages, and I'm so glad I finally did.
This is only 4 issues, just less than 100 pages, so it's incredible how much is packed in here. It's creepy, it's disturbing, it's unsettling, the art style is perfect for the writing, and how they combine is just exceptional.
I love how much of an atmosphere is created here. There's a great use of art and colors here, where it's animated and vibrant, but in the sense that it's so grounded in rich, disturbingly warm colors. That makes it feel all the more real while simultaneously conveying effectively the more creepily fantastical elements of the story.
Going back to the writing before I conclude, it's just such an entertaining, exciting, compelling and well-done anthology. It's a simple yet effective premise, with a great homage to horror anthology narrators for the one here, all weaved together so intriguingly well. I don't want to say too much, but when I say these stories are weaved together, I mean it.
Over on the League of Comic Geeks, I took a half star off because of a personal preference with the final issue, again without spoiling anything the middle section of that felt a bit jarring considering the quiet horror of the rest of it and most of the series, but that was the only thing. That's not to say there weren't some wild moments in the rest of the series because there were, but it's just something I wanted to mention.
Vol. 2
"More" in every way, like a great sequel should be.
Even creepier.
Even more intense.
More disturbing.
More emotional at times, with #3, because wow.
Even more interconnected, with a grander overarching storyline that feels epic when it comes to a head in the final issue.
All my compliments of the art from my review of the first volume still stand, it's just so great and it fits the story so well.
The covers in particular are incredible! I mean just look at how spectacular and vibrant the colors are, the energy there, wow!
Highly recommend both of these series if you want a new horror series to check out!
If you want more of Joe's comic thoughts and reviews, you can find him on Twitter @JoeLovesComics and on the League of Comic Geeks also @JoeLovesComics.
You can also find his podcast on Twitter @JoeTalksComics, which you can listen to through Anchor, where you can find links to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify, or you can click those hyperlinks directly.
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