Aftershock Comics 2016
Created & Written by Joe Pruett
Illustrated by Szymon Kudranski
Coloured by Guy Major
Lettered by Marshall Dillon
Last issue we saw these Black Eyed Kids came on the scene and there was one boy, Michael, in particular who watched them from him window. Creepy doesn’t even begin to describe what was going on and using kids this way makes it even that much more creepy. So we saw a few things going on and ended with Michael proving his worth to the Dark Eyed Kids. Don’t know what Joe was doing when he came up with this but son let me say this it’s hella dark and fantastic!
This issue Joe takes us on a bit of a coaster ride. We open with the aftermath of last issue, namely Jim is woken up in the middle of the night regarding his ex-wife and daughter. That was the ending where Michael tore into them. I’ve got to say a father’s grief and pain is clearly on display here and it’s extremely well done. Seeing him visit his daughter in the hospital yeah that hit me in the feels.
We’re introduced to another new character this issue and her name is Meredith Williams and she’s something of an author. Not a very well known or popular one but one nonetheless. Only her journey this issue is much more shall we say involved than I had expected. I’m looking forward to her role in all this and from what i’ve read here she’s going to be the one to chronicle the BEK’s and that kind of thrills me.
Actually her whole meeting, she was set up from the get go so not much of a meeting as kind of an irresistible summons, is something to revel in. To be honest I wasn’t expecting to learn this much in only the second issue. Then after hearing what she hears i’m more intrigued than ever before. I wasn’t sure what Joe was going to do to explain what happens to the kids to give them these black eyes and honestly i’m still torn between two things in my head but this surely was something I was never prepared for. There’s some incredible writing here and it just keeps amping up the fear factor.
Speaking of the fear factor Szymon and Guy really bring us to the edge with their work on the interiors. There’s such a cinematic eye for a true horror movie style effect! I love the darkness that everything seems to happen at night so that keeps the whole never sleeping thing happening. There’s a palpable tension coming off the pages and yet we still get some hellacious amount of detail in the characters. Jim’s new wife (?) has a freshness and innocence about her while he’s just this handsome fella. Then there’s the kids i’m seriously creeped out by their portrayal I mean c’mon it’s just the eyes and their mannerisms so you get goosebumps playing out what they do in your mind.
A lot times horror is more shock than awe anymore. People go in for the kill instead of using the audience’s minds and imagination to fuel what’s already presented. Joe’s got it down here and this team takes an already horrific concept and turns up the volume on it.
This my friends is what you should expect from people when they put their heart and soul into something.