Image Comics 2017
Written by Steve Niles
Illustrated & Designed by Alison Sampson
Coloured by Stephane Paitreau
Lettered by Aditya Bidikar
This is crazy! So after stopping in this town and leaving their phones in the Winnebago the family hits the carnival. When they leave their winnebago is gone, stolen so they walk into town to search for the police. Meanwhile they are being followed by who this group of crazies in hoods. I like because it has the classic feel of a horror movie to it, Steve knows horror and it’s milieu of choice I believe and he’s damn good at it. The setup here is fantastic and this unsuspecting family well should they survive the night is going to have one heck of a story to tell when they get home.
Alison brings something to this that I hadn’t expected. Her work, with Stephane, on the interiors is pretty amazing to see. The way she can show the mouth, the gums and teeth or the way the face is with the size of lips or how the nose is angled just captures this cross section of the country that’s middle america-ish. By this I mean they aren’t the prettiest people, they don’t spend money to fix what god gave them they just roll with it and are happy with who they are. So seeing them as real as they are adds to the story somehow that you can’t quantify. Plus her creativity, imagination and sheer talent make this utterly delightful.
I like the way the story progresses here the pacing is excellent. Nothing feels rushed or glossed over, this is only four issues so timing and pacing are everything. The characterisation is spectacular and it’s like this really is just a typical midwestern family touring the country. Granted it’s mom and her son with her husband his stepdad which only makes things even better from a dialogue and story standpoint. But even the woman who rents them a room or the cop they meet to report the theft we get a nice sense of their characters through the interactions we see and that’s saying a lot since they don’t get much face time.
So this would’ve been creepy enough if these people in the robes chasing them down at the motel were just crazies but to learn more about them well that's taking this to whole other level. The idea of your fun of the mill cult crazy is bad enough, middle of nowhere cannibals or something along those lines was my initial thought until the ending of this issue. Now suddenly it takes a much different turn and well wow okay.
Well I shouldn’t be surprised by anything that I saw here but I am. That I am continues to thrill me in the most delicious ways. Steve is a masterful storyteller and when he cuts loose we know we’re in for one hell of a treat. So keep the twists and turns coming and I cannot wait to see what revelations are still in store for us as this completely ordinary family unit is forced to find a way to survive. Will they get away? What will this group or coven of crazies do with them if they are caught? I dunno but damn I need to find out.