Devil’s Due/1First Comics 2017
Written by Dan Schaffer
Illustrated by David Miller
Lettered by Chris Crank
During a breakout at The Pit, Doctor Freust becomes trapped on the roof with a mass murderer with a serious attitude problem. Pushing the boundaries of science and good taste to breaking point once more, Freust attempts to treat the inmate with an improvised technique that is definitely not in the book. Freust's willingness to go to unethical lengths draws more damaging scrutiny from the devilish Inmate Eleven.
Well this issue seems to be something of a turning point in terms of Doctor Freust. Sure the Nurse puts her in her place in the rain on the roof as she leaves here there to see who broke out of their cell which is kind of fortuitous. Why because Ivy Black inmate 41 is there also and it gives us a chance to see her in action with a patient outside of controlled circumstances. I have to say this is the first time we see the effects of Inmate 11 manifesting themselves. It’s one hell of an opening and it surely does wonders in advancing the story.
This little world Dan has created is something else entirely. I love the mix of the supernatural being real and Freust’s hard-line science can explain everything attitude. Ivy Black is one such character that actually proves more about the latter then the former and from what we see here I have to say using those goggles to see if her treatment worked mixes the two more effectively than I would have thought. Oh yeah Ivy’s backstory is alright and yes she’s a menace to society but it’s really the Doc’s reaction to her that took me by surprise.
The writing here as we see it through the way the book is structured in it’s ebb & flow is so incredibly well done. The fact that at first we see subtle changes in personality only to actually be able to watch that grow is some damn good writing. I mean c’mon now the fact that we see the Doc’s personality shift while may raise an eyebrow with the Nurse with us it’s something entirely different and she continues to put herself in these situations where it’s going to get much worse.
I do like that she struggles to maintain some kind of order in her world by using standard practices that well lets face it will never work like a daily walk in the yard. That however is for prison inmates and not supernaturally charged crazies. Though it was a nice sentiment.
I’m a fan of David’s work on the interiors here. Yeah sometimes it gets a little fanboy porn like but hey that’s alright I suppose. Though I doubt we’ll be treated to men the way we are the women here. His use of page layouts and the way we see the angles and perspective shows off a very nice eye for storytelling. That he utilises backgrounds the way he does is amazing to see. With this black & white style he can bring the creepy to the forefront with ease.
This story just keeps getting more interesting as it gets more and more bizarre. It’s pretty clear at least to me that the Doc’s going to have to do something drastic or at the very least find a way to shield her mind from Inmate 11. After all when they say the inmates are running the asylum it’s meant to be something of a metaphor but here it may become the absolute reality and if that’s the case oh boy are things about to get even more extra-crispy crazy.
Good golly miss Molly welcome to the Asylum let’s hope it doesn’t change you before you are able to leave!