IDW Publishing 2018
Written by Jen Vaughn
Illustrated by Michelle Wong
Coloured by Triona Tree Frell
Lettered by Christa Miesner
STORY SO FAR
The more Mitra uses the mysterious phone she got in the mail, the more strange things keep happening. People around her are getting hurt, she might be seeing ghosts, and after she thinks she can hear her friends’ secret thoughts, her rage pushes Kyra and…
A part of me is sad that I didn’t grow up in the age of Goosebumps. It would’ve been awesome and probably would’ve been the instigator for my love of horror. As it is I am quite happy with the introduction I got, my cousins Larry and Mark used to leave old horror films on while we stayed there and scared me every chance they got! Then there’s also Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators I grew up reading and I wouldn’t give that up for the world it helped shape future me.
The way that Jen structures this is extremely well done and while the culmination of the story happens here and a lot of it goes on it never feels rushed or things put in for the sake of putting it in. for a three issue arc I cannot be thankful enough for the pacing and the way everything comes to a head. All the while at it’s core the message about friendship continues like a Lighthouse Beacon parting the fog and uniting them again. I thoroughly enjoy the fact that Jen can entertain with the story send a message along with it and make this delightfully all-ages. Sometimes I think adults need the lessons more than kids do but that’s another topic entirely.
So Jen has impressed at every step of the journey she’s taking and the dialogue that she is able to bring to this is spectacular stuff. There is as much understanding in the words as there are in the unspoken ones. It doesn’t matter if your a boy or a girl, gay or straight, young or old it doesn’t matter because you can find aspects within this story to identify with. An experience that’s similar, we’re talking school and friendships not haunted phones, or seen up close it all has this amazing air of authenticity to it that pulls you.
Michelle and Triona’s work on the interiors here is fabulous! It is all-ages to a “T” which creates this kind of massive broad spectrum appeal. The way page layouts are utilised to show off the use of angles and perspective in the panels showcases aq marvellous eye for storytelling. The colouring is wonderful ad the shading or gradation of colour that we see is so well handled. Each of the girls has a look that matches her personality and that isn’t as easy to do as people think. Backgrounds here are used judiciously and well but I'd like to see more of them.
This issue not only brought them all together to bring down the “big baddies” but it brought Weather and Merdad into the tightly knit group for the finale. While everything worked out the way it was supposed to for the friends and the wires uncrossed and the tables turned (they never knew they had a lesson to learn) and feeling good it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s over. The ending was something and to be honest I do hope there at least plans to follow up and not leave us hanging. Regardless this is fun, interesting and keeps expanding and evolving the Goosebumps world of storytelling.