Zenescope Entertainment 2018
Written by Victoria Rau
Illustrated by Marcelo Basile
Lettered by Charles Pritchett
Debbie and Emmy have been taken and the unknown attackers aren't finished yet. They chase after the rest of the hikers who must fend for their lives against the sadistic group of killers. Pamela realizes there's only one way to save her daughter and heads back to her truck as the attackers give chase.
Oh I am really enjoying this story so far. Totally not what I was expecting which is completely a huge draw and it’s got what appears to be a The Hills Have Eyes aspect to it which makes things even more creepy. Also that so far what we are getting is this whole being led somewhere in the middle of nowhere, no cell service, so they can be taken. I mean c’mon I am sure the women or some of them are chosen for breeding since they are so inbred they do need new blood so to speak. The rest are basically food and it’s as simple as that. So really it’s a fight for survival and who lives and who dies well that’s the fun of reading this to find out.
The way that this book is structured is really well done. The whole ebb & flow of the story is able to keep us moving, entertained and deliver information without hitting the reader over the head with it. I appreciate the level of storytelling that is involved here because to have reveals like we see in these pages that kind of come out of left field are the ones that are the best to see play out. Plus when there is a tragedy or emergency, natural disaster or anything akin is when we see peoples true personalities emerge and what Victoria is doing here really showcases that beautifully.
Last issue seemed to fly by and this one goes a tad more slowly so we can see the aftermath of where we left off. Barry completely out of his element tries to buy off the me which of course is silly considering how they look and the fact that they just made off with two women. It is little things like this that show us the kind of man he is and that personality of his just makes him one of those whose life we really don’t see as worth much. With the inability to fight what good does he bring to this? It isn’t just Barry either as Victoria takes us through all the remaining characters and shows us where and how they fit into the groups survival.
Marcelo’s interiors here are spectacular to see. The attention to detail that he brings to the work and how he utilises the varying weight in the linework is really impressive to me. He doesn’t shy away from the small stuff either and the fact that the mountains, the ground and the weaponry are so prominently part of the story is great to see. I like how page layouts are utilised and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels. That backgrounds are so prevalent is amazing as well because this is a trail hike place in a mountainous setting and he uses them to the utmost advantage. Plus the whole creativity and imagination in bringing these people to life with their supposedly inbred problems is creepy as hell.
With plenty of twists, turns and surprises this story continues to make use of traditional modern slasher horror and put a solid story in place to support it. This is creepy, smart and full of the unexpected and in this day and age that’s something worth reading!