American Gothic Press 2016
Written & Illustrated by Jon Clark
Lettered by April Brown
Desperate to become thin, the unassuming Doris agreed to be part of an experimental procedure and has found herself in the middle of a nightmare. Strapped to a table and at the mercy of creatures she's never seen, Doris has to summon every ounce of willpower she has to make it out alive!
Let’s see if I can put this into perspective, it’s like a mixture of Supernatural Episode the Purge and combined with Thinner from Stephen King. Only it’s much better than either one of those which were fairly entertaining to begin with. What Jon does here is he’s able to express the horror of the situation and still find ways to make Doris be believable in this bizarre situation. Her horror is mixed with these bits of uncontrollable laughter and hysterics which make her this woman everyone can relate to. She acts and behaves exactly like we think we would in this particular scenario.
Then there’s the whole deal with what they are using to take the fat away. Personally i’m enthralled by the concept. It’s not like it’s entirely fiction I mean there are tapeworms that kind of do the same thing not to mention there are plenty of parasitic creatures we know of and then that could exist in unexplored rainforests or the deepest depths of caves worldwide. So that these things exist isn’t that far a stretch and that kind of makes it more terrifying.
Everything about this story blurs the lines between fiction and reality in ways that capture the mind, imagination and make you squirm in your seat as you read this. The best horror comes from reality and this well this should definitely take it’s place as a modern horror classic. It has all the elements you need to be considered that. It has that ring of authenticity in everything we see and read and to top that off what our minds create to fill in the gaps which in all honesty can be more terrifying than what Jon brings to the table.
His interiors are fantastic. His style is unique and the work almost ahs this mixed media flair to it. The way the page layouts are used through angles and perspective and how he fills the panels really control the flow of the story beautifully. The fact that this is his baby shouldn’t go unnoticed because everything he puts on paper is exactly what he wants us to see to get the maximum effect.
Horror lovers or fans of things like Supernatural, Grimm or even the Brothers Grimm will thoroughly enjoy this story. The blend of reality and fiction cannot be beat in the he puts them together here to truly take you on a trip to darkest reaches of your mind. Doris’ struggle is real and palpable to the reader and it’s the fact you feel what she does it what sets this apart the most.