Easy path to success … there has to be a catch, right?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Anne Toole
Artwork: Sean Hill
What They Say:
The Monkey’s Paw
After struggling under student loans and startup costs, two graduates try a “Hail Mary” and journey to Central America to find a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to grant wishes. But once they arrive, the friends discover that getting their wish will not be as easy as they hoped.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Josh was a desperate man, looking for investors to pitch his latest scheme to earn a quick buck. He was at the end of his rope, bogged down in student loans and credit card debt, all about to give up until he sees an old college friend. Mike was also down on his luck, attempting to earn his way in the world, but his father was a miser who wouldn’t help with seed money for his own ventures. The two seemed fated to meet, but Josh knew that his buddy wouldn’t have anything to loan by the look of his current position, being a waiter at the party. However, after his prospective backer bailed out, Josh had no other choice but to let Mike in on the scheme – if he could scrape up the money to fund the trip.
Unfortunately, after many hardships to make it to their goal, the pair finally arrive at an isolated village in the Panamanian jungle. It is from here where Josh heard a rumour originated that they the power to grant wishes, but they trusted no outsiders; after some colourful negotiations, Mike wears down the head man who confesses that he did have the ability to fulfill his desire, but only if they followed his instructions precisely and never return, ever again. The confident dual decide to follow the steps and venture into the undergrowth to collect the ingredients for the ritual, but not all is as it seems. How can they believe that this will work if none of the natives have used the ceremony themselves to leave their isolated town? Why would not want a better life for themselves … or is the cost too high for those who know better? The power is too great to pass up, so there is only one way to find out what will happen, for better or worse.
In Summary:
Anyone who is familiar with the gothic tale of The Monkey’s Paw should know how it ends, but writer Anne Toole has successfully deconstructed the story into a frightening tale for the modern genre. We all know from the various incarnations that the ghoulish trinket has the power to grant three wishes, but to see how a pair of foolish travellers can get caught up in the lure of an adventure without seeing the dangers just makes the narrative amusing in a novel sort of way. To watch Josh entice Mike to venture into the unknown just for the elusive allure of an unimagined promise speaks to the power which greedy can hold over anyone; no one is immune from the temptation of a quick answer to all their questions, all of their wants satisfied by doing a few simple tasks. But to see how someone will fall into that trap so easily and sacrifice anything for that hope is discomforting, but it is doubly chilling to see how selfishness can radically alter someone’s moral compass that they can rationalise their actions is the real tragedy of the narrative. Any of the most righteous men will allow themselves to be polluted if the goal is worthy of the suffering they will later face, it is a sad commentary on the human condition.
The tale is heightened even more by Sean Hill’s wonderful artwork which evokes the flavour of classic film noir – most notably it reminds me of a melange of Humphrey Bogart films like The African Queen. Throughout the story, I kept expecting a cheesy villain to pop up and mutter a sombre line or some accident to occur by an unseen force to impede the journey but it never happened. However, the method by which the dual made their trip still filled me with dread and will also seem familiar to anyone who has gone the tourist route: running out of money, missing connections, language barriers and uncooperative natives; all of these modern hindrances just the story more relatable to the seasoned traveller and bring back memories which will last a lifetime. Throughout the narrative, it felt as if I was watching one of those nostalgic films – a party introducing the characters, the confusing collective of miserable scenes leading to the treasured goal, an old man telling the pair that their journey has just begun and then the plot twist, making the entirety of the previous scenes all fall into place. Hill was able to turn the story into an illuminating experience with his marvelous illustrations, making it an insightful read.
The Monkey’s Paw has always been a standard of the horror genre and this interpretation by Toole and Hill is no exception. They were able to modernise a classic tale by bringing to light one of the classics of literature which any reader can relate to: Greed. A desire for all ones needs to be granted and the lengths which some will go to accomplish to meet that goal is something anyone can connect to makes the story all the more based in reality instead of the mystical. A talisman is not needed to motivate someone if the want is challenging enough – just a wish to become greater than your own means, in other words … a dream.
Grade: A
Rating: M (Mature)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: May 11th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
