Do not judge actions by a person’s looks … or you might be sorry.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Pat Shand
Artwork: Vincenzo Riccardi
Colors: Valentina Cuomo
Letters: Fabio Amelia
What They Say:
Stories of Black-Eyed Children appearing in the dead of night have been told for decades. Most people laugh at these tales, attributing them to over active imaginations or a trick in the light. But it’s hard to laugh when the Black-Eyed Children show up on your doorstep … most people lose their sense of humor when they are in the grip of unexplainable terror and in a fight for their lives.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Lacey Cagney has moved back home to take care of her sick father, but when she arrives, the scene does not bode well. Numerous emergency vehicles are parked around the house and she immediately begins to panic until she questions a red headed witness. The woman states that a murder has taken place and the one responsible blamed it on demons who looked like black eyed children. Now pacified that her parent is supposedly safe, Lacey wanders into a dark house, still worried that her charge is in trouble. Even after being reassured that he is fine, the welcoming incident still has her on edge, nerves frayed from what happened next door. But as they settle down to watch a movie, an ominous knock alerts the woman to answer a door, only to be greeted by an eerie scene: two pale-faced individuals dressed in hooded sweat jackets are there … with empty black eyes.
They plead with Lacey to allow them to come inside for it is cold and are worried that it will get even colder. They beg for some comfort, but the frightened woman is wary of the story and slams the door. While her father asks who it was, the poor girl’s fears have just compounded after remembering the witness’ warning. To widen her knowledge, Cagney looks up the accused woman’s story online, learning that she saw the same children, but the police never found anyone matching their description. This new information only serves to fuel her paranoia, and when that haunting knock returns that night, she makes her father promise to never answer the door. With the dawning of a new day, Lacey is obsessed with protecting the house from these demons: nailing crosses to the walls, readying holy water and spreading salt across all portals to ward off the spirits. However with this being the third evening for their visits, will all of these measures be enough to protect them from the intrusions?
In Summary:
To be quite honest, when I saw the cover for this issue, I thought this would be another sanitized story about kids trying to pass off cheap tricks as they scare their neighbors. For once, I am glad I was wrong – this is one of the best Grimm Tales of Terror I have ever read thus far! Pat Shand has always known how to construct a story, but he takes the time to compose relatable characters and therefore allow them to insinuate themselves into a viable narrative with tangible meaning. But thanks to the pre-determined urban legend of the Black-Eyed Children, with the hints of demonology which results in paranoia, Shand is able to create a story which pales in comparison to others from this title. The theme of creepy kids helps to form the foundation of the tale since we have all witnessed such troublesome tykes, either in movies, literature or from real life; it is the perversion of innocence being such a forbidden taboo which fuels this primal fear and in turn, makes this tale such a pleasure to read and a challenge to recognize as an acceptable story. It is the preconception of purity in children who are now tainted by empty soulless eyes which make this narrative all the more effective, allowing us to be tempted by something evil due to that lack of compassion from the all seeing mirrors. Then add to that notion the concept of someone else being haunted by similar circumstances ending in tragedy, and you have all the elements for a brilliantly haunting epic to thrill and terrorize the reader to no end. A wonderful way to construct marvelous a piece of prose.
And then if the story itself wasn’t sinister enough, the addition of Vincenzo Riccardi’s disturbingly effective art style of haggard people who almost seem like they haven’t slept for days only multiplies the intensity of the narrative. He uses the constrictive nature of the panels themselves to focus the reader’s attention, drawing us into the gruesome terror as an unwilling participant forced to watch and not being able to do anything to effect the outcome. But it is Valentina Cuomo’s eerily forceful use of color which seals us into the pages, almost as if she has created a barrier which does not fall until the end of the tale. Blackening the surrounding canvas and then darkening the artwork with an all-swallowing filter of charcoal amplifies her future work within the tale, allowing the audience to see it unfold through the untainted eyes of an onlooker. It is almost as if the reader is the person behind the camera, filming a documentary of the tragedy through a clouded lens. The synergy between Riccardi and Cuomo works to bring something unintentionally beautiful as we watch the panic and stress all focused on the eyes: everything within the tale is drawn to those orbs, the whiteness or lack thereof tell us the story, with anything else surrounding them as morbid decorations. It is artwork like this which drives the narrative, and at the same time also propels the viewer into a world which they never would intentionally enter.
I will never look at another person’s eyes ever the same again … for while they may be the mirrors to the soul, they can also reveal the deepest of intentions. The team of Shand, Riccardi and Cuomo have managed to create a world in which not everything is as it appears to be, but that in itself will divulge the truest of motives, whether they be for salvation or ill will. Everyone has a secret fear simmering deep inside, just waiting for the proper circumstances for it to boil over, but if they can contain that conflagration, that will determine who can emerge to survive another day within the stirring tempest of life.
Grade: A+
Rating: M (Mature)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: March 15th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
