When you’re on your way up … remember who you stepped on in the past.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Ben Meares
Artwork: Ren Ferrer & Renzo Rodriguez
Colors: Marcelo Costa & Marco Lesko
Letters: Fabio Amelia
What They Say:
Harry Prest has it all: a hot-shot job at a top design agency in Manhattan, a beautiful, lavish home that overlooks the New York Skyline, and an even more beautiful wife. But when he starts to receive strange, cryptic text messages from a phone number he doesn’t recognize, everything starts to crumble.
Content: (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
Life was great for Harry, he had it all: a great job at a top advertising agency working beside his best friend Brandon plus a beautiful and loving partner who was expecting their first child … but he also had a tragic secret – this man was cheating on his marriage. It seemed as every week there was a new girl who would fall for his charms and ended up in a different bed, but he never considered it a problem as long as he had an alibi, always provided by Brandon. While he traded innocent text messages with the wife and a different excuse for not coming home, Harry then callously dismissed the girl, thinking he would not see her again. Afterwards, it was another morning spent in the office, joking with his buddy after seeing the newest photo manipulation and a possibility of covering for his friend’s latest indiscretion.
Once the work day ended, Harry returned home to find his glowing wife preparing dinner, only to disturb her well meaning intentions with a passionate kiss. As they discussed names for the new baby, a text chime interrupted the happy conversation with a disturbing image to unravel his secret, but he brushed it off as an unimportant message from Brandon. After the delicious meal was over, the dedicated husband insisted in cleaning up by himself, allowing Trish to get ready for bed. However after she left the kitchen, the cheating man opened his disturbing communication to examine the embarrassing picture, its very existence proving his numerous dalliances. But instead of returning the call with some plausible excuse, Harry’s usual temper and denial flared up, assaulting the woman with profanity and telling her to lose his number. Although in the past this might have worked, a new message soon ringed in the middle of the night, showing she was not one to be brushed aside so easily. Will this newest fling be the end of his domestic life … or can he find a way out of the hole he has dug for himself?
In Summary:
This issue has an unusual take for the typically derivative affair story, and writer Ben Meares takes full advantage of the horror twist, using it to modernize what could have been a clichéd issue. While this type of genre has been seen before, usually revealed via chance meetings between the involved people, however using text messages adds a new spin by allowing the narrative to become hidden, slowly unveiling details and literally allowing Harry to sink deeper with each derisive comment. It allows the reader to get to know this philander, watch him squirm even as Brandon tries to help his best friend, while being able to enjoy seeing his life unravel … making the ending all the more suitable for this vile person. You cannot but delight in seeing this type of story unfold: a man who had it all making bad decisions and due to those poor choices, he now watches as his life come apart but never admitting any of it was his fault – always blaming someone else. It is this type of story that shows a decent into darkness which comfortably fits Grimm Tales of Terror so well, a pitiful man’s path may have been shaped by his choices, but at the same time, it is those same decisions which cause everything to crumble around, just as it should for this duplicitous rogue.
Even within such a treacherous story, wondrously understated artwork lends credence to the developing narrative, allowing it to slowly unfold and thus build tension until it fittingly erupts in the end. Illustrator Ren Ferrer does a fine job in presenting a sense of normalcy in the beginning, allowing the reader to think this may be a typical tale from this title, but once Renzo Rodriguez unleashes his sense of grim deliciousness, we know from his reputation something else is planned for this story. Then to add to Harry’s burgeoning downfall, colorists Marcelo Costa and Marco Lesko use muted colors which allow the reader become settled into watching this tale unfold slowly, making the effectiveness of the final reveal all the more chilling. The use of sepia toned pictures to show the past may be ingrained as natural, but to add small touches of bright accents makes it feel all the more depressing, once we see how these pages build up to the present. It is this gradual build up which makes the story feel under whelming from the start, but once it begins its slight downward tumble, nothing can stop it; then the brilliantly effective grey toned centerpiece which changes everything, wondrously splattered with crimson, ties everything together, signalling the end it near. But of course it is the chilling beautiful closing splash which gets our attention and holds it … not wanting to let go as we suddenly realize what was slowly being teased now comes into focus. This classic piece of artistic sadism cannot but make you involuntarily smile, recognizing the hints which we saw on the phone now make sense – allowing us to revel in this masochistic justice. We now understand those who have mocked the retribution of our favorite Goddess of Death cannot escape Keres’ mercy as they all fall before her in the end.
Although you cannot but feel sorry seeing those effected by the fallout, it is the fitting reward which makes this issue every bit satisfying, watching justice mete out for a scoundrel who did what he wanted and not concerned by how it impacted anyone else. This narrative was delicious in its poetic irony, made all the more cunning to see the past finally catch up to this villainous scoundrel. Using muted illustrations and colors made it most effective, matching story and art to create an issue which will become a standard. It allows the narrative to speak for itself and not allowing gore to overcome a brilliant story, instead letting it accent the end making the whole all the more concussive in the thrilling conclusion.
Grade: A+
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: September 05, 2018
MSRP: $3.99