Mysteries are hidden everywhere … or maybe close than you think.
Creative Staff:
Writers: Joe Brusha
Artwork: Babisu Kourtis
Colors: Leonardo Paciarotti
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
While taking a cross-country trip, a young couple stops to visit one of their long-lost friends who live in an idyllic gated community. Not long after they arrive, they find that something sinister may be lurking behind the mansions and well-manicured lawns of Paradise Court.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
Night has come again and sadly with it yet another person falls missing, but this time it is their friend Mike, with girlfriend Robin having safely returned and it now concerned as to his whereabouts. As the others think he may have wandered off due to an inebriated state, Amy considers another option – Barry has something to do with the situation. While the friends grow frustrated in not being able to do anything due to their phones not working, Janey does offer some consolation by notifying them she has called Officer Garcia to start an investigation. Although as with his last visit, the less than enthusiastic policeman tells them he found nothing, and a missing person’s report cannot be filed until Mike is lost for forty-eight hours, but will still keep looking around. However as he is leaving, the only resident mentions there might be something else, even if Amy thinks she saw it in a dream … a body and a man dressed in a ram’s head mask. While the investigator takes her lead into consideration, Garcia does offer some hope by stating to return if the further search comes up barren, he will then offer to start a report.
When morning arrives, Amy still has not gotten any rest and while her boyfriend may be worried, he knows neither of them can do anything if they are exhausted. Asking her to put aside any suspicions to get some sleep, Christian then states hopefully when they wake up, Mike will have come in on his own. However even as he parts with a goodbye kiss and the red head states she will be in soon, Amy is too wound up to nod off now, knowing there is one more place left to search – Barry’s home. Watching the neighborhood lowlife drive away, this amateur detective sneaks in through an open window, only to find creepy decor and locked doors, until she finds a chilling second floor room with too much evidence for anyone to ignore at any cost. Displayed therein is a wall filled with news clippings of missing persons’ reports and unsolved murder stories, an album of trophies and most disturbing of all, video tapes showing people being stalked by an unseen individual. However as the clues pile up, Amy hears the sound of a car outside, signalling someone has turned home … but how can she escape without this lunatic finding her?
In Summary:
Having now reached the midpoint of the series, the questions for Amy’s sanity grow darker, allowing your concern for our heroine become deeper, but at the same time, the predictability of the plot makes every turn all the more questionable as to where we are heading toward the end. Although I do appreciate writer Joe Brusha’s attempt in creating an original horror story, at the same time he cannot but fall into plentiful clichéd elements from the genre, this time introducing his examples of missing friends and skeptical authorities. While the reader cannot but compare the narrative to other teen scream films, it is the rationalization of the paranoia happening around them which separates Brusha’s valid attempt into something more fulfilling, even as you yell at the page when you see something about to happen. This measured pacing makes his interpretation of a horror staple very satisfying, plus the noticeable difference of any musical cues which would trigger the scene prematurely allows for the audience to become engrossed within his formulaic telling of a familiar tale.
As we dive further into the abyss of this worthwhile tale of terror, it is an undeniable fact this series would not be as chillingly effective without the collaborative efforts of deftly talented Babisu Kourtis’ tastefully striking illustrations plus the refined and emotive palette of Leonardo Paciarotti who solidifies the transition from dark horror to moving moments of tragedy. When you first open the issue, this synergy comprising the ghoulish abomination named Barry watching strikes a primal chord, hunter stalking his prey, but he is hungry for more victims. The attitude everyone has toward this stalker has been established, but this sickening representation of a man splattered in blood makes his presence all the more foreboding. To see his empty eyes watching them is dreadful, but what makes it all the more sadistic is to see the rest of the group talking about his exploits in a brightly illuminated room; it is this transition from darkness to light, evil to good which makes the psychological battle all the more tangible as the story continues. To see Amy physically ill as no one believes her suspicions is troubling, but to make it all the more disturbing is the next page – a peek into the lair of a killer, bloody bodies displayed in a ritualistic bone circle as he chastises one of them for disobeying an off screen warning. It is this constant shift between two levels of illumination, both using the same beautifully detailed images but only the colors magnify and intensify the atmospheric tension on different levels … and make this title such a pleasure to absorb on a visual level.
When I first started reading Paradise Court, I thought this series would become another blasé horror tale with overused moments to bring about prescribed events of terror, but it now appears I was wrong. As we become settled into the turning point of the story, Amy’s paranoia is becoming more realized and the reader starts to identify with her panic in a very meaningful way – concern for her friends. However it is the gruesomely effective artwork and event triggered colors which attach us to the narrative, making us believe in our heroine and worry if anyone will survive this once peaceful visit into this serene community.
Grade: A
Age Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: September 26, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
