Tag Psychological Horror

author Comics Image Comics Odiumar

Stillwater #1, “I Can’t Protect You, No One Can”

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Stillwater

“For the living know that they will die, and the dead know nothing” except in Stillwater, where all those rules are out the window! Perhaps you too can live forever, if you study the book of Stillwater, chapter 1, verses 1-32!

The tale as told by Chip Zdarsky. Okay…hold on…he wrote Howard the Duck! He can’t possibly write horror, can he?
Illustrated by the somewhat untried Ramon K Perez?

The official plot:

“SERIES PREMIERE! Nobody dies. In the town of Stillwater, that’s not just a promise. It’s a threat.”

Image Comics

The original solicitation for Stillwater was quite a bit longer, but I removed the name dropping and award mentions. Seems what we were left with was a couple short sentences. Not sure if it’s good that they hype takes up more space than the actual issue description.

Stillwater
That kid…just fell from the roof of a four story building.

My Impressions:

  • Never grow old, never die…where have I heard that before?
  • I seriously watched an episode of Scooby-Doo last night, that started the same exact way! “You inherited money! Go to a backwater town to get it!”
  • Just enough questions without answers to bring me back for another issue. (Kind of like they planned it that way.)
Stillwater
Well this looks serious.

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Daniel West (The protagonist)
  • Ted (Deputy Asshole)
  • No one else really matters…especially Tony.

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Stillwater is more of a psychological horror than the “zombie” story I thought it would be. There is no doubt that it has some real potential. A town full of essentially immortal people are bound to have some really messed up interactions. Hopefully the writers can play up that component.

author Boom Comics Comics Odiumar

Red Mother #8, The Box is Open

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Red Mother

Fear the many deceivers that have gone out into the world!” Trust not those who hide their true intentions! Save yourself by learning from the book of the Red Mother, chapter 8, verses 1-32!

Only a cult member or spy would have this much inside info, on which side does Jeremy Haun stand?
What about you Danny Luckert? Are you one of the converted, or are you a spy?

The official plot:

“Daisy always suspected that Leland Black had ulterior motives in hiring her, but when the truth finally comes out, Daisy could never have expected how far his reach goes. What does Leland have planned for Daisy-and what does it have to do with the Red Mother?”

BOOM!

This is not exactly how I remember things going down in this issue. Yes Leland is a bad dude…he’s involved in the puzzle box, so that’s a given. However, this solicitation makes it seem like Daisy has been investigating the cult and just found a major piece of the puzzle. She’s not and she hasn’t.

Red Mother
When your apartment building looks like this, it’s time to move!

My Impressions:

  • It’s all about the mystery: I just can’t NOT read this. When I see this in my sub box, it immediately goes to the top of my reading list.
  • Visuals (pun intended): Creepy both paranormally and psychologically. Perfect for the story. (Note that I didn’t say pretty.)
  • Addicting: Yes…who/what is this cult? What do they want? What is the creepy monster thing that Daisy keeps seeing? Why isn’t she questioning her own sanity? Do they still have her original eye? The list of questions really doesn’t end…
Your boyfriend was dragged away and killed…why are you not RUNNING AWAY?!?

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Daisy opens the puzzle box! (Think Hellraiser)
  • Even more people (all of them I think) are revealed to be part of the cult!

Bottom Line: 4 Stars!

Alright, look…this is psychological horror, and it’s effective. It sucks you in! In the first issue, Daisy loses her boyfriend and her eye in a brutal attack (possibly supernatural). The rest is pure suspense and mystery. There’s no way you’re not going to want to know what comes next.