Friday, March 15, 2024

Book Review: Dwellings


Welcome to Elwich—an oasis of small-town perfection, where the schools overflow with cheery-eyed children, lovingly adorned homes line the historic boulevards . . . and only the crows can see the deep, festering rot that lurks beneath the pristine surface.

Murder.

Demonology.

Possession.

Obsession.

Elwich has them all on offer—and behind every dwelling awaits a horrifying new story to be told.

Dwellings by Emmy Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist and animator Jay Stephens will be published April 9, 2024. Oni Press provided an early galley for review.

Horror is not my usual jam, but something about the cover of this one really attracted me. It had that vibe I used to get as a kid of the 70's from classic Harvey Comic books (Casper, Richie Rich, etc.). On that, I decided to check this one out.

Don't let the art style fool you. This is not a kids' book. It includes adult language, mature themes and violent actions. But that classic humor comics style cuts it down to a more palatable manner. If the artwork had been a more realistic style, I would have quickly been out.

Props too for the inclusion of mock-up ads that are homages to those we used to find in comic books back in the day. Yes, they are fake companies and projects with ultra creepy and horror-themed items. But the care that was put into the ads show me that Stephens has a nostalgic love for the old four-color days.

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