Review – Curse #1 (of 4) (BOOM! Studios)

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writers: Michael Moreci, Tim Daniel
Artist: Colin Lorimer, Riley Rossmo
Release Date: 15th January 2014

Horror comics are a bit of a tough sell, in that it’s very easy for creators to miss the mark completely and wind up with either brutal gore porn or almost tongue-in-cheek parody.  Thankfully, with Curse, we’re in some pretty safe hands, and the creative team manage to hit the sweet spot perfectly, providing a tense, gripping and strangely believable first issue.

The werewolf genre has been done to death over the years, with almost every possible take on the character being hammered home time and time again.  Thankfully then, Curse manages to bring something truly unique to the table, with Moreci and Daniel taking an almost primal fear that’s all too relatable to most of us (losing a child to illness) and giving it a chillingly supernatural slant.

Protagonist Laney Griffin is someone we instantly find ourselves rooting for.  Managing to avoid an over-the-top sob story, we find Laney struggling to cope with his Leukemia-suffering child’s medical bills, and handling it with a believable sense of desperation and frustration.  His interactions with his family, and the lengths he’s willing to go to in order to pay for his son’s treatment instantly tell us all we need to know about the man.

The art duties are split between Colin Lorimer and Riley Rossmo, and – rather than becoming jarring, as ‘multiple artist’ comics often can be – the pair work perfectly together, with Lorimer’s measured, detailed style contrasting wonderfully with the frenzied, almost chaotic linework that is so typical of Rossmo.  The narrative lends itself extremely well to these changes too, particularly when the aforementioned werewolf finally makes its appearance, and Lorimer’s calm approach gives way to an absolutely stunning Rossmo splash page.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this comic takes place in the first few pages, with a flash-forward to a chillingly horrific exchange between Laney and his Lycan hostage.  And that’s a hook – along with the instant emotional investment we have in Laney and his son’s fate – that is making me desperate to read the second issue of this four-part series.

Curse is a horror comic that works on almost every level, and while this issue is mainly set-up, it does its job perfectly in immersing us in this world, getting our pulses racing, and making us want to know more.  Well worth a look.

Rating: 4/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says