Writer: James B. Willard
Artist: Patrick K. Beavers

For our next small press review, I’m excited to be able to take a look at the first issue of Penny Palabras from writer James B. Willard.  A dark, atmospheric horror story, this comic is based around a seventeen year-old girl who has the ability to see ghosts, and who is being tormented by a malevolent entity called ‘The Straw Man’.  She can’t sleep, can’t concentrate, and her friends are being driven away by the Straw Man’s incessant haunting.

Interestingly, one of the main ‘hooks’ of the books (Penny’s ability to see and communicate with the recently dead) is already established as the status quo by the time we start reading, leaving us to simply accept this young girl talking to ghosts and trying to kill her sinister tormentor.  This decision cuts down greatly on the need for pace-clogging exposition, and allows the story to ‘hit the ground running’ as it were, throwing us right into the middle of Penny’s troubled life from the very first page.

The art, provided by Patrick K. Beavers, is of a very high standard, and his grayscale approach fits perfectly with the overall tone of the comic.  And despite the dark, almost claustrophobic nature of the artwork, the lines remain clean and the characters are easily distinguishable.  Also, the lettering (presumably provided by Beavers as well) has a rough, almost handwritten quality that also adds to the aura of horror.

Dialogue wise, the book can come across a little wordy in places, with a slight over reliance on creepy nursery rhymes in lieu of dialogue.  That said, these rhymes and poems work fairly well in adding to the dark, morbid aura that permeates the book.  And with a lot of the book relating to urban legend-based nursery rhymes (such as the Straw Man himself, as well as skull that’s visible in the moon), it’s nice to see other characters showing an unsettling familiarity with the source of Penny’s troubles.

Story-wise, the creators lay out their stall fairly well in the first chapter of this six-part series, introducing the main protagonist, her situation, and nudging us gently towards where this story is likely to end up.  There isn’t a lot that actually happens in this issue, it has to be said, but the groundwork is laid effectively for the real story to come, and the premise is intriguing enough to make me want to keep reading more.

An intriguing title with a very distinct visual style, Penny Palabras is well worth a look for fans of the horror genre.

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If you want to take a look for yourself, the first issue of Penny Palabras is currently available for sale in the Amazon kindle store.

The second issue is also available as of today from DriveThruComics.

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