Review – An Unkindness of Ravens #1 (BOOM! Studios)

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Dan Panosian
Artist: Marianna Ignazzi
Colorist: Fabiana Mascolo
Lettering: Mike Fiorentino
Release Date: 23rd September 2020

Wilma Farrington is the new girl in school, complete with plans to slide comfortably under the radar. But these plans are dashed when she finds that not only does she bear a remarkable resemblance to another girl who has recently gone missing but that she has also attracted the attention of both the Queen Bee and her cronies and The Ravens, a group of girls steeped in witchcraft and the dark history of Crab’s Eye.

First impressions, this series seems to sit somewhere between The Craft, the Heathers and Twin Peaks, with an authentically dark and sinister undercurrent.

There are two timelines running in this issue, the first telling the story of the town, its occult history, and the lengths the town has gone to in order to bury its past. The second tells of Wilma’s encounters with the Ravens, their secrets and their ties to the truths behind the legends of the town.

As this is the first issue of the series, it’s difficult to get a real feel of how the whole will develop and evolve, but I have every faith in Dan Panosian’s skills as a writer to deliver a great, dark and tense horror/thriller. I’m also really pleased to see that Panosian is illustrating the historic arc of the story, in the form of Excerpts from the Abigail House. I’ve seen some sneak peaks of what’s to come via Dan’s Twitter feed, and there’s some great artwork coming, which is actually what initially prompted me to grab this from the BCP review pile this week.

While representing the modern timeline in the story, Marianna Ignazzi and Fabio Mascolo’s artwork has a very retro feel to it that somehow really works well, and gives the story a more grounded and believable feel, which in turn gives the occult elements more impact.

The character development and plot progression in this first issue is well paced. There’s enough to immerse the reader in the story without giving too much away. I already really like both Wilma and The Ravens, and have a deep desire to see Scarlet and her cronies get their inevitable comeuppance. This first issue has a YA feel to it, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think that as the story develops it’s going to reveal a depth and a sense of danger and threat which will lead to more mature horror themes that will keep the interest of any reader.

Rating: 3.5/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]