The Man Who Came Down the Attic Stairs, by Celine Loup, inspired by film noir, and the works of Ira Levin and Shirley Jackson, is a horror comic published by BOOM! Studios.

It’s about motherhood and postpartum depression. Dark, mysterious and wonderfully suspenseful, it’s a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. Emma, excited to be pregnant and starting a new family, is later having less joy. In this black and white, poetically told thriller, the reader is kept in the dark. Or rather the shadows, the shadow under the stairs, the scare in the shadow of your smile, the miles that you travel in your head, the noise that won’t abate. The drawings well crafted, the panels nicely propelling us forward, this is an effective tale.

It’s a deep and short read. This one will get under your eyelids, inside your dreams, and make you think of things.

BOOM Studios, Archaia imprint, $19.99 for 51 pages of content, Mature Readers

By Alan Spinney

After a career of graphic design, art direction and copywriting, I still have a passion for words and pictures. I love it when a comic book comes together; the story is tight, and the drawings lead me forward. Art with words... the toughest storytelling technique to get right. Was this comic book worth your money? Let's see!!