Graveneye, a new graphic novel from TKO Studios, sends us some horror.
It arrives with blood, sacrifice, mystery, and a fascinating interior monologue.
And it’s mostly about a house. One with personality, a house that has seen it all, and has actually ‘done’ some of it.
It IS about the house. A feral, unsightly old mansion surrounded by woods, a house that dictates a certain respect. It has a personality and has developed a need to do more than merely house people. It wants to reach out and touch people. With more relish than varnish, its walls and floors acting as ears, eyes, and arms.
Marie has arrived at the house. She’s a quiet, reserved young woman, looking for work. She undergoes her interview with Isla, the strong-willed owner. They hit it off, strangely enough. But what kind of relationship are they forming? Is it predator and prey, or long-lost sisters, or dominant and submissive?
As writer Sloan Leong unravels the tale, the two women become entwined in a strange dance, of mutual respect and admiration, of healthy and unhealthy longing. It’s a hunt meant for the end of a red trail, a chase to the woods, a bloody well-rendered carcass of an adventure.
Anna Bowles’ visual style is hand-drawn, hand-lettered, with panel borders tilting like old walls, as she nails the look. It’s black and white, washed and dried into halftone, as we half realize the warren she’s leading us into. A glimpse of red here and there, hopping from page to page, all bloody and frightened. The drawings are carefully rendered and cross-hatched, hewn, and strewn to maintain an old look, freshly aired.
Graveneye is a completely captivating read. Chapter after chapter of its 178 pages weave the dangerous dance, so much so that we hesitate to put the book down. It’s all for our entertainment, this gothic construction, from Portland Oregon’s Leong (Prism Stalker, A Map To The Sun, etc) and London England’s Anna Bowles.
TKO Graveneye GN, $19.99 for 178 pages. Mature
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