No Place Like Home #1
Written and created by Angelo Tirotto
Art and Cover by Richard Gordon
Colors by Paul Little
Reviewed by Steve Seigh
If the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz has taught us anything, it’s that there’s no place like home. Well, for three small town friends, Dee Dee, Lizzie, and Helen, home is never going to be the same again. No Place Like Home #1 – a new property from Image Comics – is a tantalizing read that takes a very well paced approach to its storytelling. Dee has come back to Emeraldsville, Kansas on account of that her parents have perished in a freak tornado accident, and are to be buried promptly with the coming days. Accompanied by her hipster “bitch in charge” friend, Lizzie, the two girls begin to discover some very strange happenings in their once familiar town.
Without giving too much away … there’s a lot of crazy shit happening in No Place Like Home #1. Not only are there freak tornadoes, but there are vicious hobos and razor sharp claws among the bushes. What No Place Like Home #1 does right is concentrate on it’s characters first and it’s story second. The book takes a very smart approach to it’s Wizard of Oz roots by only sharing a few of the similarities in regard to tone and perhaps a bit of the stories ethos. So far, there seems to be a very cool “small town mystery” vibe brewing here, giving the reader just enough to keep them interested but never laying all of the cards on the table. Things seem as if they’re going to go from bad to worse very quickly for Dee Dee and her friends, and I kind of want to be there when we find out exactly why there’s No Place Like Home.
VERDICT
No Place Like Home #1 might not have me shouting from the rooftops about it’s originality and genius, but the book has certainly done a fine job of laying the groundwork for what I hope turns out to be a great story. The characters, creepy town, and things that go bump in the night are all there and I’m totally willing to give this series another issue in hopes that it becomes something pretty fantastic.
