Jason Ciaramella, script
Zach Howard, art
Conner Herbison, art assistance
Nelson Darriel, colors
Robbie Robbins, letters
Recap
Previously, Eric arrives at a cabin in the woods, the same cabin he, his father, and late brother visited when he was a child. He befriends a group of young adults who rented the cabin and are planning a role-playing game. This issue begins, Eric is chosen to be the Darkhole hunter. The rest of the group tries to avoid the Dakhole hunter and make it to designated markers. Eric’s inner monologue informs the reader that he killed a couple of participants previously, and hid them in the woods. The rest of the participants find the bodies; however, one of the young women is not dead. While the group struggles to find an escape, Eric discovers them killing one of them. The issue ends with two of the participants cornered and Eric descending for the kill.
The intrigue for me involves Eric’s sordid past, the loss of his brother, and the special ability to fly. His troublesome past is revealed in layers, through his inner monologue, and flashbacks to his childhood. This approach allows the story to fill-out while still moving forward and not stagnating. I left this issue struggling to think how this story arc would end in a way that feels satisfying. If Eric kills everyone, there’s no suspense. If he fails to kill everyone, leaving evidence of his killings, and flies away how interested am I in the continuation of the story? That’s why they write the books and its why I have continued to enjoy this story: I don’t know what will happen next. Furthermore, Eric’s super-power, flight, has not been fully explained or explored. While the mystery surrounding the power’s onset is confusing, it also increases the intrigue and keeps me interested. I highly recommend this book for fans of horror-science fiction and Joe Hill, the creator of this property. Overall = 8/10
