The Low Low Woods #1 Review

Writer: Carmen Maria Machado

Pencils & Inks: Dani

Colors: Tamra Bonvillain

Letters: Steve Wands

Published by: DC Black Label (Hill House Comics)

This new series from Hill House Comics, the horror imprint at DC run by Joe Hill, starts with a mystery: what happened at the cinema between El and Octavia and why are they missing time? It doesn’t help that the only worker there, a classmate of there’s named Josh, who isn’t really forthcoming with any information and comes off as kind of a jerk. 

From there, both girls return home and while this is happening, and for the rest of the issue, Machado provides narration in the form of El writing about her experience living in this small town that has eerie and unexplainable things that are happening, most notably to the women, and of her friendship with Octavia, who she calls Vee throughout. 

Machado uses this first issue to really set the stage for the series to come as her writing is purposeful and direct throughout and by using El as the narrator, we get to see all this happen through her eyes. She sees and experiences the weirdness (antlered women?!), but still knows that leaving the town is next to impossible. 

The first issue is pretty good at setting up these various mysteries, and like a Batman comic with Gotham, you can tell that Machado is using the town of Shudder-to-Think (brilliant name) as a character unto itself. 

This is the first work I’ve been exposed to of Dani’s and throughout, their work is evocative and sets the scenes in both a haunting and quiet manner when the need arises. Not all artists have fun with panels when they are creating, but Dani here used multiple different styles and sizes throughout the issue to lead the reader’s eye to where they want you to go. It doesn’t always work, but in this issue, it does. Couple Dani’s linework with the great colors by Bonvillain, and you have a really fun, almost 80s style Denys Cowan aesthetic to it. Great work!