Chasing the Dead #1

Then : 12 year old Sue and 13 year old Phil are the best of friends playing in the park, when a mysterious black car pulls up and out pops a serial child killer known as The Harvester. With death & hate in his eyes, the maniac lunges for the kids, a struggle ensues and by some miracle the children survive leaving one dead murderer. Phil foolishly convinces Sue that they shouldn’t involve the authorities and bury the body underneath a nearby bridge so no one will ever find out.

Now : With a newly signed deal to make her the owner of a prestige real estate firm, single mom Sue looks ahead to a very bright future, both successfully & financially. However, the past, sooner or later, comes back to haunt her in a big way and it all starts with a phone call…

The Team

Written by Matthew Scott & Tim Westland. Based on the novel by Joe Schreiber (Go Just Go, Death Troopers : Star Wars). Illustrated by Dietrich Smith. Published by IDW.

The Pros & Cons

This is the perfect setting for a supernatural thriller, a creepy Massachusetts town, a murder, a kidnapping & homicidal maniac making a single mom go through a series of demands. This is the comic adaptation of Joe Schreiber’s novel of the same name. It’s a frightening script by Matthew Scott & Tim Westland and has the same intensity as horror movies like When a Stranger Calls & Scream, where the killer makes the hero jump through hoops so he carry on his evil plans. This issue has plenty of suspenseful moments from the beginning with the incident to very last page when the protagonist realizes what she has to do.

Newcomer Dietrich Smith’s illustrations for the characters are simple enough, but strike the right chord for this eerie tale. The snow covered landscapes at night are breathtaking and crank up the creep factor up a few notches as well.

The Outcome

I would recommend this comic to all horror fans and I can’t wait for the next issue.