James Tynion IV - writerGavin Fullerton - artist
Chris O'Halloran - colorist
Tom Napolitano - letterer
Leaving Your Problems Behind
Where were the monsters when you were a kid? In the dark? Under the bed? In the latest horror entry from James Tynion IV they just might be in the closet.
Jamie sees monsters in his closet--or at least he says he does. His parents, Thom and Maggie, are about as helpful as most parents are: they half humor him and half nudge him toward getting over his fear. There is a fool-proof solution on the horizon, though. The family is moving to Oregon, and Thom assures Jamie that the monsters will be left behind in the closet in their old house.
The first issue of The Closet is a quiet slow boil of tension, but for the most part the tension isn't about Jamie's closet. Jamie's fear of monsters isn't really the central conflict. Most of the issue focuses on his father Thom, a somewhat hapless husband who feels put upon by his wife Maggie. From what we see here there are likely good reasons for some of Maggie's irritation, and the stress of moving is only aggravating the situation. This whole issue brings to mind the often faulty notion people get that a change in location can solve all their problems. Tynion IV sets this up as a potential object lesson on that very idea, using a horror story as a vehicle.
The horror elements are carried almost entirely by Gavin Fullerton's art and Chris O'Halloran's colors. The pages focusing on Jamie while he's in his room are almost entirely silent, and the panels go back and forth between Jamie's face and what he sees. Silence can be horror's best friend when it comes to setting a mood, and the script knows when to lean into that and let the visuals do the heavy lifting. In fact, without those silent pages I don't know that the horror elements would work because of how dialogue heavy the scenes with Thom and Maggie already are. The coloring in Jamie's bedroom draws a stark contrast between Jamie and the darkness he's surrounded by, heightening the tension and sense of anticipation.
For a horror genre entry, The Closet's first issue is largely horror free, confining those elements to the latter half of the issue and telling us much more about Thom and Maggie than it does about Jamie. This is certain to change in the next two issues. But putting so much development into Jamie's parents--Thom's hapless behavior and Maggie's no-nonsense attitude--opens the door for some nice psychological horror elements later. It also makes the issue more captivating than going heavy with the horror from the start.
✪ - Leave It On The Shelf
✪✪ - Not Bad But Not Special
✪✪✪ - A Solid Pick
✪✪✪✪ - Highly Recommend
✪✪✪✪✪ - Whatever You Do, Don't Miss This Book
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