Comic Review: Cult Classic: Creature Feature #1

Cult Classic: Creature Feature #1

Vault Comics

Writer: Eliot Rahal

Artists: John Bivens, Hannah Jerie & Iris Monahan

SPOILER FREE.

Vault Comics expands its shared Cult Classic universe once again with the release of Creature Feature #1. From start to finish this comic is designed to replicate the pulpy B-movie style of the horror genre’s past, and I would definitely say it succeeds. Much credit is owed here of course to both the artist (John Bivens) and the pair of colorists (Hannah Jerie & Iris Monahan) for successfully accomplishing this aesthetic. Every color choice feels authentic to the time period and fans of this era of suspense/horror will feel right at home while flipping through the pages.

One of the aspects I enjoyed most about this issue is that it begins in media res with no sense of a clear backstory. Writer Eliot Rahler forgoes all usual the exposition found in stories like these and instead decides to throw us right into it. We start with a few silent panels which feature a pair of mysterious extraterrestrial beings as they approach Earth in their spaceship. All of their dialogue is written in an indecipherable text too, which only adds more to our sense of confusion. They then release several unidentifiable capsule-like objects onto the unsuspecting planet below.

Immediately after we fast-forward to the future — what appears to be some point in the 1980s — and meet up with a group of young teenagers at a sleepover. They are messing around with an ouija board and enjoying themselves as kids of this age usually do. There is solid chemistry amongst the gang and they are written believably by Rahal. This group dynamic could be compared to films like Stand By Me (Reiner, 1982), The Goonies (Donner, 1985) or more recently Super 8 (Abrams, 2011) and the hit Netflix series Stranger Things (2017- Present). Then, in a sudden bout of boredom, the de-facto leader of the bunch decides that they should all ride their bikes into the woods. It is there where the story makes its connection to the opening scenes; but as this is a spoiler-free review, I will not reveal in what way.

Lastly, it is important to note that while at first glance this might seem like just another tale of teens-discovering-something-scary-at-night, it’s not. Readers will be quite surprised by how the story actually develops; I was honestly caught off guard by just how intense the ending was. The artwork truly leaves an impression on you and is more than deserving of its horror label. 

All in all, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing how the new series progresses in the coming months.

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