Comic Review: Girl in the Bay #1

Girl in the Bay #1

Dark Horse Comics

Writer: J.M. DeMatteis

Artist: Corin Howell & James Devlin

“The World’s a dangerous place for girls.”

The Girl in the Bay opens with a seventeen-year-old girl sinking into a body of water, bleeding from multiple wounds. As she descends further into her demise, she accepts her fate and starts to think of a song that she realizes might be about her. She closes her eyes and accepts her fate.

Writer J.M DeMatteis and artist Corin Howell come together in this story about murder, time-travel, and growing up. Following her death, Kathy emerges from the bay she died in only to realize that 50 years have passed and the world continued on without her. To the outside world, Kathy never died, and merely ran off to live her own life.

DeMatteis script will hit home for a lot of people, with themes about wanting to grow up and get away from the harsh realities of being a teenager. Kathy is a wonderful narrator who tells her story quickly and efficiently. She gets in trouble quite a bit, but her narration makes it clear that its all behavior to cope with reality. Her acceptance of her death, followed by the terror of awakening, feels authentic and real.

Due to DeMatteis near-perfect pacing, the story flows well. At no point is the progression of Kathy’s circumstances too jarring or boring. The issue feels like its the perfect length, ending at just the right beat. Some of the dialogue feels a little stiff at times and the plot is a little cliche at times, but otherwise, this is a well-written chapter.

Corin Howell’s art is a fine complement to DeMatteis’ writing. Her art brings strong visual details to the narrative. The Girl in the Bay looks clean, with smooth lines and action that is easy to follow. Howell’s expressions are the arts’ strength. Kathy is easy to connect to due to her strong narration and easy to understand expressions. The clean art manages to carry an ominous tone throughout the issue, only enhancing the tension.

The Girl in the Bay #1 is a fun time with strong writing and clean art. The mystery is genuinely enthralling, the character is relatable, and the pacing is spot on. Mystery fans will find a lot to chew on in this debut that shouldn’t be missed.