Advance Review: Surviving Multiple Bloodbaths In `Where Monsters Lie’ #2
by Tom Smithyman
Connor Hayes’ hero story begins in a familiar way. His mother and sister are murdered, sending the young man down a path where he spends years to training himself to bring the bad guys to justice.
But Hayes is no Batman. His family wasn’t slaughtered by Joe Chill but rather a serial killer/Jason Voorhees-wannabe named Daniel Johnson. He’s now a special agent and after 20 years of training and studying, he discovers Johnson’s hideout. Unfortunately for Hayes and the police force he leads, that location is a small community where everyone has a blood-spattered past.
In fact, it’s a blood-spattered present as well, as the residents – including a sentient ventriloquist dummy, a flamethrower-wielding clown, and a shirtless man wearing a Teddy bear that goes by the name Fuckmaster – take care of the cops in their own way. By the end of the issue, which is written by Kyle Starks, the body count is well into the double digits.
The notion of where the slashers from horror films hang out between killing sprees is a fun one. The execution though leaves a bit to be desired. Starks’ script for this second issue is uneven. There is some strong writing at times, but when Hayes has an extended monologue, it comes off very wooden – almost like a demented madman himself. Perhaps Starks is setting up a future twist. More likely, though, it’s just not great writing.
Piotr Kowalski’s artwork is similarly inconsistent. There are some interesting images but, for the most part, his drawings are too loose. At one point, we’re supposed to believe that a random line on Hayes’ face is a scar we saw him get earlier. Frankly, it looked more like his jawline. Still, the rogue’s gallery is appropriately scary looking, and Kowalski largely avoids gore despite all the bloodshed.
The premise of the series remains strong. But until the creative team’s day-to-day work catches up with the great idea, this title will suffer the same fate as a couple of sex-starved teens at a sleepaway camp.
Where Monsters Lie #2 will be available for purchase next Wednesday.
Overview
A great concept with questionable execution. The writing and drawing are uneven and don’t match the quality of the initial idea. The drawings, in particular, are loose to the point of sometimes being unrecognizable.
