Battling Trauma To Face The Inferno — Reviewing ‘Charred Remains’ #1

In Charred Remains #1, an indigent woman has a wild conspiracy theory. Amy Durant swears she’s seen a supernatural creature made of fire, smoke, and ash. This “Fire Man’ killed her entire family twelve years ago, and she herself narrowly escaped. Bonkers, right? Just another crackpot on the street, except… her story is true. With no one believing her, Amy Durant is forced to battle her own trauma as she single handedly attempts to fight the face of the inferno. 

Charred Remains leans into a theme that’s been explored many times before, where the protagonist’s credibility is undermined by their current circumstances, their perceived mental health, or one of many other marginalizing factors.

In the Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Bill Shatner’s character couldn’t convince anyone there was a gremlin on the plane’s wing because he had recently suffered a nervous breakdown. In Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell’s Infidel, the only folks who could see the malevolent creature wreaking havoc in NYC were people of color, a Muslim woman, and other disenfranchised folks. Charred Remains heads down that same, well trodden path, but pulls in some new elements that keep it fresh and terrifying. 

The first chapter sets up the premise nicely for this six-issue mini. First issues are hard. Anthony Cleveland’s script balances exposition and action to simultaneously inform the reader and drive the story with perfect pacing. Amy is authentic and relatable as a character. It’s easy to see why she acts the way she does, and also why people don’t take her seriously. There’s a lesson in there about perception and prejudice, which I’m dead certain will come around to bite a bunch of people in the ass down the line. 

I’m always a sucker for watercolor in comics, which means I’m a big fan of Andrea Mutti’s artwork. Mutti uses the style effectively with cleaner lines and more ordered color in the quieter scenes, and more chaotic lines and colors in the fire sequences. The flames, the burn victims, and the creature itself are all horrifically beautiful. Nothing gets overly graphic, but you get enough of an idea that it’s easy to fill in the blanks.

With near perfect pacing, a juicy mystery, and stunning artwork, Charred Remains is off to a horrifying start.