Review — Being A Parent Is A Tough Job, Especially In ‘The Twilight Zone’ #6

It is said that being a parent is the only true full-time job. In The Twilight Zone, that notion turns out to be even truer.

In the IDW’s series latest issue, called Growth, writer and artist Nicole Goux deals with that delicate topic in a typically Twilight Zoney way. Piper is depressed. She doesn’t know why. Therapy isn’t helping. Her apartment is a mess, and she isn’t all that motivated to clean it.

When a friend comes over to shake her out of her complacency, Piper realizes she needs to do something. She’s not all that into cooking, but since she has to eat, she tries one of those meal subscription plans called Healthy Root. But the free trial gives her a lot more than expected. She ends up growing a sentient vegetable. Instead of snacking on it, Piper decides to raise the plant-child.

That decision, from the woman who swore off motherhood, is surprising. The rest of the issue deals with the fallout from that decision. After all, this isn’t your typical toddler. Piper and baby meet discrimination at every turn.

Goux has a lot to say here about modern parenthood and how it becomes engrossing — literally. Storytelling like this can be a challenge with a single issue — and a black and white one at that — to try to flesh out characters, a story, and the resolution. Goux isn’t entirely successful, partially because she spends a lot of time setting up Piper’s character and issues. It’s an important exposition, but Goux quickly runs out of pages, leaving the rest of the story feeling rushed.

She tries to make up for the lack of real estate by dividing some of the pages into very small panels, which can make them difficult to decipher at times. Still, the story of a parent’s love for her child — whether that offspring is her biologically or through adoption — comes shining through.

The Twilight Zone #6 is now available in comic book stores and on digital platforms from IDW.