This 2024 work from Top Shelf Productions begins with an explosion that level of destruction rivals that of an atomic bomb. 20 square miles is wiped out in the blink of an eye. At the time of the disaster, it was believed that a gas leak was behind the carnage.
Jump ahead 12 years. The Australian community has rebuilt over ground zero to some effect. However, the damage from the explosion still lingers over the city. A large shopping mall had to be condemned due to structural and foundational damage. However in an attempt to make a little money, the owner has been secretly renting out a wing of the complex to his son who's turned the spot into a discount daycare facility.
12 year old Hailey has been spending her school holiday at the day camp. As one of the older children, she's given responsibilities to wander the grounds looking for escapees from the center. In her rounds she encounters a mysterious older teen who seems to know all about the history of the mall. Hailey also encounters a pair of boys who've found a bunch of mysterious gooey eggs that react to human speech. These eggs also seem to be merging together into one giant mass...
In Utero was a surprising read. The main villain in this monstrosity that looks like a combined nightmare dreamed up by Lovecraft and Stephen King. Think Re-Animator meets The Langoliers. The government agents that seek to quarantine the mall act like any sort of biological researcher you'd see in a zombie film. Only, thanks to the experience we've all had with the pandemic, their presence makes the story a little bit more realistic and a whole lot terrifying. Add in the mystery of the explosion from a dozen years past and it also feels like 9/11 all over again.
Yet despite the fear factor of this graphic novel, there's an element of joy in the relationship between Hailey and the mysterious teen named Jen. It's completely unexpected considering the level of carnage being raged by the monster that is reforming in the confines of the abandoned mall. Yet, this type of camaraderie is what made this a quick read that I could not put down!
A read that feels like it could or SHOULD be set in the universe of J.J. Abrams' Cloverfield franchise. The year 2024 is only a couple of months old. Yet, this very well could be one of the top graphic novels of the year! It's that good!
Completing this review completes Task #24 (A New Release at Your Local Library) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment