Writer Brandon Montclare and artist Amy Reeder have joined forces for a Halloween themed one-shot from Image Comics called Halloween Eve. The book follows the story of a young woman appropriately named Eve as she and her colleagues prepare for the busiest night of the year at the costume shop at which they work. The employees are warned that the day before Halloween is always the most hectic of the season, with the activity slightly less chaotic on Halloween itself. The staff is advised that costumes are 100% mandatory on Halloween, much to Eve’s chagrin. While the book offers crisp artwork from Reeder, the story feels like an empty ripoff of children’s Halloween stories.

WRITTEN BY: Brandon Montclare
ART BY: Amy Reeder
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 10, 2012

Eve is all attitude and surliness and she doesn’t even try to hide her disdain for what she sees as an indulgent children’s holiday. After quite literally falling through the looking glass into a fantastical rip-off of The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Halloween Town, Eve eventually comes around and learns to love the holiday and all its ghoulish delights.

The sentiment behind “Halloween Eve” is as saccharine as it is seasonal though the basic premise falls more in line with the archetypal ‘X learns the meaning of Christmas’ formula. A reader can only expect so much in-depth character development from a book totaling less than 50 pages but “Halloween Eve” does leave something to be desired in the speedy resolution of Eve’s distaste for the
holiday. Eve and the other characters of “Halloween Eve,” included her mostly pathetic love interest Raymond, are never quite fleshed out as real people, and for the most part, they have all the depth of showroom mannequins.

Montclare never gives us a reason why Eve has such a bad attitude about the entire affair but it’s evidently not a very strong one as it seemingly takes a handful of minutes for her to overcome it. Most stories follow a basic three act dramatic structure: the protasis, the epitasis, and the catastrophe, to borrow from the Greek terminology. In “Halloween Eve” we get the beginning and the end, but we seem to be missing all the juicy bits in the middle.

The plot is far from meaty but the artwork makes the book worth the cover price. Amy Reeder has said that it’s some of the best work of her career and that conviction and confidence dances right off the page. The visuals in “Halloween Eve” are bursting with vibrant colors and dynamic inks, which pop with all the flavor of the tastiest Halloween treats. Montclare’s dull story is given life by Reeder’s exquisite line work and delicious designs. Though it doesn’t offer much by way of conflict, the art is nothing short of lovely. Montclare and Reeder’s “Halloween Eve” is a confection of a comic that will satisfy your craving from something short, but sweet – at least in the way of eye candy.

Rating: 2.5/5

Reviewed by – MelissaGrey