“Sheltered” #9 ups the ante before delivering a thrilling conclusion to it second story arc. Full of shocking twists, the “Sheltered” series keeps readers riveted with its nail-biting suspense. I can’t wait to see “Sheltered” and its edgy characters on the big screen.
WRITTEN BY: Ed Brisson
ART BY: Johnnie Christmas
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: May 29, 2014
Reviewed by Jorge Solis
With bad luck on his side, Clifford discovers the bloody massacre that went on behind the closed gates of the Safe Haven compound. Lucas and his sadistic teen followers murdered their parents, hoping to save themselves from the volcanoes exploding and the upcoming apocalypse. If Clifford reaches civilization and communicates with the outside world, the police will raid upon the compound and arrest every teen for cold-blooded murder. Victoria though just wants to put a bullet in the head of Lucas, the cult leader who killed her father.
Wrier Ed Brisson puts readers in the minds of the troubled teens at Safe Haven. Nancy’s dialogue echoes disenchanted feelings from those who have been brainwashed by cult leaders.
Nancy saw herself as a nurse but her parents wanted a different path for her. This is teen rebellion heightened to the extreme. Nancy wants to believe she did the right thing, getting rid of her parents, even though she doesn’t see it as murder.
Clifford is the underdog everyone else has given up on and can only rely on himself. This unlucky loser will just about surprise you, even when all the odds are against him. I lost count at how many times Clifford has faced death and somehow managed to save himself at the last second. Every time he survives and makes it to the next issue, I end up rooting for this guy more and more.
Artist Johnnie Christmas knows how to deliver suspense, especially when there is no dialogue and the panel is just silent. Victoria and the others are so uncomfortable being in the same room together, they cannot look at each other. If you notice carefully, Lucas’ eyes are pointed at another direction, towards the windows. Lucas is still planning something, even though his arms and wrists are tied up.
Christmas’s illustrations of the teens getting killed are indeed shocking, but they are never aimed to be gratuitous. The drawings never depicts the teens as morally strait-laced; instead presents them as murderers at their core. Curt could’ve been simply portrayed as an annoying brat. Christmas adds details to his twisted facial expressions, showing him more as a psychotic nut job.
“Sheltered” #9 closes its second story arc with a promising open-ending. Readers will definitely have lots of wicked fun with “Sheltered.”