Reviewed by Taylor Hoffman // @taylorcheckers
It’s the first night without 4G for most in the cast of teens in ‘No Mercy’, but posting to instagram is now lowest priority in terms of staying alive. Now stranded after their bus steers way off course and far from any sign of civilization, they literally can’t even at this point. Alex De Campi, Carla Speed McNeil, and Jenn Manley Lee turn a pre-Princeton service learning excursion to South America into a terrifying survival saga. Everything is amazingly dark in this second installment and things take an even deadlier turn for the worse almost every page. It’s up to Sister Ines to pick up the pieces and help everyone get through the night without anyone getting ripped to shreds.
Story By: Alex De Campi
Art By: Carla Speed McNeil
Colors By: Jenn Manley Lee
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: 5/6/2015
Price: $2.99
Each issue begins with a body count and already their failed party bus is down five members. Only Sister Ines and nine of the teenagers remain and it’s no secret that fewer will return each issue. Unlike the first issue that was almost obnoxiously bright and bubbly, proving how especially annoying privileged American teens often are when only communicating in emoji, this issue is near pitch black. High SAT scores aren’t keeping them very warm and morale is dwindling as the cold sets in.
Everyone has their specific role to play in this Lord of The Flies reboot and De Campi crafted an excellent range of players, though “The Quiet Kid” is still a mystery. With her face splattered with blood, Gina, the sweetest and most naive girl on her first time “trip” outside of Michigan, tries to rally spirits by singing the third worst song from Frozen. The twins, Chad and Charlene, attempt to stash away the secret briefcase full of cocaine and find a severely wounded Kira among the rubble. This is where the hints of gore and horror that De Campi does so well begin to seep out –– Sister Ines needs to reset Kira’s bone and the next few pages delight in this chilling event. It’s only a preview scene of the blood that the territorial coyotes draw, but it’s one damn shuttering scene. Equally troubling is Tiffani’s attempt at taking care of the very unconscious Lily, who’s obviously her best friend. From them we get the true desperation of just wanting to go home, and that this reality is far too real to handle. Even though these were all kids that irritated me so much in the first issue, I feel pretty deep sympathy for the majority of them now that everyone’s in the same life-or-death situation. Those panels of Tiffani weeping helplessly and singing cute Japanese songs to comfort her dying friend hits hard, and McNeil really puts those emotions to work in these close up panels with faces illuminated by a common flame. Of course, it takes one idiot to ruin even that and make everything even worse by basically inviting flesh eating beasts to a buffet. It’s at this point where this comic really digs into the meat of the story. As soon as the light goes out, the devilish coyotes swirl out of nightmarish nowhere and showing… no mercy.
There’s so much to love about No Mercy, especially how much it plays with the classic horror tropes. It’s a pretty common idea to have a bunch of teens get lost in killer woods, but there’s something special about this one that feels more creepy than scary. There’s more waiting out there in the dark, of course. Who will die next, and how? Will there be werewolves? Will there be drug rings on the lookout? Where are the twins? Why does Chad have to be so mean to Charlene?
Even if you’re not a fan of horror or typically scary things, No Mercy is more than worth checking out. It’s surprising how effective good coloring of a mangled bus can be to scare the hell out of someone.