Comics
Review: ‘Sheltered’ #3
After the startling cliffhanger from its first issue , “Sheltered” #3 continues to be a suspenseful thrill-ride. Showing no signs of slowing down, the “Sheltered” creative team examines every corner of its world, always keeping the narrative interesting. What we’ve learned so far is that in order to survive the apocalypse, you can’t trust anyone over 18.
WRITTEN BY: Ed Brisson
ART BY: Johnnie Christmas
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: September 4th, 2013
Afraid of the outside world, a group of parents took their children to Safe Haven, a gated and isolated community. Safe Haven belongs to the like-minded “Preppers,” survivalists who have trained themselves for the inevitable doomsday. What the parents didn’t know is that their children lost their minds. Led by Lucas, the teenagers eventually turned against their parents and murdered them. Though she is in their age range, Victoria only sees Lucas as the psychopath who murdered her father. How will Victoria take down Lucas when he has already turned the “Preppers” into savages?
Writer Ed Brisson explores the rebelliousness of youth at its extreme. Because there are no parents, the children are the rulers of their own domain. There is no one to tell them what they can or cannot do. Now seeming more as a cult leader, Lucas previously had all his followers take part in the bloody massacre. After snapping under pressure, Lucas wants his followers to take the extra step. If Victoria cannot fall in line just like the others, she has to be taken out of the picture, just like her father.
Brisson presents Victoria as someone who has always been a free-thinker. Not everyone likes what she has to say, which is what Victoria’s father warned her about in the first issue. What was seen as a flaw in her personality is what’s actually keeping her alive. Victoria immediately realizes something is seriously wrong with Lucas. After hearing Lucas’ reasoning behind the murder of her father, Victoria understands Lucas’ grand scheme is actually a lie.
Artist Johnnie Christmas is able to physically show to readers how mentally unbalanced Lucas is. Notice the way Christmas illustrates Lucas’s face after Victoria hits him. Pay close attention to the pattern on Lucas’s forehead as the lines of blood zigzag around. Readers are able to tell Lucas is cracked in the head because of how he visually appears. Lucas’ mental breakdown is captured on his face and there is nothing to hide it.
In the first installment, the narrative took place during a single day. As the story progressed, it is always nighttime in Safe Haven, as if the sun refuses to rise. While playing around with shadows and the snow, Christmas captures an eerie atmosphere of isolation and claustrophobia. There is no city to for Victoria to run to, because the snowy woods seem endless.
“Sheltered” #3 gets the heart of its readers racing. As the “Sheltered” series steers into “Lord of the Flies” territory, we’re soon going to see how far these teenagers have fallen into the dark side of human nature.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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