By Steve Baxi — Dim the lights. Sip on your pumpkin latte. Turn on those eerie lofi beats. Spooky Season is officially here and nothing says “spooky” quite as well as murderers, revenge and the innocent people trapped in the middle. In a new prestige one-shot - 10 Years to Death by Aaron Douglas, Cliff Richards, Guy Major, and Dave Sharpe - we’re introduced to all of our favorite seasonal horror trappings in the form of an indie crime comic.

10 Years to Death is a solid one-shot that recounts the unnerving occurrences at a maximum security prison housing both a mysterious guard and a notoriously violent inmate. The story has all of the energy of a cable rerun of your favorite slasher film. Perhaps nothing profoundly new or riveting, but familiar and cozy. This is the kind of crime horror story that doesn't swing for the fences, but builds into a light thriller to help ease you into the October frights yet to come. For that alone, I think it's worth reading as you take breaks between your Mike Flanagan binges and catching up on the latest James Wan thriller.

The star of the show is easily the art collaboration. Cliff Richards and Guy Major create a consistent sense of mystery and tension. In particular, the use of silent pages and shadows has the effect of the movie monster entering frame to hunt unsuspecting prey. The prison setting helps add intrigue even though the narrative doesn’t particularly play up the dynamics between guards and inmates as well as you might hope for. Despite this, the use of cell bars, shadows, and contrast in uniform color tell an effective tale all their own.

The color of the guard uniforms blends into the existing architecture of the prison, almost like the guards themselves are of this place. The prisoners stand out, the orange jumpsuit becomes a target on their back, creating a clear sense of who has the power. The guards’ united front to protect the prison from reprepcious also works with this color choice, no break in ranks, casting off all that doesn’t quite fit in with the uniform palette.

Douglas frames the story from the perspective of a child, the nephew of our lead character, Jonah, who works at the prison. Having his reactions and input throughout the tale, as well as the awkwardness natural to this kid not understanding the scale of what his uncle witnessed, helps the more generic murder mystery elements feel a little fresher, a little more dangerous. Make no mistake, this is a very by-the-numbers plot. However, that doesn’t mean it's not well executed. The framing, the slow realizations, and the nature of the haunt all build into a satisfying dénouement even if they don’t break the mold.

Douglas allows the narrative to flow back and forth from the perspective of Jonah and his nephew, Adam, which at times creates some confusion as to where exactly we are in time. Narration in any genre or medium can be ethereal. In Sunset Blvd, for example, the film opens with our narrator dead and explaining to us the film’s events from presumably the afterlife. In contrast, Brubaker and Phillips’ Reckless narrations come from the distant future where Ethan is writing his memoir. Here, however, it's some nebulous point in the future where Adam has grown up but moments sometimes read as if he’s still a child hearing this for the first time. As a fan of the melodramatic voice over, I usually don’t mind the ambiguity but I found it a bit distracting, even when color coded by Dave Sharpe.

Douglas’ real strength comes not from dialogue, however, but setting up effective points of escalation. The opening creates a contrast between the distraught Jonah of the present, and the confident prison guard of the past but quickly we see the hints and haunts that shake his grasp on reality. Each tell is perhaps a little obvious, but effectively constructed until the climatic moment. Douglas clearly understands horror in comics is tricky since they can’t quite do jump scares, or set a mood with score. Instead, the writing has to slowly build up tension, you need to feel like you’re walking up a ladder and at its peak find the grotesque thing you’ve dread in all its ignobility. Douglas manages to effectively lay his breadcrumbs and ultimately give us a couple scares by the end.

10 Years to Death is everything you come to a one-shot horror comic for: its economical, its effective and its eerie. The formula has not been shattered, and the stakes have not been raised but there’s nothing wrong with that. Especially as we’re just starting our month of Halloween frights, I think this is the perfect horror comic to have with your pumpkin treats. Douglas is concise in his plotting, while Richards and Major elevate this to something more atmospheric and engaging. Sharpe’s lettering is the linchpin, working hard to provide clarity even if I was still left a little confused. 10 Years to Death is a solid start to the fall season and I’m left eager to find more blends of crime and horror to enjoy this year.

Graphic Novel Review: 10 Years to Death

10 Years to Death
Writer: Aaron Douglas
Artist: Cliff Richards
Colorist: Guy Major
Letter: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: Aftershock Comics
Price: $19.99
A newly-hired prison guard, a notorious mass murderer finally incarcerated for his crimes, and the death that binds them together. What happens when the murdered becomes the murderer?
A prestige format “One-Shock” featuring top creative talent, 10 YEARS TO DEATH is a horrific, unnerving tale conceived and written by Aaron Douglas (“Chief” from the iconic TV series Battlestar Galactica), and drawn by Cliff Richards (SHOCK, Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
Publication Date: September 29, 2021
More Info: 10 Years to Death

Read more great graphic novel reviews!

Steve Baxi has a Masters in Ethics and Applied Philosophy, with focuses in 20th Century Aesthetics and Politics. Steve creates video essays and operates a subscription based blog where he writes on pop culture through a philosophy lens. He tweets through @SteveSBaxi.