By Gabe Gonzalez — Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a funny thing, especially when you’re trying to combine it with horror. The challenge, in my opinion, is to not lose sight of the disorder or rely too heavily upon it to generate scares. I was diagnosed with PTSD when I was 17, and I have personally lived with this disorder for more years than that.

So, when I saw Frank At Home On The Farm, my interest was piqued. This comic seemed to use the main character’s war-borne mental illness to provide a foundation for the sinister, a question of whether his brain was just gaslighting him into a state of terror. It’s very, very hard to portray PTSD in any medium, because it’s hard to understand and visualize the sensations those who suffer from it are going through. Your brain feels like it’s melting anytime your trauma awakens. You’re brought to your knees by phantom pains of physical trauma, you run through a hallway and see manifestations of a life you no longer have fear, yet it still shows through via cracks in your psyche. And, I’m going to be honest, I really hope this book brings it in terms of how it represents their character’s “shell shock” as it progresses. In this first issue, it gets some things right but it truly just feels like a vehicle for stock terror, which is always irritating.

The writing by Jordan Thomas is fairly solid, his focus on character building and organic interactions between the cast. He provides a good foundation for an unnerving tale with a central mystery, a man vs. self conflict, and an environment that seems way too eerie for his own good. Where his writing falters however is with the central character, Frank, who comes back from his service in the Great War. It’s implied that he’s seen some things during his time that tear at his mind. But, we’re not really treated to anything further, we’re just handed a character who really wants to find his family, but there are no true character traits that we can identify with him aside from those two things.

The man with a form of dementia and the oddball farm animals are far more interesting than Frank Cross, which will hopefully be fixed in later issues. Although, I will say that I didn’t expect the dog scene, and I thought that was executed rather well, a great piece of shock horror within these panels.

The art and lettering are the biggest strength of this issue. Clark Bint and LetterSquids visualize everything incredibly well, and the book feels visually unique. This place where Frank lives is full of interesting people, from the taxidermy lady to the creepy animal soldiers in flashbacks. The artwork surprises with every page, quickly becoming the best thing about the book. They best interpret PTSD in this medium with the snapshot panels and the torn-apart word balloons. I hope to see more of this in future issues, because I truly do think that the comic-book medium might be the perfect place to showcase PTSD in its purest form.

Overall: This book has a lot more to do to get on my good side. It uses mental illness as a vehicle for horror without going into the nitty-gritty of what makes the mental illness horrifying. The art is strong, and the world of the book feels like a place of slow-build terror, but is rather disappointing in most regards. Here’s hoping it improves in future issues. 6/10

REVIEW: Frank At Home On The Farm #1

Frank At Home On The Farm #1
Writer: Jordan Thomas
Artist: Clark Bint
Letterer: LetterSquids
Publisher: Scout Comics
Price: $3.99
Frank returns from the trenches of World War I expecting to be greeted by his loving family on their farm. What he finds instead is a dark mystery, his family missing, and only the animals there waiting for him. This sets in motion a terrifying and horrific turn of events as Frank begins his desperate search for his missing kin in a tale that is equal parts The Shining and Twin Peaks.
Release Date: November 18, 2020
Buy It Here: Frank At Home On The Farm #1

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Gabe Gonzalez