By Zack Quaintance — I’m going to double down on my wordplay from the headline for this post and note that when I finished reading I Hate This Place #1, I did not in fact hate it. I actually loved it, or at least liked it quite a bit, and more importantly, I came away thinking this book seems as likely as any monthly horror comic in recent memory to find an audience. The reason being is that it not only reads well, but it makes great use of its genre, both in terms of the creative places it goes and the tropes it draws from, using them in a way that’s not quite a full on deconstruction but is definitely somewhere in the neighborhood.

I’ll go into greater detail about why this book worked so well for me further on, but first the relevant credits and info. I Hate This Place #1 — alternately known as Fuck This Place #1 — is published by Skybound via Image Comics. The writer of the book is Kyle Starks, who is making his first foray into horror comics after a long line of excellent action-comedy stories, including Sex Castle, Rock Candy Mountain, Assassin Nation, and, most recently, The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton. Starks is joined on the book by Artyom Topilin, doing his first major series in the direct market, with colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Pat Brosseau.

The premise in I Hate This Place #1 is made more than clear by the end of the first issue. A couple has inherited a country house with land from a departed relative; they uproot their lives and move out to that house, all excited; and when they get there they find it is lousy with horror movie premises. Aliens? Check. Zombies? Oh yeah. A mysterious demon thing lurking in the woods? You bet. There’s even a serial killer looking for money in this place. The idyllic visions they had of starting a new life in a place they finally own quickly turns to terror, with our characters now left to figure out how to co-exist with basically every scary movie premise you can think of.

So yeah, those are the relevant bits here. It’s a strong premise, to be sure, in as much as I’m fairly certain I’ve never seen one story determined to include everything. Some horror stories have a few things, most horror stories have one thing, but this horror story? It’s got everything. Moreover, though, the execution of this comic is fantastic. This may be Topilin’s first major comics work, but it certainly won’t be his last. With hints of influence by top tier horror artists like Martin Morazzo, you can almost sense Topilin getting more assured with his illustrating as this first issue progresses, bolder with his linework and more precise. It definitely helps to have a veteran support team along for the ride too, with Loughridge’s colors and Brosseau’s lettering both enhancing the ideas and ambiance. They’re a great team, one that will engage you with this first issue and inspire curiosity for what they’re going to do with the second.

Starks, meanwhile, is a writer perhaps best known for his jokes, with a particular skill for naming characters. While the humor and wit in I Hate This Place #1 is less overt, the book still has some very clever lighter moments. The humor here is just one ingredient, almost situational as it’s drawn from a more grounded style. This story also trades in horror (of course) as well as subtle romance and thoughtful questions about what home is, as well as the sacrifices one makes in a relationship to plan for the future.

It all comes together quite well, and it’s actually that glut of interests that has me recommending this book to pretty much anyone who enjoys reading monthly comics.

Overall: I Hate This Place #1 is an excellent first issue, one that draws from more horror tropes than it seems like would be possible, ultimately creating something wholly excellent and wholly new. 9.5/10

REVIEW: I Hate This Place #1

I Hate This Place #1
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Artyom Topilin
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: Image Comics - Skybound
SERIES PREMIERE
FOR FANS OF GIDEON FALLS AND HOME SICK PILOTS!
After inheriting a farm house, Trudy and Gabby are ready to start the next chapter of their lives together...except it's already home to a mysterious force that's attracted ghosts, aliens, and all kinds of supernatural beings for decades.
Now, Gabby and Trudy must play by the "house rules" in order to survive living among the most frightening creatures on Earth in this new series from KYLE STARKS (ASSASSIN NATION, THE SIX SIDEKICKS OF TRIGGER KEATON) and ARTYOM TOPILIN (ICE CREAM MAN PRESENTS: QUARANTINE COMIX SPECIAL).
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Digital

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He has written about comics for The Beat and NPR Books, among others. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.