By Zack Quaintance — Maw #1 is an excellent first issue for an intriguing new series, delivering a foundation of solid exposition with some truly chilling teases for what is to come. The book — written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle with art by A.L. Kaplan, colors by Fabian Mascolo, and letters by Cardinal Rae — is billed by publisher BOOM! Studios as Adults Only with a bolded disclaimer in all its previews for gore. Dear reader, there are surely some gruesome things headed your way in this one.

We don’t, however, see them in Maw #1, not directly. The gore and body horror destined to appear in this series is teased with precise strikes, with small inset panels of disturbing red-shaded detritus hung from trees, paired with an opening page of bloodied skin (see that page above on this very post, in fact). That’s it though. More than that, this first issue is concerned with giving us a tense and character-driven look at collective rage over societal inequities that enable horrible crimes and violations.

The end result is a first issue rich with tension that will leave readers heavily invested in the characters and what they seek — a fine accomplishment for the first chapter of any story. This is also a first issue that really does everything quite well. The dialogue is all purposeful yet organic, cluing us in while basically at the same time elucidating each of the characters. And the artwork is so well suited for the book’s various scenes and thematic interests.

I’m hesitant to talk about anything that happens in this comic specifically, at least not in any sort of great detail (it’s really a book best experienced with no prescriptive road map, I personally think), but I will note one scene appears to be heavily influenced by the aesthetic of the film Midsommar, and the artist with the colorist team here do a wonderful job evoking the kind of bright, secretive tone that movie struck through most of its first half without every feeling derivitive. It’s great work, and it lays a controlled purposeful foundation for the rest of the story.

In the end, it’s that word I keep coming back to, ‘purposeful.’ This is an assured and deliberate debut issue that also trusts its reader. It’s rare for creators to have such rightful confidence in their visions without feeling the need to dumb down their ideas for readers. But that’s what we get in Maw #1, a smart comic with important things to say, and a (likely disturbing) vision for how best to convey them.

Overall: Maw #1 is a an assured and deliberate debut issue that uses collective outrage over inequitable treatments as a hook while at the same time promising body horror and gore to come. It is, simply put, good comics. 9.0/10

REVIEW: Maw #1

Maw #1
Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle
Artist: A.L. Kaplan
Colorist: Fabian Mascolo
Color Assists: Federica Mascolo
Letterer: Cardinal Rae
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
What happens when one woman becomes the real monster society has always made her out to be? Dragged by her sister Wendy to a feminist retreat on the remote island of Angitia, Marion Angela Weber hopes to gain some perspective and empowerment... that isn't at the bottom of a bottle. But everything is horribly derailed after an assault on their first night there. The violent encounter awakens something in Marion she never imagined, triggering warped mutations in her body, and awakening a hunger she can't bring herself to name. When the townsfolk react with suspicion and violence, what unforgivable act will transform Marion into the very monster they've made her out to be?
More Info: Maw #1

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.