By Ariel Baska — Don’t ruin the plot. Don’t ruin the plot. That’s every reviewer’s fear, but I think I’m safe in this case, since the titular family plot is already in ruins, and as to the comic book’s plot, every issue, including the most current one (#5, reviewed here) leaves you off-balance on a spinning wheel of fire - where she goes nobody knows....

Two pages were all I needed to get hooked by this book. Those first two delicious pages give you the line that echoes through every issue “in order to receive, first you must give.” They immerse you in the world of the Blaine family’s creepy manse and introduce you with a few economically expressed frames to a worn and embittered Chase, the first of the accursed Blaines we meet, as he moves back into his ancestral home. 

Set mostly in small-town Maine in 1974, The Plot, Issues #1 - #4, concerns Chase’s difficulties after the violent murder of his brother and his brother’s wife. Chase takes in his newly orphaned niece and nephew, bringing them across the country to the imposing manor. 

The first words spoken by the children are in a secret language, drawn in a scrawling cursive of nonsense by Jim Campbell, conveying simultaneously the nephew Zach’s developmental stage, selective mutism, and his close relationship with his sister, MacKenzie, who understands him. She in particular is given a powerful introduction as a character, but is often put in the place of an avatar for the reader, questioning in some of the few expository moments or quietly piecing together the jagged edges of her family’s history. As the issues continue, the relationship between MacKenzie and Zach, their adopted family, and the town at large becomes a fuller, clearer picture, just as the waters around them, like the skeletons in their closets, become ever more muddy and enveloping.

The brilliance of this book is that character relationships are often portrayed simplistically at first, to lull the reader into easy assumptions about back story or intent. As the arc progresses, whether forwards or backwards through (minimal and judiciously used) flashbacks, the complex layers of the story and the character development work together in concert to create a gripping work that satisfies as it ratchets up the tension. 

Rather than using plot alone to create suspense in this comic, the writers and artists effectively convey the gnawing presence that weighs on these characters, and it can be felt in every frame. Joshua Hixson’s line drawings are particularly well-suited to the cinematic style of Daniel and Moreci. His work subverts expectation as much as the character development does, using different parts of the frame for effect, and connecting images in unexpected ways. 

On the creature feature side, Hixson’s horrific shapes are oozing and skeletal, reminiscent of del Toro’s Crimson Peak. Where del Toro connoted the supernatural with a bright and plasticene palette, the work of the colorist Jordan Boyd keeps the work, however eerie, rooted firmly in the natural world. The sickly yellows, greens and browns are a very distinct aesthetic, colored expressively with the dance of light on water. At the same time, he distinguishes a drastic change of scenery with a drastic change of color palette. Boyd does this often, so subtly I usually wasn’t aware of it. One particular shift that impressed me was a move from the home setting, full of calming blues and purples, to a scene in a bar, full of macho rage. Boyd’s use of streaks of orange and pink was shockingly effective at this tonal switch, creating a setting both masculine and menacing. 

This book twists and turns in Tim Daniel and Michael Moreci’s narrative that is both organically structured and impossible to unravel, like a Gaudi design. In addition to superb use of character voicing, choice, and carefully laid clues,  the cinematic transitions between each scene are the most effective I’ve ever seen within this genre. The sound effects of a sledgehammer, lettered with insistence by Jim Campbell, wake you into the next scene with a start. Likewise, sound cues, frightening images out of context, and unexpected call and response in dialogue form pull you forward by the scruff of the neck. 

All of the creators involved in this superb volume from Vault Comics have proven that they are each individually great, but in collaboration, they have achieved a blend of storytelling that is masterful in alternately thwarting and satisfying expectations. This constant roller coaster of emotion is possibly why I feel so blissful even as I wait with bated breath for the next issue. I can’t even say that I’m disappointed it had to end - even as I dangle on that cliff, I’m grateful for the thrill.

Overall: The Plot, Vol. 1 is an essential volume for any fan of horror comics, and it will most certainly pull you under and never let you go. 10/10

REVIEW - The Plot, Vol. 1

The Plot, Vol. 1
Writers: Tim Daniel and Michael Moreci
Artist: Joshua Hixson
Colorist: Jordan Boyd
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $17.99
In order to receive... first you must give. When Chase Blaine's estranged brother and sister-in-law are murdered, he becomes guardian to MacKenzie and Zach, the niece and nephew he hardly knows. Seeking stability for the children, Chase moves his newly formed family to his ancestral home in Cape Augusta -- which overlooks a deep, black bogland teeming with family secrets.
Release Date: March 4, 2020
Buy It Digitally: The Plot, Vol. 1

Read more great writing about collected editions and graphic novels!

Ariel Baska pretends to know many things. And yeah, she has a pop culture podcast, Ride the Omnibus. Which may or may not be exactly as pretentious as you think.