“House Amok” #1

“House Amok” #1 begins a story woven from elements of conspiracy thrillers, Lovecraftian horror, and contemporary folklore. It’s a unique tale that will leave you scratching your head in puzzlement while asking for more.

Written by Christopher Sebela
Illustrated by Shawn McManus
Colored by Lee Loughridge
Lettered by Aditya Bidikar

Ten-year-old fraternal twin Dylan Sandifer and her family have fallen down a rabbit hole full of secret implants, conspiracy theories, Mandela effects, extradimensional invaders, and organ thieves. As the attacks against them intensify, the Sandifers light out on a cross-country search for answers and salvation, blazing a bloody path of torture, arson, and murder. Can young Dylan save her family from these delusions… or is this ornate conspiracy actually true? “The Sandifers are experiencing a mental condition known as folie a deux, a shared madness that will drive them to kidnap and torture strangers, burn down secret safe houses, and do whatever it takes to stay alive.” —Christopher Sebela, Eisner-nominated writer. It’s a summer vacation the Sandifers will never forget, evoking Natural Born Killers and The X-Files for fans of Paper Girls and Locke & Key.

‘Part One: We’re a Happy Family’ introduces us to Dylan Sandifer. It’s through Dylan’s eyes that we see her world and meet her family. With the guidance of Sebela and McManus, the view is often unsettling. Other times it’s downright terrifying.

The decision to make Dylan the POV character for most of this story sets it apart. We’re eased into a strange and violent world by a 10-year-old girl that has never known any other. Dylan tells us about her twin sister, her father’s homeschooling, teasing her big brother, her dogs, and even the two pet fish that died. As the story progresses, we find ourselves scrutinizing each panel, looking for clues about the real story. Sebela and McManus juxtapose a sweet little girl with her unusual family, showing us only enough about this new world to get us hooked.

McManus’s artwork accentuates the contradictions in “House Amok” by combining a light and playful feel with jarring violence. A man flies through the air sporting a smiling hockey mask and a baseball bat in a jaunty pose right out of a cartoon. But in the next panel, the bat drips with blood. Dylan and her twin sister take the dogs for an evening walk at dusk. The family’s converted school bus rides past a grassy field and a cheery road sign. In the background, a gas station explodes.

Both the series blurb and the title page of “House Amok” #1 call attention to the phenomenon of folie a deux; a shared delusion. From this, it seems we should believe that the Sandifer family shares a fantasy, and that’s why they do such terrible things. But sometimes we’re left wondering if they really are delusional.

What little we learn about the Sandifer’s beliefs is served in snatches of conversation. Usually in conversations that Dylan shouldn’t be hearing. Sebela and McManus deliver the backstory from the background in tantalizing morsels. We often learn two things at the same time from a single panel.

McManus uses the only two splash pages in a back-to-back sequence for a supernatural event at the Oregon Vortex. This decision lends the scene power and significance. Is it significant because it demonstrates the depth of the shared delusion, or because it happened? In keeping with the theme of juxtaposition, one page is dark and creepy, with the focal point of the page in shadow. Then, in the second splash, the light shifts to the center of the page and dark and creepy becomes, well, bright and creepier.

Loughbridge’s colors set the mood for each scene. He alternates between monotone, two-tone, and multi-colored palettes. The two-tone scenes are particularly effective at drawing attention to characters or details in a panel. He colors Tyler a dark blue in the foreground when he reacts to something at the Vortex. Dylan holds her hands over her ears, standing out in a monochrome bedroom.

The gas station convenience store is well-lit and ordinary, while an encounter in the parking lot is washed in dark blue. The Sandifer home is bright and cheerful, and the family enjoys a normal meal if you ignore their conversation.

The opening sequence is a harrowing encounter at the service station. We’re introduced to Dylan and her twin Ollie first, and their different personalities are illustrated via their interactions. Ollie is the ringleader, urging Dylan along and even placing her head on her sister’s shoulder like the proverbial devil. Throughout the action, McManus’s rendering of the girls tells us what we need to know. Ollie hides behind her mother with a grin as she brandishes a gun, while Dylan cowers.

Each page of the opening scene raises the stakes, escalating from shoplifting, to a beating, to kidnapping, and beyond. A lot happens in eight pages as we are shown a violent and brutal crime in exhaustive detail. But as the action escalates, the carnage is set off to one side so that we can see the twins and their different reactions.

The relationship between Dylan and Ollie is a story of contrasts, so much so that what Dylan tells us sometimes contradicts what we see. She tells us they share everything, moments before we see Ollie spying on her. Inside their home the sisters are indistinguishable. They look and act the same. At the Oregon Vortex, they wear mirror image t-shirts (“21” and “12” – who’s the Rush fan?) but are never named. At the gas station, the differences between them are clearly drawn and writ large. Ollie smiles the entire time, while Dylan’s purses her lips when her mouth is not open in shock.

We’re plunged deep into Dylan’s strange world, and the story pushes at the line between reality and fantasy. Is Dylan the one who is mad? That ambiguity is part of the story and part of the fun.

Final Verdict: 9.0 – “House Amok” #1 is a disturbing story that is told from a compelling point of view. It’s a promising start to what should be a memorable series.