There are a lot of comics out there, but some just stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, one of IDW’s miniseries, “House Amok”, is shaping up as a hidden gem that you’ll want to get in on before it wraps.
Who’s This By?
“House Amok” is written by Christopher Sebela (“Crowded”, “High Crimes”), with art by Shawn McManus (“Swamp Thing”, “Omega Men”), colors by Lee Loughridge (“Crude”, “Southern Cross”) and letters by Aditya Bidikar (“Paradiso”, “Assassinistas”).
What’s This All About?
Dylan Sandifer is a typical ten-year-old, really. She’s a homeschooled fraternal twin with a conspiracy theorist dad, hard-working mother, bored older brother and an extraordinary ability to tell a story so convincing that it inspires her family to set off across the country to battle the global conspiracy of ReAdjusters, cross-dimensional invaders, secret implants and a whole lot of missing organs.
Too bad none of it’s true. Or … is it?
(Warning: major spoilers ahead)
So, Why Should I Read This?
First off, this series is a delightful mash-up of just about every conspiracy out there. Government implants? Check. Shape-shifting beings from outer space, or another dimension, or both? Check. Illuminati-esque control mechanisms designed to alter reality to suit the whims and needs of the elite few? Check. “House Amok” is at once a send-up and a love letter to all of the wild, intricate and bewildering ways humans try to expand their consciousness beyond this particular reality. I’m not saying I believe conspiracy theories, but they sure are a trip to learn about.
Second, “House Amok” is a nice examination of how familial bonds are at once supportive and destructive. Couched in an obviously dysfunctional landscape, “House Amok” digs deeper into family dynamics that are mostly recognizable, even if we don’t all experience them through such literal violence. There’s the coming-out story hinted at in issues #1 and #2, cleverly told mostly through art, that’s quickly subsumed by the family madness save for one biting reference from Mom. There’s the peculiar identity crisis Dylan’s experiencing as she realizes Ollie and she are not of the unified mind they once were. There’s the precursor to the primal, Carrie-like puberty narrative running through Ollie’s strange behavior. There’s what the stress of raising kids will do to parents, both in their logic processes and their relationship with each other. Most importantly, there’s the dangerous mythology of “family first” which, as we see, isn’t always the healthiest even when it’s not directly homicidal.
Third, the creative team’s craft fuses seamlessly to create a wonderful product. Sebela’s a crack storyteller, and Dylan’s diary-style narration, enhanced by Bidikar’s exceptional notepaper narration boxes and kid-like typeface, helps us absorb the hyperbole of it all. The omnipresent voice would be annoying in other contexts, but when you’re that age, everything is immediate, disturbing and intense, even when your family’s not living in a bus to escape inter-dimensional creatures. McManus’ art strikes the perfect balance of cartoonish and impressionistic. Dylan and her family are rendered in loving cartoon detail, even while the world around them descends into rougher lines and blurry unreality. It’s very hard to mix loose and fine line work on the page, but McManus’ talent for each gels into a very unique and sophisticated style that’s perfected by Loughridge’s excellent color palette. Bright colors would overwhelm and detract from some of the careful subtlety of Dylan’s expressions, so even the blood’s a little more muted. Each page boasts fine tonal design and balance. Finally, the layouts are simple enough so the art can shine, with some nice splashes throughout the first issues to break up the more regular panel work.
Fourth, the mind-bending unreality of it all. Did I mention that Sebela tells a mean story? Well, I’ll say it again, because you can read this book on multiple levels. If you want a fun horror romp through ideas that could make even the most logical among us pause, this book is for you. If you want a fiercely tender examination of how family goes wrong (and sometimes right), this book is for you. If you want a nuanced look at shared mania, as well as threads of what mental illness can and does feel like or manifest for some of us, this book’s also for you. And if you just like good art, concise storytelling, and creepy comics, this book? Is definitely for you.
Continued belowI’m looking forward to seeing if there’s anything to the grand design because I can’t predict where “House Amok” is going and for me, that’s the best kind of comic there is. Sebela and company have me on the hook until we’re through.
How Can You Read It?
“House Amok” #3 (of 5) is out today, and all released issues are available on IDW’s website, at your LCS, and on Comixology. In addition, the trade of the 5-issue series is currently slated for release in late March 2019.
