“Fear Case” #1

New recruits are handed an unsolved case to solve within their first year. A single case that no one has been able to figure out in the entire existence of the Secret Service. Minor Spoilers Ahead

Cover by Francesco Francavilla

Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Tyler Jenkins
Colored by Hilary Jenkins
Lettered by Tyler Jenkins

The Fear Case is an unsolvable case that the newest agents within the Secret Service are handed upon recruitment. They are given exactly one year to solve the case before moving on to strictly their other caseload. Most agents never come close to solving it, some barely even try. However a few that got close were never the same, never returned to the service, and some were never heard from again. Or so the rumors go. Agents Winters and Mitchum are convinced they will solve the Fear Case. Their first year is almost up, but they insist they are closer than any agents have been before.

They know the previous agents who got close were never the same, and they know that if they don’t solve it, it will just go to the next recruit in line. Putting the fear in fear case, Winters and Mitchum scare one of the new guys with the vague details before hitting the road towards their next clue. With some tips from a C.I. the agents head out to a house expecting it to be just another dead end lead, but what they discover will not only change their careers, but the direction of this entire case.

The issue starts off like any detective or buddy cop movie. A mundane discussion about coffee, some background on what their day will entail at work, and just life in general as they make their way through their morning routine. Kindt writes nice, easy flowing dialogue that feels both natural and in the moment, but also takes on the tone that one expects in a story like this. Just hard boiled enough to feel intense and intriguing, but still realistic. It never gets so heightened that you get pulled out of the story. I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the story with each turn of the page.

The mystery at the center of the Fear Case is one that could be taken in various ways. It could be supernatural or it could be a belief in this thing that is so deep that those effected believe it to be supernatural. It is this turn less than halfway through the issue that is so unexpected and so disturbing that really gives the premiere its weight. Kindt could have easily plotted this out with just the simple agents going about their lives, discussing the case, and giving us basic or ambiguous details tied to the Fear Case. While we get all of that, he also goes the extra mile to really throw us right into the deep end.

The story telling is excellent. As the plot shifts in the darkest corners of the Fear Case, we begin to understand the function of it. There are story similarities to a few horror films and novels. A curse with a purpose, passed along one person to another. As the plot begins to unfold it is initially unclear as to whether this new mystery is actually part of the Fear Case, but by the end of the issue the subtle, intertwined ideas come into focus setting up the events of the coming issues.

Tyler Jenkins’s illustrations are a step or two above loose sketches, but work incredibly well with this type of horror mystery. He focuses on emotional details to propel the story rather than ensuring that everything is perfect and in its place. It mostly works throughout the issue, but he loses his way a few times. Buildings, vehicles, close up details, and the like are all represented beautifully by Jenkins’s hand, but there are a few times throughout the issue that his facial details don’t work. Character likenesses become unclear, and become too similar in a few panels. The moments in which it becomes a problem I found myself having to re-read those scenes. Faces and dialogue seemed to flip flop causing a bit of a feedback loop in the storytelling. Thankfully this only happened two or three times. The linework is akin to the sketchy detailing of Jeff Lemire or Tyler Crook. The details are there, the talent is there, and it makes for an uncommon, but clear visual storytelling.

Hilary Jenkins’s color work is the proper counterpart to Tyler’s art. Playing it fast and loose in her own way, the sketchy, unfinished look of the colors take on a variety of detail and perceived medium. Depending on the scene and style, her work takes on a look and texture of colored pencils, markers, water colors, and soft pastels. No matter the look or the style it’s beautiful, grim, and scary from start to finish. Aside from those few moments of loss in clarity, the only time the artwork doesn’t work is when we get some moments of brutal gore. The lines and colors just don’t have the style or texture to really capture the horrific scenes. Banking on the emotional aspect of the terror, the scenes still work, but it just isn’t as visceral as it could be. Otherwise I have nothing but praise for the bulk of this issue.

“Fear Case” is only going to be four issues which allows it enough space to expand and live in its world, without extraneous detail and time to get bored. It should capture the cop horror/thriller movie tone Kindt and co. are going for.

Final Verdict: 9.0 – A well thought-out mystery that turns on a dime from subtle to terrifying.