A whole new arc of “Sheltered” brings with it a whole new angle on the plot; but if you think that means this issue will be tamer than the others, you may want to study that cover image a bit more.
Written by Ed Brisson
Illustrated by Johnnie ChristmasNEW STORY ARC!
New characters! New threats!
Things in Safe Haven are about to get a lot more complicated.
Up until now, this harrowing story of a survivalist cult has taken place solely in the compound of Safe Haven. This issue starts off outside it, and in entirely banal circumstances, which is kind of surprising and off-putting unto itself. In fact, most of the issue keeps us away from the compound as we learn about everyman Cliff and his friends; it turns out he stands to lose money on a solar panel sale to Safe Haven, and will have to trek through the snow to to close the deal with them.
It’s hard to delve much deeper into things without getting spoilery, and this is the first issue of an arc, so I’ll set the implications of the long build-up and short pay-off of this issue to the side for the moment. What’s important to focus on, though, is that Brisson really does have us get to know Cliff and Co. before they ever reach Safe Haven. Like, really, really get to know – from the little squabbles between them to their tastes in books. Witnessing so much back-and-forth dialogue between these characters has the effect of refreshing our perspective a little; these are, after all, the first adults we’ve seen alive since the first issue, and while I wouldn’t say they’re exemplary models of maturity and poise, they’ve certainly got adult problems and adult attitudes. This issue gets us straight back to reality – and real-world practicality – before it throws us down the rabbit hole again, and this break away makes the ensuing events at Safe Haven all the more disturbing.
Meanwhile, Christmas fleshes out all our new characters as they they bicker and negotiate in quiet surroundings – a warehouse, an office, a living room. It’s not the most visually exciting part of the series by a long shot, with Shari Chankhamma’s colours keeping mostly to the greys and eschewing the yellows and blues that distinguish Safe Haven. But the banal surroundings keep a spotlight on the character work, which is more subtle than it has been with the survivalist children and all the compelling for it. Little moments like a guy cupping his hands around his mouth to call his friend a “neeeeeeerd” come across with a nice feeling of realism, getting us invested in everyday worries and rivalries rather than the amped-up, paranoid ones we’ve been getting at the compound.
Speaking of Safe Haven… Well, I seem to be talking about snow in every other comic I review, but it’s particularly hard to ignore the isolating presence of the cold stuff in this issue. As Cliff and Co. make their approach toward the compound, they’re enduring whiteout conditions, and Christmas pushes the suspense of the scene by drawing attention to the way it decreases the visibility, reducing characters to huddled shadows that may or may not be holding guns.
The only thing that’s getting me about the art is the effect of Chankhamma’s colouring against Christmas’s scratchy lines. Sometimes it seems like one is trying to smooth over the other in an over-enthusiastic way, resulting in a slightly muddy finish. While this quality is fast becoming part of the series’ visual signature, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s some way this balance could be fine-tuned, particularly when it comes to the stark landscape of Safe Haven.
All of this said, this first issue of the new arc is everything we’ve come to expect from “Sheltered”, plus a little bit more. Brisson and Christmas have a slightly broader palette to work with in terms of themes and emotions by the end, and things are all the more horrific for it. It’s a great moment to jump on this series, as well an interesting side-trip for invested readers, and the fact that this issue manages to be both without getting too exposition-heavy is pretty damn impressive.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy
