It has been over twenty years since Troy Nixey (“Harley Quinn”) released his first “Trout” comic. With “Trout: The Hollowest Knock,” he returns to the world of late 19th century horror by the sea; a heart-felt and spooky follow up to his previous two miniseries. Some Spoilers Ahead.
Cover by Troy Nixey & Dave StewartWritten, Illustrated & Lettered by Troy Nixey
Colored by Dave StewartMany years ago, a young fisherman fell in love with the Mother of the Ocean. For years he would sail out to a secret spot they called their own and sing sea shanties and in return she shared with him her heart, and the mysteries of the deep.
After a brief re-introduction to the world of “Trout,” the story leaps right back to where the last miniseries left off, but new readers should not be disheartened by that. Although this new chapter references past events, the current story does enough to fill in the gaps so that anyone following along for the first time will only have minor questions rolling around their head. There is just enough light exposition nestled between the forward momentum to allow for understanding of the characters and the world they inhabit. The writing does a lot without ever getting to the point of dragging us through painful and over-bearing backstory.
The only pain here is seen in the eyes of our main characters, the fisherman Giuseppe and his peculiar son Trout. They are accused of causing the transformations and deaths of children in the small town of Upton. They are run out of town and nearly killed themselves by an angry mob. From here the two outcasts are on a ship, sailing to a new life in Giuseppe’s childhood village. They’ve paid for passage, but fearful and superstitious members of the crew want the man and his son off the ship, blaming them for bad weather and bad luck overall. As the crew argue about why their passengers should stay or be left on their own, Giuseppe is visited by a worm-like creature that whispers in his ear while he sleeps. Clearly causing him pain, the monster seems to be feeding off of it or at least relishing every moment of it. Of course some of the mutinous crewmen see the monster huddled over the old fisherman and know that they must get him and his son off the ship immediately. A sailor attacks the creature with a knife, slicing it in half just as it makes its way out the nearest porthole. After the excitement they carry the unlucky pair out of their cabin and set them in a small dingy, in the open sea, to whichever fate may greet them.
At this point, Giuseppe and Trout are lost at sea for the remainder of the issue, but Nixey moves the narrative between cold, dark horror of the journey, with the bright bio-luminescence of the sea creatures deep below the storms and crashing waves. While there is plenty of dialogue poised to tell us that these beings have a great interest in Trout, there is nothing that tells us who they are or why the boy is so important to them. The writing perfectly sets up the mystery without giving anything away, nor is it done in a frustrating manner. Information and story pacing comes naturally and organically. We are given just enough to keep us happy and tricked into thinking we know more than we do. Are the ‘monsters’ the antagonists? Possibly, but so far the humans have been far worse. It’s beautiful storytelling.
Very few writers can successfully achieve what Nixey does in this issue. He gets the reader completely invested in his two leads, who are bizarre to say the least. Trout, is nothing short of unsettling, he does not speak at all, and the only time we hear from Giuseppe is when he spews crazed ramblings. They are lost, pathetic, and beaten down at every turn, and it is all these reasons that we start to love them. We want them to be OK, even if we don’t fully comprehend who they are, what it is that has happened to them, or what they will go through in the future.
Continued belowThere are many pages where the bulk of the dialogue is coming from strictly supernatural beings that we have no connection to or sympathy for. It can be exceedingly difficult to fill pages with inhuman characters and keep their conversations interesting to us humans, but Nixey pulls it off with the grace and talent of Neil Gaiman or Mike Mignola. We are entranced by the deep sea world and from that moment on we are looking for answers to what they are all about. It is every bit as clever as it is sorrowful.
Nixey is not only showing off his evolved writing skills with this new series, but his improved artwork as well. This is not to say that his previous works aren’t wonderfully creepy and riddled with talent (see “Jenny Finn”), but the work he’s showcasing here has a different level of confidence to it. His style has a cartoonish, almost silly quality to it, but the more you look at it, into it, through it, the more unsettling the whole thing becomes. There is a false sense of safety, but by the time you realize you should have taken the work more seriously, it is too late and the disturbing nature of it all has you in its grasp.
This first issue is all grid work, focusing on the details, and getting down to the nitty gritty. I love these misshapen, pock marked, teeth rotting from their head characters. He is an artist that gives you characters and spaces that you can feel and…smell. It plays with your senses. It wants you to fall into it completely, and if you allow yourself just a little push in the right direction, there is no doubt you will become saturated by it.
Aside from the enchanting intro page that lulls you in with a lie of a pretty and lovely fantasy, there are no grand splash pages. There are no panels that bleed over to the next page. There are no wide open spaces, just small frames to hold you and choke you. And even with this approach, the moments that need an extra beat to breathe, have it. Whether it’s a glance of an eye or a pause between action, everything is ingeniously placed, allowing for the story’s pacing to be managed not only by the writing, but by this superb art as well.
And because he is a triple threat on this book, Nixey also supplies the lettering. Dialogue bubbles are filled with text that looks like it was dredged up from the depths, soaked and on the verge of collapse. He plays with text and bubble shapes to convey emotions, tones, and even sounds.
Showing up to put the finishing touches on this campfire story is Dave Stewart (“Hellboy,” “Black Hammer”). The masterful colorist takes us on the wild ride through the story’s varied settings and sets the mood for each. The perfectly placed coppery, filthy palette of Upton, the ship interiors, and the hints of possible steampunk elements make for damn creepy moments. And his use of bright purples, yellows, greens, and blues for the underwater realm of the sea creatures is simply breathtaking. The colors of the settings play on your expectations just as the story itself does. He even manipulates certain text and text bubbles to fully commit Nixey’s intentions to the page. Like the text itself, color is used to set the mood and even cause discomfort. He uses clashing colors for text and background space to make your eyes re-adjust more than once. It is fascinating and adds to the level of detail throughout. You couldn’t ask for a better colorist than Stewart on a book like this.
“Trout: The Hollowest Knock” #1 is must read for anyone that has ever found themselves entranced by dark fantasy and late 19th century Lovecraft-ian horror. Also, a deep seeded fear of the ocean and knowing that we aren’t in control of our lives pairs nicely with this tale. This is a book filled with pain, but there is hope as well. And while at first glance it may come off as a simple dark fable, its layers have layers. This is an excellent premiere issue that deserves to be read and re-read. Clearly setting up quite a lot more story to come, one can only hope that the following three issues will match the quality of this opening.
Final Verdict: 9.5, A gorgeous and haunting fantasy. “Trout: The Hollowest Knock” takes a look at inner pain with an inky black sense of humor. A must buy.
