Ashli’s first day as a nurse at Saint Cascia Psychiatric Hospital turns into a nightmare as a bloody riot sends her fleeing into the bowels of the hospital. Her descent takes her to a hellish world populated by lunatics and monsters, cloaked in a secret history of black magic and heinous scientific experiments.

That’s the concept behind writer Cullen Bunn and artist Jack T. Cole‘s The Unsound, the new series published by BOOM! Studios. Creepy and ominous are two words I’d describe this horror series that has your eyes questioning everything and leaving you to wonder what exactly everything was.

Bunn is a master of horror with numerous series under his belt in the genre and here is no different in a story that feels like it channels the more popular horror of today where quick flashes of individuals has you seeing demons or weird beings and mix in a style that had me thinking of Tool music videos at times. All of that comes together to create a debut issue that sucks you in and this is coming from someone who generally doesn’t enjoy horror at all.

The setting of a psychiatric hospital isn’t anything new but Bunn gives a history to it that’s expansive and adds depth to a story that’s honestly a bit unexpected. We’re taken on a tour that’s just enough for it all to have lots of character but not overwhelming to a point it’s hard to keep track of everything. Then we begin going down the rabbit hole.

The art by Cole is solid with a style to it that adds to the horror setting. The character designs and design of the hospital itself had me off center in a way due to an uneasiness about it. It’s pretty interesting in that way that the story has a certain feel about it, but the art puts it over the top. It’s a great combination, but that uneasiness is amplified by the lettering of Jim Campbell which has a style about it that feels like it fits a horror setting and story.

As I said, I’m not a fan of horror but Bunn has me really interested in seeing what happens next. This feels like the beginning of the spiral down to wherever we’re going to be taken and what’s been flashed so far is enough to get any horror fan excited.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Jack T. Cole Letters: Jim Campbell
Main Cover: Jack T. Cole Retailer Variant: David Lafuente
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review