As a fan of Supernatural, I enjoyed the show for most of its entire run. I enjoyed the dynamics between the brothers and how they sacrificed themselves for each other. Season after season, the love between them and for those who they call “family”, made their adventures more than your typical procedural. At its core, it was really a show about family. The recently collected comic series Scarenthood has that same building block at its core.

I often wondered what kind of life the siblings of Supernatural would have if their lives were more stable. We saw a bit of this in the series finale, as one meets their end during a job while the other goes on to live a “normal” life. I secretly wanted both of them to find peace in the series conclusion. In a similar iteration, Nick Roche and Chris O’Halloran gives us a spin on this very question with their deceivingly biting Scarenthood.

The comic focuses on a group of parents, Jen, Cormac, Rhona, and Flynno, as they commiserate over what they will do when they don’t have their kids. From there the story spirals into an investigation concerning the schoolhouse the kids go to. Scarenthood delivers a flipped dynamic of what we’d expect. Instead of the kids investigating the haunting and what goes bump in the night, it’s the parents while the kids are away.

The series delivers its strength in the setup but then getting the reader to question what’s real, if anything. Is this just parents breaking down and losing it? Is there really an evil force out there. The series does a great job leaving you guessing as it builds. But, no matter what, the series focuses on the relationships between the parents and the parents and the kids to build a group of characters you care about.

Overall, Scarenthood an eerie and relatable story. The story by Roche is scary. The art by Roche and O’Halloran is gorgeous. Altogether, an excellent comic collection that is a fine addition to the horror genre.

Story: Nick Roche Art: Nick Roche and Chris O’Halloran
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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