There was something very unnerving about the debut issue of Hairball. The series is about an adopted girl, her dysfunctional parents, and the cat that might be trying to kill them all. It’s horror in a way that the unknown disturbs as much as what is shown. Hairball #2 continues all of that with the fallout of the events of the first issue and teasing the shocking events to come.

Written by Matt Kindt, the issue disturbs and I can’t totally tell you why. It’s not necessarily scary in any way, but there’s a creepiness to it all that unnerves. There’s also a kind of pointlessness to it all so far that makes it also rather freaky. The comic itself is entertaining but the pointlessness is in the cat’s actions. The family is dysfunctional and the parents horrible, but there’s nothing mean being done to the cat at all, it’s actions are a mystery and unknown. It’s just a force of disturbance. And that seems to be some of the themes of the comic and why it works so well.

So much science fiction and horror stands out not because of the action, the kills, or the scares, but due to the underlying themes, the reflection of society underneath. The cat feels like the uncontrollable factors in our lives, so many compounding over these past few years. And in this issue, we see the young girl begin to take steps to end that chaos, she fins her agency in a way. Now, it sounds like how she goes about all of that has issues unto itself but there’s something there and what’s going on in society. All of these x-factors and forces out there and so many taking control by lashing out and causing damage of their own. Kindt has given us something to ponder.

The art by Tyler Jenkins is fantastic. With coloring by Hilary Jenkins, the comic continues to look great. The small details and sparseness at the same time creates a combination that gets rid of distractions but also teases small things. Little creatures roaming about are easy to focus on without a cluttered background and world. The cats eye which changes its look unnerves as much as anything else. The art and story are a marriage made in uncomfortableness.

Hairball #2 is another fantastic issue that hints at the deeper themes and the direction the series will go. It does an excellent job of continuing to make the reader uneasy with everything feeling a little… off. It’s a psychological twisting story that gives the reader just enough to leave them unnerved and coming back for more.

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Tyler Jenkins
Letterer: Tyler Jenkins Color: Hilary Jenkins
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle