When blood began to run down Dara Lund’s legs at Nature Camp, she thought she was dying. Homeschooled by a protective dad after her mom’s mysterious death, Dara wasn’t told the facts of life. “It’s the Curse,” her bunkmates said, not revealing it was her period. “But we can lift it…if you do everything we say.” So began their week of torment, making naive Dara do torturous tasks for their amusement. But now, 10 years later, as they embark on their careers, the three tormentors find themselves cursed—so they reunite to track down the likely source: a vengeful Dara. And they’ll pursue her to the bloody end. Flow #1 spins horror out of childhood bullying.

Written by Paula Sevenbergen, Flow #1 is an interesting comic. While it focuses on an experience of women, the underlying concept is universal. Much like Carrie, Flow is a story about trauma, gender oppression, and vengeance over the humiliation experienced as a kid. While I am a guy and haven’t experienced this, I have been teased and made fun of for other bodily issues. Kids can be cruel and being bullied is a universal experience that knows no bounds. It makes the comic relatable no matter your age or gender.

Sevenbergen bounces back and forth between the past and present, introducing us to Dara and taking us through the trauma of her time at camp. We see the abuse directed at her not just due to her first period, but also her mother and her mother’s death. It also comes together to paint a picture of a child who had a traumatic upbringing in multiple ways and also tie into the experiences of her tormentors as adults.

In the present, strange occurrences are happening to Dara’s camp tormentors that tease they have something to do with Dara. Going into the comic, I wondered how these individuals would know it has something to do with her, but each experience perfectly ties back to camp and the torture they inflicted on the young girl. But, it’s also clear there’s more to these individuals’ current lives and they each have their own issues they’re going through beyond the strange happenings. It’s an interesting comic teasing the abusers are also abused as well and we’ll see if that’s explored more.

The art by Claudia Balboni is pretty solid with the characters showing some nice emotion and there being a tinge of horror in the every day life. The few instances of real strange experiences is so extreme, it shows a nice visual build towards the moment that really emphasizes the “scare.” The color by Fabi Marques and lettering by Jodie Troutman all combine to create a comic that feels like a slice of life comic but there’s a bit of unease about it all as well. The rather benign day to day leads to scares and a building of tension.

Flow #1 is an intriguing comic. It starts as a solid horror tale that feels like it is inspired by the classic Carrie. And, in today’s environment, it also feels like it has a lot of potential to entertain and scare while also having something to say underneath it all. It’s start is a solid example that horror can be about the scares as well as something deeper.

Story: Paula Sevenbergen Art: Claudia Balboni
Color: Fabi Marques Letterer: Jodie Troutman
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Mad Cave Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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