The world ended in a hush. The creatures came for the cities first. But in Pearl, Iowa—a tiny island town on the Mississippi—the mayor and townsfolk believe that’s someone else’s problem. Cut off from the chaos of the coasts, they think they can ride out the storm. But fire chief Lonnie Fry knows better. The creatures that hunt by sound are coming west, and unless the people of Pearl take drastic action, silence won’t save them—it’ll bury them. A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is based on the film franchise, but you don’t need to watch the films to enjoy the comics.
Written by Phil Hester, A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is a nice start to the popular horror franchise that keeps things focused. I’ve never seen any of the films, but it’s a debut that is accessible by anyone and really relevant to today’s world.
Hester introduces us to a small town, rather isolated from the world. And with that isolation comes a disbelief about what they’re witnessing on television, in the news, and warnings from others. They don’t believe there’s creatures on their way, a denial of the clear evidence before them. Hester delivers an allegory from modern times of a conservatism that’s built on false beliefs and denial of reality. This is a town set up for success and survival and refuse to do what’s necessary because it means they’d need to sacrifice something or be inconvenienced. A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is our modern politics in a nutshell.
Hester provides the page layout with Ryan Kelly‘s pencils and inks delivering an issue that focuses in on the small town quality of it all but also the storm to come. With color by Lee Loughridge and lettering by Nathan Widick, the comic delivers a solid story of what is primarily adults yelling at each other. It’s a debate that you know will end badly and the art has a sadness to it, you can hate those who are clearly wrong, but the art also adds in a chance to pity them.
A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is a welcoming debut that those new to the franchise can dive in and enjoy. It can be enjoyed on the surface level or appreciated for its deeper examination of how a minority, who are so wrong, can be the death of us all.
Story: Phil Hester Art: Phil Hester, Ryan Kelly
Color: Lee Loughrdige Letterer: Nathan Widick
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.85 Overall: 7.95 Recommendation: Read
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
