I remember the first time I watched a horror movie. It was Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. I had no idea what I was getting into. It was twisted, gory, and just as fascinating. Needless to say, I went on to watch other horror movies, including the now famous 80s horror icons Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, and Jason. Each of these movies would raise a generation of moviegoers who would take things a step further.

The films that really got me were the ones took place in high school like Carrie and Class of 1999, which was a cool hybrid between horror and science fiction. As they captured the sometimes terror of being in high school with the heightened element of horror. In the first volume of Nancy Hernandez And The Black Widows: The Call For Justice, a group of mean girls gets their just due in the worst ways possible.

We meet Nancy Hernandez as a young child. She’s a devout Catholic, even talking to God in the first few panels. She also just moved to South Central. We also meet Shorty, a tatted-up girl who has nothing but attitude for anyone that looks in her direction. There’s also her crew, the Black Widows, which consist of  Ratita, Face, Pollita, Tattletale, Dulce, and Roach. They’re a bunch of mean girls, who pretty much like being hostile. This is where Nancy meets the Black Widows, who make her life a living hell, the very first day, as they take her Walkman, and she tells on them during an initiation for one of their new members, Dulce.

Of course, the Black Widows will not let this stand. They wait for the perfect opportunity to pounce. As Nancy leaves Lacrosse practice early she’s confronted by the gang. They want to teach her a lesson but they go too far and kill Nancy by accident.

As her teachers and her family mourn her death, the Black Widows panic as their fates is tied as to whether anyone finds out the truth about Nancy’s death. As the detective on the case and the school security team up to find out happened to Nancy, spooky things start to happen all throughout the school. Nancy’s ghost seeks vengeance.

Overall, an engrossing book that starts out like your typical school story but becomes something even more, as Michael Myers wished he was as frightening as Nancy Hernandez. The story by Scott Marcano and Jaime Zevallos is a love letter to 80s horror movies. It more than elevates the genre. The art by Juan Romera is simply gorgeous. Altogether, an elixir of fright, teen angst, and revenge.

Story: Scott” Diablo” Marcano and Jaime Zevallos Art: Juan Romera
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy