Review by John Amenta

And Then Emily Was Gone #4
Published by- Comix Tribe
Writer- John Lees
Penciller- Iain Laurie

And Then Emily Was Gone issue 4 buries us a bit deeper in the surreal,waking nightmare that the first three issues built a foundation on. The basis of the story has been simple so far. A Young girl named Emily goes missing from her home island of Merksay,so her best friend hunts down a troubled ex detective known for his prowess in missing persons cases to help.

That’s the end of simple in this tale. The detective, Greg Hellinger is cursed with visions of monsters. The island of Merksay is the single strangest place on Earth. Let’s not forget the hitman that takes his orders from an oddity of a boss and also shares dreams with Greg. Oh,and his next target,to be strangled as specified in the contract is Fiona, the young friend of Emily who has enlisted Greg.

It is hard to easily review a single issue of a story like this, but this issue sees Greg learning a bit more about his visions, Fiona goes missing, and Emily’s father,whom has in earlier issues surgically removed a monster from him and his wife’s skulls visiting the abattoir where he once worked. What he sees there can best be described as disturbing. Actually that’s a great description of this story, disturbing. John Lees,the writer has found a balance that is hard to find,between straight forward plot and insane moments that could take you out of the narrative if not rendered so well. I don’t need answers to everything, but I’m confident he will close this story up well.

Truly disturbing is the art by Iain Laurie. This is beautifully crafted ugliness. Everything is disproportionate,even the regular human characters are not normal looking. This is the perfect fit for the story. This series is filled with nastiness and horror, it should not have the same artwork as a mainstream superhero book.

In summation Comix Tribe have a real winner on their hands, and anyone with an interest in smart, scary horror books would be doing themselves a favor by heading to their comic shop and picking this series up.

5 Stars of 5 Stars