Packed with thrills and laughs, Ash Hewerdine‘s Deathridge is a brilliant mixture of horror and humour. We’ve reviewed the first 5 of the 6 issues that comprise Volume 1, but the collection is a very different animal than the individual issues, like, say, when a person suddenly transforms into a monster… something that happens more than once in Deathridge! Let’s dive in!
Deathridge tells the tale of Boris and Doris Stromen, a young couple who have just moved to the village of Deathridge. Once there, the pair settle in, but their first night has more than a few surprises in store, and before long monsters, secret cults, and long-lost relatives are rearing their ugly heads.
Now, both the story and artwork in Deathridge come off as quite simple, but there’s more depth to both than one might notice at first glance. For instance, Hewerdine’s drawing style is incredibly simple, but incredibly effective. Much is left to the imagination but it still manage to be evocative.
While Deathridge Volume 1 reads great all in one go (and is probably the best way to experience the comic), it does lose something by not having any issue breaks. All of the 6 issues that make up Volume 1 end on increasingly tense cliffhangers, and I feel that some of that aspect is lost by not having the breaks. The cliffhangers are still there, and certainly make Volume 1 a page-turner, it loses a bit of the original impact. Or maybe it’s just that I had to wait for the next issue to come out each time find out what happened next!
Something I haven’t mentioned in too much detail in previous reviews are the characters of Deathridge, which really are its heart and soul. Boris bumbles along as a rather passive character, much in the same way detectives in classic noir stories are made out to be along for the ride rather than actually having an impact on the action. It’s precisely this quality that makes Boris both relatable and funny; he knows as much as the reader (if not less) about what’s going on and we empathise with him from the moment Doris disappears. Boris’ companions Glenn and Ozymandias are both only useful when absolutely necessary, and each proves to be utterly useless when the comedy requires it. Finally, Mrs. Bone proves to be quite mysterious and the most unpredictable character in the whole village.
If you’re looking for an easy, enjoyable read, you really can’t do much better than Deathridge!
Pick up your own copy of Deathridge here!
