The Hunt #1 Review

The Hunt #1
Written by: Colin Lorimer
Illustrator: Colin Lorimer
Colors: Joana Lafuente
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Image Comics
Review by Gregory Brothers

This week The Hunt #1 by Colin Lorimer, best known for his work on Harvest, hits the shelves. The Hunt is based on Irish folklore of a group of evil fairies called the Slaugh, who are not welcomed in heaven or hell and are believed to feed on the souls of the dying. In addition to feeding on the souls of the dying, they are also destructive and at times will kidnap innocent people in order to feed upon their souls also. Our journey into the mythology follows Orla, who has her first encounter with the Slaugh when she witnesses them feeding upon her fathers soul as he lay on his deathbed. As would be expected this has had a profound effect on Orla, as she has not been shy about sharing her stories or drawing the visions that come to her. She has become an outcast among her classmates, and her attention to school is cast aside in favor of doodling her visions.

The story has a good base and could be very interesting depending on where the reader is taken. The first issue does suffer from a problem that number one issues tend to, and that is trying to jam too much into it. This ends up leading to a bunch of plot points that people will not really remember by the time the second issue comes out because none of it really stands out. Here the reader sees Orals’ first encounter with the Slaugh so you understand why the vision has stuck with her like it would any ten-year old seeing that. The other flashbacks that are shown are not needed yet and add to some of the confusion for the reader in the first issue. Removing those pages and spending more time exploring the strained relationship between Orla and her family, and her classmates would have helped the reader connect more, and provided a hook to bring them back. The dialect in the story is another stumbling point that could lead to some reader confusion. The use of traditional Irish accents and slang give The Hunt a more realistic feel, however it makes the flow of the comic slower as you have to stop and think about what the character is saying and if the slang is positive or negative.

The art throughout the book is brilliant with great use on angles and perspective. Of particular note is the set of panel when Orla first sees the Slaugh feeding on her father’s soul. The scene starts with a wide view and then comes closer with each panel, stopping with a panel with just her green eye witnessing the horror then reverses course as the evil fairy is revealed. The colors here and through the book really add to the feel of the book as shadows and light really help to set the mood while also making certain elements to help keep the element of surprise.

Verdict:
Wait and See. The Hunt #1 has a ton of potential to be a good horror comic. The story is one that is ripe to pull the reader in with its base on real life folklore that people may be unfamiliar with. The story of Orla and how she has dealt with her fathers death while battling these demons literally and figuratively is one that should speak to anyone that has ever dealt with the loss of a loved one.  Where it suffers from trying to introduce to many elements at once while also trying to keep mystery around many of the characters and events that are going on. The art alone makes it worth revisiting with the second issue. Readers can then see if we get a chance to delve deeper into these characters and develop a connection with any of them or their plight.