There’s Nothing There #1
Writer: Patrick Kindlon
Artist: Maria Llovet
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Black Mask Studios
A review by Amelia Wellman
Celebrity-socialite Reno Selleti doesn’t believe in very much beyond Instagram comments, hipster drugs, and the flash of paparazzi cameras, so when a friend invites her to an orgy, she goes along mostly for the lulz. But the joke doesn’t feel as funny when she realizes it’s an actual occult ritual, and suddenly she’s seeing things… Horrifying apparitions trying to warn her. “RUN.” There’s Nothing There #1 is a stylish, hallucinatory thriller about losing yourself in the bright lights and finding yourself at rock bottom.
If you’re like me, you came to There’s Nothing There #1 for the horror, but (and let’s all be honest with ourselves) didn’t turn away when you saw more sex than ghosts. The supernatural elements are slowly teased throughout, ending on a paranormal panel that will keep your interest piqued for issue two. The sex will grab your attention but the supernatural elements will keep you anticipating future issues. It’s not a terrible way to sell a mature comic book.
By far my favourite part of There’s Nothing There #1 is the character of Reno. It’s some of the best issue one character development I’ve ever seen. She’s a socialite, and the sort of vain that goes along with social media celebrities, but she’s also self-aware enough not to be Jenner/Kardashian levels of obnoxious. She speaks her mind, flirts with anyone who catches her eye, and is ever so slightly upset when paparazzi aren’t following her around. She’s how you would expect a young male celebrity to be written and, more importantly, she unabashedly doesn’t care. I’m definitely curious to see where she goes in future issues.
The art of There’s Nothing There #1 is really striking. It’s a sketch-like quality, a little messy and rough around the edges. I truly love how rough it is, how the panels are crooked, the colours are outside the line. It looks really passionate, but at the same time apathetic and nonchalant. Visually, it matches the persona of the young starlet that the narrative follows. The colours throughout are very muted. Never dark and shadowy, just washed out, and the panels upon panels of sex at the beginning, while far from the most explicit thing I’ve ever seen in a comic, are definitely getting your attention. Small details between each encounter are captured and laid out back to back, with two full pages of intimate close ups organized in 4×5 full-page grids that give you a sense of immediacy and truly physical lust. It doesn’t showcase the actions of sex as much as it elicits the feelings of it.
The Verdict
Check it out! There’s Nothing There #1 is a mini-series that’s promising a ghost filled thriller, and while we see more sex in issue one than we do the paranormal, my interest is definitely piqued for issue two!
