By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
- Exclusive cover to release
at Emerald City Comic Con 2019
* Released March 6, 2019 - Spoiler Alert
Oni Press‘ comic Morning in America introduces a new gang of problem solvers, The Sick Sisters, and they have to figure out what’s going on in their hometown of Tucker, Ohio. Nancy, Ashley, Ellen and Veronica are a tight group of misfits. They have plenty to worry about. If they are not careful, they can be sent to detention hall fast. High school life is rough, but the terrors they will have to soon face will be tougher.
With the first issue, monsters flit about in the night and carry away their victims to somewhere. Nancy is told this incident when selling cigarettes to another punk kid, but she has a hard time believing. Things change when she overhears the police are doing nothing when she realizes this wave of disappearances is nothing to ignore. The bigger challenge is to convince her friends to go investigate. They have a good enough reason to: all high school kids are being targeted and they fear they could be next.
The supernatural angle is teased at with this first issue. Writer Magdalene Visaggio has a great concept which looks at this team first in The Breakfast Club type fashion (minus the humour) and afterwards, as a gang of problem-solvers. Once when they figure out what they are dealing with, they will no doubt prove to be very gutsy. In what drew me into this world is the fantastic cover by Claudia Aguirre. When we see a closeup of a skeleton tipping its glasses to the reader, and The Sick Sisters reflecting off the sunglasses are nonplussed. This image invokes memories of the movie Creepshow.
As for whether this image hints at the true nature of these girls (in ancient times, mirrors were believed to reveal the true nature of the person being reflected), I feel that’s unlikely. Nancy has no problem beating up boys. Within the pages, the brighter colour tones and non-gothic look make this work stand out. Usually, with horror, the choices of colour sometimes lean on the dark side and are less cheery. A shift may take place with the next chapter, as the girls get ready to investigate.
With this narrative, I am reminded of Girly Ghosthunters, a Canadian paranormal reality television program from many years back. Instead of chasing ghosts ala Scooby Doo, I figure what The Sick Sisters will find are going to be real monsters. As for whether or not there is a rational explanation behind all these abductions, I sure want to pick up the remaining issues when it hits shelves in the months to come.
4 Stars out of 5
