Coffin Hill Issue #1 Review by Domesticated Dave
October 28, 2013 3:01 am | Leave your thoughts
Spoilers Ensue!!! Beware!
In the spirit of the season, my inner goth was crying out for something new to put chills up my spine, ennui down my throat, and angst up my … soul. Coffin Hill starts out a bit hard to follow but rewards us with the back story of any interesting main character.
Set against the haunted backdrop of New England, we are introduced to Eve Coffin, an ex-cop and unintended celebrity descended from an infamous wealthy family whose dynasty includes a curse all the way from the Salem witch trials. Caitlin Kittredge is a young adult fiction author who is dipping her toes into graphic novels, and I am sure glad she did. Since Locke and Key is over, old Domesticated Dave needs a new monthly scare. The other reason I chose this book was Inaki Miranda on art. Having enjoyed his linework in Judge Dredd and Fairest, I was disappointed to see a much dirtier style in this book but will be reserving judgment until I get a better feel for what this story is going for.
The first issue contains a hyperbolic hodge podge of scenes from all over the life of Eve Coffin. The full page image of Eve in surgery that shows her life as images in a shattered mirror foreshadowed well the dark history of the main character. One major criticism I have involves the arcane ritual that we see acted out by Eve’s teenage coven. It feels like a scene from any straight to video witchcraft B-film. Other than Eve, one girl disappears; one goes insane; and one knows “the truth” about Eve.
Other than this single cliché scene, I thoroughly enjoyed my first new Vertigo book in quite awhile.
I give Coffin Hill issue #1 a Taste It. As long as her young adult pedigree does not dominate the themes of this book, I hope that Kittredge has a great story to tell and that Miranda’s art keeps me coming back for more.
Tags: caitlin kittredge, coffin hill, inaki miranda, vertigo comics
Categorised in: Comic Reviews, Random Reviews & News
This post was written by David Griffin
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