The Returning (Boom! – Starr / Mutti)
Near future, and some people who have had Near-Death Experiences have come back “changed.” They exhibit extreme behavioral changes, becoming increasingly paranoid and violent, and no one knows why. People who have had NDE’s fall immediately under suspicion, and in some cases, are murdered by justice-seeking vigilantes. It is in this world where Beth, a quiet high school student with a bright future, will learn just how quickly friends and family will turn on her when she has the bad luck of surviving the worst night of her life…
Okay, I know this came out last week but I just got around to reading it. Part of why it took me so long was that while it’s a pretty great cover, the book sort of seemed like it was just another toss on the pile that is the modern vampire story fad. But after the first couple pages of having the main character Beth wake up and being strapped down in a hospital bed not knowing how she got there, why she was strapped down or that she had just died?!?! Well, that got me hooked.
Author Jason Starr lays out pieces of the overall scenario and horror-esque landscape a piece at a time, allowing the readers to slowly shift into the culture of this near-future world and the attitudes / paranoia that the “changers” situation has brought about. He fills in the reader in on the world of “The Returning” using a well-told narrative of Beth on her journey of discovering what happened to her and how her life has changed. Both the story-telling and the art embrace and reflect the frantic nature of Beth’s tale, dashing forward at a break-neck pace leaving peripheral details in the wake. Several times through the issue, I had the “did not see that coming” moment (which is a very welcomed thing in modern horror) which kept me turning pages and eventually after the final frame makes me wish issue two was readily at hand!
The Bottom Line: An unexpected fresh modern gothic tale – A great read! Grab a copy today!
