The Autumnal – 2020-2021 (Vault Comics) – Horror, Mystery
Author: Daniel Kraus
Art: Chris Shehan
Series Contents: The Autumnal #1-8
After the passing of her mother Trudy, Kat Sommerville and her daughter Sybil move to the small-town Comfort Notch, where Kat grew up. Will the pair be able to grieve their loss, or will the town turn out to be hiding dark secrets?
Story:
The Autumnal is a quick read full of tension, creep and mystery. The main characters are sympathetic and well realized, as Kat deals with her troubled daughter Sybil, who acts out for attention and out of pure imagination. The schools in Chicago see her as violent, but Sybil just is trying to contain her medical condition, intermittent explosive disorder (IED). Unfortunately, her youth and disorder leads to rough interactions with other students.
Sybil at least is distracted by Stephen King books, which she loves, and after her grandmother Trudy passes, Kat turns to her hometown Comfort Notch as a place to potentially restart her life. She has her mother’s house to deal with anyway, so they will need to stay for a while. A population of 3,500 is a lot less than the bustling streets of Chicago. Plus, the leaves are nice and colorful.
Buuuut… you gotta love a town with dark secrets, right?! As Kat and Sybil attempt to adjust to their new setting, whether temporary or permanent, they start noticing strange behaviors in the people, as well as almost supernatural happenings. Will the mother and daughter duo uncover past memories and find out what is going on before it is too late? The Autumnal is a sharp and dark tale of tension and horror, surrounding a realistic mother and daughter relationship, and the loss of their family member.
Art:
The Autumnal has great art which is colorful and cheerful at times, while ominous and dark at others. It brings fall leaf seasons to life while the subject matter jumps between drama and pure horror, so it is good to have this balance reflected. There is great motion and color, as well as gruesome details when necessary.
Reasons to Read:
The Autumnal is a short jaunt through horror, and feels like a natural Halloween-type tale. It deals with serious life drama, as well as supernatural aspects, but feels well-blended and it all fits together. Sympathetic characters often make for tense horror stories, and this is no different here with a good mother/daughter duo facing off against unknown evil forces. This has some really devious horror plot points and an interesting mythology which would probably make a good film also. The art is fitting of the story and brings it all to life. Who knew leaves could be so serious!?
Similar Titles:
Harrow County; Wytches; Something is Killing the Children; Severed; The Nice House on the Lake; Ice Cream Man, Friday