On writing of another white devil, Nathaniel Hawthorne noted
that the mourners attending the internment of Young Good Brown “carved no hopeful verse
upon his tomb-stone; for his dying hour was gloom.” The first installment in White Devil casts a foreshadowing shadow
as dismal and tragic for its own characters as for the distrustful Goodman
Brown from Hawthorne.
The creators of this free electronically self-published comic White Devil craft a visual story of creeping
terror that entertains and evokes introspection and social questioning akin to Hawthorne’s adept
utilization. The creators don’t dip out a thrice-told tale though; this work
holds the creative distinction of a fresh and original spawning into the world.
White Devil
hatched from the machinations of writers Matt Evans and Andrew Helinski with
art by Nate Burns. This first of four issues opens in the town of Wetumpka, Alabama,
“tucked deep in the southern foothills of the Appalachian
Mountains.” The main character Judy Harper (loving mother of Buddy
and Sarah and wife to Vince) feels discontent and stagnant. So, she and her
best friend Betty choose a hobby to disrupt the routine and tedium of domestic
obligations. They join a demonic cult. The first issue, after giving introductions
to Judy, the town and the Judy’s family, follows Judy and Betty through their
subterfuges of using a book club as cover to escape to a summoning ritual of
the cult. After the ritual, the group members disperse, and the final
pages contain a diabolical surprise that strides forth with all the evil
portent of an old scratch from Hawthorne.
This comic itches to be read like an itch. White Devil soothes
irritants (if only fleeting) from superheroes, crossed crossovers, relaunches,
and the fatiguing slickness of piercing colors and too-glossy pages whose
glares inhibit reading.
Plotting, dialogue, narrating and pacing get handled with attentive
skill that allows readers to easily slip and stay in the small-town world of Judy
Harper. The first spoken words in the book are by Judy’s daughter Sarah yelling
“It’s not fair!” while running through the door. This commotion, and Judy’s
smile while watching her husband and son talking to one another, takes on
greater complexity when compared to Judy’s remembered advice from her mother at
the beginning of the comic: “I remember her telling me, when I was younger,
that it’s important to keep something for yourself. A woman can try and give her
all to her husband and her children—but make sure there’s enough left for you
so you’re not left ‘empty.’ I’d like to think she’d be proud I finally listened
to her. For once I don’t feel empty.”
These juxtaposed feelings augment Judy’s allure. The
creators constructed an authentic character trying to balance individual
identity and while surviving the unrelenting, tedious, and thankless routine
(no one asks how Judy’s day went when all returned, no one said thank you for
the meatloaf dinner) of domestic demands. Here exists an honest and dynamic
heroine.
The story reads with rhythmic suspense. The plot dangles
inferred possibilities before the reader, then shifts to a mundane scene with
sinister suggestions then drops the suspense for a normal conversation, before
tightening the tension even more. The tension sine waves to the end of the book
which leaves readers at a summit of dread and foreboding. It’s a fine bit of
manipulation.
Amidst this character investigation and plot pacing the
images add to the book’s captivating aura. A variation between soft and hard
lines gives a dynamic range to the panels. It reminds one of the soft light
from a projector in a darkened theatre. The characters move. On page 10 when
Judy enters the car of her friend Betty and they talk while driving, the panels
capture scenes of frozen movement rather than posed statues. These panels
contain energy that brings another aspect of life to an already lively dialogue
that further energizes this comic.
Burns’s rendered facial expressions add to this energy. The
look of a pleased son getting praise and his hair mussed from his father; on
page 8, the distant vacant look of Vince as he looks up, interrupted from
reading his newspaper; on page 9, the ironical expression on Judy’s face when she mentions
that “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is the
focus for their book discussion; on page 14, the interested yet bored
expression of the cult leader as he watches Judy and Betty undress; as well as
the annoyed expressions of Judy and Betty being watched as they undress: Burns
captures some life with all these (and more) scenes.
Combined with the great story, the gripping art, and the
independent source of this comic and it’s difficult to resist and not join in
the enthusiasm of the creators that flows through each page of White Devil.
In the vein of Hawthorne, a
small town gothic community and its family tensions churn with a wonderful dark
edge in White Devil. Treat yourself
to this fine book before you die from regret, at which time your dying hour will
be gloom, and they will carve no hopeful verse upon your tombstone.
Snag your copy of White
Devil at:
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