Jack Morris reviews Chasing the Dead TPB…
“A stranger has kidnapped Sue’s daughter, Lily. But he doesn’t want her money, only her suffering–and he will kill Lily if Sue doesn’t follow his every command. With detailed instructions, the faceless abductor leads Sue into a blinding snowstorm on the longest night of the year to a place she has not traveled to since childhood. The voice on the other end of her cell phone somehow knows Sue’s deepest, most chilling secret–an ominous incident from her past, buried long ago…“
Chasing the Dead is the latest horror comic offering from IDW. This TPB brings together the four issues that were released between November 2012 and February 2013.
Written by Matthew Scott (The Witchfinder) and Tim Westland, and featuring art by Dietrich Smith (Army of Darkness), the comic itself is based on a 2007 novel of the same name written by Joe Schreiber (Death Troopers).
The story opens on two young friends, Sue and Phil, as they encounter a serial killer known only as ‘The Harvester’ when out playing one day and how they deal with this event. The story then jumps, rather awkwardly, to the present day where the story is focussed on Sue. She is now all grown up and separated from childhood sweetheart Phil, for a reason that doesn’t become apparent until later on in the story, and trying to enjoy life as a successful business woman and mother. Her life is rather suddenly turned upside-down when her young daughter and nanny are taken by an unknown force and she is made to undertake a journey across a snow covered wilderness through the night in an attempt to retrieve her daughter.
Along the way she is forced to battle against the dead coming back to life, her own sanity and whether or not she can actually trust the person on the other end of the phone who is holding her daughter captive.
Having not read the novel that this comic is based on, I cannot comment how close it stays to the original story, but I personally feel that it seemed grander than the finished product. It feels like there could be a lot more story to tell and instead of condensing it all into just four issues, maybe six would have allowed the comic to not have such a rushed feel and allow for a wider and more unhurried approach.
The art from Dietrich Smith goes well with the writing style, and provides just the right amount of gore without being over the top and distracting from the overall story.
I personally wouldn’t tell anyone to rush out and acquire this TPB, but if you are ever in a situation where the opportunity arises and you can have a read; I certainly wouldn’t say pass it up. Although, with the cliff-hanger that is presented at the end of Chasing the Dead, we may be in for more chapters to continue the story; hopefully the pacing issues will be sorted out next time around.
Jack Morris
Originally published May 21, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
