CREDIT: American Gothic Press
Rating: 4/5 – A Horrific Way to Become Thin.
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Late last year I reviewed Monster World from American Gothic Press which is an imprint of the Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. I really enjoyed Monster World so I was excited to give their newest series, Thin, a shot. My expectations were more than met as I enjoyed this first issue more than I did Monster World which I also gave a 4 out of 5. Thin hooked me right from the start and except for an ending that left me a bit confused, I was entertained throughout as the feeling of dread continued to grow.
Thin is written and illustrated by Jon Clark and you can tell that this story and art benefits from his singular artistic vision. Doris Greene is overweight. She’s struggling with her obesity and when she becomes stressed, she finds comfort in food. Clark is able to portray the emotions on Doris’ face so well, from the happiness she feels when she’s eating a bucket of chicken in her car, to the sadness she feels when she knows she’s eating to cope with her pain. That pain comes to a head when she discovers that her husband is having an affair with another woman, who also happens to be much thinner.
In her desperation, Doris finds a doctor who promises a miracle cure to make her thin. At times the story moves too fast and almost too conveniently, but it makes for an exciting read and gets us to the scary stuff that much quicker. Clark uses just three colors in this first issue, black, white and red and his art has a very loose style to it. His facial expressions are the best part of the art, but he also knows how to effectively use his blacks to great effect.
At the end of the issue the storytelling, especially with the art, had me guessing just what was happening, which was my only complaint. These last few pages left me confused and I wasn’t sure if that was done on purpose, or if the loose art style just didn’t clearly define the action. Either way, it wasn’t enough to ruin the journey for me and I’m more than excited to find out what happens next. American Gothic Press is two for two with me so I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more of their titles!
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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