Issues 1-2
Image Comics
Writer: Skottie Young
Artist: Jorge Corona
The team from Middlewest return with their latest collaboration. This time Skottie Young and Jorge Corona bring us a supernatural love story, when a blocked artist finds inspiration and romance in a haunted house. The Me You Love In The Dark, not only promises us beautiful art and a story about the efforts everyone periodically undergoes to grow and recreate themselves, but some genuine shocks as well. Two issues in and Young has shown an ability to deliver a gut punch in the final panel of an issue that has readers craving more.
Ro (Rowena) rents a reportedly haunted house, thinking that it would provide the perfect inspiration to spark something different in her art. However, as time passes, inspiration still eludes her and she bleakly contemplates returning to slinging coffees as the blank canvas stares at her. Frustrated, she plunges on alone, destroying her first attempt at creating something new. As she screams into the darkness questioning her life choices, a voice answers back.
There’s certainly something here that draws you in. The easygoing manner of Ro and her entertaining banter (despite struggling with a lack of artistic inspiration) is a big part of that. Young is able to convey that frustration clearly without irreparably damaging her confidence or likeability. There’s a certain reality and believability to the setup, and even when those supernatural elements intrude, we don’t question the way the character behaves. We can see Ro is at a point of change, struggling to reinvent herself and looking for that muse to reinvigorate that artistic process. At this present moment we’re unaware of what the cost of that may be, how dark this tale will get, or even if the entity encountered is more than the product of an isolated imagination.
Then there’s the art. Corona’s sketchy toon style works well with the haunted house. It’d be too easy to lean into the gothic here and by attempting to heighten the horror elements rob them of their effectiveness. Instead it’s a more subtle approach increasing the claustrophobia of the interior of the house , while opening up with blue sky vistas on the few exterior shots. There’s also the lush colour scheme with the blues and blacks beautifully realising the darkness and the negative space of the “ghost” within, while standing out against the old world sepias and browns of the house.
So far, The Me You Love In The Dark is a slow, but engaging, burn. The final three issues reek of promise, with an undertone of approaching doom and sadness, but also a vague chance of something more bittersweet.
