Monomyth #2 // Review
They’re discussing things over a dead body. They’re in a big, mysterious castle. The Russian suggests that they split up to cover more ground exploring the place. Everyone who has ever seen a horror movie knows that’s a bad idea, but it might be their only option in Monomyth #2. Writer David Hazan steps a little further into the dark ensemble fantasy. Artist Cecilia Lo Valvo commits the adventure to the page with a heavy atmosphere that is given added depth by colorist Marissa Louise. The stylish walk into the shadows continues in another interesting issue that reveals just a bit more about the mystery of the castle.
It’s a big castle. Naturally, they’re going to run the risk of getting lost. It is suggested that they mark their path so they don’t get lost. So, they move away from horror movie logic and towards...Hansel and Gretel? There IS power in stories. Is it really magical, though? Maybe the castle is a school of magic, and narrative is the source of its power. What does it mean, then, that everyone who has been summoned there has a different story? And why is everyone being attacked by mutated phantoms of past memories?
Take a bunch of strangers and put them together in a completely foreign place where they have to work together to survive. It’s a cool idea. (It worked really well for the first couple of seasons of Lost.) The echoes of having everyone essentially encounter phantoms of their past in almost exactly the same way does get a little tedious by the middle of the issue, but all of the characters seem interesting enough to engage the reader beyond the repetition in the narrative. And there’s way too much mystery in the castle itself to get boring by the end of the second issue. It may feel like it’s echoing pop fiction of the past, but Monomyth is still solidly entertaining.
Lo Valvo’s rendering of the castle is exquisitely atmospheric. She’s got a sharp understanding of how to present architecture on the page in a way that embraces the comic book format. A winding staircase wraps its way gracefully across the page as the Russian speaks to Kole. Elsewhere, Viv looks at the glare outside a window. The towering gentleman standing next to her says he figures that it’s an island that they’re on. They share a kiss against the radiance from outside that castle as sinister creatures click in around the corners. Louise’s colors give a rich warmth to that moment, but they also provide definition between nightmares induced by castle magic and the waking nightmare they all find themselves in.
Beyond the novelty of the situation and the loftier philosophy driving the plot, the actual horror that Hazan is exploring feels pretty standard. It’s basically a haunted house story with weird insect creatures and nightmares drawn from the lives of those who have entered the castle. Whether or not it’s going to distinguish itself beyond that will be something answered in future issues.
