AT LAST THE LIGHT (ONE-SHOT), from Blue Fox Comics soon on Kickstarter, follows a young woman determined to provide aid to a lighthouse keeper when the light begins to fade. What she finds is darkness a simple flame cannot dispel.
The Details
- Written By: Simon Birks
- Art By: Anna Wieszczyk
- Colors By: Anna Wieszczyk
- Letters By: Rob Jones
- Cover Art By: Anna Wieszczyk
- Cover Price: TBD
- Release Date: Coming Soon
Was It Good?
Blue Fox Comics is our go-to source for classic ghost stories, and this one-shot perfectly why. Set somewhere in the 19th-Century, this spooky tale of madness, murder, and the supernatural may just be the campfire tale you’ve been looking for.
Normally we balance these reviews by talking about what works and what doesn’t, so you get a balanced flavor for the comic. However, there isn’t any significant down point in this story. It’s (almost) perfect in every way that counts.
The plot revolves around a young lady who urgently heads out to a lighthouse to investigate why the light is rapidly fading. Given the time period, lighthouses are essential to warn ships away from rocks and landfall, so there’s an immediate sense of urgency established by Birks. The urgency quickly builds into tense foreboding as Eliza finds the lighthouse keeper is missing.
The story isn’t gory or filled with shocking moments (except for one brief death scene). The mood is the selling point here. Every page is filled with dread anticipation and creepiness. When the supernatural elements come into play, they’re handled with finesse, excellent pacing, and pitch-perfect drama.
If there’s a tiny down point, it’s the lack of clarity in the art in a few spots. There are a couple of panels in the cemetery where it wasn’t obvious exactly what happened, and you have to replay the scene to follow the action. Again, it’s a small down point but enough to affect the score.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a moonlit scene in Edinburgh, 1249. Eliza and her father urgently scan the isolated island of the nearby lighthouse, looking for signs of life as the lighthouse appears to be rapidly dimming. Knowing that a darkened lighthouse means catastrophe for passing ships, Eliza decides to a small boat out to the island to investigate.
When Eliza arrives, she finds the keeper is missing. She heads up the lighthouse stairs to replenish the light’s oil and finds a beautiful woman named Hattie waiting. As the dimming light sweeps waves of light and darkness over Hattie’s face, her visage decays into a mask of diseased death. Eliza flees the lighthouse before whatever disease afflicts Hattie can consume her as well.
Eliza finds a nearby cemetery and a strange man watching over the graves. We conclude the issue with a tale of woe, a crime of passion, and vengeful fire.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
AT LAST THE LIGHT (ONE-SHOT) is nearly a perfect ghost story to give you the chills in front of a roaring campfire. The mood is gloomy, the action is urgent, and the writing sticks the landing on the finale. This is a highly recommended pick if you like Victorian-era ghost stories.
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