THE ATONEMENT BELL #1, from Red 5 Comics on November 16th, 2022, follows a son and his mother grieving the loss of his father during a Christmas family reunion. The son’s loss will pale in comparison to the centuries-old curse that will mark their visit.
The Details
- Written by: Jim Ousley
- Art by: Tyler B. Ruff
- Colors by: Benjamin Sawyer
- Letters by: Ed Dukeshire
- Cover art by: Tyler B. Ruff (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.95
- Release date: November 16, 2022
Is It Good?
THE ATONEMENT BELL #1 is a creepily effective story about grief and what happens to a grieving family when supernatural forces find a purchase within the family’s pain. Jim Ousley’s first issue is a slow burn, but the excellent plot construction and remarkably good character work more than make up for the lack of action.
Ousley’s plot centers around Jake and his mother, Kayla, who decide to pay a visit to Kayla’s sister, Tiana, at Christmastime months after Jake’s father dies in a shooting. For the majority of the issue, Ousley spends time building the characters, their relationships, and the world around them. While there are very few supernatural elements in the comic besides the prologue and the ending, this first issue is successful because Ousley invests in the characters to get the readers to care about them.
That caring comes from an amazingly organic and natural series of scenes with some of the best dialog we’ve encountered in some time. The conversations between the characters fully fleshed out a typical family with ups, downs, and imperfect love. You immediately get that each person cares about everyone else, even if that care isn’t expressed in the way everyone wants. Again, the realism in the way Ousley constructs this family is outstanding.
That said, the pacing isn’t a down point, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. The story keeps a steady pace, and each scene adds value to the story, but you won’t see big scares or eye-popping visuals until the very end. You won’t get big scares in this issue, but you also don’t feel like your time is wasted.
Ruff’s art style is grounded and very good. Part of the success in portraying this familiar as realistic comes from Ruff’s character acting within the faces and body posture. You could picture real people going through real movements with Ruff’s panel compositions, and it’s a perfect match for Ousley’s script.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a prologue to a moment 200 years in the past. A group of cloaked individuals (witches?) mourns the murder of their High Priestess at the hands of three Christian acolytes. The cloaked ones kill two of the acolytes but leave one alive with the warning of a curse – every hundred years, atonement must be paid.
Now, Jake and his mother, Kayla, head to his Aunt Tiana’s house for a Christmas getaway. Jake wrestles with the recent death of his father, and Taiana believes a vacation with family may be a welcome break. The relationship between Tiana and Kayla, however, has been strained in the past due to Tiana’s legalistic attitudes toward Catholicism. As a compromise, the family agrees to attend a few services to celebrate Christmas.
We conclude the issue with sorrow over the loss of the way things used to be, blood loss, specters, and conscription.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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THE ATONEMENT BELL #1 beautifully takes its time building a family of characters who wrestle with grief and old conflicts as they come together at Christmastime. The character acting through the art is surprisingly realistic, and the dialog feels as natural as a family reunion in your own home. That said, this first issue is a slow burn, so set your expectations accordingly.
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