BANSHEES #1, from Scout Comics on February 15th, 2023, unveils a tale of terror when a freshman college student, still struggling with the death of a friend, finds her freshman dorm is the site of something unnatural.
The Details
- Written by: Dave Dwonch, Jessica Balboni
- Art by: Riccardo Faccini
- Colors by: Dam
- Letters by: Dave Dwonch
- Cover art by: Tim Daniel (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: February 15, 2023
Is It Good?
BANSHEES #1 has potential. This first issue by Dave Dwonch and Jessica Balboni mixes the existential angst of college life, the apprehensive fear surrounding urban legends, and the supernatural terror born of distressed nightmares into a tidy little package to make your horror-loving heart happy. It’s not a perfect first issue, but the potential is high.
Dwonch and Balboni’s premise centers on a new college student, Emily Edwards, who seeks to drown out her grief over a friend’s recent passing in the hustle and bustle of college classes. Unfortunately, her new dorm comes with a disturbing history that may have a connection to Emily’s recent trauma.
All the makings of a modern classic horror story are present. You’ve got gruesome murders that may or may not be supernatural in nature. You’ve got a troubled woman assailed by strange nightmares. And you’ve got a collection of side characters who may or may not be on the up-and-up. The entire setup is designed to unsettle the reader and question, through Emily, what’s real at every turn.
That said, the weak point of the issue is the art. Faccini’s panel compositions are solid, and the use of dramatic camera angles and shadows is effective. However, the line work is very loose. The characters sometimes look like unfinished blobs, even in medium shots. The main characters are distinctive looking enough to tell who’s who, but the further away you get from a character, the blurrier and less defined they become.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a flashback montage of a series of murders carried out over years in a Penn State dormitory. The victims are all young women, and the methods of killing are all different.
Now, Emily Edwards is escorted to the same dorms on her first day of college. Emily parts with her parents on tense terms as Emily still feels the aftereffects of a friend’s death that Summer. When Emily meets her new roommate, Abbey, the two hit it off well, and Emily begins to feel hope for a bright semester.
Later, Emily hears the whispers from other classmates about the murders, and she decides to research the murdered students. We conclude the issue with nightmares, new reports, and potentially disturbing connections.
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Final Thoughts
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BANSHEES #1 is a promising start to a modern horror tale about a troubled freshman who starts her college year in a dorm with a history of gruesome murders. The urban legend elements, disturbing nightmares, and the main character’s nightmares all combine for a chilling start. That said, the only thing holding this issue back is weak art.
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