FISHFLIES #6 – New Comic Review

FISHFLIES #6, by Image Comics on 5/15/24, unveils the mystical secret behind the Fishfly monster, beginning with an immigrant family and their tragic end many years ago.

Credits:

• Writer: Jeff Lemire
• Artist: Jeff Lemire, Shawn Kuruneru
• Colorist: Jeff Lemire
• Letterer: Steve Wands
• Cover Artist: Jeff Lemire
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: May 15, 2024
• Comic Rating: Mature
• Cover Price: $5.99
• Page Count: 52
• Format: Double-Sized Issue

Covers:

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Analysis of FISHFLIES #6:

Plot Analysis:

Jeff Lemire takes a break from Fran’s harrowing adventure to give readers a long-overdue explanation of the Fishfly monster’s origins. If you’re a fan of this series but have hungered for more clarity about what’s happening, this is the issue for you.

When last we left Fran and her “friend” in Fishflies #5, they narrowly escaped capture by Butch and Betty Bracken. The elderly and unstable twins meant to keep Fran locked up because they have experience with the Fishfly monster from years ago and were willing to take drastic measures to do things differently this time. Seizing a moment of opportunity, Fran escaped the locked room through a window and helped her friend flee before the police arrived.

In Fishflies #6, Helen Dupuis, Paul’s mother, seeks advice from a local fortune teller after finding strange runes carved into the trees in the nearby woods. The fortune teller reluctantly lets Helen in at a late hour, but she cannot help Helen. Suddenly, the fake crystal ball sitting on the table nearby strikes Helen with a beam of light that transports Helen’s mind to the past of Belle River.

Bobby Murphy, his wife, Biddy, and their son are Irish immigrants who’ve come to Canada to build a home on a plot of land by the river near the early days of Belle River. Bobby stops their wagon next to the town’s saloon to ask for directions. The bartender is friendly enough, but he warns the Murphys to stay away from their legally purchased land because it sits too near the Byrne clan’s logging operation.

Months later, the Murphy’s have settled their home without incident, but the Byrne clan comes calling to insist the family moves on because they have their eye on the land for logging. Bobby doesn’t take the increasingly pushy tactics seriously. Still, Biddy tries to provide her home and family with some protection using the ancients runes and wards she learned from her family.

One night, Biddy wakes to a noise outside. Soon, the home is engulfed in flames set by the Byrne clan. Bobby charges into the yard to defend his house, but he’s shot dead. Their son follows Bobby’s lead, but he’s also killed. Unsettled by the act of killing a young boy, the Byrne clan rides off.

Biddy is overcome with grief and rage, so she walks into the woods and carves runes into the trees and Earth to create a container of eldritch magic. Later, she sneaks into the Byrne clan’s logging operation and kidnaps at gunpoint the adult son who killed her boy and takes him back to the magic place. Biddy shoots the Byrne son, causing the sigil in the ground to trap him and transform him into a Fishfly monster.

Biddy commands the monster to slay the entire Byrne clan, setting off a cycle of murder and curses that will last for years to come.

Character Development:

Up to this point in the series, Jeff Lemire has kept all eyes on Fran and her strange adventure, but this time, the narrative shifts to Helen as the mother of a boy who was shot during a store robbery. In an unexpected twist, Helen’s grief is possibly the catalyst for this story. Now that she understands the history of the curse, it may be that Helen is the only one who can do anything about it.

Artwork and Presentation:

Jeff Lemire brings in guest artist Shawn Kuruneru to tell the flashback surrounding the Murphy family. Kuruneru’s style is different than Lemire’s by a wide margin, but it suits the “old-fashioned” aesthetic Lemire’s script intends to convey. Overall, Kuruneru’s work is a positive change of pace for the series.

Art Samples:

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Pacing and Structure:

Lemire’s pacing is a mixed bag for a particularly unique reason. In and of itself, Fishflies #7 is well-paced, engaging, and keeps the flow of this chapter moving smoothly. You get plenty of new information to clarify what kind of trouble Fran’s gotten herself into, and the focus shift on Helen is a surprising development.

That said, the series is too slow even to be considered a slow burn, more like a slow simmer. At this rate, Lemire’s plot direction won’t take on any shape for another three or four issues, which is a lot to ask for a $5.99 per issue cover price.

Thematic Exploration:

Thematically, this issue is a turning point in that the story takes on new meaning as a legacy of revenge. We now know the first Fishfly monster was born out of revenge against a murderous clan, and we see that the current monster came forth after a young boy was shot during a robbery. The pieces come together as a local curse of sorts, activated by a mother’s grief as a tool for revenge when a child is killed by another’s greed.

Final Thoughts:

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FISHFLIES #6 takes a break from Fran’s adventure for an issue-long flashback that explains the history of the Fishfly monster and the cycle of violence that activates a curse on Belle River. Lemire’s script goes a long way toward bringing clarity to the narrative, and the guest artist breathes fresh life into the visuals. That said, the listless pacing suggests this series is better read as a trade.

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