SONNY #1, from Second Sight Publishing on October 1st, 2022 via Kickstarter, re-imagines Child’s Play with a doll that’s come to eat your soul. Heaven help anyone who gets in its way.
The Details
- Written by: Bradley Golden, Marcus Roberts
- Art by: Igor Kurilin
- Colors by: Igor Kurilin
- Letters by: Hector Negrete
- Cover art by: Igor Kurilin
- Cover price: $5.00 (digital)
- Release date: October 1st, 2022 (estimated)
Is It Good?
SONNY #1 takes the concept of Child’s Play (1988) and cranks up the murderous mayhem times ten for a first issue that doesn’t shy away from the gore. What this first issue gets right is the fear created by an unstoppable killing machine that knows how to hide in plain sight until it’s too late. The few down points, thankfully, are technical and fixable.
The highlight of this issue is the relentless fear created through Golden and Roberts’ frenetic pacing. You’re dropped immediately into the action as Sonny lays waste to anyone and anything that gets in the way of his quest to eat Danny’s (the little boy) soul. The kills are brutal, and they keep coming as long as they’re victims to be killed.
The down points in this issue are noticeable but don’t kill (*heh*) the story.
First, grammar and spelling mistakes abound. There’s not much to say about that other than it would benefit to have a proofreader read the book out loud to catch them. You still get what’s going on, but it doesn’t help when readers stumble over the words.
Second, this issue has no setup. None, Nada, Zip. You’re thrown right into the action with no inkling of where Sonny came from and why he’s trying to eat Danny’s soul. In fairness, this is the first issue in a 3-part story, so the answers may come in the following issues, but you may feel disoriented to start.
The art by Kurilin and Negrete is quite good. Gore art can go right or oh, so wrong, but Kurilin nailed the blood spatters and assorted bits of viscera to give readers a horrific set of visuals. Despite the grammar and vocabulary blips, Negrete’s lettering is effective, particularly in the use of word balloon borders to highlight when Sonny speaks.
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 on a stormy night when a young boy, Danny, runs into his parents’ run. Danny is terrified that his Look Alive Doll, Sonny, is coming to eat his soul. This outburst has occurred multiple times over the past week, and Danny’s father has had enough.
Danny’s father goes to investigate and prove to Danny that the doll is not coming to get him. Suddenly, Danny’s father is attacked and killed by Sonny. What follows is a series of bloody, brutal murders that consume Danny’s mother, the neighbors, the neighbor’s dog, and more.
We conclude the issue with a call for help, hiding in plain sight, and a razor blade smile.
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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SONNY #1 is a pulse-pounding, gory, edgy take on Child’s Play (1988) with plenty of action to keep horror fans happy. However, the wording mistakes frequently trip up the reading flow, and the lack of setup is mildly disorienting.
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