THE SICKNESS #1, from Uncivilized Books on 6/14/23, begins an unsettling case of madness and murder when seemingly innocent people are plagued by disturbing visions and a mysterious Man.
The Details
- Written by: Lonnie Nadler
- Art by: Jenna Cha
- Letters by: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Cover art by: Jenna Cha
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $6.00
- Release date: June 14, 2023
Is It Good?
THE SICKNESS #1, from the writer and artist team of Lonnie Nadler and Jenn Cha, is a stifling, simmering horror tale about a mysterious ailment that strikes random individuals in random locations and random years, driving the inflicted mad with twisted disfigurements of reality. Fans of Junji Ito and Stephen King will find a lot to like in this gradually oppressive story.
Nadler’s script centers on a doctor called to oversee a woman arrested for murdering her family with an axe. The doctor’s curiosity gets the better of him when the woman’s murderous outburst sounds eerily similar to an unsolved case he heard about in med school years earlier. In both cases, the killer reported seeing holes and distortions around them with increasing frequency and a silently watching man observing them from the shadows.
What’s great about this comic? THE SICKNESS #1 is a slow burn but highly effective. Nadler and Cha expertly convey a growing atmosphere of dread when the “afflicted” loses his grip on sanity, causing even his loved ones to look grotesque and alien. Nadler’s script is a tightening coil of agitation waiting to spring.
What’s not so great about this comic? THE SICKNESS #1 takes place over two time periods, but the events in each don’t quite connect until the last page of the book, and even then, not exactly. You get the impression that the two timelines are part of a larger story, but the impression is vague at best. It would have helped to connect the two timelines in a more obvious way.
How’s the art? Grim, unsettling, and disturbing in all the right ways. If Jenn Cha isn’t drawing inspiration from Junji Ito, this comic is one heck of a coincidence. Cha gives the afflicted wild, pleading eyes as they struggle to make sense of what they’re seeing, and the one survivor of the second set of murders barely manages to hold his sanity together. This is the type of horror story designed to make you feel uncomfortable, and Cha’s art goes a long way toward accomplishing that goal.
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 Daniel, a teenager in Stillwater, MN, in 1945. Daniel’s friends grow increasingly concerned about his friend’s growing aloofness and his claims about seeing a Man standing in the shadows, followed by visions of people near him becoming disfigured in horrific ways. When his friends try to get Daniel to attend the local festival, he runs off upset.
Ten years later, a distraught woman describes the recent behavior of her sister to the police. Her sister’s house is considered an active crime scene after the sister took an axe to her husband, children, and the family dog.
Later, Dr. Brooks is given the unenviable task of overseeing the murderous woman, and her surviving son, Dale. With what little information Brooks can get from the son and the police report, the woman’s murderous outburst defies any medical or psychological explanation, but the case sounds familiar.
We conclude the issue with Daniel’s visions hitting home and a crime scene visit.
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 SICKNESS #1 is a simmering, uncomfortable tale about a mysterious Man in the shadows and the disturbing effect he has on his victims, driving them to insanity and murder. Nadler’s disquieting script methodically tightens a coiling spring of tension, and Cha’s art elicits the best of Jjnji Ito’s horror aesthetic.
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