Review: Severed #7 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

I’ve mentioned in my earlier review how I thought that Snyder and Tuft based Allan Fisher on real life cannibal, childer killer and rapist, Albert Fish. He was also known as the Gray Man, and the Bogeyman (there were several others too but these are the relevant ones). Of course we’ve all heard of the Bogeyman, as in “If you don’t go to bed, the Bogeyman will get you.” It has become sort of a mulit-regional legend used by adults to frighten kids into behaving. According to wikipedia: “Bogeymen may target a specific mischief — for instance, a bogeyman that punishes children who suck their thumbs — or general misbehavior, depending on what purpose needs serving.In some cases, the bogeyman is a nickname for the devil.” In the case of this story it may be relevant to punishing runaways. Jack Garron ran away from home in search of his estranged father because of a post card he got sent to him. It was his dream to be re-united with his dad and play the fiddle on the road with him. Now that he’s trapped in the house with this old pervy cannibal with shark teeth. Fisher tells him that he’s not here just to eat him, but also going to consume his dreams. His father is long dead and now he plans to take his arm so he can never play the fiddle again. Allan Fisher is the Bogeyman of this tale, a dream-devouring, child-eating immortal demon with truly evil motivations. Snyder and Tuft allude to supernatural elements and perhaps try to interpret the gap between the outlandish and crazy lies of Albert Fish and his Bogeyman reputation, and factual accounts of the crimes he committed. They consolidate legend and reality into Severed and spit out a timeless primal nightmare.

I’m usually pretty good a guess where a horror story is going to go. I’ve read a ton of books and have seen a enough movies to have a really firm grasp on the genre. So I was taken aback by how much I got wrong and didn’t see coming with this series. Whenever I thought there was going to be a scare, it was a red herring. When I was least expecting it I would get thrown a curveball and the plot would thicken or something terrible would happen. A foreshadowing kill in the first issue sets out a bait for the rest of the series.  Like-able characters and interesting historical backdrop drew me further into the story. Each issue builds upon the dread and tension established and left me anticipating a terrifying and bloody finale. Just when i thought I had it all figured-out stakes are raised when an unexpected guest from Jack’s past drops in. Suddenly nothing is safe. Is this set-up for some sick and demented dinner scene ala Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Hannibal? Will there be a demon’s feast or will it all fall apart? How does Jack get out alive? This is what I love about writing in Severed, it’s just unpredictable and inventive.

Overall I was really happy with how Severed turned-out. I never thought I read such a page-turning comic that would leave me so anxious and nervous about what was going to happen next. The whole entire creative team deserve a big kudos for championing the medium and showing that true horror comic can be made even with the limitations of a comic book format. Although they veered slightly into the supernatural context of horror conventions, they didn’t rely on an abundance of monsters, blood and guts to scare the audience. It was with the use of foreshadowing and suspense that they crafted a frightening tale. That’s a rare thing these days, and they should be proud of their accomplishments. Don’t worry if you haven’t picked up Severed yet, you can grab the hardcover edition that is due out in April. Don’t miss out on one of the best comic book horror stories in the past ten-years.

Story: 10/10
Art. 6.5/10