Writer James Robinson, artist Scott Kolins, and letterer Jim Campbell come together and herald an early start to the horror season with ‘Patra #1 from Dark Horse Comics, the gory origin story of the titular young ‘Patra, a little girl trying to survive, the vicious killer desperately seeking her out, and a small community shaken to its core.
This first issue kicks off as many slashers do, in a quaint little town rocked by tragedy. Yet, with a missing girl seemingly spared from the massacre, a mysterious doctor who knows a bit too much, and a glaring supernatural presence emanating from both the killer and his target, ‘Patra #1 leaves a mystery to unravel.
Writing/Story
Robinson plunges us right into the fray, as the police discover the horrid crime scene our murderer left behind. The narrative is broken into two voices and places, one being ‘Patra herself who finds herself alone in the woods, being hunted and haunted, asking herself how she got there and why. On the other side of town, the police are asking similar questions, and a stranger arrives to answer them. This man’s journal acts as the second narrative voice. While I wish some of the exposition had been discovered perhaps a bit later in the story, as some pages feel very content-heavy, it did not pull me from the story.
The split in the story does wonders for establishing both the confusion ‘Petra is feeling as she stumbles through the woods, and showing the reader the true threat and capacity for violence our antagonist has, as the police uncover the horror he has left in his wake. While ruthless and cruel, the killer is given a strong backstory, and while you certainly don’t root for him, it isn’t hard to comprehend how he became the monster he is.
Art Direction
As someone familiar with Kolins’ works, I had to make sure ‘Patra was indeed one of his creations. I’ve known his typical style as one with limited shadows and very tight line work, which leaves his art feeling very “clean.” None of that is present in ‘Patra. Yet, it works perfectly. His decision here is to go very gritty, with color that escapes the lines and pops vividly especially when portraying blood. ‘Patra and the killer are both the biggest examples of this, as they seem to be styled more brutally than the other characters, allowing them to embody the emotions they feel palpably.
The lettering from Campbell also showcases the characters well. Two specific highlights would be the inner monologue from ‘Patra, which mimics a scared child, with lots of short sentences, often filling the page with small incomplete thoughts she is having. This contrasts the secondary narrator, who is an educated, calm man, whose inner monologue and exposition fills large chunks of expository yet concise thoughts. The voices always feel clear and personal.
Verdict
‘Patra #1 is a mystery thriller to its core. It shows no fear of being very dark, yet it balances the tone well, not feeling gratuitous. ‘Patra herself has yet to do much of anything in the first issue and the villain steals the spotlight, but jeepers, I am excited to see where the next three issues take her.
