From Sam Fonseca, creator of three-time HQMix Prize nominee Age of Rust and Best Webcomic winner Dynamite & Laser Beam, comes his debut graphic novel: Shadowplay.
Shadowplay‘s first volume, Midnight School, follows an unnamed protagonist as he survives a nightmarish high school. The typical school worries are abundant, such as missing assignments, tardiness, and deep anxiety regarding the future, however, this is only the first layer of the students’ dread. Dark figures rule the school, placing students in chains and torture devices while encouraging their worst fears and anxieties. Pleas for mercy go ignored or unnoticed as students attend their classes as normal. Although the protagonist slowly opens his eyes to the horrors around him, he awakes to a fate worse than he could have imagined.
Writing/Story
The idea that high school is horrible is not new. However, Fonseca’s ideas in Shadowplay take this idea to a grim and macabre place, reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. The book offers a wide-ranging horror showcase right from the first chapter, ranging from purely psychological, to body horror, to Lovecraftian, and even slasher and cosmic. Starting the comic, our protagonist is just another cog in the machine, simply unable to see the obvious atrocities unfolding around him along with his fellow students. As he navigates this twisted landscape, he slowly begins to break free of the psychological chains around him, only to have physical ones put on.
Later in the comic, as truths are revealed and we learn more about the backstory and the very compelling secondary protagonists, it’s clear to see Fonseca’s other passions besides horror come to fruition. One of these is music, which is how the protagonist best communicates, as he seems to have some form of Synesthesia, which causes him to see music as colors. The music influences the story, motivates the main character, and allows the latter half of the story to differentiate itself from the first very distinctively, as it introduces color into the comic, figuratively and literally. Fonseca has also composed and released a music score for this very comic, which I highly recommend listening to as you read.
While the dialogue, especially in longer conversations, can sometimes feel a bit clunky and expositional, there is no lack of heart in creativity and vision. The horror, the characters’ journeys, and the ideals that motivate them, all feel well thought out and complement each other.
Art Direction
It would be easy to keep this section short and sweet and simply say that Fonseca’s art is amazing. The 400+ page novel bides its time well when it comes to color. Allowing for no more than simple thematic splashes here and there. When it does show up however it is almost like an explosion. It feels powerful and bright and brings a sense of hope along with it. It becomes clear that the lack of color earlier in the story wasn’t simply a thematic choice, but literally stolen from their world, and the more they get of color, the closer they are to breaking free.
When diving into the backstories, the contrast between their current world and their past becomes abundantly clear due to the use of color alone. These are also the moments in which the lettering is showcased a bit more, as it remains mostly constant for the start of the issue. The shift in lettering happens subtly throughout the comic, as in the first couple of acts the ‘sounds’ are almost muted. Things that in many comics would warrant bold impact frames, bright lettering, and other actions of the like are left simply as that. No added action or onomatopoeia is shown, though this feels intentional as to imply, that not only has the color been stolen from the character’s world, but even sounds. As the comic begins to progress it is fascinating to see characters begin to be able to emote more through the lettering.
The art style itself pivots rapidly in the story from “that’s the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen” to “that’s adorable” in a couple of pages, yet never feels like it detaches from the story. As the story begins to reach its conclusion and Fonseca allows more use of color it’s hard not to be impressed by how well every artistic choice comes together like a symphony. Fonseca also doesn’t shy away from putting the horror well on display with some deeply unsettling scenes scattered throughout. Some of the best page spreads in this series came in the form of abundantly dark scenes.
Verdict
Shadowplay may be Fonseca’s first foray into horror novels, but he writes it like a seasoned pro. The concept, the monsters, the yearning for freedom and escape, the conflicts, and the fleeting hope, make a true horror story and he has them here in spades. All of that is accompanied by jaw-dropping art and masterful use of color (and an even more masterful non-use of color) making Shadowplay an absolute must-read. 400+ pages feel short, and I cannot wait for volume 2.
