A hugely engaging and enjoyable comic that slowly and very effectively darkens and draws the reader into an perfectly judged story. Jake is a young man who lives near a bog and has a crush on his neighbor. The bog is full of ghosts and when Jake finds a little girl, who claims to be a witch wandering into the bog he rescues her. Jake and Allie are invited into house where Cal, (Jake’s crush) lives and they both find that the house may be much more treacherous than the bog. The story unfurls carefully, the reveals are cleverly staged and the conclusion is dark and bitter.
The colouring is wonderfully dominant and extraordinarily versatile and expressive. The colouring is used as part of the lettering and sometimes used for the art without any line work. The colouring is used in a traditional way to emphasise and capture the details of the line work and create emotional key for the action. The generous use of the colours is very disciplined, it is always very carefully used in service of the story and the cast, it never overwhelms the comic. It loudly draws attention to itself and in doing so draws the reader deeper into the story and the slowing rising unease that becomes sharper as the story unfolds.
The cast are engaging, Jake is uncertain and deeply doubtful of himself, he is also quick to help others who are in trouble and brave when it really matters and is very difficult to be so. Allie is a cute witch who reveals herself to be considerably more serious than anticipated.
The clever and utterly confident storytelling from Kristin Tipping is superbly paced, it plays with reader expectations and delivers in unexpected and utterly satisfying ways. The reveals lead the reader steadily down to a bleak secret and a great conclusion.
Kristin Tipping has exploited the possibilities of comics in a strongly creative and engaging way, her use of panels to control the flow and pace of the story are a joy to read. The cast are expressive and credible within the story framework. Kristin Tipping has a powerful creative vision and the skill and talent to deliver it. This comic is an undiluted pleasure.
