Very engaging, enjoyable, and charming comic. Toby Hathaway and Marion Spark are the local specialists in the supernatural for their area. They resolve problems for people, problems like the outsize stress inflicted on a deeply organized woman when everyday objects disappear. Stories like this frequently face the “Go Big or Go home” challenge and Lucy Lyall, happily, goes home. These are suburban stories and concerns that mix the everyday and the supernatural to wonderful effect.
The plot mechanics are low key, the stakes are always high for those involved. It is this balance that Lucy Lyall uses to bring the reader into the stories and give them depth and heft. The cast are lively, active, and demanding reader’s attention. Toby and Marion are life and professional partners, and Lucy Lyall mixes both aspects in a most engaging way.
The problem of finding a birthday present for someone who routinely deals with the supernatural is the start for a smart and touching story. The absence of high drama is not the absence of beautifully constructed drama. The longest story in the collection, “Keep Digging” shows Lucy Lyall’s control over story structure, pacing and resolves in a deeply satisfactory and unexpected way. The closest to a horror story in the collection, “In at The Deep End” does not shy away from the physical damage that being trapped by the supernatural can deliver, it delivers a punch with overt gore.
The art is friendly and inviting, matching the tones of the stories. The cast are expressive, body language and facial expressions are eloquent. The pacing is first rate, and the details are spot on. The colouring is a pleasure to read, it captures and amplifies the emotional context of the stories and gives the cast a level of detail and definition that they deserve. The lettering is in tune with the art and colouring, it is unobtrusive and combines effectively with the art and panel structure.
Charm is a rare item in comics, it cannot be forced or comes off like an overdose of artificial sweetener. Spare Keys for Strange Doors has an (apparently) effortless charm that make this collection a substantial pleasure to read and savor.
