Dubbed neon horror by Image Comics, Lovesick is a new miniseries that pushes the envelope regarding horror in comics. At least, mainstream horror from mainstream American comic publishers. Written and drawn by Luana Vecchio (Bolero), Lovesick is a horror comic to add to your read pile if you like something gory and twisted.
Needless to say, Lovesick will not be for everyone. This comic features torture, murder, and sadomasochistic sexual activities. It’s also disturbing and touches on male rage and incel culture while conveying a social media culture that’s quite disturbing. It’s a story that clearly has something to say.
Lovesick opens with a closeup shot of the ass of the main character, Domino, who is chasing a man bound and naked. Vecchio draws these panels with film noise and even scratches or hairs in the art to convey its recorded footage. We see Domino at one moment in the shadows with red eyes, then on all fours walking up to the man who is trying to escape. Cut to his perspective, and we see other women in leather and masked watching, known as the Domino Girls.
Vecchio plays with your expectations, and many will assume Domino is some monster like Michael Myers chasing the innocent man down. Soon though, we see he’s in love with Domino and wants to be killed by her. Given how twisted people are in this world and how people can make a living sending gross stuff like used underwear to fans for cash, it’s not so hard to believe people would wish to be dominated by and maybe even killed for pleasure. Soon we learn she has a fan club, and people get boxes or even sign up to be on her kill list.
Awesome album cover!
Credit: Image
One might question whether Domino enjoys this work, and it’s hard to say after reading the first issue. Domino seems to be going through the motions and treating the murder and maiming of people like a job. She doesn’t necessarily like doing it, but feels she must do it. Meanwhile, some men want to find her and kill her. It’s a lot to unpack, and that’s one of the draws to keep reading. The final page seems to suggest Domino may be closer to these men than they’ve been with anyone, yet she’s incredibly alone.
Vecchio’s art is excellent, using good shading with Ben-Day dots to create texture and volume. Most of the book is in blues and greens, a sickly color, with black being the most used color. The color red sticks out, especially when blood is first drawn. There are also nice touches like grime and spots on the panels. This is not a clean-looking book, and it’s scarier for it. Vecchio’s style isn’t hyper-realistic, though it’s close enough for the bloody scenes. That said, this style is just cartoony enough not to make you feel sick or make the art look disturbingly real. Basically, it’s not distracting even when things get violent.
Though not for everyone, Lovesick is compelling horror worth picking up if you like movies like Audition which push boundaries. At its core, Lovesick has a story to tell about sadomasochism, toxic culture, and desire. At times disturbing, Lovesick is an examination of pain, misogyny, and how loneliness can bring us to the most disturbing and brutal places.
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