There’s something special about the teen slasher horror movie, captured impeccably well in Harrower. The new series launches from BOOM! Studios with various tropes at work from the genre, be it a main teenager cast, a town stricken with fear around conspiracies, and it all happening on Halloween night. Throw in some iconography, and Justin Jordan and Brahm Revel have themselves a slasher you can’t put down.
Harrower works so well because it makes the monster, or whoever is in the killer’s getup, so scary. We know after the very first scene he’s real, quite dangerous looking, and playing for keeps. We immediately know the boogeyman of Barlowe, New York is real. Smash cut to teenagers in class joking and making fun of anyone who thinks the boogeyman is real. We learn from a teacher that this killer is tied to a legend and lore of the town, and when paired with the absolute horror of what he looks like, you’ll believe it.
There are hints of some kind of plot at work here, which adds to the fun. Are kids dressing up like this monster and enacting killings, or is there something even darker going on? Knowing full well he’s back. You’ll also be counting the minutes before some, if not all, of the main cast, are slain.
The meatier portion of this issue focuses on Jessa and her friends. She’s kind of got a Neve Campbell look to her, which will set off alarm bells when her rather forward boyfriend shows up. A few key scenes later, with helpful half-bits of detail, the kids are in the open air, and likely getting killed soon. I’d argue the scene in the high school takes up a bit too much time, but overall this story moves fairly quickly.
Use your gun, dude!
Credit: BOOM!
Art by Revel is good, and he also takes on the coloring duties. If you laid out the pages on the floor, you’d see a clear color story at work, with blues leading up to a kill and lots of pinks giving off a sense of hope in the high school. The design of the killer is quite good, with a ye-old-timey vibe that suits the fact that he’s a legend to a town that was likely once a settlement. When there’s gore and violence, Revel makes you believe this stuff is happening, never holding back.
Letters by Pat Brosseau are also good, going with a word balloon without a black outline. Without it, the lettering looks like part of the art, which has a gentler look thanks to the hand-drawn and thinner lines.
There are elements here that feel reminiscent of Scream and I Know What you Did Last Summer, but a story is the sum of its parts, and there is a lot to take in and enjoy. Harrower has all the trappings of your next favorite slasher, complete with mystery, horny teens, and plenty of delicious violence.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.