Emily Carroll has been one of those people in comics that everyone just kinda seems to agree is a genius. Her work is beautiful, startling, personal, thoughtful, and scary in a way that sticks around. In an era of great horror comics made by plenty of different people, she stands out – likely because she’s a cartoonist, and she’s able to take a more holistic approach in presenting her stories, but it’s also simply because she just is that good.
A Guest in the House is her new book, and it focuses on a woman, her newlywed (and recent widower), her new stepdaughter, and their new life in their lake house in their tiny town. Things are mostly normal, until they aren’t.
The most important and striking ingredient of the book is, obviously, the art, which is so masterfully done across every element of it, from the line work, to the colors, to the fonts, and coloring. This is a work of art, and a labor of love that is impossible not to be excited by.
Carroll’s choices regarding the real world and the dream one are, frankly, a bit obvious, and done many times before. Real life is in black and white, the fantasy bits are in color, which when described makes it out to be hackish. Of course, like so much comic making, the important part is the execution, and she draws like only she can, in her gorgeous horrendous way. The fantasy sections feel dreamy, with wavy, blotchy water paints providing a completely different texture.
The depth of this comic’s aesthetics is deeper than “color vs no color” though, and I’ve found myself thinking a lot about the font choices that were made, and especially the way internal monologue was depicted. Instead of using captions or thought balloons, the thoughts just fill the negative space of the page, and become a part of the image in a more full sense than I typically see in comics. It’s a more integrated treatment, and helps to sell how isolated Abby feels throughout the book. These pages are the totality of her existence at this time in her life, and so much of it is spent thinking about all of the mediocrity of it.
The lettering itself was so clearly thoughtful and meaningful as well, with the internal monologue being the height of legibility, but also kinda flavorless, and dialogue having much more character, with the “ghost” having the most stylized font, matching its brushstrokes. Everything here is dripping with intent and love, it’s easy to let it wash over me.
All the artistry on display here is wonderful on its own merits, and would be worth the time I spent with it, but, fortunately, it’s all in service to a a story that’s hauntingly devastating in its own right. Carroll weaves a tale here that is contemplative and mature. It doesn’t make any statements really, only questions, about personhood, relationships, and most importantly womanhood.
The women in this comic have so much depth, and their treatment is just incredibly well done. In an industry that’s so dedicated to and defined by maleness, this book is woman-centeric in a way that’s still rare, especially done to this standard. Carroll chose to depict women in their entirety; none of them sparkling princesses, but flawed, kinda awful individuals, who get to be messy. It’s refreshing, and I am happy to enjoy a work that presents women as complicated persons.
A Guest in the House isn’t just one of the best comics this year; it’s one I’ll be thinking about long after 2023. It’s the kind of comic that’s thankfully becoming less rare, but is still refreshing, especially amidst the male-dominated world of direct market comics. It certainly makes for a wonderful addition to the “women’s wrongs” section of my collection.
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