The Goddamn Tragedy #1, the new one-shot written by Chris Condon with art by Shawn Kuruneru, is set during the Old West of the late 19th Century. It tells the story of Ellen Janson, a fictional character whose horrific story is pulled from both legend and real history, most notably the story of the Donner Party. At its heart, the book is a survival story. Along the way, various other themes are touched on, like the importance of truth in journalism, children’s rights and dealing with trauma.
The issue opens with Ellen Janson, now an old woman, barging into a journalist’s office to admonish him on the story he wrote about the tragic event that happened to her when she was a child. She’s going to tell him exactly what happened and this time he’s going to get it right. Yep, even in the 19th Century, long before the internet was a glint in anyone’s eye, there were lazy uninformed reporters who favored histrionics over facts.
Flashing back 50 years, Ellen tells her story and it’s a horrifying one. She, her mother Irena and her alcoholic father Leo are traveling west with a large group of settlers. When Leo buys a map that he’s convinced will give them a shortcut to California through the mountains, the trio breaks away from the group and head off into the mountains by themselves.
What follows is a harsh battle against the elements, battles with animals, conflict between Leo and Irena and even a hint of the supernatural. Artist Shawn Kuruneru uses color sparingly and his art has a sparse but lovely feel. The strategic use of green, white, red and brown make the harsh elements and situations come to life. Reading the book is like watching a silent film unfold and there are a few stark images throughout.
The book puts you in Ellen’s tiny shoes as things start falling apart deep into the mountain trail. As things spiral more and more out of control, Ellen becomes less and less heard until she practically no longer exists to her quarreling parents.
Oni Press
It really conveys how terrifying the world is for a child, especially when one of the parents is borderline insane and the other parent continually placates them and suffers their abuse. Having no one to turn to, Ellen has to think on her feet and use anything around her to survive.
Though the first half of the book is pretty slow, the second half really amps things up as Leo loses more and more of his sanity. In many ways, the book’s similar to The Shining in structure, except this book is actually chilling where The Shining was more comical than terrifying thanks to Jack Nicholson’s over-the-top acting.
There’s a nice long interview with Chris Condon and Shawn Kuruneru after the story ends. The two tell their process for imagining the story and coming up with the art style for the book. I wish other companies would try this with their books, it’s fascinating reading about the creative process behind the scenes. If you’re a fan of horror, particularly survival horror, make sure to pick up this issue. It’s a one and done story with a punch.
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