While I’m admittedly not a hardcore horror fan, comics seem to be the one medium that can keep me interested. DC’s Absolute line has leaned full into body horror, especially with Absolute Batman and its villains, and Marvel’s Midnight line has me interested with its twisted takes on certain heroes. I’ve even started reading Something is Killing the Children on the recommendation of a friend, and the hype is more than warranted. However, the horror comic that’s really grabbed me is In Your Skin, and its final issue is a microcosm of everything that’s made this series great.
For starters, there’s the concept that fame will eat you alive. In the case of protagonist/antagonist Priyanka, that’s been quite literal as she’s consumed the flesh of her idol Ayesha Sen, thinking it will lift her out of the shadows and into the starlight. Instead, it’s only led to a trail of death, destruction, and loss of identity, all of which comes to a head in In Your Skin #4. Having been pushed out of her latest movie, Ayesha has a massive meltdown in public, which leads to a final meeting with Priyanka…and an ending that’s both disturbing and visually gripping.
That’s thanks to artist Som, who fills the back half of In Your Skin #4 with plenty of shocking moments. I previously mentioned that In Your Skin #3 had one of the most disturbing endings of the series, which featured Ayesha literally shedding her skin to reveal the flesh and bone underneath. Som takes things a step further in the final pages of In Your Skin #4, featuring Priyanka and Ayesha both shedding their skin and engaging in a dance. It’s horrifying, as you’re seeing their muscles, bones, and blood merge together; it’s also a perfect mirror to the opening of the first issue, which featured the two dancing and dancing until they literally became one.
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Writer/letterer Aditya Bidikar backs up this imagery with searing dialogue that lays bare the corrosive nature of fame, and how it often doesn’t make people as happy as they think. Ayesha’s outburst comes from the fact that she was pushed out of a role that was promised to her by a producer and had to put up with a co-star who’s implied to be a massive jerk. Priyanka’s obsession with Ayesha is revealed to stem from a moment in her youth, and how her dreams didn’t take off because she didn’t match the industry’s impossible beauty standards. Bidikar hammers these themes home in a single line of dialogue, where Priyanka tells someone, “You should dream about me.” It shows how people tend to treat celebrities as gods, and like any religion, go to great and terrible lengths to be closer to their idols.
Bidikar’s lettering also makes his dialogue hit all the harder. Shouts grow in size until they nearly cover certain panels, while whispers are tiny and hard to make out. Even a collection of word balloons in the opening pages feels like a cacophony of sound, which is fitting given that it’s covering the premiere of a major movie. The best letterers understand that their work conveys a character’s voice, and therefore the tone of the comic they’re working on, and Bidikar knows when to go big and when to go small.
In Your Skin #4 delivers a near-perfect, compelling ending to one of the most gripping horror comics I’ve read in a while. If Bidikar continues to write more comics, I hope he keeps up the good work or finds a creative team that’s as well suited to his talents as this series.
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