It’s got to be stressful as all heck when a writer/artist makes the leap into creator-owned work. If it goes right, it’s a new stage of your career. And if it goes wrong, then you’re stuck doing Batman and Archie forever. (No hate, of course.)
Luckily, Caitlin Yarsky (Black Hammer: Reborn) hits the ground running with her debut, Living Hell. More like, “Hell yeah,” amirite?!
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
Serving as both writer and artist (alongside letterer Clayton Cowles), Yarsky has expertly crafted a most charming and multifaceted story. We follow Jerome, a loving father, husband, part-time bartender, and escaped demon from hell. Just as his personal life grows ever more complicated (bills and family woes), Jerome must deal with the threat of Shepherds, who want to drag him back to the underworld. And you thought being married in the real world was complicated enough.
Perhaps the biggest feature of Living Hell is the art itself. Yarsky has always had this really charming style, something that’s grounded and cartoonish enough in perfect measure to feel fun and playful without losing some sense of grit or deep emotional resonance. And that’s very much the case here — whether we’re eating dinner with the family, or watching Jerome fight a Shepherd, there’s that perfect melding of joy, humanity, and fantasy that makes everything hum with this particular power and connectivity.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
I found myself loving the world at-large — sort of a mix of our reality and maybe a scattershot of fantasy elements, plus the use of symbols and iconography weren’t all just boilerplate demon stuff — just as much as this perfect little montage that demonstrated the family’s dynamic. That’s likely because Yarsky treats all of it with the same magic and grace, lending every scene a certain ability to bring us in and let us see just how special and unique this world is in general.
At the same time, there’s so many smaller decisions that I think felt extra important. That as much as I liked the shape of the world and the premise, other things demonstrated a greater “edge” for the long-term prospects of Living Hell. Like, without revealing too much, how Jerome’s wife, Sita, has some very odd, very topical fears, and how that aspect is really vital in making this book feel more timely. (Which builds on how this book is also very much about struggling families and just getting by, which is another super relevant thread.) And the same with the lore: not only is the supernatural stuff just cool to see (there’s a giant tentacle creature, FYI), Yarsky makes us reconsider the nature of demons and their place in the world and fiction.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
It’s these small but mighty ways that she doesn’t just lean into old ideas and tropes, but rather uses them to make a story that gets us to question our assumptions about family, good and evil, and what’s really magical about this life, among other topics/themes. There’s other things too — no mention of the daughter’s role as a human-demon hybrid, which I like being deemphasized, and the same for a demonic friend of Jerome who feels important but doesn’t overwhelm the core storyline. All of it together proves that as much as the art brings us into Living Hell, Yarsky has the heart and penchant to go deeper still and present us something with layers to explore and rounded bits to chew on.
Still, Living Hell does have its downsides — even some issues aren’t ultimately a big deal (and may actually prove vital/informative down the line). There is a sense that this book is like a Pixar film with a little more gore, and while some folks will love that dynamic (myself included), I can see how it just may not prove so appealing for others and may even lean more into watered down fantasy-horror. I also worry that the book may be spinning too many plates. There’s all that stuff mentioned, but also things with Sita’s elderly dad, the son of the demonic friend (and what role/part he plays if any), and even a new pet (though that aspect might just be an excuse for solid enough comic relief).
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
It hasn’t yet happened, but I’m slightly concerned that it just may be too much too soon and distract from the core of this already busy book (Jerome and the Shepherds and the family stuff). Still, it’s not nearly as “worrisome” as the issues with Sita — if not handled with grace, that very relevant stuff could come off as hokey or half-hearted or even potentially damage the story at-large.
Still, these are only tertiary concerns so far, and I believe Living Hell is already off to a really solid start. That’s as much to do with the general approach and premise as Yarsky’s skill and insights. She’s proven in just one issue that, when given the ball, she can do something novel (and with layers) that’s also heartfelt, charming, and wholly connected to the big threads and ideas of our time.
I already can’t wait to see what will happen to Jerome and the family as if I’m some distant cousin, and that’s the sign of a genuinely promising book.
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