Severed (2011-2012)
Huge thanks to my buddy Steve Spatucci who not only turned me on to SEVERED, but who mailed them to me!! I really appreciate it.
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I don’t do nearly enough horror comic reviews here at anythinghorror.com!! I love comic books and I love reading them. But nothing gets me angrier than buying a comic series and it turns out to be absolute shit. But on other occasions when I end up with something like SEVERED, a seven issue horror comic, everything becomes right in the world. Now my impulsive side wants to go purchase more horror comics, but my rational side is telling me to cool down … SEVERED is a rarity.
SEVERED is written by Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft, with artwork by Attila Futaki. Futaki has an amazing eye and includes an incredible amount of details on each page. After my first reading of SEVERED (I read all seven issues in one sitting), I went back to to beginning and started really looking at Futaki’s artwork. I got so caught up in the story that I was skimming over everything else. But definitely take the time to look at the artwork closely … Futaki puts some very subtle details in practically every box. He uses a lot of earth-tones that really captures the feel and atmosphere of the time period the story takes place in.
The story begins around 1956. An elderly Jack Garron is watching a thin Elvis Presley shake his moneymaker on TV when his grandson comes running in the room to give him a letter that a stranger left for him. Upon reading the letter, the blood drains from Jack’s face as his past suddenly collides with his present. We then slip into Jack’s memory and back to 1916 as he tells the story of what happened to him when he was 12 years old. I’m not gonna go too deep into the story, but Snyder and Tuft craft a fantastic story about a boy hitting the road to find his father. Young Jack is essentially after the American Dream, but what he finds is evil and older than time itself. This is a really remarkable story that touches on some very disturbing ideas: Child predators, child abductions, cannibalism, and ancient evil. America was young in 1916 and the sky was the limit as to what people could achieve. World War I was raging on in Europe and this brought the country together. The future was bright and hopeful. But even amid this positive, “the future is ours” attitude, the American landscape had a dark side. There were things out there that took advantage of this era and exploited people’s dreams.
SEVERED creators Scott Tuft, Scott Snyder, & Attila Futaki
The story arc Snyder and Tuft create will have you on the edge of your seat. These are two extremely talented writers who understand what it takes to write an effective horror story. They create an atmosphere of suspicion, dread, and the feeling that something really bad is gonna happen at any time. I don’t think I’ve ever been this creeped out by a comic book!! At about issue four I was beginning to doubt that seven issues was gonna be enough to wrap up the story in a satisfying way. But these two writers effortlessly bring together various plot points (some which seemed to be not that important) and end the story with a bang. The writers also hint at the fact that this story may be continued in a larger format, but nothing is concrete. They provide a very satisfying ending to this seven issue series, but there’s also a lot of potential to continue this story in the future.
For all you people that may have read SEVERED when it was originally released, I must tell you that you all have amazing will power. I’d have been going crazy waiting for each issue to be released!! I’m glad I was introduced to this series after all seven issues were out so I could read then all together (thanks again, Steve). Definitely check this comic series out. It’s nice to read an adult horror comic that pulls no punches. This one goes right for the throat and succeeds. Highly recommended.
My Summary:
Writers: Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft
Artist: Attila Futaki
Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Gore: 6 out of 10 skulls
Zombie Mayhem: 0 out of 5 brains
Reviewed by Scott Shoyer
