Advance Review: Pretty Hate Machine #1
From Mad Cave Studios
Coming soon from Mad Cave Studios is a new horror series, and I had a chance for an advance look at Pretty Hate Machine #1.
Thomas is in so much pain. As if high school wasn’t hard enough, when his father is killed in a freak accident, and his mother begins to take refuge in the company of his uncle, Thomas is visited by a ghoulish kid named Luther with knives for hands and rows of teeth like an ancient shark who tells Thomas his father was murdered and that anything his mother and uncle tell him is a lie. Thomas doesn’t know who or what to believe. Does he believe his friends, teachers, and mother, who tell him grief isn’t for the faint of heart, but it will pass? Or does he believe the demented Luther who pulls Thomas through a bloody whirlwind of conspiracies, vengeance, and slaughter, showing him the lies and corruption that surround him? Thomas must fight to discover the truth behind his father’s death, while struggling to keep his new friend from leaving a massacre in his wake. But that “truth” might be far more sinister than Thomas is prepared for…
(W) Ryan O’Nan, Tim Seeley, (A) Paolo Armitano (C) Roman Stevens & (L) Dave Sharpe
Jumping in - even with the preview I had seen - I wasn’t sure what to expect, and wow, this really struck me!
Pretty Hate Machine gives us some small-town vibes where something darker is happening after the death of Thomas’s father. The introduction to the gore in the preview sets the tone straight off, and from there, we move to the funeral of Thomas’s father - there are some interesting points here, with the reactions of those at the funeral and Thomas having some trouble dealing with the sudden death.
That leads us to the discovery and calling from somewhere else, introducing us to the demonic Luther who seems to know more than is being said, and probably has his own motivations in this story. Nevertheless, his offer of help is the catalyst in the story and leaves us with questions that will drive us through the story.
The middle part of the story slows things down well, subtly building us to the ending and the revelation of the issue. There are things going down, either within the family or in the town in a larger sense, which are going to be discovered - Luther’s involvement in this helps to drive this in a shocking appearance, which adds to the horror and violence in the story.
This initial issue really sets the story up for a slow build, with mysteries, the supernatural, and murder. Thomas has to get his head straight and make some decisions. I love how he is characterised, and it will be interesting to see how this story escalates in future issues.
The artwork does an excellent job, giving us a dark, creeping small-town feel to the story. There are some violent action spots which are shocking and excellently shown as Luther does his thing, well worth a second look. The small expressions, both from Thomas and the background characters, were excellent, and the way the wake for Thomas’s father is set is perfect.
This was a brilliant introduction to the characters and the setup for the story, and I will look forward to seeing more about the Pretty Hate Machine.
Get it at Forbidden Planet:
