Title: The Rattler
Author: Jason McNamara, illustrated by Greg Hinkle
Publisher: Image Comics
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Page count: 104
Genre: Horror
Publication Date: March 29, 2016
The Rattler started out as a 96-page Kickstarter project that launched March 27, 2014. It attracted $16,237 dollars to help make this graphic novel thriller a reality. Now, don’t let the Kickstarter campaign deter you – Jason McNamara is no newbie to comics and graphic novels. Also on board is Greg Hinkle (Airboy) and editor Joel Enos (Viz Media) so you’ve got some established talent from the thriller arena delivering an excellent story that will make the hairs on your skinny arms stand up.
This story focuses on Stephen Thorn, who lost the love of his life when they were stranded on the side of the road without gas. A ‘good Samaritan’ offered to tow them to the nearest gas station and that is when things take a bad turn.
“10 years have passed since Stephen Thorn’s fiancée vanished without a trace, and he has grown into a prominent, if bitter, victim’s rights crusader. Despite the cold trail and lack of leads, he stubbornly refuses to give up the search. And then…he begins to hear her voice in the strangest of places.”
My Thoughts:
This graphic novel is a killer (ha ha ha). It starts off with an ominous scene that you just know is going to go bad and then it cuts to the present day. Stephen Thorn has aged into a corporate suit who spends his life campaigning on tv to reduce the rights of criminals. He’s Nancy Grace with a penis and an obsession for a woman who has probably been dead for ten years. Now I know you are tempted to stop reading right now after hearing me describe a character as Nancy Grace but get this! Nancy-Grace-With-A-Penis goes absolutely nuts and it’s wonderful. After Stephen starts hearing the voices of his long lost love in the strangest places he goes on a rampage trying to track her down. This not only leads him on an exciting but horrifying wild-goose-chase but it also reveals the dark motives of another woman close to him. The ending is not something you could ever expect.
This is the perfect horror thriller for people who watch truTv in the dark. I couldn’t stop reading this and I finished it in one sitting. Not only is it fast paced and gripping, but because it is loosely based upon a real event, it feels a lot like a movie. I can definitely imagine this story as a horror flick that I would watch. It’s rattling in the sense that you fear for the characters – including the criminals who you regularly wouldn’t sympathize with.
Since this graphic novel is a small fish in a big sea surrounded by big swimmers, I seriously suggest you pre-order this now to show your support for the talent who made The Rattler.
**This item was provided for review.
