Where Monsters Lie

The gated community of Wilmhurst is an exclusive one even by the regular standards of these things.  After all, it’s made up of every kind of slasher movie villain type as they cool their heels between rampages.  The unkillable monster.  The family of cannibal hillbillies.  The serial killer whose spirit is trapped in a doll.  The mastermind who loves tormenting his victims with macabre puzzles.  The clown.  They’re ALL here, so long as they obey the cardinal rule:  Don’t draw attention to the community!

No points for guessing what happens at the start of this story.  Fortunately writer Kyle Starks and artist Piotr Kowalski have lots of clever and oh-so-gory twists up their sleeves to keep you from getting bored during this four-issue miniseries.  While they’re mostly focused around the antagonist these monsters have created for themselves, it’s really just a chance for the creators to celebrate their love of these kinds of villains.  Which they do by showcasing their over-the-top kills while having more than a few laughs at their expense.

So it’s a good thing that Starks’ writing is as sharp as you’d expect, and Kowalski packs every panel with the level of detail he’s known for.  This may be a slim tale, yet that works in its favor as things just keep getting crazier with each issue (witness the dick-guillotine) and things wrap up before the action wears out its welcome.  It also wraps up reasonably well with the story left open for further excursions to Wilmhurst in a way that feels like equal parts homage to the stories that inspired “Where Monsters Lie” and cop-out as well.  Still, I’d certainly be up for seeing where Starks and Kowalski decide to take this series next, even if it’s just to see if they can top what they did here.