The Wire Frame And The Way Out In A Walk Through Hell #9
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Driscoll awakens in a pull of blood to discover…that it’s not blood at all. It’s corn syrup, and the pair of arms nearby are filled with straw. Soon after, she finds a wire frame of a human body pressing a gun against its own head. The secrets of the warehouse may just have been revealed, as Driscoll herself flashes back to her further investigation into Carnahan and the cover-up behind it all.
A Walk Through Hell #9 throws more twists and turns at the reader, but they feel more deceptive and genuinely misleading in this issue. That’s to say that I got to the end and wasn’t entirely sure what was real and what wasn’t in the universe of the comic–or if it matters either way.
I reached the end of the comic ready to make spoiler-y references to “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” but I can’t say for sure that this is where the comic intends to go with its ending.
That is to say, Driscoll may have found the way out or gone deeper into the maze–which is also sort of a meta “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” for the reader now isn’t it? What I’m saying is, I read things and like making references to nerd culture foundational texts.
Regardless, the lack of knowing makes the read all the more unnerving, and the revelations shown in Driscoll’s flashback make it even more so.
Goran Sudzuka’s artwork continues to amaze, especially with some of the texture work present in this comic. The gleam off of Driscoll’s firearm in the wire-frame panel drew me in unexpectedly. The comic is glorious in its macabre elements, and Sudzuka proves himself an immense talent. Ive Svorcina’s color work boosts the visuals even more, and the pair put together an absolutely absorbing visual design in this book.
A Walk Through Hell #9 succeeds in horrifying and engaging the reader once again. Garth Ennis continues to prove himself a master of horror and the macabre, and it all works thanks to the great talents of Sudzuka and Svorina. This comic gets a strong recommendation. Give it a read.
A Walk Through Hell #9 comes to us from writer Garth Ennis, artist Goran Sudzuka, color artist Ive Svorcina, letterer Rob Steen, and cover artist Sudzuka with Svorcina.
