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Image is everything to some people. It can lead to extreme measures taken for public approval. This concept unfortunately lingers around the thoughts of proper body shape. “Whatever it takes to stay thin” can lead to horrific scenarios.
Spiraling out of the page of Ghost Machine’s Hyde Street is a story that tackles this notion head on. IT HAPPENED ON HYDE STREET: DEVOUR #1 by Maytal Zchut, Leila Leiz, Alex Sinclair and Rob Leigh takes readers on a terrifying journey.
With Horror in full swing, the editorial team at Nerd Initiative is teaming up for this review. Matt and Lauren from Hops Geek News along with yours truly (Ken – ODPH Podcast/NI Editor-In-Chief) are checking out the Ghost Machine/Image Comics one-shot!
Let’s take a closer look at how this story unfolds!
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING***
LET’S TALK STORY!
Matt: It’s a very tragic social commentary on the state of fad dieting and the pressures of society. It even hit close to home as someone who was made fun of growing up so I could put myself into our characters shoes with weight and even worked to lose 100 pounds and it was all very very real making this issue even scarier to me. The writing is raising the horror bar in this issue across horror as a genre.
Lauren: As an 80s baby and 90s kid, diet culture seemed like part of pop culture growing up. There was always Slim Fast in the fridge, and the words ‘Fat Free’ sprinkled all over the place. Emphasis was never on being healthy, but simply on being skinny. “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” was a phrase I heard more than I ever should have. What this comic, Devour, just did was perfectly sum up everything that is wrong with Diet culture into a creepy generational horror story. I don’t know that I have ever been so sucked into a comic book story as quick as I was with Devour.
Ken: Zchut layers the story to cover three generations of family. Each woman involved is at a different point where their feelings of image are at an all time high. Miss Goodbody plays the devil on the shoulder exploiting the fears each carries. It leads the family down a winding road of false belief and ultimate harm. Bringing the realistic nature of extreme weight loss plays perfect to cement a solid base for the story.
MORE FROM HYDE STREET!
Once the tale shifts towards the youngest of the family’s 3 leads, events change. The story gives off a sense of false hope. Can the broken cycle of mental pressure and physical harm be broken? Readers watch as Lily sees chilling examples of the results of their struggles. This leads to a fitting closing act. It constructs a lingering question before departing. The question of “did the end justify the means” will stick with readers post story. Bringing the realistic piece of horror to the forefront nails the landing. The Hyde Street brand adds another hit to their roster.
HOW ABOUT THE ART AND LETTERING!
Matt: Some absolutely incredible art from the team as the sinister and haunting faces went from normal people enjoying life to sending chills racing down my spine as I turned the page. The coloring brought in an old school style bringing back both good and bad memories. In fact the artwork was so similar to people from my childhood I’m not so sure they didn’t get some photos of mine.
The entire issue is visually stunning and devours our attention from the get go. I am so in love with this issue from a visual standpoint.
Lauren: The art in this comic was absolute eye candy. The way the generations of women are portrayed was beautiful, creepy, and perfect in telling the story they were trying to convey. A young healthy beautiful women is looked down on by her mother and grandmother who only see beauty in being thin. The art overall just did a brilliant job of showcasing how generational trauma is taught, and how heartbreaking it can be. It was done perfectly, and the cherry on top of the Slim Fast Milk Shake was the nods to the characters from Hyde Street (which dropped earlier this month).
ROOK: EXODUS!
Ken: Leiz and Sinclair bring out the real terror of the subject matter. The feeling of doubt and despair pours off the leads throughout the story. Miss Goodbody looks maniacal as she pressures all to take her “offer” of Devour. Her full page splash gives the moment an exclamation point. In its aftermath, the users show off the shocking change. It hits readers with a shocking realization of what each has sacrificed on their goal to “look better”/
The issue also has some excellent splash pages. Hyde Street in its’ innocence camouflages the growing secret behind its’ location. This leads to the climax of the unfolding horror. With another strong two page splash, a turning point is indented before the closing act. With a near full page, the image sends chills down readers spines as the horror strikes again. It’s complimented by the final page. A full page image leaves readers with much to ponder as the chapter ends for now with a parting scare.
FINAL GRADES:
Matt: 10. Hyde Street Devour is a haunting social commentary on societies pressures of eating and fad dieting. I could even see people willing to take a demonic parasite if it helped them. It’s both a sad tale and a legitimately frighting horror comic. Hyde Street is making the case for best horror series in the game
Lauren: 10. The more I sit here and think about how perfect diet culture and societal pressure to be thin was just literally demonized, the more I realize how perfect this comic is. I absolutely cannot wait to see what else comes out of Hyde Street.
Ken: 9.2. The latest addition to Hyde Street tackles a real life horror with a unique spin. Zchut constructs a very grounded look at a scarring dilemma with building drama. Leiz and Sinclair craft a striking look at the high price of beauty with the panels. Often in horror, the scariest things are not hat others do, but what we do to ourselves. “Devour” brings that statement front and center with a direct shot.
