A family inherits a house from a deceased aunt, but there is more at play then meets the eye. At the same time, why does an Ice Cream Man have on a surgeon’s coat, and why are there dogs preforming surgery?

Ice Cream Man #42: Horror House

Written By W. Maxwell Prince – Art By Martìn Morazzo

Colors By Chris O’Halloran – Letters By Good Old Neon

Published By Image Comics

***Minor Spoilers Possible***

Enter the Horror Doors

The issue opens with the Ice Cream Man preforming surgery with a group of dogs on a woman. This transitions into the writer of the story signing at a convention and explaining that this book is a horror comic, despite not wanting to conform to genres. Throughout the rest of the story the writer makes fun and informative side notes.

We then get into the actual story, as we meet the Gladman family. Recently Mr. Gladman’s aunt Gerdy passed away, and she has willed them her home. The family travels to their new home and it’s not exactly what they thought it would be. Upon investigating the home, they discover in the basement 3 doors with the word horror on each of them. It is then revealed that according to the will nobody id to enter these doors.

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Late at night each member of the family awakens to a voice in their heads telling them to go to the basement and enter the doors. Of course, they can’t resist and each one of them opens and enters a different door. One door is a school shooting, the next is the difficulties caused by the repealing of Roe v Wade, and the last door is a world wrecked by climate change. If you thought these doors were the most surprising part, you would be wrong, as the ending you will never see coming.

Horror with a Message

Ice Cream Man #42 is a fun one-shot horror trip. W. Maxwell Princeputs together a good tale that is entertaining but also delivers some poignant messages. The fact that the story involves real life issues that affect us all, well at the same time delivering an entertaining horror story, deserves a hat off to the writer. Another great aspect of the story is the writer breaking the fourth wall for the entirety of the book. It adds extra insights, at the same time bringing some levity to the story.

The art in this book is reminiscent of horror books of yesterday. The design, the colors, and even the lettering make this story pop off the panel. Using some real-life articles in the art also brings a realism to the story as well.

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Final Thoughts

Ice Cream Man #42 walks a fine line between an entertaining horror story and a message driven tale. Adding real life situations and including messages that affect us in the present time is a big swing. For me it was ballsy, but also succeeded in delivering across the board. However, I could see how some could find this didactive or preachy. My suggestion is if you enjoy some message mixed into your comics, this book is for you. But, if that’s not your cup of tea, you may want to sit this issue out.

Final Grade: 8.5/10

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