The first few pages of The Butcher’s Boy give the reader a glimpse of our characters’ fates interspersed with the planning of their weekend trip. Alan and his girlfriend Shyla are planning a trip to the lake with their friend, Chris. Hans’ new girlfriend Emma tells him about this creepy, little ghost town, who then convinces Alan to change his plans. Since Shyla’s trip to the lake is already ruined, she invites Frankie. Chris and Frankie were recently more than just friends, but they haven’t talked since Frankie ghosted him.
La Perdita is nowhere near the goofy tourist trap that Hans tells Alan it is. They aren’t in town for more than five minutes before they debate if they should even stay. They are in the middle of nowhere, no one is having a good time, and, most importantly, there is no cell service for Emma to livestream this on social media. The group decides to eat at the town diner and leave, but from behind boarded-up windows, rooftops, and even in the diner, the people of La Perdita are watching their visitors’ every move. Emma tells them the story of the Butcher of the Silver Mines, a local butcher who drunkenly wandered into the local mine and got lost. When the butcher emerged from the mine weeks later, he had an appetite for the local townsfolk.
A broad local legend is par for the course in small-town horror like this, but the story of the Butcher leaves us wondering what type of story we will get as we sink our teeth into more of this world. What caused the Butcher to become so ravenous? Was it drugs or psychosis? Had he turned into some kind of monster or a demon? Do the opening pages foreshadow events to come or are they red herrings?
Justin Greenwood’s art and Brad Simpson’s colors add just the right amount of uneasiness to the story with sprinkles of the horror yet to come. Our ensemble of characters don’t fit any mold just yet. Even If we try to build them with the blocks that Landry Q. Walker has provided to us, there’s this feeling that whatever is planned in the coming issues will knock them down.
Creative Team: Landry Q. Walker (writer), Justin Greenwood (artist/cover artist), Brad Simpson (colorist), Pat Brosseau (letterer)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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