Living Hell #3 releases this week from Dark Horse Comics, and writer/artist Caitlin Yarsky wastes no time in following up on the fallout of last issue’s events.
In order to fully appreciate and understand the conflicts unfolding in this issue, I highly recommend picking up the previous two issues in the series. In the first issue, Jerome was blackmailed into becoming a Shephard, a demon who hunts fellow demons. In issue #2, he was given the unenviable task of confronting his longtime friend and confidante Felix. As shown in the first issue, Felix was instrumental in helping Jerome acclimate to life on Earth. In fact, the two demons consider themselves akin to family. In a heartbreaking confrontation, Jerome murders his friend and returns him to the prison of Hell. Unfortunately for Jerome, Toby (Felix’s son) witnesses the murder and even sees his father’s true form, that of the ancient god Baal. Frozen in shock by his father’s death, Toby wanders into the street where he is hit by a car. Seemingly lying dead on the pavement, Toby suddenly lifts himself up fully healed, revealing that he may have inherited some of his father’s supernatural abilities. These events all collide in issue #3.
Yarsky launches head on with issue #3, as Toby turns to the only person he thinks he can trust with the truth: his best friend Jo (and Jerome’s daughter). Yarksy portrays a broken Toby, who is not just struggling with his father’s murder at the hands of a man he considered an uncle, but also the deteriorating health of his mother. The best part of this series is the way Yarsky can use deep fantasy world-building to tell poignant personal and emotional stories. This comic is as much about coping with grief as it is about demon hunting. I even feel bad for each demon that Jerome returns to Hell, as most of them weren’t causing any problems on Earth but simply trying to live new lives. This predicament made me see the demons as modern-day refugees and a metaphor for the current debate over immigration in our country. As many in our country seek to “demonize” others simply for being other, we can see this plight played out in the pages of Living Hell.
Jo’s conversation with Toby inevitably leads her to confront her father later in the issue. I won’t spoil it here, but it does inadvertently lead to answering the mystery of Jo’s mother’s whereabouts and the potential danger it poses for Jo in future issues. The comic concludes on a heavy cliffhanger that promises to send this book into a new direction next month. No spoilers here, but this one hits hard.
Yarsky’s art stars once again in this issue, capturing both the desperation of her characters and their immense sorrow. The demon character designs continue to shine and are wonderfully inspired by the cultures from which they originated. There is a confrontation between Jerome and Baron Samedi in a graveyard that feels very much like the work of Mike Mignola, oozing dark gothic atmosphere, accomplished through deft coloring choices. Yarsky keeps Jerome fully colored while keeping the Baron, the risen dead, and the background in shades of purple. This allows the green hue of Jerome’s powers to really pop off the page, as well.
Living Hell is an exciting and moving mythological urban fantasy. Yarsky’s world is only three issues old but feels ancient. This issue’s cliffhanger denotes an important turning point in the narrative that makes the wait for the next issue feel like years instead of weeks. A very strong issue in an already entertaining series.
Creative Team: Caitlin Yarsky (writer, artist, colorist, cover artist) and Clayton Cowles (letterer)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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