The description for this comic calls it psychological horror, but I feel like that gives the wrong impression of what to expect. Certainly there are horror elements, but not the anxiety and fear that you generally get from the horror genre. You may, however, need a box of tissues handy when you read it.
It’s Barbara’s 75th birthday, and she’s spending it on a gurney, being taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Then, when the ambulance has an accident, she and the paramedic Timothy are stuck waiting until a new ambulance can come pick them up. While they’re waiting, Barbara tells Timothy about a family legacy she’s inherited: how she’s taken three breaths, and now she’s waiting to take her fourth.
The story skips around in time a bit. It can be jarring, but it’s not hard to follow. We go from the ambulance to earlier that day to Barbara’s childhood and other important moments in her life. We don’t get to see her whole life: just snapshots. But through those snapshots, we gain an understanding of what these four breaths mean to Barbara and why she wants Timothy to know about them.
This is a one-shot comic, just 26 pages, but that’s enough to establish a strong emotional connection to the characters and make it feel like you know them well. I loved reading this comic. Part of me wishes there was more to it, but also, it’s such a great, self-contained story arc that it doesn’t need any more.
Of course, while there’s no more to this particular story, it’s apparently part of a larger universe that will have other one-off stories, presumably with a similar vibe. I look forward to seeing what more comes out of the Hexes universe in the future.
Underneath the odd premise and the disjointed structure, this is actually a very simple story. It has magical elements, strange events, and supernatural creatures, but at its core, it’s about life: the good, the bad, the ups, the downs, the things that make it difficult, and the things that make it worth living. It’s a simple story, but it’s a powerful one, and definitely worth reading.
Creative Team: Simon Birks (story), Majory Yokomizo (art), Rob Jones (letters)
Publisher: Blue Fox Comics
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