Summer Shadows #1 is written by John Harris Dunning and published by Dark Horse. Artwork is by Ricardo Cabral, colours by Brad Simpson and letters by Jim Campbell. Main cover art (left) is also by Cabral.
Summer Shadows #1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Nick Landry is on the unspoilt Greek island of Avraxos to look for his ex. Anthony was the love of his life, and without knowing why he left, Nick can’t move on. But Anthony isn’t the only one to disappear on Avraxos. Coast guard officer Alekos Kourkoulos is on the trail of another young man missing on the island. They learn they both fell in with the glamorous set onboard a jet- black super yacht, the Nyx, before vanishing. As the mystery deepens, Nick and Alekos discover that the brighter the sunshine, the darker the shadows…
Review
Time for something a little different to my usual superhero fare. Of course our regular readers know I love a spot of horror so when Summer Shadows landed in my inbox I just had to break right in to it. John Harris Dunning’s tale of lost love arrives at the perfect time. A great accompaniment to the late summer weather and scratching the itch for something a little more supernatural.
The first issue opens on a stunning sunset. Rendered beautifully on the page by artist Ricardo Cabral and colourist Brad Simpson. Just one small box of text fractures the beautiful scene. Instead we’re left to drink in the enthralling orange sky as it melts over the water, leading us in to an equally intoxicating dream sequence. It’s clear Summer Shadows is going to play with its visual style as it walks the tightrope between drama and horror. As mission statements go, this is how you open a series like this in style.
Of course Summer Shadows #1 is still the first chapter in a new story. So there are perquisite boxes which need ticking before it can really get down to business. We’re introduced to Nick, the owner of said intoxicating dream sequence. He’s travelled to the idyllic island of Avraxos near Greece in search of his ex-partner Anthony. Dunning quickly brings us up to speed via a brief flashback scene and through Nick’s narration. It seems the fire between he and Anthony burned brightly and burned fast, before the latter left for the island without explanation. Nick is here searching for answers. But we know why we’re here fellow readers, Nick is obviously going to find more questions than he will answers.
Our first clue that something isn’t quite right, as in the dream wasn’t enough, comes when his kindly landlady starts taking photos of him in a state of undress. She seemed so kind as well. But it becomes clear later in the book that perhaps the island of Avraxos has a lot more going on than it first appears.
Summer Shadows isn’t just anchored on the story of Nick. We’re also introduced to coast guard officer Alekos Kourkoulos, a local of the islands who is also searching for something. In Alekos’ case it’s searching for a way to overcome the loss of his little brother Dinos. So Alekos becomes embroiled in the case of a missing boy after a friend shows up at the station. Dunning quickly builds a rapport between the two and uses the case of the missing person to begin building the potentially supernatural lore around Summer Shadows. I saw potentially, I think it’s clear where we’re headed (famous last words) and the synopsis for issue #2 mentions a work I felt was being strongly alluded to here. But more on that in a second.
That brilliant visual team of Cabral and Simpson bring a beautiful double page view across the beach, this time with a stunning moonlight backdrop. Here we get our first glimpse of the mysterious characters who will most likely form the backbone of events across the series. Dunning neatly holds back on revealing too much. Though the scene gave me some Queen of the Damned flashbacks (hint, hint), we’re really left to interpret these events ourselves which is a nice tip of the hat to those picking up the book. Whoever these guys are there’s a darkness to them which is translated perfectly into their character designs.
There’s plenty more creepy events to keep up the momentum in this first issue. Nick comes up against some resistance during a nice trip to the beach. Whilst we also meet a lost priest so seems to also know more about the mysterious group on the Nyx yacht than perhaps might be public knowledge to local tourists. The core mystery is really well establish in this first issue with more than enough intrigue and moment to carry the story forwards. It circles back to Nick’s friendly-yet-voyeuristic land lady in time for a worrying cliffhanger.
Verdict
Summer Shadows #1 is a captivating first glimpse at life on this mysterious Greek island. John Harris Dunning has created an idyllic island paradise filled with interesting characters and a dark underbelly which we’re only just beginning to scratch the surface of.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
