A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is written by Phil Hester and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Ryan Kelly, colours by Lee Loughridge and letters by Nathan Widick. Main cover art (left) is by Ryan Kelly.
A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
The world ended in a hush. The creatures came for the cities first. But in Pearl, Iowa—a tiny island town on the Mississippi—the mayor and townsfolk believe that’s someone else’s problem. Cut off from the chaos of the coasts, they think they can ride out the storm. But fire chief Lonnie Fry knows better. The creatures that hunt by sound are coming west, and unless the people of Pearl take drastic action, silence won’t save them—it’ll bury them.
Review
When beloved film/TV franchises are transported to the world of comic books, the success rate can be very hit and miss, to say the least. Some like Power Rangers, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek and even Star Wars have effortlessly transitioned from screen to page, but others have failed to capture the essence of what made their respective series so memorable in the first place. This is where A Quiet Place: Storm Warning comes in, an attempt to bring this successful horror film franchise into comic form.
One of the main drawing points of A Quiet Place is the creative use of sound design, or more accurately, the sparing use of sounds to reinforce the suspense. This aspect alone is what intrigued me the most about this comic: how exactly would Phil Hester and co. effectively take this core component and give it the same impact on the page as it does in a cinema?
Firstly, from a visual perspective, the tone of the films is perfectly recaptured just from the open pages. Ryan Kelly’s illustrations are both detailed and expressive, seamlessly translating the designs of the creatures and their ferocity into the comic in chilling fashion. Lee Loughridge’s colour work here also benefits the storytelling as well, as there is a deliberate choice to keep moments set in the past muted with a sepia colour scheme, whereas anything in the present has bolder, more defined colours that pop from the panels and add to the intensity of the situation at hand.
However, where this first issue struggles is finding the balance between dialogue-heavy flashbacks and suspense-filled scenes in the present. The majority of this issue focuses on the remaining residents of Pearl, Iowa, as they argue and try to determine the best course of action for the cataclysmic event they’re part of. This communal debate does lead to some solid character moments between Fire Chief Lonnie and his sister, Mayor Phair, whilst giving us much-needed context for who these people are, and the dynamics between them.
The second half picks up the pace considerably, offering a nail-biting getaway from the creatures that concludes the issue. It is during this sequence where Storm Warning really puts the film’s iconic gimmick into effect. Does it work as well here as it does in the films? Not quite, but the execution is commendable regardless, as a genuine attempt is made to keep the focus on the visual storytelling and to exaggerate any sounds that occur when possible to add to the tension. The closing moments only evoke some of the intensity of the films, as it lacks a certain punch you can only get from the cinema.
Storm Warning is at its best when it commits to the core concept that made the A Quiet Place films work as well as they do. Though it doesn’t quite have the same effect in comic book form, it is clearly evident that Hester and his team have a lot of love for this franchise and want to do it justice, even going as far as to reference the end of A Quiet Place: Day One during its finale. Sometimes the idea works in this comic, and sometimes it doesn’t, but I guess you don’t know until you try.
Verdict
Though it is carried by its artwork and has some genuine moments of adrenaline-filled suspense, Storm Warning ultimately falls short in accurately translating the same level of edge-of-your-seat tension that is found in the films.
⭐⭐⭐.5
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We are also members of the Forbidden Planet Affiliate Program.
