Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Victoria Rau
Artist: Marcelo Basile
Colourist: Marcelo Basile
Release Date: 14 March 2018
Price: $3.99
Zenesope
Peek-A-Boo #1 lays its cards firmly on the table right from the opening scene. This is a trip into Richard Laymon territory (if you’re not familiar with his work he’s a more visceral version of Stephen King and a master of blood and gore horror that will give you nightmares for a week).
Peek-A-Boo #1 starts with the classic camping trip which goes wrong in the worst possible way. Never seen the attraction of sleeping on hard ground under thin canvas myself and, after witnessing the fate of these soon to be ‘unhappy’ campers in Peek-A-Boo #1, I’m sure you’ll join me in heading for the nearest five-star hotel every time.
Not that mysterious disappearances in a dangerous canyon with a disturbing history puts off Pam and her two teenage children who are seeking a calm, bonding holiday after a recent tragedy, the nature of which is not specified in Peek-A-Boo #1 but will no doubt become relevant in later issues. Instead, they sign up for a camping trip with the usual bunch of central casting obnoxious, drunk, borderline psychopaths that always make up the numbers on such occasions. There is also the usual sensitive, downtrodden misfit who will no doubt show his true grit before long. Most of the others will be sliced and diced by the resident tribe of cannibalistic horrors who may or may not be the victims of contaminated water.
Having emptied her cliche bag in Peek-A-Boo #1, Victoria Rau needs to up her game considerably in order to rise above the inherent B-movie overtones of the plot and Marcelo Basile’s artwork is on the bland side with many characters indistinguishable from one another.
Peek-A-Boo #1 is a low-rent homage to classic movies such as ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ but without the cinematic punch a live action event produces. Check it out by all means, but then go and read Richard Laymon to see how it really should be done.
Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker