REVIEW: Welcome To Everville #1

Written by Aaron Dowen

Art by Matt Sotello

So, I need to be honest. I initially found Catalyst Comics Studio via Tilt, one of their superhero titles. When I saw they were coming out with welcome to Everville, I felt… meh, about it. Many comic studios were trying their hands at horror at the time, and I felt like this was one more book in that category—one more attempt at creating a “Stranger Things” style horror success.

Let me also be honest about this next part… I was wrong. When I finally read Everville, I was greeted by a horror, sci-fi, (and just because it’s Aaron Dowen) quasi-comedy book that I LOVED! It was nothing like what I expected, yet everything I needed (OK, maybe too far, but it was really, really good).

Story:

1-star

What gets me about Everville’s story is it’s rapid evolution from sci-fi to horror, to post-apocalyptic sci-fi/horror, all while being amusing and intriguing. As I said before, Dowen delivers the story with humor along the way, but this is not a comedy. The story-telling and unique history that unfolds make this series ripe with options for prequels, sequels, and everything in between.

The story revolves around a young man, Abe, and his family and an apparent alien invasion in their small town. The story takes some twists and turns, but it’s masterfully plotted and executed.

Art

.75-stars

Sotello’s art is solid. By his own admission, he’s an evolving comic book artist. But he delivers a consistent, well thought out art style throughout the book that compliments Dowen’s script perfectly!

Dialogue

1-star

The dialogue is excellent! I particularly love the exchanges of the Nerverling (the main monster) and Abe’s interior monologues. Abe’s character is well-developed through his interactions with others and his thoughts. You come to know and identify with Abe, in large part, due to Dowen’s dialogue.

Mechanics:

1-star

Again, I’m going to beat a dead Neverling here… it’s great! The story is laid out perfectly, reads just as Catalyst intended, and hits home. From lettering to layout, this book is well done!

Editing

1-star

I found no grammatical or spelling errors. The book is well-edited.

In closing, Welcome to Everville was a dark horse for me. I never expected it to be as good as it was! Sure, I read and enjoyed Tilt, but frequently indie creators have trouble delivering on more than one series. Not so at Catalyst. Dowen and Sotello make a great team that is delivering consistent, high-quality stories. Welcome To Everville deserves to be ranked among some of the best creator-owned books you’ll find coming out of Image, Aftershock, and Boom Studios. It’s just that good.

Catalyst Comic Studio – https://catalystcomicsstudio.com/