I was fortunate to receive Urban Legends #3 at C2E2 2015, by one of the nicest guys in the comic book industry, Jeff Balke. Granted, this was back in April of this year, but I wanted to read this issue the right way by putting my earbuds on, listen to some creepy music, and enjoy the book. I wanted to give this book a review that had meaning and purpose, because in many ways, this book means a lot to me. That, and I love the horror genre. Whether it’s in print or on video, jump scares give people a sense of an adrenaline rush, and I welcome this feeling. Fortunately (unfortunately for me), issue #2 sold out, so I didn’t have the chance to read it, but hopefully I will someday. Now, onto issue #3 of Urban Legends…
This series is created by Jeff and Brandon Balke, written by Keith Thomas, illustrated by Miriam Medina, and colored by Jeff Balke, published by 4EP. The protagonist of the story is a girl named Amanda, who works in a coffee shop, and she’s wondering about her coworker named Jill, because she hasn’t called or showed up to work. When Amanda’s long shift is over, she passes by a newsstand, and she talks to Raoul, the blind man who works at the newsstand. Shortly after, Amanda sees the headline of the newspaper about two teens who were found dead, and the car in the photo looks like Jill’s boyfriend’s car. Shocked, Amanda takes the newspaper home, and runs home to tell her roommate, Cynthia.
Just as Amanda is about to tell Cynthia about the events going on, she suddenly remembers…Cynthia’s girlfriend Roxanna is on her way there, and the two rarely get to see each other, so to give them some privacy, Amanda heads out to pick up some pictures and possibly watch a movie afterward. Out and about, Amanda gets her pictures, but passes on the movie due to the film that’s playing. Amanda heads to a jazz bar and has a drink or two, but who’s sitting a few seats away from Amanda, ordering the same drink as her? And did he…leave shortly after?
I won’t spoil the rest of the book, due to the climax of the story, but the main question remains, “Aren’t you glad you didn’t open the door?” And this concludes issue three of Urban Legends. The story was really good, how something that seems to be a minor event leads up to something much bigger. I’m always a fan of the small details in a story, and we see this when Raoul notices Amanda, and she asks him how he always knows when she passes by (since he’s blind), and he knows when she’s near because of her scent. Brilliant. The moral of this story is this: pay attention to local news about murders close to home, but most importantly, be cautious of closing your doors when you get home, lock them, and be careful of who you open the door for, because you never know who’s on the other side.
Overall, this issue was fun to read, the urban legend in this story was creepy, and the gore will leave you horrified like Amanda was. The artwork by Miriam Medina captured the moments and emotions well in this book, from panic to calmness, and excitement to fear, they were all captured nicely. The colors by Jeff Balke were stellar as usual, as stated in the review for issue one, the brighter places are the safe zones, and the darkness, well…we don’t want to go anywhere near there. Nicely done by the creative team. I rate this issue a 4.5 out of 5 stars, definitely worth owning and reading, especially for fans of urban legends or the horror genre in general.
Copyright © 2017 4 Eyed Productions
**Originally published on June 09, 2015 for Examiner.**
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