Silk Hills by Brian Level and Ryan Ferrier
Oni Press (May 24, 2022)
176 pages; $24.99 hardcover
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Brian Level is a cartoonist, tattooer, and a writer who has contributed to premiere comic books including Star Wars, Batman, Spider-Man, Avengers and Deadpool. Ryan Ferrier is a Canadian comic book writer, published by every major North American comics company, and best known for his original comic series such as Kennel Block Blues, Death Orb, I Can Sell You A Body, the highly celebrated D4VE trilogy, and the acclaimed graphic novel Criminy. Ryan has also written for some of pop culture’s most beloved properties, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel’s Deadpool, DC’s Batman, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, G.I. Joe, and Planet of the Apes. Their newest graphic novel is Silk Hills, a really strong paranormal horror story that is sure to entertain readers.
Beth Wills is a veteran, eight months home from Afghanistan, working as a private investigator. She gets a case in Silk Hills, a rural town with a haunted history, looking for the lost son of one of the richest families in the area. She thinks this will be a typical case where a young man got mixed up with some problematic people, but once she starts learning about the history of the town, the kinds of trouble young people can get into, and the monsters that are behind all of it, it becomes very serious.
Level and Ferrier have created a really solid paranormal story. Beth Wills is an intriguing heroine, and the friendships and relationships she develops with the townsfolk really support the narrative and show the magnetism of the town, despite its dying exterior. The pacing of the story really works well, and what starts out as a mysterious disappearance with some procedural buddy cop elements quickly becomes something darker and more haunting, with elements of the paranormal thrown in for good measure.
Overall, Silk Hills is a solid horror mystery with great storytelling that is sure to engage readers looking for an accessible and quick but equally entertaining story.
