Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Sean Murphy
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Published By: DC/Vertigo
Release Date: July 31st, 2013
That whale really should have warned us about this…
So first thing’s first: The Wake is so far, nothing short of a horror masterpiece. Seriously, this is some wicked good stuff thanks to the talents of Scott Snyder, Sean Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth, who are knocking this thing right out of the park time and time again. And, as much as I loved the first two issues of this series, issue #3 ups the ante considerably, filled with some great action scenes and significantly raising the threat level and sense of dread all the way up to 11.
Picking up where we left off last issue, we’re right in the thick of it as we learn just what kind of craziness we’re dealing with. It turns out that the creature can (rather easily) make humans hallucinate and it’s quite a joy to watch the various hallucinations rendered in exquisite detail by Murphy, especially when each person has a different one. Truly, the creature is something to be reckoned with and it’s clear that Murphy is having a great time drawing the crazy action and violence that is occurring in this series. That sense of dread and fear of death is upped considerably this issue as the creature starts picking off members of the team and things quickly go from really bad to worse by the end of the issue.
Snyder has weaved a great tale of horror here, having used most of the first two issues to set up the major conflict (for the most part) and then choosing to pull the rug right out from under us this issue and giving us a pretty big development by the end. It’s a daring choice, I think, because while it leaves the reader captivated, it also may leave some worrying if there’s enough to sustain this momentum for the rest of the series. But then, this appears to be very much a deliberate choice to bring out some big guns so quickly, and it leaves me really excited for what’s to come next. Moreover, if one of these creatures wasn’t frightening enough…
There’s a bit less character work this issue, but that doesn’t matter when the action is coming so fast and furious. What we do get though is some more insight into just what kind of people are on this expedition and the comfort level they have with their various roles; and indeed just how comfortable they are when things go to hell and they need to improvise. But mostly, this is an issue where the art is allowed to really shine, giving Murphy and Hollingsworth the keys to the car (so to speak) and letting them put this baby into high gear. Every single page is a visual delight, drenching the world in darkness, ever-rising water, and spilled blood. Whether it’s the creative hallucinations launched by the creature or the severing of limbs, there’s not a second that goes by where everything is dripping with tension and fear, all enhanced by the work Murphy and Hollingsworth. As great as Snyder’s script is, it would be nothing without these two talents, who truly put the horror into this book as a result of the artwork.
The Wake continues to be a fantastic tale of horror that is brought to wondrous life by the team of Snyder, Murphy and Hollingsworth, a title representative of the darker Vertigo Imprint. More importantly, it just keeps getting better with each passing issue and even as things continue to get worse, you know there’s more to come. It’s this impending sense of dread–or doom–that permeates that book that makes it such a “leave the lights on please” joy to read each and every time.
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