I truly enjoyed the first arc of Devil’s Due’s new set of HALLOWEEN comics; NIGHTDANCE had quite a lot going for it, and made me wish someone would incorporate a story like that into one of the cinematic sequels. Now, just in time for the titular holiday, Devil’s Due has released the newest installment, THE FIRST DEATH OF LAURIE STRODE #1.
Much in the style of HALLOWEEN II, THE FIRST DEATH OF LAURIE STRODE picks up quickly after the events of October 31, 1978. As the ensuing week unfolds, we are given glimpses of Laurie in particular and Haddonfield in general trying to pick up the pieces and move on after Michael Myers’ horrific massacre. Laurie is spending time with a good friend named Sally Winters (whom we are told was in bed with the flu on the night HE came home) in the midst of attending funerals and suffering an unhappy birthday. As our heroine is plagued by nightmares, anger and possibly real hallucinations, it becomes clear that Michael has a chilling hold on his sister that refuses to let go.
The concept of inserting not only familiar, but the main characters from the original HALLOWEEN (not just Laurie but Dr. Loomis as well) seems dicey at best. Many fans with such strong attachments to their favorite films as HALLOWEEN’s devotees can get easily perturbed when you play with their mythos. On the other hand, HALLOWEEN has been toyed with so much that it doesn’t really matter what a creator does—just as long as they get it right. Although it’s not entirely clear, the title of this new effort seems to refer to Laurie Strode’s faked death as hinted at in HALLOWEEN 4 and HALLOWEEN: H20. The prospect of learning the truth (or at least writer Stefan Hutchinson’s version of it) of what led to Laurie’s disappearance is an intriguing one, and if you’re a fan like this writer, you’re probably already intrigued.
The problem, though, is that there are just as many things that don’t work in THE FIRST DEATH OF LAURIE STRODE as there are that do. The main beef is with the backstory Hutchinson presents. Throughout the book, Laurie offers very brief recollections of the events seen in the first two HALLOWEEN features, and while they mostly set up new information (what happened to Jimmy after he slipped on the blood), the writing feels stilted (“…he escaped from a mental asylum and came for me—for everyone”). It’s a tad dry, and doesn’t offer much that’s interesting.
Jeff Zornow’s illustrations give off a slight anime vibe, with coloring that’s a little too bright—which unfortunately doesn’t help elicit the gloomy atmosphere that has surrounded Haddonfield on screen. The violence is a little bothersome as well; there’s a decent amount of blood and guts, but the presentation is too cartoonish. The harsh, shadowy tones of the original HALLOWEEN complemented its brutal, realistic violence and death; the comic’s elaborate, splattery gore doesn’t exactly fit, and detracts from the potential terror Michael Myers can inflict.
What THE FIRST DEATH OF LAURIE STRODE does right is keep Michael’s presence hanging over the entire story even though he actually appears very little (aside from dreams and flashbacks). There’s a sense that he’s lurking around every corner and behind every wall, which adds to the sheer dread Laurie feels. In addition, the observations of life in Haddonfield in the wake of the murders is quite believable and upsetting. Laurie, the quintessential good girl, is dabbling with ways to make herself forget while being constantly haunted; a costume shop owner can’t bear to look at the Shatner masks on his shelf and throws them away; etc. The town is obviously broken, and straining to limp on.
On a side note, there are four covers for this first issue, each offering a different style and representation of Michael. My favorite is Scott Hampton’s shadowy portrait of Michael holding his knife, looking like the haunting icon he is. His eyes are black and hollow on this cover, and Hampton really captures the emotionless Shape that has become a fright icon. Ryan Browne’s version also deserves special mention, giving us another look at Michael’s soulless eyes and a snapshot of his torso and arms holding a freshly decapitated head. Rough, brutal and evil are the words that come immediately to mind.
Despite the missteps in the debut issue, THE FIRST DEATH OF LAURIE STRODE is overall a commendable effort, and it will be interesting to see where it goes from here. As this is only the first installment, the content is mostly setup, with the plot truly starting to gear up in the last few pages. Hutchinson clearly knows and loves HALLOWEEN (he also directed the 25 YEARS OF TERROR documentary), and I’m pulling for him to only get better as the series goes on and give us an interesting look at the further terrors of the saga’s most beloved heroine.
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