Mizz_Coconut

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Top 5 reasons to read The Veil


The Veil by writer and master of horror EL Torres [also writer of Suicide Forest] has may merits of which shall be listed for all those hazy on whether to get a copy of this.

1.        The story, a murder mystery with a dark heart. Chris Luna helps the police with victims as she has the ability to talk to the dead. Yes we’ve all the heard ‘I can see dead people’ story but Chris has a haunting past filled with crimson and blood red frames accompanied by shrieking faces. She returns home to a house left in a will to find that what she left has not only stayed the same but something darker has been brewing behind small town smiles. The real town she sees is bleeding eyes, and visions that look like faces. The ending leaves you in a mix of scared and happy depending on how you see Chris handle the previous events.

2.        The animation of Hernandez proves both haunting and effective. The most horrific frames and characters seem hidden under a wash of red, brown and black tones, but all come out in images of giant demons, distressed worn murder victims, blank eyes and exaggerated facial features emphasising pain and terror. The story is made darker by Hernandez’s graphics but serves to better the story. Any horror fans out there should get a hold of this as they will be delighted by the Edvard Munch like facial expressions accompanied by much darker tones.  

3.        Character, Chris Luna seems like a cold distant character but because we share the horror with her, her investigation becomes a priority to us and we feel ‘the being’ stirring just under the surface. Torres chooses a female who can talk to the dead because females have a stereotyped compassionate side, which proves useful in Luna figuring out what’s haunting her town. The idea of talking to the dead helps as the dead tell us things we wouldn’t know, but it’s not only the dead that has a hold on Luna but the whole ‘nether side’. Luna’s passion to carry on keeps us carrying on through this haunted tale.

Other Characters, in the novel serve as interesting personalities to let us discover the other sides of Luna. The dead do not seem to scare Luna, when investigating they seem to just be another living witness. However the dead in Luna’s town show her more panicked side.

Vicky seems a nice contrast to Luna, as both grew up together but we see how Vicky has turned out, with a loving family living in the same town, as opposed to Luna who had to flee her town to find less traumatising spirits.

4.        Female representation - Chris is continually interesting when considering her femininity. She has short bobbed hair, a long trench coat and wears mostly trousers. She can be considered not very feminine as opposed to her old friend she meets, long red head smiling Vicky. Vicky has the husband and a little blonde girl and indeed the more feminine name. The last time we see Chris as feminine with her long hair is just before she discovers abilities to talk to the dead in an accident. After that she puts on a somewhat masculine role in theory to toughen her up against the things she faces every day. At the end we see her regain her femininity wearing a dress and growing her hair out again, but this does not seem to help her considering the ending.

5.        As a whole The Veil has a brilliant mix of dialogue to action. Hernandez has seen the vision Torres wished to create and delivers that in a series of grotesque images that seem to flash across the page just like Lunas memory; engrossing us in its content. The title provides an interesting thought on what is exactly hidden under the veil or mask of a person, town, house, mountain side; and what exactly are the consequences when that veil is pulled back. A moral story showing all sides of humanity with the heroine Chris Luna fighting and conquering her way through, finding that the dead and death is not the only thing to fear.

Personal rating: - 7/10

The graphics, the story, the way the mystery is set out, all comes together to form a brilliant comic which any horror, murder mystery, demon and action fans would greatly appreciate.

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