If you’re a fan of A Quiet Place and its subsequent films, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised at this latest entry in the franchise. It’s been years since I saw the original film, but I remember being stunned at its sound design. The original film was a tense, gripping tale of survival as people tried to navigate a world quietly, lest they find themselves targeted by monsters who could seek out the smallest of sounds and tear their victims limb from limb. Now, after a few more movies and a video game, the franchise is expanding to comics.
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It seems only like yesterday that IDW Publishing announced IDW Dark, a horror-based imprint to capitalize on the booming popularity of horror comics. The imprint became the new home for books like IDW’s hit series Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, as well as licensed tie-in comics for series like The Twilight Zone and Event Horizon. Now, IDW Publishing is expanding its imprint with A Quiet Place: Storm Warning by Phil Hester (Swamp Thing, Green Arrow) and Ryan Kelly (Lucifer, Local). This tie-in story does a fantastic job adding to the universe while working as a gripping, original narrative.
Rating: 4 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| Captivating characters | No sound removes a big part of the appeal |
| Good, familiar action | Definitely more for fans than casual readers |
A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 is a Bold Return to Fan-Favorite Horror Universe
This series is set in Pearl, a small island right in the middle of the Mississippi River. The story takes place in two distinct time periods: ‘Then’, before the arrival of the Quiet Place franchise’s monsters, the Death Angels, and ‘Now’, when the monsters have taken over Pearl as easily as any other place featured in the series. At the center of this story is a man named Lonnie, a firefighter who wants to isolate Pearl by destroying its bridges to prevent the Death Angels from making their way into town.
Unfortunately, Lonnie’s plans are a non-starter as we know right off the bat that the Death Angels still make it into Pearl. The rest of the time spent in the ‘Now’ period are about as one would expect. Everyone staying quiet to stay alive, working to get their basic needs met while avoiding the bloodthirsty monsters that have overrun their home. It’s familiar territory, but after getting to know the people, I already found myself caring for them and wondering who, if any, are able to survive this intense situation.
A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 Loses Something in the Translation, But It Still Works
I’ll admit I never watched the other Quiet Place movies, but I did love the first one. And while I thought this was a good story, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel like there was something missing. The way the movie used sound was so good, it really ratcheted up the intensity and had me on edge. But comics are obviously a soundless medium, so that part doesn’t exactly translate. That being said, the ‘Now’ timeline emphasizes onomatopoeia over dialogue, and I thought that was a smart fix to adapt the franchise to comics.
Aside from all that, this really is an exciting opening chapter. I don’t want to give away too much, but I think Phil Hester did an amazing job with the characters here. Lonnie is a good guy facing a problem with no good answers. Unfortunately, he faces the difficulties that come with crowds of people who are panicking and not thinking straight. It makes for very captivating drama. And I’d be remiss not mentioning Ryan Kelly, whose art carries the ‘quiet’ parts of this book as the characters we’ve gotten to know fight to stay alive.
It can be difficult to make a tie-in book that hits all the notes of the original material. And while this issue misses one big (through no real fault of its own), A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1 understands what makes this world work. Hester and Kelly make a fantastic team that delivers good character work, tension among friends and family, and a thrilling narrative about surviving an overwhelmingly difficult set of circumstances. I’m not sure what’s coming up next for this series, but I think fans who liked the Quiet Place films aren’t going to want to miss it.
What did you think about A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #1? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
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