This week we take a look at Grayham Puttock and Adam Jakes’ Longpig #1. Having recently completed a successful Kickstarter Campaign, this horror thriller about a mysterious family with a taste for the disturbing is now gearing up for the release of a second campaign. But is this really a delectable entree to a great new comic series or will it leave readers with a bitter taste?

Publisher: Don’t Look Now Comics
Writer: Grayham Puttock
Artist: Adam jakes (Art), Aljosa Tomic (Colours), Ken Reynolds (Letters), Andy Bloor (Design)
Price: Issue 2 coming soon to Kickstarter

Longpig tells the story of an enigmatic young woman, whose rare appearance in the local town acquires a lot of attention, but hides from them a deadly secret she and her family hold. However, while this mysterious lineage keep to themselves and little is known about them, little do they know that a group of men is currently meeting to arrange this family’s downfall. These men believe that someone close to one of them has been killed by this family. Is this true and, if so, is this an act they could feel a hunger to do again?

Grayham Puttock has crafted a creepy and mysterious thriller within the pages of Longpig. Everything about the story, particularly its characters are incredibly enigmatic, with Puttock keeping the cards close to his chest as the story unfolds. However, this is an incredible draw as the unusual actions and dialogue make the family and those investigating them a real draw, forming a seriously engrossing plot that I was unable to stop. The big revelation at the end of this issue is shocking to say the least and leads to the writing’s only downside in that we don’t know how the story got to this point. Of course, that is such a minor concern given we may definitely see more of the past going forward.

As for the art, Adam Jakes’ style is fantastic if uncomfortably realistic. Like photos with a comic filter, it’s haunting how lifelike they are (although this makes sense when you delve into the issue’s back matter). As a result, and thanks also to Aljosa Tomic’s naturally bright colours, the characters are beautifully rendered, while they still have this ‘ugliness’ (for want of a better word) in their demeanour, further reaffirming this mystery about them.

Longpig’s first issue is an intriguing and addictive read as Puttock, Jakes and the team depict a mysteriously creepy family and the forces aligning against them beautifully. The intrigue behind the players in this issue and their visual depiction is so captivating that it will hook you by the end and have you on tenterhooks for the next instalment.