I have absolutely zero belief in the paranormal.
I don’t believe in ghosts, ghouls, spooks, specters, gods, devils, demons, zombie, vampires, or werewolves.
I accept that aliens probably exist, but the odds of them visiting us are next to impossible.
In fact, except for a deep, passionate hope that Bigfoot exists, I am a complete, unquestioning skeptic in every way shape and form.
But man oh man, do I love ghost hunting shows. I love visiting “haunted” places, and have spent hours watching every alien, bigfoot, skinwalker, cryptid, and supernatural video on YouTube.
I don’t know why, but I am utterly fascinated by the paranormal, while at the same time completely atheistic about the existences of 99.99% of anything like that. Perhaps it’s the possibility that maybe, just maybe one of these “documentaries” might change my mind. Or perhaps it’s because I love watching people twist logic to the extremes.
Maybe I just love a challenging my own beliefs. but whatever it is, it really made me love this week’s book.
This week I am looking at the supernatural, extra-terrestrial, cryptid filled horror comedy book I Hate This Place (which also has the NSFW title Fuck This Place) from Image Comics. The story follows two young women who end up inheriting the most supernaturally haunted place in America, and hating every minute of it. It’s a hilarious and terrify thrill ride, and I knew the minute I finished reading it I had to tell everyone about this book!
So let’s crack in to this paranormal masterpiece, and see just what it is that sets my heart aflutter about this book.
Here’s the blurb: SERIES PREMIERE FOR FANS OF GIDEON FALLS AND HOME SICK PILOTS! After inheriting a farm house, Trudy and Gabby are ready to start the next chapter of their lives together, except it’s already home to a mysterious force that’s attracted ghosts, aliens, and all kinds of supernatural beings for decades. Now, Gabby and Trudy must play by the ‘house rules’ in order to survive living among the most frightening creatures on Earth in this new series from KYLE STARKS (ASSASSIN NATION, THE SIX SIDEKICKS OF TRIGGER KEATON) and ARTYOM TOPILIN (ICE CREAM MAN PRESENTS: QUARANTINE COMIX SPECIAL).
I’ve frequently mentioned in my columns that I am not a huge horror fan. That being said, one of my favorite movies of all time is Evil Dead 2. That movie gets high praise from me because, while it is genuinely terrifying in many places, it also has a campy reality to the characters, and a humorous charm that makes you really care about the characters in a way that keeps you invested in their survival, and maintains the perfect tone to keep you right on the edge between laughing and screaming the whole time.
If you like Evil Dead 2, you’re going to love I Hate This Place. Starks has created characters that feel real, and who I found myself caring for within the first few pages of meeting them. Trudy and Gabby are such a perfect couple, and play so well off of each other that I actually found myself getting a bit annoyed in a few places when their conversation was interrupted by the supernatural goings on!
It’s just legitimately great to have characters that feel so real and so grounded in a book about alien zombies and horned woodland demons.
I have a friend who believes in everything supernatural, and is constantly horrified by my complete disregard for the otherworldly. I used to ride my bike in the cemetery by my house growing up, I constantly challenge demons to attack me when visiting haunted attractions, and I live in a home where the previous occupant died and lay unfound for a week. Ghosts don’t scare me.
But people do.
And that, in so many ways, is what I think is the best part of this first issue. As evil and horrifying as all the monsters are, the thing that I found most distressing was the human bad-guy. Trudy and Gabby are tough and smart and capable, and I have no doubt that they will handle the otherworldly spirits they have to deal with in this series with no trouble at all.
But the humans, well, those monsters are another story.
The art in I Hate This Place is also top notch, and fits the story perfectly. If you’ve seen Topilin’s other work you know that he has a unique style that perfectly fits the tone of this book.
If you’re looking for a scare, a laugh, and a new set of supernatural fighting heroes to cheer for, do yourself a favor and check out I Hate This Place next week. It’s going to be one heck of a ride!
Until next time, stay safe!
