Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Severed #7Severed #7 of 7
Image Comics
Snyder, Tuft & Futaki

Snyder's horror series wraps up with an over-sized, but standard priced issue. The book puts in an x-factor when the major conflict occurs between Jack and the deranged, child-eating, killer. It's a very good ending to a very good series. I'm not sure this book packed nearly the same level of terror punch as previous issues but it did have a highly intense ending. I liked this series and I think any fan of the horror genre would enjoy it as well.

The book's thunder may have been stolen because we knew all along that Jack wasn't going to die. However, the tension still existed because his mother shows up looking for him and it wasn't exactly known ahead of time if she was going to survive this book.

The killer has Jack strapped up in the cellar as he lops off Jack's arm for a meal. The aspect of this that I wasn't thrilled with was how much the killer went on and on about the hope that his victims showed throughout the process of him killing them. Between the dialogue and the visual of the victim stood up and shackled, it reminded me too much of the end of the Swedish film, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm not saying Snyder lifted the idea but I am saying I felt like I had seen and heard something similar already in a suspense-horror story.

When Jack's mom shows up looking for Jack things get crazy. The book relies on the reader not knowing what is in the next room or hiding in the shadows for its fright factor and it worked extremely well. I found myself saying out loud, "Don't drink that!" when the killer handed the mom a cup of tea. The ending was equally as effective as the killer fit the mold of the unkillable-force that we see in so many horror stories and movies.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe artwork was both excellent and frightening. I was really cringing as Jack's arm got wrangled and then chopped off. This disturbing scene was effective purely on the visuals. I can't say the book was perfect because the killer's hair color and look seemed to change too widely panel to panel and page to page. Overall, I think the visual story made the horror book as frightening as it was.

The interesting part of this series is that it is a slow-burn up until the very last issue and then Snyder cuts loose. I think rereading this series in one sitting is going to be quite an experience. This is definitely a book worth checking out even if you are not a fan of the horror genre based on the strength of both the writing and the artwork. This is going to be a series that will be talked about for a long time to come. Snyder is rewriting how horror is handled in comic books.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles