The Seasons doesn’t have witches, vampires, werewolves, or anything else you might expect from a spooky, er, season pick. But the currently ongoing series from writer Rick Remender and artist Paul Azaceta does have one of the most unsettling plots you’ll read this month, thanks a creepy carnival right out of your nightmares.
The Image Comics series takes its time spooling out mysteries, and you’d be forgiven from thinking it’s a whimsical all-ages adventure from the first issue. Years earlier, we’re told, the Seasons parents disappeared, leaving the four sisters — Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn — on their own. A decade later, Spring, the youngest, is trying to balance several jobs, all of which she’s not doing very well.
Azaceta and Remender lay out the first issue like something Winsor McCay might have made back in the day, complete with a delightful trek through the small town Spring lives in. But like in Little Nemo in Slumberland, there’s a note of dread around the corners of the otherwise delightful premiere, which become apparent with the reveal of the disturbing carnival — and clowns — at the end of the issue.
In fact, as the story unspools, the team may have created the most upsetting clown-based horror story since IT. Bold words, but also a different focus… Rather than eating children, this clown (and carnival) are built to give the Seasons sisters their fondest dreams, at the expense of costing them everything.
Remender, no stranger to making things exponentially worse for his characters, shows a fair amount of restraint here, making things bad while still offering a glimmer of hope. And Azaceta’s bright art plays in direct contrast with the disturbing Invasion of the Body Snatchers without aliens scenario that drips through the issues.
Don’t worry, horror heads: you do get plenty of shocks throughout. But this is also more in line with daytime horror like Midsommar than the blood and gore of your requisite slasher flick. The horrifying stuff is more about what you would do in this scenario, and you likely wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of the clown as effectively as Spring Seasons.
If you’re looking to check it out, the first trade is now on sale from Image Comics, and it’s the perfect read for the Halloween… Season.
It’s spooky season, and you know what that means: time to curl up with a comic book or graphic novel that will scare your socks off. With that in mind, we’re posting a new horror book to check out every day of October, for our 31 Days Of Halloween Comics. Awoooo! Looking for the rest of our picks? Check them out on the Halloween tag.
Comic Book Club Live Info:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.