REVIEW: 'Lamentation' #1 by Cullen Bunn, Arjuna Susini, and Hillary Jenkins

 LAMENTATION #1

Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Hillary Jenkins, Arjuna Susini

Letters: Simon Bowland

Publisher: Oni Press

Release Date: May 3, 2023

Cover Price: $6.99

From the mind's eye of master storyteller Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Basilisk) and rising star Arjuna Susini (Made Men) comes a darkly glamorous tale of bone-splintering terror at the intersection of shadow and light... dream and nightmare ... life and the grim specter of Death himself.

After weeks of grueling rehearsals, a new production is set to begin at the famed Requiem theatre: Razide's Lament, three acts of gothic horror set inside a haunted castle with a story that some say is more than mere fantasy. Under the stern rule of a dedicated but temperamental director, the script seems to be ever-changing, and, more mysterious still, our lead actress has found herself cast in the role of a lifetime without so much as an audition. Her grand debut is fast approaching and, with it, a barrage of razors in the night that will terrorize audiences and actors alike. There is no exit, no escape, and when the curtain finally rises, Razide himself will take center stage to cross the threshold into the unholy darkness that lies just beyond ... 

Score: 

★★★★☆ (4/5)

QUICK REVIEW: Cullen Bunn is a prolific writer who loves to scare the pants off of readers. His latest suspense story is Oni Press' Lamentation' with artists Hillary Jenkins and Arjuna Susini and letterer Simon Boland. A young woman goes on an audition for a play at a famed theater looking for her shot at stardom only to find that not everything is what it seems. Without being too specific so as to not spoil the twists involved, the unorthodox audition goes well, perhaps too well, but something doesn't feel right. It's as though the walls are closing in, an almost claustrophobic sense of dread hangs over the production in the old eerie confines of the vintage theater. And when the truth is revealed, the lines between reality and the supernatural become blurred exposing a deadly secret. While not as terrifying as publicized, 'Lamentation' is Bunn's spin on Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Hitchcock. It's more about suspense, anxiety, tension, paranoia, and fear. Bunn slowly builds up to the main character's point of no return,  a sort of uncoiling of a deadly snake until its head snaps back to reveal its venomous fangs. Arjuna Susini‘s art and Hilary Jenkins‘ colors set the mood with very dingy decor and dark weathered earth tones giving the theater the creepy aged vibe needed for this tale. 

'Lamentation' offers an old-school haunted tale that is suspenseful and super creepy.