Never By Night: Disturbing Passages Into The Unknown - SnowyWorks [Part Four]

NEVER BY NIGHT: DISTURBING PASSAGES INTO THE UNKNOWN, October 2024

Rather neatly rounding off this anthology title’s “brand-new collection of horror stories”, Jonathan Chance’s “This One’s A Winner!” originally seems set to focus upon the trials and tribulations of weak-willed ex-smoker Don Patterson. However, that particular notion is soon dispelled once the man’s fairly run-of-the-mill family arrive in Las Vegas, and he mysteriously disappears during the dead of night whilst the others are fast asleep; “I’m so sorry to say he isn’t there either. Can we call the Police for you..?”

What then follows is the wife’s intriguing search to find her husband, and discover just what trouble he has gotten himself into. This investigation is as enthralling as its end is gratuitously gruesome, and soon reveals the magnificent metropolis to be a much more corrupt and sinister place than its mesmerizingly bright lights initially suggest. Indeed, the notion that the evil mastermind behind Don’s departure even owns the very hotel in which the story’s central protagonist dwells is enough to cast a shadow of doubt as to the sincerity of every character the woman encounters – in particular the occasionally unhelpful attendant on reception.

Perhaps this tragic tale’s biggest draw though lies inside the impressively large, freshly-built casino known as The Odyssey. Up until this point in the yarn, there is always the distinct possibility that poor Don might actually still be alive. But once his wife and children begin innocently playing some of the gambling machines, that likelihood is quickly put to bed in a genuinely terrifying way. Indeed, the notion that it is Patterson’s entirely innocent kids who begin finding their father’s numerous body parts is super-shocking, and leads straight into a wonderfully chilling one-liner by the heartless murderer behind the mutilated man’s demise.

Definitely imbuing these pulse-pounding proceedings with a distinctly clean-cut look is the pencilling of Fernando Damasio. Admittedly, some of this story’s later panels might strike the odd reader as being a little less physically animated than perhaps the emotionally-charged script requires. But the artist’s straight-lined style certainly makes it clear just what is happening, and perhaps most importantly, what bits of Don are unceremoniously discharged from out of the arcade apparatuses whenever his family hit the jackpot.

Written by: Jonathan Chance, Illustrated by: Fernando Damasio and Colored by: Roman Stevens

Never By Night: Disturbing Passages Into The Unknown - SnowyWorks [Part Three]

NEVER BY NIGHT: DISTURBING PASSAGES INTO THE UNKNOWN, October 2024

Initially intimating that the highly disagreeable Jenna is probably going to be brutally murdered by some bald-headed maniac who lurks within the undergrowth of a children’s play park, Jonathan Chance’s script for “Respect Your Elders” does a good job in throwing its audience a disconcertingly dark curveball. True, the antagonistic teenager unsurprisingly soon meets a decidedly grim end at the Pit’s Rehabilitation Centre. But the manner of the rebellious tearaway’s demise is significantly different from what any bibliophile was probably anticipating, and resultantly ends the eleven-page plot on an unsettling high-note.

Indeed, many elements of this horror tale appear to have been introduced simply to cause its readers to feel uneasy - whether it be the increasingly large gathering of geriatrics surrounding the lone girl playing on a swing, Jenna seemingly being completely oblivious to her impending peril due to wearing a set of music-pounding ear-plugs, or the bubbling, bothersome chatter the encircling crones appear to be excitedly conversing in. Furthermore, at one point, some onlookers arguably might even fear it’s the young woman’s utterly impotent foster-carers who might be killed off, seeing as they’ve somewhat callously conveyed her to the “stay-cation” site and appear to be the only parents present within the caravan lot.

All of these well-penned possibilities continue to puzzle until the very moment when the antsy delinquent leaps from her swing, and encounters a death few would have seen coming. This shock is made all the more impactive when it’s revealed that the entire location is a well-guarded front for making its elderly occupants near-immortal, and that the purple-haired hothead clearly isn’t the first tiresome troublemaker to have succumbed to the coven's flesh-stripping sacrifice; “That’s another one down. I’m feeling younger already.”

Cleverly complimenting all this nocturnal wickedness are artist Ron Joseph and colorist Theresa Chechi, who together provide the story with a suitably quirky art-style and atmospherically dark palette. Of particular note though is just how well the visuals help sell Jenna’s anger and self-loathing through her physical movements. The girl has clearly given up on herself and resultantly appears to lash out at anyone offering her an alternative from the crime-laden future she’s resigned herself to.

Written by: Jonathan Chance, Illustrated by: Ron Joseph and Colored by: Theresa Chechi

Never By Night: Disturbing Passages Into The Unknown - SnowyWorks [Part Two]

NEVER BY NIGHT: DISTURBING PASSAGES INTO THE UNKNOWN, October 2024

Whilst some readers of “Chronicles Of The Occult: Tennison” may simply come away with a disturbing dread of some well-dressed gentleman lurking in the dark shadows of their bedroom, those bibliophiles who decide to peruse this sixteen-page fright-fest more than once should arguably find that Jonathan Chance’s narrative ages like a fine wine. In fact, this is almost certainly one of those tales which actually benefits from repeatedly viewings, as the central protagonist’s belief that ghosts don’t actually exist is clearly shaken to its core when he recalls a childhood terror he experienced alongside his brother.

In addition, the somewhat pedestrian pace to this story will doubtless lull many in its audience into dropping their guard just as the sceptical hero takes them back to a much more disconcerting time - when his adolescent imagination and perhaps a decidedly dangerous manifestation of the undead, completely robs the boy and his family of their happy home. This timing is incredibly well done, as the author completely wrong steps the onlooker into thinking they’ll soon be visiting “England’s most haunted house” for a ‘run-of-the-mill’ encounter with some ghastly ghoul. But are instead transported to a truly terrifying night set in West Sussex some thirty two years earlier.

Just as entertaining as what this yarn depicts though, is debatably what it does not. Indeed, it’s difficult to remember an adventure which leaves so many questions ruminating in the head, due to no afterword detailing just what subsequently happened to the two ‘ghost hunter’s when they finally did visit an eerie rectory, nor how an “open-minded” Henry was convinced to accompany his companion on such a journey in the first place; “Who knows what I will encounter. Maybe I’m just scared under it all. Because if ‘they’ do exist then I may have to face my fear.”

Rather neatly helping imbue this graphic novel’s second offering with a genuine antiquated atmosphere are they layouts of C.E. Zacherl and colours by Zachary Kjoge. Together, these two artistic forces provide a great deal of solemnity to the publication’s proceedings, which well-suit the professional pace of a politely spoken man who clearly takes great pride (and time) in his morning ritual. Furthermore, there’s some wonderful touches in the odd panel which really help sell the unholy nature of young Henry’s visitation, such as the breath leaving the boy's mouth whilst he sleeps.

Written by: Jonathan Chance, Illustrated by: C.E. Zacherl and Colored by: Zachary Kjoge

Never By Night: Disturbing Passages Into The Unknown - SnowyWorks [Part One]

NEVER BY NIGHT: DISTURBING PASSAGES INTO THE UNKNOWN, October 2024

Opening up this “newest annual event read” with a twenty-three page trip down into the murky depths of a small town’s dirty, disused garden pond, Jonathan Chance arguably seems able to conjure up the atmosphere of Rob Reiner’s 1985 teenage boy drama movie “Stand by Me” combined with a healthy dose of bone-tingling terror. Indeed, despite many in the audience probably guessing the future fate of poor Arthur Rogers, having earnestly promised the murderous monster he encounters that the lad won’t ever return to tentacled gestalt’s deadly abode in Fairhaven, there’s still plenty of narrative and grisly-goings on to enjoy inside “If I Never Come Back.”

For starters the story’s first half, which depicts three children bravely forgoing an over-packed swimming lido for an ill-advised dip in a fenced off pool, contains everything a fear-fan would want from such a familiar horror setting - including the so-called protagonists being so busy goading one another to dive in that they never truly appreciate why none of the other locals have never thought of visiting the same place. In addition, once one of them finally makes the plunge, the storyline solely focuses upon the youth scrambling for a solution to his dire predicament on his own, courtesy of his supposed friends quickly leaving him to potentially a fate worse than death; “I’m sorry Arthur.”

This bargain with the devil beneath the water's surface is then subsequently explored, as the incredibly lucky survivor risks a fleeting visit to the completely renovated municipality some thirty-two years later so as to settle things with his former pals. As aforementioned, it’s pretty transparent that somehow the now bespectacled father of two is going to somehow inadvertently enter the dread beast’s submerged lair once again, so the writer’s skill comes with him wrong-footing the reader in predicting just how this catastrophic confrontation will occur.

Definitely adding plenty of gratuitous physical mutilation to these published proceedings is Dell Barras, whose pencilling quite wonderfully captures both the wide-eyed innocence of youth in the trio of boys, whilst simultaneously showing a former victim of the skull-faced water creature getting his head squished flat with a multi-suckered appendage. Admittedly, some may struggle to realise that the beast rises to the surface during its early conversation with Arthur, as that sequence isn’t perhaps as clearly sketched as some might like. But there’s no doubting overall that the illustrator does a good job in drawing the hair-raising events as they transpire, and quite unnervingly captures the stark terror on the central character’s face when he realises that he is once again nose-to-nose with the entity that has for so long haunted his thoughts.

Written by: Jonathan Chance, Illustrated by: Dell Barras, and Colored by: Davi Comodo