Comics can tell compelling stories using fantasy and symbolism. Stories like Blue in Green1, Infidel2, and Home3 illustrate this, tackling complex topics such as a passion for the arts, xenophobia, and immigration, employing supernatural elements. They give the reader a different experience. One that may allow them to comprehend the substance and extent of these issues. These books are excellent because they are entertaining, informative, and contribute to starting the conversation on important topics, so they have this added value of impacting the reader personally. Hallowed North, a Kickstarter comic book funded in eight hours, by (W) Jeremiah Espinoza, (A) J. Schiek, and (L) Matt Krotzer, promises to follow this path. Their topic of choice: mental health.
A succesful Kickstarter
For those unfamiliar, Kickstarter is a platform used to crowd-fund different projects, ranging from social campaigns to board games and comics. The creators set a goal, and if it is met, the project moves forward. This comic book was one of those projects.
Kickstarter as a company has had its up and downs lately. But one thing is clear: it is giving the spotlight to projects - in this case, comics- that people want to read and empowering creators to make their dreams come true. Comic books can deliver powerful messages, and the vast response that this issue had on its Kickstarter campaign shows that people want to see comics about serious topics, such as mental illness.
Hallowed North
Hallowed North is the story of Ben Ramos dealing with mental issues that modern life eventually brings on everyone. He lost someone, his family is not only indifferent to his problems but antagonizes him, and on top of that, a monster is chasing him. A horrible creature only he can see and feel. Everything is looking grim, but there is one last hope.
Inside Ben’s mind live the Vapors, mental constructs that help Ben cope with life. They are molded after people of Ben’s past and are part of his consciousness (for reference, think of the movie Inside Out). They will do everything in their power to help Ben, and themselves, survive. But this is not a fistfight: there are no superpowers, no special weapons, no heroes or villains. It is a battle happening inside of Ben’s mind. And in this way, it illustrates depression: what fuels it, how it feels, and how the body deals with it.
As a first issue, Hallowed North delivers. The book is intense and catches your attention because of how serious the story is and how high the stakes are. The tense moments range from someone being murdered to Ben holding a razor to his wrist, thinking about cutting himself. Even if it doesn’t elaborate much on who the characters are, we can see where the story is headed. Ben could be any of us, and his problems make him relatable even if we don’t know much about him. That’s the thing about mental illness: it affects everyone: rich, poor, good or bad.
Another notable aspect is the mystery left for the following issues surrounding Ben, the Vapors, and the monster. We have much more to learn about them. Issue #1 serves as an introduction to this world, but it is yet to see if the story will follow a more realistic approach or a fantastic one. How will the fight between the Vapors and the monster happen? We will find out later.
On another note, the art is perfect for this book. It is simple when it needs to and detailed when the story demands it, highlighting the important things happening on the page: facial expressions, a tear falling, menacing monsters, blood, and death.
In conclusion, Hallowed North #1 is the beginning of a story focused on a struggle we may all experience. One that makes us human. The fight against the monster that is mental illness. The first of a six-issue series, this book introduces interesting concepts that evoke emotions in the reader while addressing a relevant topic that not enough comics are discussing. I’m excited about what comes next!
My first review on my Substack! I had the opportunity to read this book in advance, and I’m grateful for this chance. I will continue to pursue similar opportunities. One of my goals is to highlight these type of comic books that are entertaining and deliver powerful messages.
That’s it for today, folks! Next time I will post Part Two of the Guide to the Donnyverse. Until then, stay awesome and go read something!
Ram V and Anand RK, 2020.
Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell, 2018.
Julio Anta and Anna Wieszczyk, 2021.