Through the Woods

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Gory Discretion Shot: We never see the husband's violent death upon meeting his first wife's corpse, only that one of the mansion's windows became heavily smeared with his blood after returning home from a hunt. Carroll makes the woods of the title entirely her own, a metaphor for the danger that lurks and snarls outside the door, but which entices us outside, nevertheless." Glamour Failure: It's implied something is off with Rebecca when their teeth seem to undulate while eating at dinner. We eventually learn this is because the worms wearing her skin have replaced all the flesh beneath it, and the teeth are suspended in place by individual worms. Bell learns that they got to her brother when his teeth do the same. Body Snatcher: The monster has taken over Rebecca's body... and is looking for new hosts for its children as well. Bell is nearly taken, but she scares the monster into leaving her alone by telling her stories about what the city will do to its children once their presence is discovered. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said of Clarence, who was revealed to be a host by the story's end. No surprise here, of course the art deserves all the stars! If Emily Carroll uses different techniques in each short story, I can safely say that I loved every one of them.

Hannah wears a white dress and a yellow cloak, which emphasizes her youth and innocence. Of the three sisters, she doesn't really understand everything that's going on, including the importance of surviving a heavy snowstorm and the ramifications of their father's death.

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Perpetual Smiler: The strange man with the wide-brimmed hat is always described as smiling in a way that shows all his teeth. This, combined with what is implied to be a thin, almost bony body, implies that the man is actually The Grim Reaper who comes for the girls to usher them into the afterlife. Through the Woods is a triumph, it's gorgeous, soft and bright, and it is dark, earthy and spin-chilling. [Emily Carroll] should be recognized as one of the best graphic storytellers out there." Discover a terrifying world in the woods in this collection of five hauntingly beautiful graphic stories that includes the online webcomic sensation “His Face All Red,” in print for the first time. a b c d Dueben, Alex (21 August 2014). "Emily Carroll Walks "Through the Woods" ". Comic Book Resources. Canadian comics writer Emily Carroll has produced a graphic debut that blends the gothic strangeness of Tim Burton with the macabre illustrations of Edward Gorey to create a wonderfully chilling collection of tales.

Shoot the Shaggy Dog: After both of her sisters have disappeared with the man with the wide-brimmed hat and toothy smile, Beth flees her home to the neighbor's house, despite being without any food and the snow now being much worse than it was several days prior. After an exhausting, dangerous trek, she finally makes it to the neighbor's house... and finds the man with the wide-brimmed hat waiting for her there. Helpless Window Death: The story "My Friend Janna" climaxes with Yvonne watching helplessly from outside Janna's house as Janna is apparently murdered in front of her window by the "ghost" that has been haunting Janna. The more successful stories - Our Neighbor’s House and His Face All Red - are effective because the horror is less explicit/understandable. It’s almost more threatening to the reader that if you don’t know what the danger is by story’s end, it could happen to you. The less scary stories are conversely the ones that show you the horror straight up which I always find unsatisfying, and that’s the case here. Affectionate Gesture to the Head: The man with the wide-brimmed hat gently plants his hat on Beth's head when they finally meet in-person at the neighbor's house, after which he lets her in. It's likely symbolic of Beth accepting her own death and reuniting with her family, if one interprets the man as The Grim Reaper.Gone Horribly Wrong: Posing as a psychic was a fun game, even if the girls realized it was also a little cruel and childish. They figured people would stop coming soon... except they didn't stop coming to see Janna and wouldn't take no for an answer. The two soon found themselves trapped in their lie, with no way to stop the act, and afraid to admit they had been lying all along because of how people might turn on them afterwards. Our Neighbor's House" has the hat-wearing man's long, almost bony hands and fingers, which heavily imply that he's actually The Grim Reaper in disguise. a b c d Collins, Sean T. (5 December 2011). "Emily Carroll's His Face All Red and Other Stories headed to boookstores via Simon & Schuster". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved 5 November 2020. i'm giving it a four because i did like the artwork, but the stories themselves are pretty patchy, so i'm being a bit generous here. I reread this book because I reviewed and shared some of Emily Carroll's free short stories here for Halloween, and because I read Speak: The Graphic Novel, which she illustrated for Laurie Halse Anderson. Now, more than two years after I initially read it, I am feeling Carroll's groove. I wasn't as appreciative as I am now. I think she is one of the truly talented and smart and entertaining horror illustrators out there.