Vault Comic's latest comic from its horror imprint, Nightfall,  The Autumnal lives up to the bar set for modern horror comics by the line. The book's creative team of Daniel Kraus, Chris Shehan, Jason Wordie, and Jim Campbell work together in harmony to craft a world of unique fear. This isn't a horror story that relies on jump scares or gore, but rather one that highlights on the horror dwelling below the familiar. The world in its orange autumn hues is fleshed out enough that the reader is hungry for more but reserves more than enough to keep the mystery something that lingers in your mind far after you close the book.

The Autumnal follows a mother, Kat Somerville, and daughter, Sybil, as they leave their dire straights to a chance that came from tragedy. Kat's estranged mother has passed away and left Kat her house. It's made clear quite quickly that both Kat and Sybil are no strangers to trauma. Kat loves her daughter deeply and is doing everything she can to give Sybil the best life that she can. They arrive in the town of Comfort Town which looks like an ad for the most picturesque fall town on the planet. The trees are lined with crisp orange leaves that are ready to fall off the trees. It quickly becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.

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Daniel Kraus's dialogue and the story depicts two people who are dealing with their own trauma in similar ways. Kat has taught her daughter to defend herself against a harsh and cruel world as she has had to do. The classic horror of this story doesn't rear its head until the end of the issue but there is a horror to the nature of everything in the issue. Seeing Kat struggle with her own demons as she is raising a daughter with a mental illness. When Kat speaks to the casket with her mother inside, we learn how much she has had to face in her time. There is a fear of what her future may hold and if she can move past everything she has lived through. The emotional connection that one may make with these characters in only the first issue is astounding. The town of Comfort Notch delivers in the fear of the familiar. There is the image of this idyllic town with sinister roots hiding just below the surface. While the first issue holds it's visual horror for the striking last few pages, Krause does deliver a story with the horrors of trauma and the fear that not everything that glitters is gold.

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The standout of the issue is the art done by Chris Shehan and Jason Wordie. Each leaf stands out in the town of Comfort Notch like a single painting amongst a sea of beautiful art. Shehan's unique art style brings a flavor to the story that elicits true fear from something that's otherwise friendly. Jason Wordie's color palette on this book is something that perfectly blend's with Shehan's style. With their combination, the main characters do truly look out of place in the town which seems to be the intent of the narrative. The atmosphere of the town is truly brought to life by the color and art of this book. Jim Campbell's lettering shines through the book especially when a group of children is singing an eerie nursery rhyme. Tim Daniel's design work for the logo and design work of the cover delivers a unique font and striking visual that matches the theme of the book perfectly.

The end of The Autumnal #1 leaves enough questions open that coming back for the next issue is essential to understanding what is truly growing in Comfort Notch.

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