Coffin Hill #1 Review - Mobile Edition

DC Comics
Coffin Hill #1 Review
By Andy Frisk
November 3, 2013 - 16:55

DC Comics
Writer(s): Caitlin Kittredge
Penciller(s): Inaki Miranda
Colourist(s): Eva De La Cruz
Letterer(s): Travis Lanham
Cover Artist(s): Dave Johnson

Eve Coffin is a member of the old New England Coffin Family. They're an old money family that came "out of Salem" and are, as described by Eve, "the holy trinity of New England royalty: old blood, old money, old secrets." Eve appears to be interested in changing the family legacy though. Catching a lucky break as a rookie beat cop by "taking down the this city's worst killer since the Boston Strangler," Eve has become an overnight hero cop. Eve doesn't get to bask in the glory for long (and she doesn't appear to want to anyway) since she is almost killed by an apparent junkie/dealer in her apartment who has some connection to her roommate. Now, with her apparent seedy connections brought to light, and "no job, no money, and no where to go," she returns home to Coffin Mansion, the site of her wild younger days where her unfortunate dabbling in witchcraft lead to bloody circumstances...and consequences.

Confused? Hopefully you are, and are delightedly so. Writer Caitlin Kittredge (Nocturne City, The Iron Thorn) tries her hand at comic book writing and creates an intriguing first issue of what hopefully will be a long lived series. Coffin Hill #1 is full of wonderfully gothic atmosphere and complexity. The complexity is piled on a little fast though. With most series only given a few months to prove whether they are going to be profitable enough to continue past more than a few dozen issues though, Kittredge might have felt the need to move fast.

Artist Inaki Miranda does a great job of visually untangling Kittredge's plot though with some wonderfully dark and detailed pencil and ink work. Miranda brings Eve, her family, and the horrors lurking in the New England woods as well as the high society parties and dank crime scenes that all appear in the first issue to sharp and detailed life. Miranda's panel layout and scene shifting is almost cinematic and give the reader plenty to feast their eyes upon in each panel of every page. Coffin Hill needs this kind of hyper detail and cinematic look to give weight to its hefty plot.

A cross between The Killing, American Horror Story, and good ole' Stephen King-like New England horror, Coffin Hill just might be the new long term hit that Vertigo Comics has been looking for.

Rating: 9/10

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