It’s officially October, the month of all things spooky, scary, and even a little twisted and for fans of horror comics, it also means that Hyde Street #1 is here. The latest from Geoff Johns’ Ghost Machine universe, Hyde Street #1 sees Johns and artist Ivan Reis step into the horror genre unlike we’ve seen from them before to take readers on a journey to a place — the titular Hyde Street — that feels part purgatory, part nightmare and all mystery full of tormented souls, dark mysteries, and perhaps even a disturbing look at humanity and what people will do to avoid their fate.
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Hyde Street #1 opens up with a truly unsettling encounter between a seemingly kindly old lady who finds herself suddenly confused as she walks down the street with her groceries. There’s a great deal of construction cluttering up the intersection and things are strangely unfamiliar to her. She’s soon helped out by a young scout, but it’s quickly revealed that this isn’t merely a good deed. The old woman has dark secrets and the scout is on a mission to make her face them. It’s through that disturbing sequence that at least part of the nature of Hyde Street is revealed and we’re soon initiated into the idea that Hyde Street is itself disturbing, but so are its “residents” and their motives. We’re also introduced to Mr. X-Ray, another resident and it’s soon explained that even the residents have dark stories and that they’re all serving someone even darker, all playing a twisted game of presumably redemption from what feels like a much larger hell.
Narratively, it’s an interesting first issue. Johns sets up Mr. X-Ray as something of a protagonist even though he is far from an innocent — we learn about his own callousness and poor life choices early on — but much about the man or exactly why he’s ended up on Hyde Street remains a mystery. We’re also introduced to Pranky, the young scout, who seems to be filling a similar role to Mr. X-Ray but has a very different and more disturbing way of going about the task. The dynamic between the characters leaves a lot to unpack, but with plenty of tension as the first issue establishes a sort of rivalry between the two that only seems to be getting started. As for mechanics of Hyde Street and both of the characters we’re introduced to, Johns leaves quite a few things left to be revealed and in doing so, makes things just a bit more intriguing. The story is a slow burn that is just satisfying enough to enjoy but leaves the reader wanting more.
Art wise, Reis’s art is intricate and very detailed. Particular standouts in the issue are the facial features and expressions on the characters, which offer not only a bit of humanity — even in the old lady with a dark secret — but also contains secrets within themselves. Pranky in particular feels especially artistically fleshed out to the point where the visual of his dark turn is almost more impactful than what he’s saying in any given panel. Beyond just the characters, however, Reis has created a richly detailed world that manages to capture looking like any other city street or neighborhood with ease while also darkening every corner with shadow and suggestion of the horror to come. The art is made even more impactful by Brad Anderson’s colors, which are perfectly toned to be just the right amount of spooky.
Overall, Hyde Street #1 is a bit of a departure from what readers might expect from both Johns and Reis, but the story and its art simply works. The characters are interesting, if not mysteries of their own which beg to be unpacked, but the actual setting itself offers just enough questions to make readers want to know more. At its core, Hyde Street #1 sets the stage for what feels like a tale that is going to make the reader ask some hard questions of themselves, but also make them think twice about crossing the street in an unfamiliar neighborhood. It’s a promising start to a new horror story.
Published by Image Comics
On October 2, 2024
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Ivan Reis
Colors by Brad Anderson
Inks by Danny Miki
Letters by Rob Leigh
Cover by Reis, Miki and Anderson
