In The Local Pocket #5 - Black Fish

In The Local Pocket #4 - Black Fish

Black Fish is written and illustrated by Tatiana Davidson and self published. I picked up Black Fish at Supanova where I often purchase many comics by local creators as it is a great way to find comics that are artistic, mini comics, poetry comics and all sorts of comics that are a little less traditional. This was no less the case for Black Fish, with its creepy cover seeming to stare into my soul making it almost impossible to not pick up a copy (and of course get the author to sign it for me).

Black fish begins with a young girl using the pond in her back yard as a quiet escape from chaos and noise of her large family. As the girl enjoys the silence of her own little world by the fish pond she notices something new in the pond, a small, black, slimy, hungry fish. The next time the girl visits the pond she notices that the small black fish has grown immensely but she can't seem to find any of the koi fish. Some time later the girl looks over her dark yard and sees something large, black and slimy creeping towards the house.

Hey little guy, I'm sure you'll stay little and cute and not get large and terrifying

Every panel in Black Fish is, at the very least, unnerving with some being downright terrifying. Its amazing how even something as simple as a fern frond is made to look sinister with simply the use of  light and dark. The design of the Black Fish in all of its stages looks like it is stitched together from creatures that actually exists adding yet another layer of sinister dread to the book.

Black fish is is a refreshingly different kind of horror comic containing absolutely no gore, relying not only on atmosphere but the readers own imagination to make it scarier than most modern horror movies. Black Fish is magnificently illustrated, , superbly written and mercifully brief, proving that sometimes less is more. I briefly met the creator, Tatiana, at Supanova this year and chatted with her for a minute, got her to sign my copy of Black Fish and walked away satisfied as Tatiana seemed like a nice normal person. After reading Black Fish I think if I meet her again I will back away slowly while maintaining eye contact until I feel I am an appropriate distance that I can turn and run because I refuse to believe that someone as nice as Tatiana seemed can come up with something as unnerving as Black Fish.

NOPE

I give Black Fish 4.5 out of 5 little black fish

Find out more about Black Fish here. Black Fish will be included in an upcoming horror anthology so keep an eye on their Facebook page Mr. Splitfoot for more information.