REVIEW: ‘Long Lost: Part Two,’ Issue #1

Continuing from Long Lost Book One, this issue picks up where we left off; with the sisters falling down a strange hole in their old abandoned childhood home to escape certain death. Long Lost Part Two #1, from Scout Comics, delves further into the mystery of Hazel Patch as the sisters struggle to find their way to safety, and find anything but.

Piper and Frances find themselves somewhere dark, wet and… dark. Unsure of where to go, but certain that up isn’t an option, the two venture forth in hopes of finding a way out and back to a world that makes sense. Instead, they find more secrets, cryptic messages, and terrifying monsters.

With the continued demonstration of his expertise for the horror genre, Matthew Erman presents another installment of Long Lost in a twisted reality that seems to operate parallel to our own. Moments are months, and minutes are years, in this new space. Erman is able to write barely masked hysteria and worry into every word and his storytelling doesn’t suffer despite Long Lost Part Two #1 being significantly shorter than Book One. It remains just as engaging and thrilling. The single issue flies by much too quickly.

Long Lost Part Two #1 is also a testament to Lisa Sterle’s skills. Though already established in her ability to manipulate imagery despite a limited color scheme, the shades of black in this issue are even more stringently used, and it’s a master at work in the way Sterle coaxes them into recognizable imagery that ups the horror quota.

With tensions rising and secrets about their missing mother being revealed, Piper and Frances are no closer to finding the truth hidden in their past, or Piper’s dog, Pockets. When a sudden twist of fate forces the girls to separate to stay alive, a bad situation gets worse. It becomes evident to Frances that Hazel Patch is in trouble and Piper comes face to face with her biggest fear.

Long Lost Part Two #1 is available wherever comics are sold.