Sheltered by Ed Brisson and Johnnie Christmas - Comic Review

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of the trade paperback graphic novel Sheltered Volume One from Image Comics. Written by Ed Brisson and drawn by Johnnie Christmas, Sheltered tells the story of a survivalist camp deep in the snowy wilderness preparing for the end of the world as they know it. Whether than end comes via the government, natural disasters or something else depends on who in the camp you ask.

Sheltered takes the slow burn approach to building tension, giving us a chance to get to know the cast of characters. In particular we see Vic and Hailey, young women chafing against the constraints of living in a compound where the end of the world is a daily topic of conversation. Vic is clearly miserable, while Hailey isn’t sure where she stands but follows the older girl’s lead. Not all of the character’s are heavily fleshed out, but I got a good feel for Vic, Hailey and their immediate relatives.

The camp is a character in its own right, with there being a hopeful if somewhat dilapidated vibe to the place before everything starts to go bad. Since it’s mentioned in the promotional materials it’s not a spoiler to say that the camp’s children: from seven year olds to teenagers, turn on and murder every single adult there. It’s an interesting conceit, that armed and well prepared adults can still be wiped out because they would never think to see a threat from their own flesh and blood. It’s a stretch to think that all of the children could have kept it a secret, especially the young ones, but it’s presented in such a way as to make it believable if not entirely logical.

All of this is down to one boy in particular: Lucas. He is the mastermind behind the uprising, the leader touting the line that the deaths of everyone these kids held near and dear is necessary for the long term survival of the group. Sheltered raises some interesting questions about what children raised in an environment that teaches them to do whatever it takes to survive would be prepared to do.

Lucas himself is both the best and the worst thing about Sheltered. He comes across as a charming sociopath, and it’s not clear what his real plan is, or even if has one beyond getting control of the camp and then keeping it. The reason he gives for the uprising rings hollow, and it will be interesting to see how future editions of Sheltered handle Lucas’ vision for the camp and his real reasons for doing the things he’s done. The downside is that he’s clearly a complete monster, and even though Vic and Hailey resist him he’s so clearly evil in his interactions with the other kids it doesn’t seem likely that he would have survived any longer than the adults.

While the violence in Sheltered never descends in gorn territory it is graphic in places and there are some truly disturbing moments. If you find violence realistically handled disturbing, then this isn’t the comic for you.

The art is a little up and down. There are panels drawn so well you could frame them and use them as art, and others that look rushed. Overall Johnnie Christmas does a good job of imparting a sense of dynamism to the characters and not leaving any of the panels seeming too static.

Sheltered Volume One ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, and while it wasn’t perfect I’m very curious to see where the series goes from here.

Reviewed by Andrew Jack

Sheltered Volume 1 TP