Frank is home from the war, but there’s nothing waiting for him. No fanfare, no parade, not even his family, who he’s pretty sure exists. Your Major Spoilers review of Frank At Home On The Farm #1 from Scout Comics, awaits!

FRANK AT HOME ON THE FARM #1

Writer: Jordan Thomas
Artist: Clark Bint
Letterer: Lettersquids
Editor: Charlie Stickney
Publisher: Scout Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 18th, 2020

Previously in Frank At Home On The Farm: Frank returns from the trenches of World War I expecting to be greeted by his loving family on their farm. What he finds instead is a dark mystery, his family missing, and only the animals there waiting for him.

Anybody home?

Frank At Home On The Farm #1 opens with the titular Frank returning to his hometown after serving in World War I. As he goes through town his parents’ words go through his head. Once he reaches his family’s farm he discovers that no one is there waiting for him. While searching he finds a pot filled with soup that is still hot, but no trace of who was cooking it. Frank heads back into town and begins to ask around if anyone knows anything about where his family might have gone. To his dismay, no one in town seems to know where his family has gone or who they even are. While speaking to a local police officer, their conversation is cut short by a dog mauling its owner. That night Frank has nightmares of cows and the war. The next day he finds a photograph of his father and his best friend. Frank tracks down the friend who is suffering from dementia, but who remembers Frank’s father. Frank leaves without much new information except that there was an accident.

Sufficiently Spooky

One of the things that stuck out to me by the time I finished this comic is that I was genuinely unnerved. Between the grotesque hallucinations, the troubling actions by the various animals throughout this issue, and the actual mystery of what happened to Frank’s family, this comic is actually spooky, which is rare to find. The solicitation says that this is supposed to be mix of The Shining and Twin Peaks and I would say so far, I would agree. The woman that Frank meets who’s surrounded by taxidermy has a certain Lynchian feel, while the sudden violence of the dog attack feels reminiscent of seeing the little girls at the end of the hallway hacked up in The Shining. Yet even though there are hints of these other things Frank At Home On The Farm #1 feels like its own thing. The one aspect that I didn’t particularly care for is the allusion to Frank having PTSD and, so far, this not being explored much beyond surface level.

Cows Are Creepy

Frank At Home On The Farm #1 is chock full of art that leaves the reader unsettled. Even more mundane moments are accompanied with a certain amount of facial and body distortion that leaves every page with a “want to look away but can’t” effect. Where this really shines though is during the dream sequences. Seeing German soldiers transform quickly and jarringly into giant slobbering cows is something that will stick with me for a while.

Bottom Line: Excited To See This One Continue

Frank At Home On The Farm #1 opens up this story in an impressive way. While there is no big shocking cliffhanger or “wtf” moment in this issue, a constant and unrelenting attempt to mildly unsettle the reader still reaches that desired effect. While there’s no real attempt to hide its influences, this book manages to utilize them without copying or losing its own identity. 4 out of 5 stars.

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