Avani and Trent are saving the world from an evil demigod. They just aren’t entirely sure of all the details yet. Your Major Spoilers review of The Cabinet #1 from Image Comics awaits!
THE CABINET #1
Writer: David Ebeltoft/Jordan Hart
Artist: Chiara Raimondi
Colorist: Chiara Raimondi
Letterer: Jordan Hart
Editor: Chris Ryall
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 14, 2024
Previously in The Cabinet: Why do atypical teen Avani and midwestern jock Trent teleport across a post-Cold War landscape to collect bizarre relics? Well, because they need to summon the arcane powers of a resplendent 17th-century cabinet to fix a teeny-tiny mistake the last time Avani used it, unleashing an ancient evil from its prison and accidentally slaughtering her parents.
Like ya do…
SEEKING THE ERASER
In 1984, a little girl named Avani sneaks out of her home and into a bomb shelter in the backyard, where her family keeps an antique Kabinettschrank of unknown provenance and age. What she does know is that “Cabby” is a powerful magical artifact, and that its power can be used to make the world a better place. There’s just one problem: She forgot one important piece, which left her family open to discovery by a group known as the Blackguard, who arrive just in time to kill her parents. Avani’s mom manages to protect her just long enough to entreat the little girl to teleport away using Cabby’s power. Seven years later, teenage Avani is still trying to reclaim the 30 magical trinkets (she calls them doodads) that power the Cabinet, with the help of her friend Trent, all the while running from various sects and cults who want Cabby’s power for themselves.
Because if she can gather all the doodads, Avani is sure that she can use the power to undo her mistakes.
JUST PLAIN BEAUTIFUL
The first thing you need to know about The Cabinet #1? This is a really pretty comic book. Raimondi’s art is soft-edged, using a vivid palette of pastels that emphasize the magical elements of the story, without losing the realistic elements. I appreciate the impressionistic parts of the story, especially a sequence where the Blackguard track Trent and Avani down in a school bus, a sequence that has the trippiness of Peter Max animation, but still conveys menace. It’s really well done, and the dialogue is likewise very lively. One standout moment comes in the discussion of whether or not naming his bludgeoning wrench “The Chiastiser” is better and/or less pervy than “The Violator.” The consensus, by the way, is no.
BOTTOM LINE: CHARMING Y.A. ADVENTURE
With its hand-drawn maps and legends by Avani contained in the back matter, The Cabinet #1 serves as a very entertaining and successful first issue, with visuals that are unique and thought-through, a script that combines mystery and menace with a charming childlike sensibility, and a pair of well-rounded characters at its center, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. Probably the biggest nitpick that I can put forth is that, thanks to the nature of the publishing business, the solicitation copy is essentially the Cliff’s Notes of the entire issue, which is the fault of the comic industry and not these creators.
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THE CABINET #1
Avani's past mistakes still haunt her, but her mother's belief that "every pencil has an eraser" drives her, in an exciting issue that sets the stakes and gives us a really beautiful visual experience.
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Writing8
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Art10
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Coloring10
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