Sarah Gailey and Pius Bak have crafted a beautifully drawn, class-conscious horror story that entertains in spite of its less than original premise.
Prior to their new comic series Eat the Rich, Hugo Award winner Sarah Gailey’s previously wrote a few issues of the Steven Universe comic series for Boom! Studios. If Eat the Rich‘s debut issue is any indication, Gailey’s series will be significantly darker than Steven Universe, but just as captivating. Gailey teams up with artist Pius Bak and colorist Roman Titov to deliver a pulse-pounding horror story about class and cannibalism in Eat the Rich #1.
Eat the Rich #1 opens on Joey and her boyfriend Astor driving to Crestfall Bluffs to visit Astor’s family for the summer. Joey is nervous to meet her partner’s family for the first time and is especially intimidated by their astounding wealth. When they arrive at Astor’s family’s opulent summer home, she is overwhelmed by their extravagant way of life and put off by “the help,” who refuse to even let her carry her own bags. The more time Joey spends with Astor’s family, the more clear it is that something sinister is going on in Crestfall Bluffs.
Gailey’s natural dialogue makes it easy to empathize with Joey and Astor. Their conversation, paired with Joey’s narration, feels realistic and reminiscent of the interactions most couples have. Gailey eases the reader into the bizarre world of Crestfall Bluffs so that by the time it becomes clear that there is something wrong, it is already too late to turn back for both Joey and the audience.
Despite their artful ear for conversation and solid sense of character, Gailey fails to make the premise of Eat the Rich #1 feel particularly original. In many ways, the plot and pacing of the first issue mirror other similar horror stories like Jordan Peele’s Get Out or Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Ready or Not. At this point, the idea of a person meeting their romantic partner’s wealthy family only to realize that they’ve been pulled into a dangerous, cultish scenario has been rehashed enough that the events of this first issue feel fairly predictable. This predictability threatens to undermine the social commentary of the story and diminish the quality of the reading experience.
While the plot risks being fairly run-of-the-mill, the art is stunning. Pius Bak’s character designs capture the menacing undertones of the book without being too over the top, and his ability to portray Joey’s discomfort captures her complex feelings of anxiety and excitement. Colorist Roman Titov uses dazzling colors to add to the overall tone of the comic. The bright, hopeful clouds of the first page eventually devolve into blood stains and a menacing fire. As the comic’s content gets darker, so do the colors.
Eat the Rich #1 does an excellent job of introducing a cast of compelling characters and establishing an enticing sense of tension. At this juncture, the premise seems a bit formulaic — but there is still plenty of time for Gailey and the rest of the creative team to subvert the audience’s expectations. Fans of socially conscious horror and good art are sure to get a lot out of Eat the Rich #1.
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