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A Walk Through Hell # 1 (Halloween Comicfest 2018)

By Mark Rodriguez

Here's something different. Every year we have Halloween Comicfest, which is like a second helping of Free Comic Book Day. The main difference of course is that HCF has a lot of comics that have Halloween-ish themes. This one looked interesting, so I decided to pick it up and check it out.


The issue starts with a couple walking through a mall during the holiday season. The man wants to set up his mother with the woman's father, and she's not exactly thrilled with the idea. The narrator says this isn't the worst thing that they'd be facing.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a crazed gunman shoots the baby that the woman was carrying and they both go down. It takes a moment for the man to react to his woman and child dropping dead, as the man continues to shoot other people. The man screams in anguish as the mad gunman shoots himself.

Elsewhere an FBI agent named McGreggor checks his phone and people everywhere post all sorts of social media comments regarding the tragedy which resulted in 6 people being killed and 3 injured. The comments range from arguing about gun control laws to downright racist remarks due the fact that the first victim of this shooting was an Asian woman. Meanwhile a woman lies in bed having a nightmare.

The woman is a fellow FBI agent named Shaw, and she's on the phone while McGreggor drives. The mall guy seems to be a witness they have interviewed before. McGreggor said he saw the guy's face on the news but he didn't recognize him. Shaw says the guy had a wife and three kids and a great job, he didn't seem to be the type to snap like that, or to even own a gun. McGreggor says they arranged to meet with Goss and Hunzikker for lunch to discuss their part of the search.


At lunch, the four discuss politics and Goss and Hunzikker mention that the search recovered elephant ivory and wondered why that wasn't a case for wildlife. McGregor says the items were found on the East Coast and coke was involved. Shaw tells them to call them.

Later on, McGreggor and Shaw are conducting their own search and find paperwork. McGreggor mentioned that Goss texted him when they arrived at the warehouse and nothing since. An officer at Long Beach reported seeing the two FBI agents enter the warehouse and never come out. The officer didn't go to check on them since he wasn't allowed to leave his post and after the FBI got their warrant, no other visitors were allowed.

Shaw and McGreggor arrive and talk to the SWAT Team parked outside the warehouse. At this time the FBI agents have been missing for over nine hours, and Shaw is angry because it looks like the SWAT Team is still in their vehicles. The officer explains that they did send their men into the warehouse but they walked back out almost immediately after having feelings of dread.

The agents scoff at the idea that the SWAT Team was too scared to go into the warehouse and the officer says this is unusual for these guys. McGreggor and Shaw decide go in and investigate themselves.

The SWAT Team are still inside their truck freaking out that 'he's coming'. They say they have to leave because they don't want to be here when that happens. One of the men is worried about where they'll end up. His partner says it'll be better than staying with what's about to happen. All of the men aim their guns at each other and agree to end it all. The police check the SWAT truck and are horrified.


The police chief tells the other cops to not let the FBI agents enter the warehouse, but Shaw and McGreggor are already inside. As the agents venture forth, the narrator continues where it started, that things are about to get worse for them. The horrors that Shaw and Hunzikker encountered, that Goss probably got the worst of it. What was worse was what would happen to Shaw and McGreggor.


My Opinions

Well... this sure got me curious. I mean, what horrors lie withing that warehouse? Something so awful and downright horrifying that it drove a normal man into a crazed mall shooter... and scared hardened SWAT Team soldiers to killing themselves rather than face 'what was coming'? What living nightmares await Shaw and McGreggor?

This was quite the story and despite the supernatural nature of whatever lies within that warehouse, the comic is heavily grounded and reality and doesn't hold back. I mean just the social media comments alone are the kind of sick and heartless stuff you'd read in actual posts, whether some comments are just trolling or not, and well... it does reflect the kind posts people would made in the aftermath of a real shooting in today's day and age... for better or for worse. Might be a little too close to home due to the recent shootings we've been having lately. I've also been reading superhero stuff for too long, the swearing caught me off guard.

The comic was made by Aftershock and the back cover promises stories with diverse characters and and worlds as well as protagonists of all genders and species as well as self-contained stories.

I'm not sure why, but the story being in black and white does kind of add to the atmosphere of something scary going on. I am somewhat morbidly curious about what is in that warehouse. It feels like an episode of the Twilight Zone. What did you think of the story so far? Do you dare to find out what Shaw and McGreggor will face? Are you brave enough to take.. a Walk Thought Hell?

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