Long Lost #5 Review

Writer: Matthew Erman / Artist: Lisa Sterle / Scout Comics

Homecomings can be strange. Strange in the way of being reacquainted with family members whom you have no memory of. This is what happens at the end of the last issue of Long Lost when Piper and Frances are told by Aunt Jody that this other woman, the one who roams the woods is their other Aunt, Joanna. This is obviously a sucker punch for their already dysfunctional family of girls born of a mother that they’ve hinted has harmed them in some way (or neglected them greatly to where they were in harm’s way). Having the reveal that they have another family member, another adult related in blood to them that could have stepped in and saved them from whatever ran them away from this place makes them stone-faced. It makes them angry. What’s a bigger revelation is that they are expected to stick around and help rid the town of it’s… illness, that is affecting the townsfolk. Now that Piper and Frances are here, they are asked to help alleviate the darkness that’s been seeping in and around the town, placing everything and everyone is a chokehold. Their help and their presences are requested.

“Between memory and home. Between thought and void.” There’s a moment halfway through Long Lost #5 that makes you forget the family drama, there’s a moment stretched out into a handful of pages that sucks you in, that makes you remember the pull of this place and what stalks it…I’m not sure if this is a point of no return for the sisters but it’s a sight that bewilders everyone. Sterle’s usage of dark and grey toned art is immensely effective in creating the atmosphere for where the girls trek to and it is as unsettling as it is stark.But wait, we up the ante and Johanna goes to her followers to prepare for what’s to come and it’s a clear, clear sign that ain’t everyone making it to the promise land. NOPE. Shoutout to Erman for making me internally scream this issue and clutch my pearls because, at this point, I’m not entirely sure whom I’m more afraid of, the people who inhabit this town or the darkness that preys upon them. I always thought the latter, yet this issue makes clear that the ordinary folks aren’t people you want to underestimate or truly trust at this point.

8.7 Ways To The Mountain Out Of 10

Does Long Lost #5 look like something you’d be interested in? You can ask your LCBS to add Long Lost to your pull list. Here’s the preview code for the fifth issue: JAN181859. You can also order issues online here. For Comixology buying folks: Issues one and two are up online for purchase! You can follow the creative team, Matthew and Lisa, on Twitter.  

Good news everyone! Long Lost #3 is now available on @comiXology! Please share, tag and retweet to anyone you think might be into reading @lisa_sterle and I’s book.https://t.co/lAHhyz2oCy

— Matthew Erman @ C2E2 (@MatthewErman) March 15, 2018

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