The Well by cARTEm Comics, is the second graphic novel by Eric Crick, which tells a fascinating and mysterious story in the Dutch forests.
Eric Crick in his first graphic novel: The Exile, also published by cARTEm Comics, but in this second graphic novel, The Grave, leaves the tenth century to tell a contemporary story in the Netherlands, the author’s birthplace.
“I tried to warn you! It’s too late now! No one can help you…”
Makda
This author’s Murder Ballads are a unique genre, both earlier and later, as he has shown brilliantly in his earlier series. An idea of what might develop behind the grave’s cover.
Mystery in the Velue forests
Huub and Sarah Kuider are a couple who left the city of Amsterdam and live in the countryside, where Huub inherited a family house owned by his uncle. Both are great employees, Huub an architect with extensive experience and Sarah an artist featured in a great gallery. After the death of their son Reuben, they decided to move to another place and try to rebuild their lives.
To cope with the loss of his son, Hub is in a shelter for work, but Sarah is unable to take up the brushes again because of her lack of creativity. Peace is constant in Oldenhove, moreover, surrounded by the majestic forests, oaks and birches that make up the Veluwe.
At the back of the new house, the couple will find trees with carved bark, where runes and other symbols that attract the attention of the spouses will appear. Also found are notebooks and notes written by Huub’s great-grandfather on the restoration of the house, with similar symbols and texts in Icelandic.
“Unbeknownst to him, time has passed. These notebooks of your great uncle are amazing…”
Sara Kuylder
The dismay of the neighbors over their property, when Magdalena utters curses and nightmares on Sarah, makes her afraid and she believes that it is worth it to reach her new home. From then on, inexplicable events begin to occur and mystery and tension are prominent in the atmosphere, bringing a storm of dire situations into Sarah and Hub’s lives.
The author
Eric Crick, as in the previous graphic novel, does all the artistic work in The Tomb, accomplishing an amazing job, starting with the cover. On the cover, as an addition to the illustration later, you can understand the mystery that tells the story, the secret hidden in the forest with the leading actress Sarah.
Crick’s script follows a series of flashbacks that slowly explain Reuben’s marriage and death in his early life. Here the secondary characters and their relationship with the main characters are also shown, which shows their understanding of the couple and their relationship with them.
The deep development of the characters allows us to create a mystery story with many psychological horror strategies because… what is horror that is seen but not seen? In this way, the action is narrated, presenting the plots that increase the mystery, even when the mist of suspicion begins to spread in the forest.
The author’s picture is very impressive, he emphasizes those who are close, but without ignoring the background of Vint. Each character has very defined characteristics that distinguish them, but their actions are strongly expressed. Their characters show their feelings and convey them directly to the reader, who suffers, calms or panics, depending on the violet they are.
The background of the vignettes is not neglected and the forests, instead of being calm, show a certain repose despite the beauty of the forested landscape. The forest is represented as real “dancing trees”, Speulderbos – near the Dutch city of Garderen -, due to the sinuous shape of the trunks with several large elfenbankjes mushrooms – fairy seats – on them.
The coloring and color elevate this work by Eric Crick, defining the pencil and pulling it with the palette chosen by the author. In this graphic novel, ochreous tones accompanied by dark nocturnal tones are predominant, creating an autumnal atmosphere that is very suitable for Fossa.
The colors most associated with fall are oranges, reds, yellows, and browns, as seasonal leaf color changes as temperatures drop and daylight diminishes. Ending at the winter equinox is a progressive sunset, here accompanied by colors such as black or midnight green, matching the story the author is developing.
Peanut tones evoke strong emotions, because they can quickly attract the attention of the reader, because of the paradox of appearing warm and soft colors, but often cause fatigue and visual fatigue, as well as the characteristic of creating related material. Place. Earthly. In the cosmology of both classical Greece and Rome, as well as other parts of the world such as Mexico, ocher meant the divine and new life.
Through this, Eric Crick uses the color red in an ambiguous way, showing happiness and danger. Use orange as life energy, creativity. Black, representing mystery and magic. Purple tones, a powerful color created from the combination of red and blue, connect them to Uncle Hub’s Protestant history, as they represent wisdom and love, similar to their primary color.
Funny version of CARTEm.
The CARTEm publishing house published La Fossa in a 148-page volume, with a hard cover and a size of 21 x 28.5 centimeters, which allows the reader to enjoy the entire artwork of Eric Crick; Translated by Irene de la Torre.
The Well by cARTEm Cómics is a great read, with the wonderful Eric Crick in all its aspects, which allows the reader to immerse themselves in a mystery story that is worth re-reading more than once, because the characters may not be what they seem. , or be as clear as you think the story is. In fact, the conclusion of the work is apotheoetic, because it allows an unusual mystery to be revealed as unusual, after all, Crick is a master at telling ballads and telling the reader in his work Fijne dag verder! -Have a nice day!-.
The well
A psychological thriller with supernatural elements
In the heart of the dense and mysterious forests of Velue, Hub and Sarah Cuylers embark on an emotional journey after losing their son Reuben in a traffic accident.
Made up of an architect and an artist, this couple seeks a fresh start away from the cycle of pain that has consumed their lives. Their choice of refuge is a relic from their late uncle that promises them a sanctuary of peace and reconstruction.
However, the prospect of stability is quickly overshadowed by secrets and hidden tensions. Focusing his energy on the practicality of work and movement, Hub tries to create a sense of normality. Sarah, on the other hand, is in a constant struggle to find her way back to the light, a battle that leads her to find a handwritten book filled with incomprehensible writings and symbols.
These marks, along with the strange markings on the surrounding beech trees, suggest that there are unknown forces lurking in the shadows of their new home.
Adding to the mystery is the appearance of an old woman who warns of dark entities living in the woods, a warning Sarah chooses to ignore due in part to her inner struggle and her decision to stop taking medication. This choice triggers a series of visions (or hallucinations) that blur the line between reality and psychic horror, pulling the couple into an abyss of distrust and fear.
Between the duel and the shadows
With a distinct contemporary touch and located in the unusual setting of the Dutch Velue, it feeds on an atmosphere reminiscent of the works of HP Lovecraft.
Through the supernatural narrative of human despair, a tension builds that forbids direct revelations, leaving the reader constantly restless. The darkness is presented not only in the subject matter but also in the visual style adopted by Eric Crick, whose pages are filled with shadows and images that evoke a sense of dread.
This story, more than a simple horror story, becomes a study of grief, perseverance and the indomitable nature of the human spirit in the face of unknown odds. Through Hub and Sarah’s eyes, we are faced with the question of whether it is possible to find light amidst the deep shadows.
With elements reminiscent of the “Twilight Zone,” it invites us to ponder the mysteries that surround us, suggesting that there may be truths that remain unexplored. It is a poignant exploration of loss, love and the search for hope. As the lines between reality and the paranormal blur, we are reminded of the power and potential cost of confronting mysteries beyond our understanding.