Sheltered #9

By Ed Brisson, Johnnie Christmas, Shari Chankhamma

Story lines come together in Sheltered as Safe Haven falls apart. Issue nine furthers the decent of madness in Save Haven and sees the outsider pushed to the edge. Issue nine contains some very brutal moments. Christmas brings to life these explosions of gore to life on the page but it’s through Brisson writing and characterization that these acts have a heavy weight to them.

Sheltered is at its best when examining the psyche and motivations of the children in Safe Haven. Issue nine continues to provide moments that allow characters to grow or self implode. Brisson has allowed some of the characters slowly come to the realization that what they have done is wrong but instead of making it a quick fix, Brisson has had them to come to understand if they were wrong then there is a chance they truly are monsters. This struggle by certain characters brings in added layers and motivations to that already chaotic situation that is Safe Haven.

Christmas’ art always brings out another level of insanity each issue of Sheltered. Christmas ramps up the action in most scenes with his layouts and movement but it is truly the characters that again steal the show. Curt looks absolutely like someone who has lost their mind and as the issue progresses Christmas builds on it. By the end Curt is literally foaming at the mouth. Shari Chankhamma provides continually constant sharp coloring that often relay a real sense of doom.

Sheltered is as captivating as ever. Brisson’s writing will leave you disgusted with some characters and cheering for others. Christmas’ art is kinetic and gruesome. Each issue is filled with tension that never really subsides. Issue nine is another great chapter in the series.