Echoes (comics)
Encyclopedia
Echoes is a five-issue comic book
limited series
written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
and drawn by Rahsan Ekedal. Published by Top Cow Productions
, it tells the story of Brian Cohn, a schizophrenic
who learns his father may have been a serial killer
. The first issue was released in December 29, 2010.
. The two had been close friends, neighbors and partners ever since. The art in Echoes is completely black and white, which was more affordable for the artists, but was also done because Failkov felt grayscale was more affordable. The artistic style was inspired by the Warren Publishing
horror comic books Creepy
and Eerie
from the 1960s and 1970s, which both Fialkov and Ekedal enjoyed. Ekedal said of the artistic style: "A lot of the look developed out of my attempts to visually represent what it means to suffer from a serious mental disorder. So I tried to put Brian's doubts and terrors into every shadow, every line."
Fialkov said the idea of a suburban setting with an ordinary-seeming killer was conceived because its "so much scarier and so much more upsetting" than an urban setting. The idea of the dolls made from victims' flesh came from Fialkov's research about voodoo, as well as his own interest in cults and secret societies. Fialkov also said Echoes was partially inspired by the 1960 horror film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
, because he felt both stories were driven by the characters and drama rather than the horror. Fialkov described the series as "achingly dark", and said of writing it: "I haven't really done a hard horror book in a long time. It was a lot of fun to actually do something that's just grotesque and upsetting."
The first issue was included in the September 2010 release of Top Cow First Look, a trade paperback highlighting several of the publisher's new releases. The first issued was officially released on December 29, 2010.
, Brian Cohn, visits his dying father (also a schizophrenic, and suffering from Alzheimer's disease
) in a hospital. With his final breaths, he tells Brain an address and speaks cryptically about dead girls. Brian investigates the house and discovers a large pile of human bones and a box filled with small dolls made from flesh.
Unsure what to do, Brian takes the box back to his home and tells no one. The stress of this discovery agravates Brian's condition, and he begins to hear voices and hallucinate dead girls. In particular, he hears his father telling him to continue his work. When a young girl Brian sees disappears, he worries that he killed her. When Detective Neville visits Brian to inquire about the girl, Brian lies about seeing another man following her. Later, Brian receives a small package that contains a new doll made from the missing girl.
Detective Neville returns and invites Brian to accompany him to arrest a handicapped man matching the description Brian had given. The man happens to have an alibi, but Brian's condition is further agrivated by the stress. After Neville leaves, Brian finds a girl's sneaker under his car's passenger seat.
Brian learns of the Alzheimer's symptom Echolalia
, and returns to the hospital to research his father's roommate. The roommate used to live in the house in which Brian found the dolls, and the confession Brian's father made was a repition of the confession his roommate had made to his son, Det Neville.
Brian is arrested for the girl's murder, and he is ignored when he tries to implicate Neville. Privately, Neville explains that he was present when Brian found the box and had been hoping they could work together. Brian is committed to a mental institution. As he lies strapped to a bed, a vision of his father leans over him promising to help him escape.
praised the series, writing that Fialkov did an excellent job in building tension, and praising Ekedal's black and white art, which he said made the already-dark story feel even more morally ambiguous. Burgas wrote in a December 2010 review: "I really can't recommend Echoes enough. ... It's an early contender for best mini-series of 2011."
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Joshua Hale Fialkov
Joshua Hale Fialkov is an American comic book writer who primarily works in the horror genre. He is best known for Echoes, Elk's Run, I, Vampire, and the 2008 film Infected. He has been nominated for multiple Harvey Awards....
and drawn by Rahsan Ekedal. Published by Top Cow Productions
Top Cow Productions
Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, a partner studio of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.-History:...
, it tells the story of Brian Cohn, a schizophrenic
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
who learns his father may have been a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. The first issue was released in December 29, 2010.
Publication history
Joshua Hale Fialkov and Rahsan Ekedal first worked together in 2008 on The Cleaners, a horror comic book series for the publisher Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
. The two had been close friends, neighbors and partners ever since. The art in Echoes is completely black and white, which was more affordable for the artists, but was also done because Failkov felt grayscale was more affordable. The artistic style was inspired by the Warren Publishing
Warren Publishing
Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades...
horror comic books Creepy
Creepy
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but...
and Eerie
Eerie
Eerie was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host...
from the 1960s and 1970s, which both Fialkov and Ekedal enjoyed. Ekedal said of the artistic style: "A lot of the look developed out of my attempts to visually represent what it means to suffer from a serious mental disorder. So I tried to put Brian's doubts and terrors into every shadow, every line."
Fialkov said the idea of a suburban setting with an ordinary-seeming killer was conceived because its "so much scarier and so much more upsetting" than an urban setting. The idea of the dolls made from victims' flesh came from Fialkov's research about voodoo, as well as his own interest in cults and secret societies. Fialkov also said Echoes was partially inspired by the 1960 horror film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, because he felt both stories were driven by the characters and drama rather than the horror. Fialkov described the series as "achingly dark", and said of writing it: "I haven't really done a hard horror book in a long time. It was a lot of fun to actually do something that's just grotesque and upsetting."
The first issue was included in the September 2010 release of Top Cow First Look, a trade paperback highlighting several of the publisher's new releases. The first issued was officially released on December 29, 2010.
Plot
A medicated schizophrenicSchizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, Brian Cohn, visits his dying father (also a schizophrenic, and suffering from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
) in a hospital. With his final breaths, he tells Brain an address and speaks cryptically about dead girls. Brian investigates the house and discovers a large pile of human bones and a box filled with small dolls made from flesh.
Unsure what to do, Brian takes the box back to his home and tells no one. The stress of this discovery agravates Brian's condition, and he begins to hear voices and hallucinate dead girls. In particular, he hears his father telling him to continue his work. When a young girl Brian sees disappears, he worries that he killed her. When Detective Neville visits Brian to inquire about the girl, Brian lies about seeing another man following her. Later, Brian receives a small package that contains a new doll made from the missing girl.
Detective Neville returns and invites Brian to accompany him to arrest a handicapped man matching the description Brian had given. The man happens to have an alibi, but Brian's condition is further agrivated by the stress. After Neville leaves, Brian finds a girl's sneaker under his car's passenger seat.
Brian learns of the Alzheimer's symptom Echolalia
Echolalia
Echolalia is the automatic repetition of vocalizations made by another person. It is closely related to echopraxia, the automatic repetition of movements made by another person....
, and returns to the hospital to research his father's roommate. The roommate used to live in the house in which Brian found the dolls, and the confession Brian's father made was a repition of the confession his roommate had made to his son, Det Neville.
Brian is arrested for the girl's murder, and he is ignored when he tries to implicate Neville. Privately, Neville explains that he was present when Brian found the box and had been hoping they could work together. Brian is committed to a mental institution. As he lies strapped to a bed, a vision of his father leans over him promising to help him escape.
Critical reception
The series received mostly positive reviews. Greg Burgas of Comic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
praised the series, writing that Fialkov did an excellent job in building tension, and praising Ekedal's black and white art, which he said made the already-dark story feel even more morally ambiguous. Burgas wrote in a December 2010 review: "I really can't recommend Echoes enough. ... It's an early contender for best mini-series of 2011."
Collected editions
The series was collected into a hardcover edition.- Echoes Vol 1 (114 pages, July 2011, ISBN 978-1-60706-215-8)