The Me You Love In The Dark by Skottie YoungMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
This graphic novel had some good intentions, but it really didn't fulfill them. I think the main reason for this is that it was only 5 issues long. A domestic violence/abuse story such as this one, especially with a supernatural element, needed more room to breathe and tell its story.
Rowena Meadows is an artist trying to come up with enough paintings for her next show, and she is stuck. She leaves home to rent a new house (a three-story Victorian) that she hopes will jump-start her muse. The house is rumored to be haunted, but she rents it anyway....and sure enough, the ghost (portrayed as a white skeleton and spinal cord floating in the background) is there and begins to observe her.
The domestic violence portion of the plot takes off from there, with the ghost being able to actually speak to Rowena in the second issue (I think because she's trying to paint the ghost and works some magic through her paintings to give it more physical substance). They draw closer, but the ghost is also starting to be possessive and keep her in the house, literally in the dark with the curtains drawn.
All well and good, but in issue 4 the ghost's abusive turn happens, and it's so sudden it doesn't land with the weight it should have. This book really needed one or two more issues to bring its story home. As it is, the final two issues detail Rowena's struggle to get away (the ghost ends up killing someone and she has to burn the house down to stop it). The art is okay, but the story is a bit lacking. It was a noble effort, but it kind of fizzled out.
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