Norman Volume 1
Stan Silas
Titan Comics
March 31st, 2015
Reviewed by Sheri White
When you think of murderous slashers, the names Freddy, Jason, and Michael come to mind. Now you can add Norman to that list, even though he is only eight years old. But while the aforementioned horror icons have their pick of teenagers who dare to get drunk and have sex, Norman is limited to his classmates. Egged on by his imaginary friend, Norman targets victims he feel deserve to die, yet that same friend also freaks Norman out by telling him he’s going to get caught.
Add an insane elementary school teacher, a mad scientist, and a dead girl who won’t stay buried, and you have a twisted comic that is definitely not for children.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Norman at first. I thought it was disjointed and confusing in places, and the teacher’s antics were so bizarre I wasn’t sure what kind of story it was supposed to be. Was Norman the antagonist, or was the teacher? Where was this story going?
But after re-reading it and thinking about it, I realized Norman is a pretty clever story, with a lot of twists and turns. It’s meant to be dark comedy, but it’s much more dark than funny. I like the artwork, but it was a little hard at first to distinguish between Norman and his classmate Grace because Norman’s hair is long. But once they were side-by-side, their differences were easier to discern. I also enjoyed the playfulness of the characters’ names.
If you like graphic novels that make you laugh while creeping you out, check out Norman Volume 1. It’s a fun start to a series that will please horror fans.
