I Hate This Place #5 Review

Author: Kyle Starks

Artist: Artyom Topilin

Colorist: Lee Loughridge

Letterer: Pat Brousseau

Release Date: September 28, 2022

Price: $3.99

Reviewer: Lukke Sweet

This is it. I Hate This Place #5 brings the first arc of Kyle Starks story to a close. Gabby & Trudy are fighting their way back to the safety of the farmhouse and Itchy, the local serial killer, comes face to face with The Horned Man. After the grueling ordeals that they’ve been forced through over the last several issues, the women still can’t seem to catch a break.

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The Story

I Hate This Place #5 is the culmination of buildup throughout the entire series. Kyle Starks has introduced a lot over the course of the first 4 issues and made a lot of promises. Readers have been introduced to ghosts, aliens, murders, ufos, and more, all focused around an inherited farmhouse. The current issue wraps up the slasher portion of the mystery but didn’t provide any answers for the rest, instead offering up more questions to be addressed.

This issue is action-packed from the get-go and these scenes are great. However, the best sequence in the story is when readers get a look into Trudy’s backstory. Starks takes her backstory and begins to weave it into the narrative both in how it affects Trudy’s character in the present and sets up some interesting plotlines for the issues to come.

The Art

Artyom Topilin and Lee Loughridge have been a tremendous team all throughout I Hate This Place and this issue is no exception. The harsh lines of Topilin reinforce the tension and dangers of the farm and surrounding environs. As always, the linework has excelled through action and this issue has many opportunities for Topilin to show off. The colors by Loughridge pair especially well with this issue. There are multiple panels where the colors are used to highlight the characters, lend a sense of urgency to the art, and emphasize the Starks’ story.