'Every street has its stories – those of the living and those of the dead. When James hears of the Black Hound, he finds his own story crosses the boundaries of both.
'After the sudden death of his twin sister, 14 year old James Reynolds becomes obsessed with her tale of a black hound, a folkloric creature that is regarded as a portent of death. Enlisting the aid of his elderly neighbour, who the local children call ‘The Witch’, he delves into the centuries of village history, folklore, and ghosts, until he uncovers a deeper secret beyond his darkest nightmares, beyond the sight of most, and beyond the mortal veil.'
My only previous experience with Norm Konyu was his wonderfully enjoyable children's book A Call To Cthulhu, which put a lovely, whimsical spin on the creations of H.P. Lovecraft that readers of all ages could enjoy. That book, and Konyu's artwork, had left such a positive impression on me that as soon as I was offered the chance to take part in the blog tour for his latest graphic novel, Downlands, I had to jump at the opportunity.
Downlands begins in the quiet English village of Alfstanton in the South Downs, a place rich in local history and spooky stories. It's here that we meet 14-year-old James and his twin sister Jennifer one sunny June afternoon. The two of them are heading home after school, stopping off at the village shop to grab a couple of drinks. When James heads back inside to pick up his forgotten change Jennifer lets out a scream. She tells James that she saw a huge black dog, a frightening hound that seemed to jump through her, leaving her cold and frightened. Dismissing it as simply something unusual, the two of them head back home. But that night Jennifer dies of a brain aneurism.
A couple of months later, whilst attending the wake for his great uncle, James hears a story about how his uncle claimed to have seen a black hound the same day he died. Knowing that there must be some kind of connection between these events, James begins to research into local history, and discovers a wealth of old ghost stories and myths that connect to his home, including a story of a ghostly black dog that brings death to all those who see it. Wanting to know if this ghostly hound was responsible for the death of his twin sister, and hoping perhaps to see her again, James sets out to learn more about the world of the supernatural that's lurking just out of sight.
Downlands is a wonderfully atmospheric mixture of horror and fantasy, all wrapped up in a story of grief and loss. From the first few pages it's clear that Konyu isn't just crafting a story about this one family and the tragic events that come close to breaking it, but is looking to craft a world and narrative that spans decades, centring on this small community, and one street in particular. After being introduced to James and Jennifer there are some brilliant two page spreads that touch upon some of the stranger history of Alfstanton, small clues to larger mysteries that we'll get to explore that lay a solid foundation for a graphic novel that has more to it than you'd first expect.
Konyu sprinkles this history throughout the book, both in events that happen to James, and in small asides that act as nice chapter breaks to the main story. These insights into the history of Alfstanton could be books in their own right, and the stories of ghostly hitchhiker that cause car accidents, the little Edwardian girl found drowned in the river and now haunts the children of the village, or the ghosts of an entire family that exist in their old home, only sometimes seen, feel like the perfect set-ups to their own horror tales. But Konyu uses these to breathe life into the village, creating a place that feels steeped in history, even if we only ever see the one street.
James and his story are the heart of the book, however, and his quest to find answers about why his sister died without warning is subtly heart breaking. The loss of any sibling would be hard, but your twin, your best friend makes it so much harder. The fact that she was only 14, still a child, makes it so much worse. It's awful to see what that sudden loss does to the family, to James' mother and father, who grow more distant and retreat into their own grief. Even James himself, who manages to hold things together and seems fairly normal throughout the book, is barely processing things, not being able to shed a single tear for Jennifer; and the moment he does finally cry is perhaps the biggest gut punch in the entire book.
Norm Konyu has created a wonderful narrative with a richness of both character and setting that comic series with dozens of issues under their belt sometimes fail to do, yet it's been done in a single volume here in a delightful way.
Konyu isn't just the writer for Downlands, though, as he also provides all of the art. Beautiful might be one of the first words that comes to mind when trying to describe his style. Different from the majority of mainstream comic work, Konyu has a style that's unique and eye-catching, art that draws you in and demands your attention. His designs are fairly simple, yet he's able to convey a ton of character with little detail thanks to cleverly and carefully selected design choices. Perhaps my favourite part of his style is his attention to colour, and the way in which it doesn't just convey the emotions of a scene, but sometimes is the scene itself. There are times that lack of colour, that negative space is used to convey characters, or parts of the environment that makes key moments pop on the page. Konyu's art is fantastic, and worth picking up the book for alone.
Downlands is a fantastic book, one that will captivate readers of all ages. It's filled with mystery and horror, drawing from folklore and urban legend, but it also has a very real, human heart to it that will have readers invested. If you come across Downlands on a shop shelf do yourself a favour and give it a try, and I doubt you'll be left disappointed.
