When a comic isn't for me (a.k.a Scarenthood)

So, whenever I talk about a comic, I try to be positive.

I mean, sure, I'll mention something about a comic I don't like or didn't work but, overall, I always try and find something good about every comic I read.

Sometimes though, that just isn't something I can do.

I've read two comics back to back in the past two (ish) weeks that have been that way and to say it is disconcerting is a little bit of understatement. It causes me a little bit of fear because I worry how many more from my 'to read' list are like this? Am I facing a long, drawn out period of time (like the whole of 2023) reading stuff that just plain bores me.

The catalyst for this train of thinking came predominantly from Scarenthood, an IDW mini-series (well, I think mini-series. The ending certainly hints at more to come) by Nick Roche and Chris O'Halleran. This series tells the story of a working father named Cormac, who struggles to raise his daughter and work while his wife is mysteriously absent. One day, on a dare from some other struggling parents from his daughter's playgroup, Cormac enters a crawl space where a young boy disappeared 40 years earlier. However, when Cormac discovers and then breaks a statue hidden there, he finds himself the target of a mysterious and dangerous force.

I can't remember where I'd heard about this title, suffice to say that I know that appeared on a best of list for someone in some year (isn't that helpful!) and so I added it to my wish list, leading to it being received as a Birthday gift just recently. Therefore, I was eager and interested to get a better idea about what this story was about.

Unfortunately, Scarenthood just didn't do it for me, although the why is a little bit of a mystery to me. The story, while a little slow, comes across as a solid mystery story. Meanwhile, the art is equally as good, with a style which reminds me of Paul Grist's Mudman, although a little smoother on the pencils.

I do think that what my problem is with this comic series is the basic concept and its execution. This is because, when you boil the premise down to its most basic, Scarenthood is about a man who struggles with being a parent. Now that's totally relatable, what parent can't understand a character who no matter how hard he tries fails.

However, where it loses me is when Cormac's encounter with 'the other side' brings about scenarios where his treatment of his child feels dangerously incompetent and, as a result, it just started to feel all to real for me.

Scarenthood, did have some good moments and, as the end approached, it did start to become an interesting read. However, it was a case of too little, too late as the underlying topic kind of hit a nerve with me.

So, I've ended up waffling on more than I had planned, but the point of it is this: sometimes, even I find a comic that I can't get on board with. Of course, that doesn't make it a bad comic because all things are subjective. Everyone doesn't have to read the same stuff.

It also means that I have to remember that just because it didn't match my expectations doesn't mean that all the others I have to read won't. I just have to give them a try and, regardless of the outcome, move on to the next.