Writer: John Lees Artist: Dalibor Talajić Colorist: Lee Loughridge Letterer: Sal Cipriano Cover Artist: Keron Grant
Thanks to AWA Studios for the review copy!
Part three of the four part Hotell series again takes place at a creepy hotel where bad things happen. In case you’ve missed the first two issues, the title gets its name from the direction sign to the hotel. By de-lighting the O and the T and adding an L, you turn hotel into hell. The title gimmick is a little wonky, but I like the series so I’ll give it a pass.
As was the case with the first two issues, the story is introduced by the hotel manager who functions like a less shriveled Cryptkeeer from the old Tales from the Crypt. Another feature I just picked up on is, each issue corresponds to the room number of the guests who feature in the story. That’s a cool little detail I missed earlier.
Unlike the first two subjects, the focus of this issue was actually looking for the ol’ Hotell. Her story intersects with the stories in room 1 (including filling in one important detail I had been wondering about) and 2, and foreshadows the characters who likely appear in issue four.
This issue starts of a bit slow before things start falling into place. The story vehicle in this issue isn’t terribly original, as I’ve seen it used in at least one recent movie. However, the execution and the ending are effective.
As has been the case in every issue, there’s plenty of blood and guts to warrant its mature audiences warning. This issue certainly stands alone, but it was fun to see how the story connected with the two prior issues.
HOTELL #3 will be released on July 22nd.
Check back soon for my thoughts on HOTELL #4.
Have you read the title? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
