It's summer, a season of vacations, sunscreen and trips to sleepaway camp, making it the perfect time for the camp-themed return of the horror-satire series Man-Eaters. Written by Chelsea Cain with artwork by Lia Miternique and Kate Niemczyk, Man-Eaters: The Cursed reunited the Man-Eaters creative team for a new series full of chills, laughs and potentially scathing social commentary about menstruation and the patriarchy. However, this time the story is set during summer camp hijinks with less satire than its predecessor.
Man-Eaters: The Cursed #1 focuses on Maude who is now 15-years-old and wants nothing more out of her summer vacation than binge-watching Hannibal. However, her parents send her back to Craft Camp on the Oregon Coast. Maude isn't keen at first, but, thanks to her "Best All-Around Camper Award Winner" at Craft Camp reputation, she is given preferential treatment, a separate cabin and plenty of bubble baths. Yet, it doesn't take long for spookiness to appear in the series. Soon Maude and her new helmet-wearing friend Burt find themselves in a deserted campground where fairies -- and worse -- are just lurking in the shadows.
At times, it can be difficult to tell if Man-Eaters: The Cursed is a sincere portrayal, a parody or satire on modern youth culture -- with its emphasis on political correctness, pronouns, dietary restrictions and hair dye. While the humor based on these stereotypes can be confusing, Man-Eaters: The Cursed does do well at lampooning the "good vibes only" trend via the relentlessly (and delusionally) cheerful pink-haired camp counselor -- who gleefully leads her naive and ill-prepared campers to the stormy side of the island. Of course, these giddy pseudo-cheerful moments are punctuated by photo-realistic photoshopped demonic shapes lurking out the windows, abruptly pulling the series back to its horror/thriller roots.
This sort of tonal whiplash isn't unusual for this series or Cain's writing style, with its satirical and cynical humor mixing scariness and silliness. However, it can make for a slightly unfocused read. It can be difficult to tell whether the scenes are meant to be read seriously or not. The writing goes from silly and sarcastic to spooky and squeamish without any build-up or balance. Sometimes, the humor and 2010s teen stereotypes can be distractingly awkward compared to the suspenseful moments -- that are far stronger but far fewer.
The artwork from Niemczyk and Miternique has an endearing quality, bringing to mind the shoujo manga aesthetic of the 2000s. There are realistically designed and rendered bodies and faces, with plenty of childlike details such as thick lashes, colorful (and obviously dyed) hair, halftones and the sweet, downward-angled droopy eyes of many anime characters.
The sweetness of the style works better during the issue's more disturbing moments -- such as the lighting storm during the campers' journey or the presence of clawed, fanged creatures outside the cabins. While the issue's character designs and environment is good, its character movements can feel stiff in comparison to their dialogue and actions. Also, the sharpness of the art can conflict with the photo-realistic textures of the post-it notes, photographed falling leaves and the shadowy, blurry monsters that appear. These extra textural elements, while intriguing visually, feel inserted rather than a natural part of the comic.
There is a lot of potential for Man-Eaters: The Cursed beyond its first issue. It has enough humor, suspense and a strong premise that continues the original series' take. However, it definitely feels like this sequel is holding back in comparison to its predecessor. If the series' themes are fearlessly put more front and center, there could be quite a compelling story here.
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