It Happened On Hyde Street Devour #1 (2024) second print

Oooh… a spooky Halloween Debut from Ghost Machine…



This book is actually interesting for a couple reasons. Firstly, it’s the first book written by someone other than Geoff Johns. Secondly, it’s the first book ever written by Maytal Zchut. Seriously, she’s never done a comic before as far as I can tell, so for her to debut here is a major show of confidence from Ghost Machine’s veteran creators.



And their confidence was not misplaced! This is an incredibly strong debut, probably the best I’ve seen since Donny Cates and that is not praise I give lightly. Zchut shows that not only does she know how to tell a story, she also knows what makes a story. She knows a comic writer’s toolset, like how to layout panels for effective pacing, where to put splash pages for maximum impact, all the little technical stuff that you may not notice, but that your brain definitely does (points to anyone who gets that reference).



Most of all though, she manages to simultaneously build off the foundation set by Hyde Street with its Twilight Zone vibes while still telling a creative story which stands alone with a distinctive creative thumbprint. Helped along by the unnervingly serene artwork of Leila Leiz, you end up getting what is essentially the comic book version of the movie “The Substance,” and it is simply brilliant stuff. It seems to me that Maytal Zchut is one to watch.