Sunflower: Issue 6 Review (451 Entertainment)

     A decade after her husband's murder and the disappearance of her daughter, Tallulah, CJ received a mysterious postcard with her missing daughter's nickname- written the same exact way she used to write it- "Sunflower."

    This prompted CJ to abandon her life as a recluse and embarked on a journey to find her lost child, taking her on a difficult path.  Encountering cryptic clues, resistant police, townsfolk fearful of cult leader Rush Bridge, and even the ominous Egyptian gods the cult worships, she pushed on.  She wandered into the desert alone and faced her own demons, pressed on through the internal darkness, and finally found the cult- who then beat her and left to die- and still, she would not give up.  Absolutely nothing would stop her from finding answers.

     Now, after trekking through hell, CJ finds what she was looking for, but it is certainly not what she expected.  Neither she, nor Sunflower, are the same people they were a decade ago, and the final confrontation is a bit of a shock.  It's a genuine surprise in a very good way.  We see violent emotions expressed by those suffering greatly, feeling both compelling and authentic, and the bonds that family creates no matter what amount of time or distance comes between.  Frankly, it ends perfectly, leaving the door just open enough for the future, as one story's end is another's beginning.

    If you were a fan of HBO's True Detective, Sunflower is the closest a comic has come to that level of storytelling.  The team has created a masterful crime/mystery drama that few other comic books in the genre can hope to match.  Writers Mark Mallouk and Andi Ewington have presented this story with the heartbreakingly realistic grit and determination that any parent would go through for their children.
     Couple this with the tremendous illustrative talents Lee Carter, whose line work and panel layouts lead readers step by step toward something, giving us time to digest the situations instead of hastily pushing us towards the end.  It really allows for a proper slow-build of tension that truly cements the atmosphere that many similar books tend to fail at.

     It's a psychological horror story, it's a relentless tale of survival, it's about unwavering persistence in the face of loss, and it's all staggeringly well done. Seriously, this book is all-around amazing.  Sunflower is an awe-inspiring series that I'd give the highest recommendation to.

     Sunflower issue 6 hits stands Wed. October 19th.

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*Review copy provided by 451, Thank you!