REVIEW: ‘The Me You Love in the Dark,’ Issue #2

The Me You Love in the Dark #2 is published by Image Comics, written by Skottie Young, art by Jorge Corona, colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu,  letters by Nate Piekos.

After a long period of struggling to get her art going in the isolation of her new home, Ro discovered that she wasn’t quite as alone as she thought she was. The big question now is who and what is occupying her house with her.

Perhaps one of the trickiest moments in haunted house movies is how the character reacts to discovering that their house is indeed haunted. Should they flee the building screaming? Should they approach the situation from a rational and level-headed place? While the reaction for each individual would be different, I think most would land somewhere in between the two extremes. The concept of the existence of ghosts has been postulated enough that the discovery wouldn’t be mind-blowing, but I think it would still be rattling for sure. This middle ground is where The Me You Love in the Dark #2 finds Ro as she grapples with the revelation that she has a housemate.

Ro’s initial interaction with the otherworldly being sharing her living space goes as well as it possibly could. Writer Young does a great job of giving voice to both characters. Ro’s side of the conversation is nervous, uneasy, and a bit disjointed as sudden issues with learning another being has been in her house without her knowledge come to her mind. But while she is written well, it is the other side of the conversation that truly delivers.

Young’s choosing of what the spirit says or sometimes doesn’t say in The Me You Love in the Dark #2 creates an aura of uncertainty surrounding the being. He presents himself as a polite, considerate presence, yet something is just off enough that makes this feel strange. The creature’s politeness comes across as a bit cold. Combined with Piekos’s lettering work for the creature and you can’t help but feel a chill with his words, even when their meanings shouldn’t.

Corona’s art throughout The Me You Love in the Dark #2 does a great job of maintaining the delicate balance of what to show and what not to show the reader. The moments when Corona begins to reveal some aspect of the creature to the reader’s eyes are executed skillfully. This presentation melds perfectly with Young’s writing. Corona’s skillful artwork also fits equally well with Ro. The star of the story’s rollercoaster of emotion is delivered through the art in a stark and hard-hitting way.

Building upon this fantastic linework is Beaulieu’s colors. As one might expect of a ghost story, light and dark come to play prominently throughout this book. Beaulieu delivers these changes in the atmosphere through the panel’s colors with skillful brilliance.

Wrapping up our look at The Me You Love in the Dark #2 is Piekos’s lettering. Along with the above praise for the dialogue design for the creature, Piekos does an excellent job of placing the dialogue throughout the book. As the creature is generally off-panel or otherwise obscured, the dialogue for it is much less grounded, which gives the letter more control over where to place it. Piekos does an excellent job utilizing this freedom to keep the story flowing smoothly.

So, wrapping it all up, The Me You Love in the Dark #2 does a magnificent job of delivering Ro’s encounter with her unexpected guest. It gives the encounter a lot of nuance, emotion and left me wondering where this meeting would lead—a flawless performance all-around.

The Me You Love in the Dark #2 is available for purchase wherever comics are sold.