The Molting Chapters 1 and 2 Review
Writing and Art by: Terrance Zdunich
Colors by: Brian Johnson
Design and Letters by: Oceano Ransford
Reviewed by: Maggie Roberge
“The Molting” is a dark and melancholy look into the life of a family beginning in Muscoy, California in the early 60’s and going into Anaheim, California in the early 90’s. The first chapter is all about Susie and Tony Deveraux who have just been orphaned and put in the custody of their abusive Uncle Henry and Aunt Melinda. Through it all, Susie tries to stay strong with Tony protecting her, but she is eventually pushed over the edge, and earns her title “Guilty Susie.” In the second chapter, Susie’s grown up, married and had two sons of her own. Though things have gotten a little better for her, the new life she leads is still not as glamorous as those of most California girls we see in the movies. She’s constantly fighting with her husband, and her two sons Joseph and Trevor are left to fend for themselves, which includes selling stolen goods for money.
The artist/writer Terrance Zdunich is right now most famous for his writing and acting in the movie “Repo! The Genetic Opera.” He contributed his talent for comic artistry to “Repo” by making the animation sequences which told the characters’ back stories in a comic or graphic novel format. From reading both chapters of “The Molting” readers can clearly see his unique style of art. Another thing about the art that just screams his name is the inclusion of cockroaches (Terrance Zdunich’s symbol) in both chapters. Terrance Zdunich’s writing effectively keeps readers interested and evokes sympathy for the characters, though both chapters could’ve used a few more details about the characters’ lives; there could’ve been a few more examples of how Susie and Tony were being abused in the first chapter, and there could’ve been more examples of how the introduction of a young vixen named Sandra effected Joseph and Trevor’s lives. Still, “The Molting” is definitely worth reading for those who love dark stories.
https://www.themoltingcomic.com/
