Review: Ice Cream Man Vol. 1- Rainbow Sprinkles
Quick Summary
Pros: The entire book takes a diverse approach to telling horror stories. The book’s setting enhances the levels of horror and suspense. Hints at a larger conspiracy give the entire series more potential. The artwork looks good and makes the story creepier.
Cons: The book’s final chapter is a bit lackluster.
Overall: This is a comic that lulls you into a false sense of security and then launches a barrage of horror right at you. It tells four separate stories that each explore a different aspect of fear, resulting in a diverse and frightening read. Plus, hints at a larger story add additional interest and encourage the reader to uncover a mystery. Not every chapter is a winner but, on average, these are good stories. Those looking for an unusual, but highly effective, approach to horror should check this comic out.
Story
Ice Cream Man is a horror comic where each chapter details a separate terrifying tale in the life of a small town. Some of the stories are meaningful and tragic, others are just downright creepy. All of these stories also involve the local Ice Cream Man, in a way that hints at a larger and more elaborate conspiracy.
In this way, Ice Cream Man Vol. 1: Rainbow Sprinkles, by W. Maxwell Prince, is primarily a success. The entire collection tells stories filled with a unique sense of horror and suspense. These frightening elements are then juxtaposed against the idyllic peace of suburbia and the familiarity of an Ice Cream Man, making them even creepier. The only real problem is that some of the chapters are less enjoyable than others, which comes from the disconnected nature of the storytelling. Overall though, this is still a worthwhile addition to the realm of horror comics.
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The most obvious draw to Rainbow Sprinkles is the horror and the disconnected way in which this horror is approached. This book is all about telling stories that frighten readers in one way or another, which each chapter does in a different way. The opening story focuses on arachnophobia, the next one focuses on addiction, the next focuses on wasting life, and the final chapter focuses on death. The diversity in storytelling leads to diversity in the reading experience and turns this into a well-rounded approach to terror.
The only point at which this book diverges from its disconnected approach to storytelling is when showcasing the Ice Cream Man as a character. This person appears in each story and seems to have some influence over the tragic events plaguing this town. The final chapter also alludes to a more significant story surrounding his presence, one that is likely to play out at some point in the future. Having this larger story adds an additional level of cryptic interest in the series as a whole, thus giving it more all-around potential.
It also helps that Rainbow Sprinkles is rather unique when it comes to juxtaposing intense horror against a typical suburban setting. The perfect example of this is in the book’s first chapter, which begins by showing a group of children getting ice cream. Everything seems normal until one of the children goes home and puts a clothespin over his nose. As this point, readers are aware something is wrong and suspense starts to rapidly develop. Then, the child goes inside and readers discover that his parents were killed by a spider days ago and are now rotting in their house. By luring readers into a false sense of security, this comic is able to amplify the feelings of terror and suspense to frightening levels.
However, not every story in this book is a winner. Those unfamiliar with older rock songs might not enjoy the volume’s third chapter and the fourth chapter is a bit lackluster overall. Hopefully, shifts in quality will not be as noticeable in future collections.
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Art
The artwork in Rainbow Sprinkles looks good and is a significant factor in enhancing the storytelling. Martín Morazzo does well in depicting the suburban world of this comic with a good level of detail and a solid amount of creativity. In addition, pages are all laid out nicely in a way that makes the reading experience flow well.
However, the best aspect of the art in this book is the way in which it enhances the story’s tone. On some pages, artist Martín Morazzo depicts a peaceful town full of regular people going about their regular lives. On other pages, he depicts creatively inspired monsters or general scenes of terror. These dramatic shifts are then enhanced with colors from Chris O’Halloran, making the atmosphere of this comic even creepier. The overall effect perfectly suits the tone that this book is going for and is what makes it stand out among other horror comics.
Continuity
Ice Cream Man Vol. 1: Rainbow Sprinkles is the first volume in a brand new comic series and has no connections to previously existing comics.
The story here continues in Ice Cream Man Volume 2: Strange Neapolitan.