Although text speaks about the sins passing down from generation to generation, often this is interpreted to mean from father to son. Meanwhile, few mention how wounds, even if merely words, carry over from womb to womb. Thankfully, a new shop just opened up on Hyde Street with a product to help any woman shed some pounds. Image Comics dishes up a heartbreaking tale in It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour. Eat up.
It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour
Image Comics / Ghost Machine Comics
Creators: Maytal Zchut; Leila Leiz
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Rob Leigh
The truth can often be tough to swallow, especially when it comes to advertising. So the sight of Miss Goodbody holding a bottle of Devour labeled “Results Guaranteed” may be difficult for some folks to digest. However readers who met Mr. X-Ray and Spanky in Hyde Street #1 know what a “visitor” means to the residents of Hyde Street. However, unlike the Ghost Machine Comics series this one shot explores why these new arrivals wandered onto this dead end road.
Devour begins in 1983, a decade where Americans became engulfed in a health crisis. From treadmills to gym memberships, and juice machines to diet drinks, this was the era of health and exercise. A time where a now commonly used term like obesity was just in it’s adolescence. Actually adolescence – or early adulthood – is exactly where we encounter the first of three female family members. All of whom bear the same burden – extra baggage. First there is Bernice, on a stroll while simultaneously devouring a doughnut and soft drink. That is until she notices a new shop in her neighborhood named Fat Free.
Her inability to explain why she enters the store shows the supernatural power of Hyde Street to conjure what someone “needs”. Story creators Maytal Zchut and Leila Leiz approach this one-shot from a different corner of the Hyde Street series. Similar to Mr. X-Ray’s brief backstory in the first issue. Devour doesn’t focus on those looking to escape their eternal trap, it is stuffed with souls who could have avoided the avenue entirely.
Unfortunately the shortcut weight loss solution Miss Goodbody offers Bernice is too good to resist. Since this all Happened on Hyde Street, while seemingly sweet on the surface, it’s possible the Devour treatment may result in Bernice getting her just deserts. And with her word of mouth, she won’t be the only one.
Already a tasty buffet, Alex Sinclair provides a side of delicious visuals for It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour. Because the story is about eating, the artist makes sure that anytime food is on the page that it looks mouth watering. Also, there are plenty of easter eggs in the issue, with cameos from Mr. X-Ray and Spanky. In fact the scout almost lures Lily away from Miss Goodbody like he does X-Ray in Hyde Street #1.
It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour is a heaping helping of a dish best served cold. The creators lay out a feast of the unfortunate pressure put upon women in terms of their weight. How the battle of the bulge is really the result of eating your feelings and swallowing your pride. So as she struggles to make her wedding dress weight, Lily is engulfed in her matriarch’s struggle to be the perfect size.
Sticks and stones.
Score: 9.1