Linger

Script By: Shamik Dasgupta

Art By: Marcus V.A. Corraya

Virgin Comics

In India it is far from uncommon to have a planned marriage, and, it’s a tradition that dates back thousands of years. Rashi is an Indian man who has recently returned home from American to wed his planned bride, Neha. But things quickly take a turn for the worst when Rashi and his friend Ayush hit a man during a joy ride on the eve of Rashi’s big day. Unaware of what to do with the body, they cremate the man and continue on with their day as if nothing had happened. The only issue is that something has happened and the dead is coming back with a thirst for vengeance and death – if they can’t prevent it first.

The plot of this issue is quite intriguing. They place you in a land filled with milenia of history and ghosts, a place that carries a level of supernatural essence all it’s own, India. I have never seen a thriller-esque plot placed in India and it was refreshing to see someone un-American be scared shitless of ghosts and demons. It brought a greater depth to an otherwise typical ghost story, that draws you in and keeps you there.

It almost presents itself as a tale a man’s father would tell him before his marriage to ensure he doesn’t mess it up and that homey feel leaves you extremely vulnerable for some heartache throughout the issue.

When you look past the plot though, Linger as a whole kinda sucks. The art is bland at best and proves itself to be nothing more than unnecessary. It carries no sense of emotion or ambiance, and with a story as intense as this I expected much more. It brought nothing to the table that the script hadn’t already and essentially left a bad taste in my mouth.

I encourage a recreation of Linger in the form of a short, paragraphed, story for then this tale will likely receive the attention it deserves and not come up short due to lacking art. As it stands in comic form though, I don’t recommend Linger to anyone.

1.5/5