When the lights go out at night, what lurks in the hidden corners of our bedrooms? Is something itching to crawl out 
from underneath our beds? Might there really be a Bogeyman tucked away deep inside the closet, ready to spring out the moment we fall asleep? While these imaginary childhood fears may rattle young minds, Laura Peréz (Totem) presents a supernatural and mystifying series of strange encounters for adults in Ocultos that resonate with sinister overtones.
Mysterious incidents materialize through a string of bizarre occurrences in this non-linear, disparate collection of supernatural phenomena. The opening scene begins at a book shop with a conversation revolving around the mystique and ritualistic symbology behind masks and their function in transforming one’s inner identity and connecting to other spiritual planes. From there, a panoply of recurring narrative snippets laced with nuances of the supernatural and the macabre unveils: An old lady living alone notices objects shifting around in her house—a figurine here, a swinging door there. An unseen presence seems to be watching a man when he writes or sleeps—is something lurking amidst the privacy of his home? A group of boys spots a cluster of red dots flitting across the night sky. Are extraterrestrial entities monitoring the earth?
These varied uncanny snapshots intrigue as much as they confound, teasing at the elusive sightings hovering at the edge of our peripheral vision. In compelling, cinematic style, each panel highlights subtle yet haunting imagery that tantalizes our curiosity. While some panel sequences touch on themes of supernatural phenomena and magical realism, others are stripped of dialogue, focusing instead on gothic-like facial expressions in Edward Gorey style. Deep midnight blues blend with inky blackness to amplify particular scenes with a shadowy noir-like ambience. Somber gray and black shades in others feature a couple vacationing in a desolate town, mimicking a surrealistic sensation straight out of a Twilight Zone episode. Perhaps most stunning are the voyeuristic zooming shots that prey upon unsuspecting characters engaged in routine tasks like sleeping, writing, and dishwashing, for at their core lies the mundaneness of everyday life where the ordinary meets the sublime.
Traversing the delicate lines between reality and the supernatural while navigating the realms of belief and the inexplicable, Ocultos explores the thin veil separating the ordinary from the profound, inviting readers to penetrate the superficialities and tawdry experiences of everyday existence. While not tailored to all readers of graphic novel fiction, Peréz’s work nonetheless challenges and baffles the mind with her haunting artwork and intriguing storytelling style. Like a rare literary gem that accrues deeper meaning and tangential explorations through repeated readings, her work emerges as an outstandingly obscure find for adult graphic novel collections.
Ocultus
By Laura Peréz
Fantagraphics, 2024
ISBN: 9781683969990
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NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
Creator Representation: Spanish,
