Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists #1: Once Upon a Time in America

In the first issue of Atlantis Wasn’t Built For Tourists by Scout Comics, we follow Lucas Lewis into Atlantis County and down a dark and troubling rabbit hole filled with horror. With a more than creepy community setting the entire issue on edge, the story works best in developing tension and suspense with every page.

There are a lot of horror comics today all bringing very different approaches to classic tropes and never seen before twists. While Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists #1 may feel familiar in its setup, where it excels is in laying the foundation for a story with a lot of potential in bringing horror to the forefront. At first, Lewis isn’t a particularly unique character and the same can be said for Atlantis County, but by the end of the first issue it’s easy to see the story is poised to deliver a lot more than you may first expect.

This issue can arguably be described as something of a slow burn, but it works well for this type of horror and the artwork captures the strengths of that approach quite well. The interactions and conversations are engaging but as the situation unravels, it really gets interesting. If you’ve followed any of my reviews in the past, you may know I have a particular fondness towards anything Vampire related, and Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists #1 certainly doesn’t let me down in that area. But what could be more interesting is the other horrors that are to come…

The artwork brings plenty of bloody scares with great execution all around from colors to letters. The biggest surprise and display of quality, which I won’t spoil, is a near-splash page that makes the whole issue worthwhile, it looks incredible and turns the story on it’s head. The heavy shading and use of blacks is something I appreciate with a story of this nature but I would have liked to see a bit more creative effects in the lettering for some of the more violent sequences.

The lack of emotional character development and a bit of a slow pacing work against the first issue, but it’s also something that can build the story out in the issues to come. This first issue does enough to keep me coming back definitely for the second issue, especially with a dark and mysterious cliffhanger. It may not be the most stunning or unique horror comic out there today, but it is a strong story that excels in the important fundamentals of a horror story. It’s well worth any horror fans time and money to give it a read!