Graphic Novels Reviews: The Closet

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Title: The Closet

Published by: Image Comics

Written by: James Tyrion IV

Illustrated by: Gavin Fullerton

ISBN: 9781534323254

Ages: 17+

You can’t outrun your problems.


In The Closet, a father resents adulthood and responsibility as his four-year-old child begins to see a monster in his bedroom closet. When the family moves from New York to Oregon, the monster follows.


The father does not enjoy the responsibilities of being a husband and father. He seeks the excitement and freedom of his youth. He lies to his family. He neglects his responsibilities. His actions and dialogue are selfish. Because of his selfishness, his family suffers. He wants change to happen to him instead of taking charge of his life.


Throughout the course of the graphic novel, the reader discovers that the father is the cause of the monster in the closet and that problems cannot be ignored. The plot quietly escalates horror and cruelty. The more the father complains about his life; the more he ignores his son; the more peril his son suffers at the hands of the monster. Although the story is monotonous because the father repeats his complaints and self-justifications ad nauseam, the reveal of the source of the monster’s appearance is masterfully orchestrated.


The Closet blurs the lines between fantasy and reality to depict emotional cruelty in a physical way. The son is increasingly terrorized and hunted by the closet monster as his father neglects him.
The artwork uses intense shadows and sour colors to achieve an unsettling and unfamiliar world despite the action taking place in ordinary homes, hotels, and parking lots. The shadows are so deep readers can’t help but look into them for the monster’s gaze.


This graphic novel is a great psychological study and calls for people to get over themselves. While a horror story, the graphic novel does advocate compassion from the reader. The Closet is not a story to help young children overcome fears. The graphic novel is geared for a mature audience and contains cruelty, cursing, and child endangerment. The Closet describes how monstrous people can be toward one another.


The Closet is recommended for fans of Stranger Things.

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Angela Dabrowski
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