5 out of 5

Another duo-toned white and blue minicomic from Emmons, using the blinding white of a snow storm – a squall, one might say – to affect visibility on the page as befits the story.

Emmons chunky realism gives us two characters in a car, stopped due to the storm. One is younger, bug-eyed and nervous; the other older, and controlled. The latter is the one to get out of the car to shovel. Something happens when he gets out of the car.

Emmons’ shorts are perfect snapshots of mood, zeroing in on only the elements we need – in this case, nibbling at some old cop / young cop tropes (or similar dynamics), so that we recognize the scene and archetypes – and giving him the room to nudge that mood into unexpected directions, often slightly surreal or creepy ones.

Masterfully compressed storytelling.