Emmy vs. Bernice.
Time to ring the bell, folks. It’s fight night in Harrow County.
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
First Read Reactions
- Bernice opens strong with lightning and poisonous frogs!
- Only Tyler Crook could make you feel sorry for a monster/demon when its face gets burned off.
- I’m not sure you call someone your best friend anymore after they steal your blood and use it against you.
- Getting attacked by a horde of rabid possums is bad enough without the added discomfort of not having any skin to begin with.
- Dues Ex Ghostichna to the rescue!
- Well hello there, old friend…
The Verdict
If you’d asked me what I wanted out of this issue before I started, I would have said “Tyler Crook drawing the heck out of a badass witch fight.” And that’s exactly what we got…sort of.
Most of the fight is Bernice throwing down while Emmy tries to reason with her. It’s all beautifully drawn and well choreographed—and I understand why Emmy couldn’t/wouldn’t fight back—but it still felt jarringly one-sided. Still, it manages to be a glorious series of pages, thanks in no small part to both Crook’s art and Cullen Bunn’s ability to portray the conflict being felt by both friends (and their respective allies) over the battle being waged.
But to have such a pivotal moment in the series resolved by a random ghost appearance was exceptionally disappointing. I realize that exposition ghosts are going to inevitably be a part of a book like this, but in this instance, it felt far too convenient and contrived.
Thankfully, the issue’s ending leaves us with the potential for an even better fight down the road—one that will hopefully be resolved by conflict rather than randomly imparted information.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login