Harrow County #15 Early Review
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Dark Horse
Release Date: August 10th, 2016
Rating: 9 out of 10
Synopsis: Emmy learns more about the gathering of witches and what it may mean to her and her hometown.
Our Thoughts:
This issue does an excellent job of weaving more of the tapestry that makes up Harrow County. Bunn takes readers for a stroll with Emmy and Odessa as Emmy learns more about Hester’s relationship with the enclave and why they didn’t intervene with her “world building” experiments. One of Harrow County’s greatest strengths has always been the unique location and the variety of people and spirits that populate it. With the introduction of this diverse group of witches, necromancers, and boogeymen, the universe that makes up Harrow County on a monthly basis is about to expand exponentially.
Bunn and Crook do an excellent job with the backstory, telling it just like a meandering walk around town, hitting a variety of different locations and signposts in a literal and figurative sense. One of the metaphors that particularly stands out is one involving a number of “signs” that accompany Emmy and Odessa in the middle of their walk. Just out of frame, and never the focus of the panel, these hand-painted signs comment on Emmy and Odessa’s journey, starting in a light-hearted fashion and ending with a subtle, apocalyptical tone (well, as subtle as an apocalypse can be…). These small touches are what set this story apart from others that deal with the supernatural in a realistic setting. Without a grounded story to accompany the fantastic, these stories often devolve into a typical struggle between good and evil wizards and witches. Thankfully, as evidenced by this installment, readers need not fear this happening to Harrow County while in the hands of the complimentary team of Bunn and Crook.
