The third issue of “Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland” does a few things right but many things wrong. It’s dialogue heavy, takes too much time to set up events that should already be unfolding, and the writers are perhaps being a little too coy? Yet while I worry about some of these issues, I can’t help but feel pretty satisfied with the end result.
WRITTEN BY: Kim Newman and Maura McHugh (Created by Mike Mignola)
ART BY: Juan Ferreyra
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2014
PRICE: $3.50
Reviewed By Bree Odgen
“Witchfinder” #3 picks up right after last issue’s untimely death of Diggory Fenn. As Grey returns to Hallam, he’s greeted by Constable Lawless who’s set up a couple of residents to put on a “normal” act for Grey. This, combined with the argument that directly follows the Constable’s dog and pony show, shows the reader that if you didn’t think Lawless was involved before, you should now. Even though Fenn and his death are all but brushed off, issue #3 continues to focus on Hallam’s secrets and who’s in on them.
The writing is both exhilarating and infuriating. Newman and McHugh do this thing where they are coy as hell until the last few pages where they unleash a torrent of information that won’t be satisfied until the next issue. It’s a great technique to build the tension and give a sense of payoff for the reader but it wreaks havoc on the pacing. Issue #3 spent a great deal of time in the bedroom to Horace Poole. While he yells out unintelligibly due to his recent “stroke,” Grey and Mrs. Poole argue about witchcraft. Grey, up to this point, has exhibited the emotional urgency of a snail. But now that he’s finally met Horace face-to-face, he makes the conclusion that this is definitely no stroke, it’s witchcraft.
Nothing feels right about the way that Grey has jumped to this conclusion (other than the fact that it’s been made entirely too obvious to the reader). A man drowning in Poole’s Elixir, eels busting through your window threatening your life, a man disintegrating into a pile of bones, guts, and eels, these are all weird things that would cause one to jump to conclusions. But Grey takes those in stride. However, a man spouts off unintelligible words after having a stroke and this is what feels wrong to Grey?
Though Grey accurately supposes the events to be tied to witchcraft, this jump in logic feels too much like the writers are holding our hand through Grey’s process; giving us the answers before we have a chance to figure them out on our own. I don’t like the feeling of a writer doing my math problems for me.
My biggest concern is the pacing of the arc. For a 5-issue arc, I feel like it’s moving incredibly slow. Get to Unland already! The town of Hallam and the creepy events within have all but put up neon flashing arrows straight to Unland, yet Grey is taking his sweet ass time getting there. There comes a point where setting up ground work just feels like a really poor way of revealing secrets.
Having said all that, the story is still entertaining. It makes good use of ominous tones and unreliable characters. I can sense that it’s headed for something terrific. And with Ferreyra’s perfect art, it’s hard to feel too let down.