Harrow County #2 continues to weave a chilling tale of Southern Gothic horror. Cullen Bunn manages to capture the youthful feeling of losing your innocence and empowers it. Emmy, is lost in a world she doesn’t understand, and instead of falling to pieces she’s determined to find out more. Even though this second issue is a touch more expositional than the last, Tyler Crook’s art is still jaw-dropping and the story is just as gripping.
WRITTEN BY: Cullen Bunn
ART BY: Tyler Crook
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: June 10th, 2015
Any horror enthusiast will tell you the same thing; good horror comes on strong out of the gate. But, great horror channels this initial taste with a slower more methodic descent into madness. The first issue of Harrow County certainly hits like a bazooka, throwing you into a world you can’t possibly explain in 22 pages. Luckily as Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook begin to build their world they don’t sacrifice horror. This tricky balance weighs heavily on Emmy’s shoulders.
Emmy’s reaction to the world around her is decidedly different than most girls who find a skin suit in the forest. Instead of running for her life she embraces the madness. Bunn gives a taste of this with her dreams in the first issue. Here, however she’s putting herself into action and doesn’t seem at all phased by the horror of Harrow County. Her adventurous demeanor is the biggest reason that this issue succeeds.
Bunn’s script is heavy on world building and under a different writer would perhaps buckle from the pressure. But Emmy’s characterization provides a fascinating lens on the script. She’s still scared of her father, scared of her nightmares, and the town around her. But she finds an odd friend in the skin suit – so to speak. She’s strong and she’s not going to succumb to the horrors around her.
Tyler Crook’s process on Harrow County is so painstaking that it’s almost impossible to fathom. But, every single page of this book is a masterwork. His lines are clean and concise. His watercolors provide a muddy tone of horror and his color choices really make everything leap from the page. So much of this book’s appeal comes from Crook’s art. He creates a world unlike anything put on the page before, and somehow makes it look easy.
Bunn and Crook have built a terribly threatening world that looks inviting and beautiful. The art is haunting and seductive. The visuals lure you in, and betray you in the final moment. It’s appealing because it’s so fun to read.
Emmy’s quest to learn more about her small community is painted with an alarming amount of unspeakable horrors but remains fun to experience because of the emotional investment left on the page. Harrow County is the finest example of modern horror comics. It’s decidedly beautiful horror, a genre we get less and less of with each passing day. Don’t miss it.