Please note that this issue will not be released for the public until May 13th 2015
Written by: Cullen Bunn
Art by: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Dark Horse
I knew I was in for a treat as soon as I saw the cover for Harrow County. With nothing more than a dresser drawer full of what seems to be human skin, the cover (drawn by artist Tyler Crook) expertly set the mood for what turned out to be a rather excellent and foreboding first issue. And it just got better and better once I started reading.
Harrow County is about a teenage girl named Emmy who seems convinced that there’s something dark and disturbing lurking in the woods near her house. As her 18th birthdays draws closer and closer, her nightmares seem to get worse and odd things seem to be happening more frequently. Oh, and a woman was executed near that land on suspicion of being a witch years ago. It’s a pretty interesting mix of elements and one that leads to creating a story that’s instantly compelling.
Perhaps the best thing about the story, however, is that Cullen Bunn has chosen to write it in a way that pretty much nails the style of traditional Southern Gothic horror. As a huge fan of authors like William Faulkner, it was nice to see this story slip into this writing style with such ease that it seemed like a natural fit. It’s heavy on descriptions, with some panels feeling almost Lovecraftian, and not a single word seems wasted, rushed, or unnecessary. Bunn also expertly avoids revealing too much within these passages which makes the whole thing even more interesting as you’re left with wondering whether the more macabre details are a hint towards some dark reality or if they’re actually just the exaggerations of teenage girl suffering from spooky nightmares. The narration is also contrasted nicely by characters’ speaking parts which have a bit of southern twang to them. It’s a great way of writing which gives us a formal horror story that’s instantly personalized by creating voice outside of narration.
Crook’s art is gorgeous and he does a wonderful job of bringing Bunn’s story to life. The majority of the comic uses subdued yet colorful hues and there’s a tremendous amount of detail given to the landscapes that seems fitting for a comic dripping in written details. I also appreciate the fact that Crook made so much of the comic look very ordinary and usual so that when the horror gets kicked into high gear, the panels seem so much scarier and horrific. So many horror comics focus on making every panel thematically dark that I often find that some of the shock is lost when large events do take place.
Which is ultimately why everything works so well. A large portion of the comic is written, and drawn, so ordinary that it seems almost bizarre to think that there’s horror lurking within this world. And even when things are drawn with a bit of horror to them, such as a particularly large tree or a newborn calf, the horror elements are still so subdued that it lets the reader focus on the story being crafted. And when the horror does come out it comes out in a tremendous way with the visuals helping add to the written rather than detract from it.
Harrow County #1 ends with an interesting one-page story about a baptism gone wrong and I can’t help but wonder if this is going to be a standard feature of the comic or if it is only going to be an occasional thing. This little short is drawn by Owen Gieni but the art is so close to Crook’s that it seamlessly blends into the rest of the issue and doesn’t feel distracting. The short focuses on a completely different set of characters but seems to imply that the horrors of Harrow County aren’t confined to Emmy. It’s an interesting idea that has a lot of potential and the story presented in this one page was great.
Harrow County definitely grabbed my attention and I plan on picking up future issues to see exactly where this story goes. Bunn and Crook filled a void I didn’t even know existed and I’m excited to see a horror comic that’s less about gruesome, gory details and more about a story that creeps up and makes us doubt the reality presented. Fans of horror absolutely can’t miss this series.
