Harrow County #1

by Forrest.H on May 13, 2015

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: May 13, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99
 
Bunn and Crook bring the creepy paintings in your grandparent’s house to life with Harrow County #1 and, I couldn’t be happier about it.

Bunn weaves an enthralling tale of witchcraft, suspense and horror in this coming-of-age story spoiled by dark forces that exist just on the edge of these pages. Emmy, a possessed or maybe reincarnation or maybe truly innocent 18 year old girl is about to find out that adulthood has much darker things in store for her than taxes.

Bunn does a great job of keeping her and her father’s relationship human but with an underpinning of something…amiss. It’s that feeling of uneasiness and relatability that keeps the book so interesting and believable. It’s masterful writing that alludes to more than it says and hints at horrifying things to come.

Crook, too, delivers a certain tonal mastery that brings the book to another level. His work on B.P.R.D #124 made it my favorite issue of 2014 but here, he handles a different approach in an entirely exquisite way. Originally, the artistic style reminded me a little bit too much of Chilling Tales of Sabrina with its childlike, watercolor-esque approach but Crook lives in the details and his depiction of this horrible, beautiful world is different enough from Sabrina’s that by the end of this amazing first issue, I had forgotten all about it, totally drawn in to Emmy’s world.

Maybe Harrow County is about growing up and finding out that the world is a lot scarier than you think. Maybe it’s about the feeling that even on a beautiful day, someone is watching you from the shadows. Maybe it’s really just about demons and a troubled girl. Whatever it’s about though, this creative team has brought me into a world that I can’t stop thinking about. A truly impeccable first issue.

Welcome to Harrow County, you’ll love your stay even if the characters don't and, that's the whole point. 

Our Score:

10/10

A Look Inside