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Harrow County #17

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    Ian Jane
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  • Harrow County #17



    Harrow County #17
    Released by: Dark Horse Comics
    Released on: October 19th, 2015.
    Written by: Cullen Bunn
    Illustrated by: Carla Speed McNeil
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    A narrator tells of us a place long ago and far away from Harrow County. As we hear this story, the beast we've seen in past issues rises out of the water to feast on some wild horses as they run along the beach. As the beast enjoys its meal, a man named Malachi and a woman named Amaryllis walk into the scene. Malachi puts a stop to it and commands it to return home.

    It turns out the narrator is, not surprisingly, the beast itself and it is telling this story to Emi, who is surprised to learn that it knows of the 'family' she recently dealt with. Why is it telling Emi all of this now? Because everything changed once Malachi and the others came looking for her.

    We flashback to the beach, Malachi tells the creature that they only want to help while Amaryllis pets the horses until thinking about how they got to the area makes her sad. She won't have the freedom they have. The beast tries to leave, but Amaryllis and Malachi persist, encouraging it to come back with them. Their pleading is ignored and they stroll off to try and find the other members of the family, to 'talk some sense into them.'

    In the present, Emi promises to protect the creature should Levi and the others come back. The monster is not convinced and continues its story. Here we see how two fishermen managed to snag it on a line. They're knocked into the freezing water, one of them pulled under, blood emerging on the surface but before that one man refers to the four eyed horned beast as 'Ol' Buck.' The surviving fisherman makes it to shore only to come face to face with some of the family members who, according to their law, have no choice but to kill him for intruding on their ways. Meanwhile, in the town itself where Christmas celebrations are afoot, a woman wonders where her Merle has gotten off to, unaware that he was out in that boat. Amaryllis and Malachi walk amongst the human population as an old town ritual pays homage to Buck. When Malachi runs into Levi at the celebration, he knows why Levi has arrived - and it that it won't end well for the beast.

    Bunn's story is clearly expanding off of what happened with Emi and the family in the last few issues of the run. At the same time, that beast that's been hiding in the woods all along gets his time in the spotlight as we learn what's really going on with 'Buck' and why he's as suspicious of everyone, Emi included, as he seems to be. Emi's really only a background character here, this is all about Buck and what his past relationship with Levi and Malachi entails. We don't know how this ties into the main storyline yet, but have faith that we'll get there. Bunn hasn't let us down yet in this series.

    As to the art, if we can't have Tyler Crook at the helm then Carla Speed McNeil is a damn fine replacement. Her work doesn't ape Crook's style at all, she brings her own flair to these pages but at the same time, it still suits that storyline's tone and feel. Lots of great detail, expressive faces and interesting creatures populate this issue and she draws them with an impressive amount of skill. Jenn Manley Lee's coloring work compliments the penciling perfectly - this is a very good looking comic and still absolutely worth reading each and every month.

    This issue also contains a single page Tales Of Harrow County, this one entitled The Tithe, written by Bunn and illustrated by Owen Gieni.





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