To put it frankly, Harrow County #4 plays it safe. The ending is interesting, but everything leading up to it is pretty timid compared to the first three issues. It’s not bad by any means, but if you really enjoyed the first three issues of Harrow County, then you might be left with an overwhelming feeling of “heh, well at least it’s going somewhere interesting…” The story starts off with Emmy alone and crying, but with a four-eyed Minotaur looking haint stalking her. Their conversation isn’t necessary to the story and is only used to push Emmy in the road at the right time. She’s picked up by the town pharmacist who pretends to be ignorant of the situation until he drugs her. Then there’s a bit of a reveal afterwards, but aspects of this where previously revealed if you caught it before. Emmy’s character develops a bit and then we’re left with an almost happy ending.
This issue feels rushed compared to the other issues from writer Cullen Bunn. It’s almost as if the editors asked him to end it in four rather than letting Bunn go five or six. Again, it’s not bad, but it wasn’t exciting. It wasn’t creepy as hell like the other issues. It was just a conclusion with a solid cliffhanger to bring you back for more and I will be back for more.
Tyler Crook delivers on the art. The visuals are still very strong even if the story is more on the safe side. The four-eyed Minotaur is more cool looking than creepy, but I’m hopeful that he’ll play a better developed role in the story going forward. In particular I enjoyed the way that Crook illustrated the flashbacks. It felt and looked different from the rest of the story. It was as if we were whisked away by the character’s story rather than just reading an info dump.
This is a rather short review because there’s not much to say and what does happen shouldn’t be spoiled. Telling you wouldn’t really be interesting either, but just picture a happy ending here and you’ll basically be right. I was left curious about the next issue though so we’ll see what Bunn and Crook have in store for future issues of Harrow County and hopefully they can stick the landing with the next arc.
Score: 3/5
Harrow County #4 Writer: Cullen Bunn Artist/Letterer: Tyler Crook Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 8/12/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital