A Witch and An Exorcist
First Look for December 31, 2017
The issues I take a first look at today drawn the first story arcs to a close on two really fun reads and I find it interesting how similar the stories are. So similar that we’ve got a witch and an exorcist so you know they’re both dealing with supernatural stuff. The witch, Madame Dragonfly, seems to be doing things that may be causing more problems for the heroes in Black Hammer while the exorcist in Revival is pretty much done for now…that is unless there is a new revival event. In any case, I recommend these titles for anyone looking for a good read.
Black Hammer #6
The Cabin of Horrors by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston. Published by Dark Horse Comics, 2016.
This final issue of the story arc focuses our attention on Madame Dragonfly. She’s basically a representation of the classic horror and mystery comics and I have to say she strikes me a bit like Raven from the Teen Titans (at least the animated version). We learn why she’s dark and brooding in this issue and see that she’s been keeping some dark secrets cooped up with her in her Cabin of Horrors for a reason all these years.
It turns out she made some kind of Faustian bargain a long time ago to return the life of her baby but like all similar bargains, she got more than she was asking for…she got trapped with a connection to the cabin. Her baby didn’t come back to life but as the years passed, she found a lover who impregnated her just prior to the big battle with Anti-God. When the battle was over and the heroes were trapped in the farming community, her lover was gone and the baby died after birth. No wonder she’s depressed.
Along with Dragonfly’s back story we see a bit more about Barbalien and Gail’s relationship and it seems that there’s a desire for more intimacy coming from one end of that couple than the other. We also see that not all is happiness between Abe and Tammy. With all these sad story lines intertwined through the issue, I thought we’d have something more positive at the end when we see that Black Hammer’s daughter, Lucy, showed up in the area. Her appearance just led to further confusion as Madame Dragonfly cast a spell that made her forget things.
At the end of part one of the story, we may know some of the history of the characters but there’s still plenty of questions to carry the reader on to the next installment.
Revival #5
Chapter 5 by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton. Published by Image Comics, 2012.
This issue seems to have some resolutions of a sort and we see Em fully evolve into her detective persona. We start out where we left off, with the repor May tied up in Blaine’s snowmobile repairshop and Mr. Able is trying to get her to tell him who she’s shown his pictures to. We can see he’s still waiting to do his exorcism but before he can do anything we hear Em and the alien/demon outside. As the creature flows into Martha’s mouth, we learn about its past.
The being was once a young man with a girl he loved but his nation called him to war. They promised to marry when he returned and she begged he keep the engagement ring as something to remeber to return home for. By the time he returned she was already married to someone else – pretty brutal.
In any case, Blaine didn’t like Em messing with ‘his demon’ so he attacks her – bad choice but he doesn’t know she’s a reviver. Then we get all sorts of action…crossbow bolts fly, a snowmobile chase, and an 18 wheeler kinda puts an end to things. It’s all drawn nicely and the pacing is great.
Other parts of the issue are intermingled with the chase and all, and they all lead to a well told story. While I’m not sure this alien/demon thing is part of the whole revival event, but it did make for a cool first story arc. And with reporters, CDC agents, police, and amateur detectives all working to figure out what’s all going on in this town, I’m sure the future story arcs will be just as enjoyable.