Blackwood The Mourning After #2 Featured Reviews 

“Blackwood: The Mourning After” #2

By | March 12th, 2020
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

“Blackwood: The Mourning After” #2 features a morgue, a cage, a dead-seeing eye and a bit more drama to keep the plot ticking along. Warning: spoilers ahead.

Cover by Veronica Fish
Written by Evan Dorkin
Illustrated by Veronica & Andy Fish
Lettered by Greg McKenna
As Blackwood College prepares to bury Dean Ogden, the students plot to raise Dennis from the dead, requiring them to take a trip to the morgue. This doesn’t leave any of our heroes much time to deal with feuding security teams, a missing mummy chimp, and a conspiracy of traitors planning Blackwood’s destruction. Wuh-oh!

“Blackwood: The Mourning After” #2 (hereafter “Blackwood” #2) keeps up the frenetic pace of the previous issue but focuses on the kids’ attempt to raise Dennis from the dead. Meanwhile, the school’s under siege from mysterious forces both inside and out, the chimp is trapped and there’s a ghost or two in play. It’s a lot for one issue to handle, but “Blackwood” #2 stays true to its primary goal: entertain the crap out of us.

Dorkin and the Fishes go for colorful, wild overload in “Blackwood.” Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but the reach is impressive. The first issue had a heavy load to bear to orient previous readers and new fans alike, and the story juggles a large cast and quite a few plot points in the second issue as well. The overwhelm is intentional, partially, and Dorkin’s clearly poking fun at the magical school narrative (as well as building one in its own right.) The school is bursting with weirdness, and the Fishes go all in on strange details to build out a cluttered, zany and entertaining world. Dorkin builds intrigue and more than a bit of horror in this issue as well, and the parade of teachers, students and mirror-slinging head shop owners livens up the info dump quite a bit. Still, it’d be nice to drill down a bit and take our time, especially given the superb level of detail the Fishes bring to the book’s backgrounds.

Of special note in “Blackwood” #2 is the library scene. It’s the best example of how the Fishes’ work harmonizes to create a singular moment. We’re whisked away shortly after to an exterior scene, but the colorful light streaming in through the library’s skylights illuminates the spiral staircase, the endless bookshelves and the Gothic arches. The light also draws our eye down to the kids, dwarfed by the peculiar grandeur, and a small inset panel introduces the librarian, who comes into view on the page turn. The rainbow light enlivens what would otherwise be a thoroughly imposing scene, and while it’s clear the library will be important later in the story from the writing, the color palette adds just enough eerie flavor to delight us. That flavor’s repeated at the very end, with some nice neons and deep purples and blues to set the mood for the cliffhanger. The moment itself is a good way to end an issue, and focusing on one character helps bring the hubbub down to a manageable level so the horror can sink in. “Blackwood” functions best when it balances its chaos with these small moments, and issue #2 rounds out well.

Elsewhere, the line tends to break down in medium and wide panels. Some of this could be down to the quality of the issue itself, but there are more than a few moments where precise detail gives way to a bit of fuzz or disorientation. The Fishes’ style is cartoonish enough that it’s easy to let some of these instances slide, however, and there are other clever details that make up for them – like Wren’s hair. The Fishes only use an outline on the top of her head when her face is tilted up or the background’s light enough that her white hair will blend in too thoroughly. Otherwise, it’s a nice, subtle break in convention that suits the character as well as the general mood of the book.

McKenna’s font choice is a good one. It has enough clarity to add some crispness to the page, but the swoops on the Ms and Ns and slight upward tilt on many of the other letters suit the wacky tone of the story. The balloons have a nice, hand-drawn shape and curly little tails, with enough consistency to keep everything noticeable only if we choose to zero in and examine the details. Sound effects are sparing and done well – the rhythmic metal “SHHHNT” of the gurneys in the morgue adds flavor to the scene, and the borderless style on the text means they blend well with the rest of the action. Good lettering should be seamless with the art on the page but enhance and support the mood of a comic, and McKenna’s work here is functional and stylish.

Overall, “Blackwood” #2 succeeds because of its imaginative power and breadth, though that breadth can lead to a bit of confusion as we try to keep track of everything that’s going on. Dorkin, the Fishes and McKenna work well together to create a seamless, beautiful story, told mainly through its art, that continues to delight in its weirdness and flavor. “Blackwood” is a good example of what comics are capable of in terms of mashing up disparate, strange concepts to create a believable world that can entertain, intrigue and, occasionally, shock in its gruesomeness.

Final Verdict: 7.5 – “Blackwood: The Mourning After” #2 entertains as much as it overwhelms, with good world-building and engaging art.


Christa Harader

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