What a beautiful day for a walk through a cornfield, what could possibly go wrong?
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Tyler CrookEmmy believes she is one of a kind, that there is no one else in the world quite like her. As strangers arrive in Harrow County, though, she discovers just how wrong she is. Are these beings-each possessing strange and ghastly supernatural abilities-her family?
Considering “Harrow County” is firmly rooted in horror, this latest issue is actually an incredibly sweet read, as writer Cullen Bunn devotes the entire book to the complicated relationship between burgeoning witch Emmy and her best-friend Bernice. Whatsmore, after his one issue break, we welcome back regular artist Tyler Crook, who proceeds to deliver the astonishing work that has made this book so good. This time round he paints us the lushest cornfield you’ll ever see; a surprising change of scene to the harsh landscapes we’re used to. However, as the narrator says, this is ‘unwholesome earth’ and it appears something murderous is using the fields as a cover to hunt. So far, “Harrow County” has managed to walk the line between the beautiful and the monstrous and issue #13 is no exception. As the two girls try and find their lost friend, secrets and feelings rise to the surface.
After the self-contained ghost story in last month’s issue, Bunn aims to set up a new overarching storyline as the book goes forward. Those who’ve read the solicit (which you’ll helpfully find at the beginning of this review) will no doubt be expecting to meet Emmy’s extended family, whom we are led to believe may or may not be as powerful as she. And to some extent there is a note of this, but it is not the main focus of the issue. Instead Bunn looks at the increasingly strained relationship between Emmy and Bernice. This has always been one of the greatest strengths of “Harrow County,” as tight and imaginative as the horror elements are, it’s a testament to Bunn’s writing that he can balance the action with such a delicate and layered human story. Emmy clearly cares a lot for Bernice, you feel her need to be closer to her, there’s an almost desperate nature to her mannerisms. Her biggest flaw is the inability to manage the boundaries Bernice wants from her. She is particularly disturbed when it’s revealed the Skinless Boy has been ‘stalking’ her on behalf of Emmy. Though to be fair, I think discovering Skinless Boy peering at through the shrubbery would disturb anybody.
Every now and again the team reminds us just how innocent and genuine their friendship used to be, while hinting that it can still recover. Emmy cracks jokes in an attempt to put her friend at ease, but when Bernice’s back is turned, Crook lets the uncertainty and sadness break across her face. Similarly, Bernice cuts a figure of indecisiveness, conflicted between fear and concern, though you can’t help but notice her initial reaction to seeing Emmy is happiness. Unfortunately, the girls stand at a crossroad, where their friendship could go either way. Bunn has planted enough evidence and built enough backstory to satisfy either outcome. Again we’re reminded that the cost of Emmy’s curse, is that those closest to her, are also the most susceptible to turn.
As I said earlier, “Harrow County” is indeed horror and boy is there plenty. In this issue, Bunn and Crook tap into what makes the greatest horror stories so great. They’ve taken something that seems completely ordinary and innocuous, yet still somehow produces an irrational fear in most right-minded people, especially when the atmosphere is just right. While searching in the cornfield for their missing friend Clinton, the girls find themselves fighting for their lives against a particularly nasty fright of scarecrows. Somewhere in the back of our collective consciousness we can’t let go of the feeling that they’re always watching us, maybe even moving slightly as they stand in our peripheral vision. The scarecrows of Harrow County however hold no ambiguity, well not at first, but once the creative team are done building the tension, they become a straight up pack of murderous ravagers. While Bunn lets the girls hash out their differences first, Crook never lets us forget about the scarecrows. From the first page they are always present, if only just hidden from view, and each have their own unsettling design. Just as we reach the point where we can no longer take it, the scarecrows attack. True, it is no huge surprise when they first make their gruesome appearance, it’s pretty easy to see where the story is taking us, but at least the book doesn’t overuse them. Horror is always most effective when it’s allowed to exist in our imaginations.
Continued belowAs Emmy and Bernice flee, confusion and panic sets in. Thanks to Crook’s painstakingly drawn backgrounds, it’s just as hard for the girls as it is for us to see a way out of the cornfield. If I have any complaints about this concept, I must admit it doesn’t feel particularly fresh. We’ve seen plenty of frantic chases through cornfields across several mediums. However, the execution here makes up for it. The bright, cheery colours works well juxtaposed against the bloodshed. It’s an attempt to claim a well used trope and make it new. I like that Crook is suggesting that horror like this can strike whenever in Harrow County, it doesn’t just have to be on a dark, stormy night within a treacherous forest. It also feels much more believable, the premise works well with the book’s rural setting and its place in time.
The story climaxes in an all out battle as Skinless Boy tears through the patchwork monsters and Bernice reveals her secret magic weapon. The art is admirably balanced during these scenes and with a lot to fit into each panel, we never lose the flow of action. Although, it could have been an even bigger benefit for Crook to have drawn less. Sometimes the finer details get lost, at one point a scarecrow lashes out at Bernice, apparently ripping an entire chunk out of her arm. I’m still unsure how severe this injury is considering she seems in no real great pain. This however is my only complaint. Considering the workload Crook shoulders, and just how well he executes each job, I can pretty much forgive all the minor errors. His speech bubbles are on point, each one conveys a great deal of characterisation through design alone. Skinless Boy’s speech is frail and sketchy for example. There is a strong control over the negative space too. When Bernice summons a murder of crows, they appear out of the darkness filling the inbetween space between the stalks of corn. The blackness of the crows contrasts stunningly well against the vibrant green and blue.
Cullen Bunn has a tight grasp on his plot, but without such strong artwork, there would be no storytelling. It’s thanks to Crook that the elements that can come across as being hack and cliche, as is the danger with such treaded ground, feels fresh and unique. The unfamiliarity of this issue is its greatest strength, never has a fight for survival ever felt so quaint and that is something I never knew I wanted from a horror title. With the final page twist things in “Harrow County” are about to get a lot weirder, with this team, I say let it come.
Final Verdict: 8.9 – A wonderful installment that balances storytelling, characterisation and action. It just won’t cure you of your fear of scarecrows. Or corn.
