“The House of Lost Horizons: A Sarah Jewell Mystery” #4 opens up the mystery in a big way, so this is going to be a very spoiler-filled review. Everything in the issue, even what initially appears to be deadends, is very purposeful. . .
Written by Mike Mignola and Chris RobersonCover by Christopher Mitten
Illustrated by Leila del Duca
Colored by Michelle Madsen
Lettered by Clem RobinsSarah Jewell catches one murder suspect red-handed in a bid to steal an occult artifact, while Marie-Thérèse continues to pursue her own suspicions. But the culprit they finally discover is the one person neither one of them suspected!
Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson return to the world of Hellboy, accompanied by artist Leila del Duca and colorist Michelle Madsen for this thrilling installment of the new Mignolaverse mystery.
When issue #3 ended, I had wondered how Sarah Jewell was going to stand up to combat with Mr. Huang, especially since Sarah Jewell isn’t as spry asd she used to be and I know she’s got a bad leg thanks to getting slashed with a saber three years earlier in “Rise of the Black Flame.” The conflict is immediately resolved, however, since Mr. Huang has no interest in fighting. In fact, he’s quite open, and this scene really gives us a lot of information we could’ve gotten earlier if only Sarah had actually talked to Mr. Huang instead of watching him from a distance.
Perhaps it may dilute the dramatic tension, but I found it refreshing to have Mr. Huang be so forthright. He has no reason to keep any secrets—in fact, it would be counter to his goals to be secretive. And so we get to learn a little more about the Golden Crane Society, which if you weren’t already aware, is probably going to be an important part of the Hellboy Universe. Sarah namedrops Lady Bai Lian, which probably means she’s a character we’ll get to meet before too long. I suspect we’ll likely meet her in the pages of “Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club.”
Initially, this scene seems like a narrative dead end, merely leading to a suspect we can cross off the list. That and it reinforces what an absolute asshole Mr. Whelstone was. Later, when we learn of Dr. Caliban’s ties to Whelstone, we again discover further evidence of Whelstone being a monumental asshole. We’ve already seen in previous issues that Whelstone thought of himself as a self-made man, whereas the reality was he had exploited the labour of Chinese immigrants and others of lower social status at every step of his own advancement. Chris Roberson keeps using each deadend of the mystery to paint a more vivid picture of who Whelstone was, and it’s an ugly picture.
Unfortunately, Dr. Caliban’s plotline continues to be the weak link. Marie-Thérèse continues to ask him questions point blank, and this time, Caliban actually answers for no real reason other than it’s the third time that she’s asked. Everything we learn about him is interesting—his backstory and the way he’s entangled in the mystery all work well—but the way the barrier to that information is unlocked is badly undercooked. This stuff with Caliban, a man that doesn’t want to talk but is clearly driven by something connected to Mr. Whelstone, was an opportunity to show off what clever investigators Sarah Jewell and Marie-Thérèse are. Instead, they use the exact same thoughtless approach three times.
That said, I enjoyed the rest of the issue. Marion Loveland has definitely become the most entertaining to watch as she drinks all the gin she can get her hands on to try and drown out her dead husband’s yammering. I feel bad for her, actually, because she’s clearly really messed up by what’s happened, but no one makes any effort to be there for her. Even Sarah just sees this woman in a self-destructive spiral and just sort of goes, “Oh dear, that’s not good,” and walks off. It takes Marion running into a room and yelling at everyone to listen to her before anyone finally takes any notice of her situation.
Continued belowLeila del Duca clearly had a lot of fun drawing Loveland. She’s such a lively element, and her expressions can be pushed to extremes. I also feel like del Duca’s settling into a style that suits both her and the Hellboy Universe. From issue #3, I started noticing what appears to be pencil scratchings in folds of cloth and in the shadows—it’s especially noticeable on Caliban, thanks to his white suit—whereas back in the first issue, shadows were almost exclusively spots of black. If you look at the shadows under pieces of furniture, you can see how they shift from solid black, to inked hatching, then looser pencils over the course of the story.
This element is pushed even further in the flashback sequences, and it adds an extra spark to del Duca’s work. I’d love to see her come back for another story where she leans into this style more.
Near the end of the issue, the energy picks up as we get the reveal with the blood splatter. This is a great moment, although it’s something I wish had been seeded better in the art. The blood splatter detail should’ve been visible on the last page of issue #2 since it’s such a major clue, but instead it wasn’t properly seeded until issue #3. This is a minor quibble, but since this is a mystery story, it feels like something that shouldn’t have been hidden from the reader in this way.
The whole section with the secret passage is great. I love Sarah’s comment to Marie-Thérèse about this being like Cairo all over again. It’s a nice beat that showcases their dynamic. Most importantly, we get that final reveal that Mr. Whelstone is alive, so all that work Roberson has been doing to reveal the nature of his character is suddenly very important. It also means my suspicions were correct—the murderer was on the island long before the arrival of the guests for the auction.
With only one issue to go, and so much mystery still to unravel, I’m hoping there’s still room to explore the supernatural side of this story. After all, this was a story built around an occult auction, but for the most part the supernatural has remained on the fringes. I still don’t feel we’re any closer to understanding the hungry dreams with grasping hands, and given how much this has been a recurring element of the story and even showcased in the cover art, I’m hoping for a strong payoff for it.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – This issue is a mixed bag. It has scenes that are dragged down by the biggest problems of the series, but it also has the fun stuff a mystery story of this kind should. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it could’ve soared higher.
