Terry Moore’s art has its fair share of fans; it’s often remarked-upon for its capacity for the nuanced facial expressions, and for the believability and realism of the female characters. These tendencies were evident before “Rachel Rising” and are beautifully exhibited within it; but Terry Moore the writer has been surprising us quite a bit with the story of “Rachel Rising”, and the neat narrative trick that defines this issue makes it one of the most interesting yet.
Written and Illustrated by Terry Moore
The truth behind Manson’s infamous witch burnings of 1693 comes out when Rachel finds the final piece of the puzzle six feet under. Will it help her save the town from Lilith’s revenge? Find out in the newest installment of Terry Moore’s acclaimed horror series!
We’re nearing the end of the first, long arc of “Rachel Rising”; there’s a shorter arc to come after this one, but for the moment I think it’s safe to say that the main plot is wrapping up. But the intriguing thing about this issue is that, rather than moving the plot forward, it revises an incident we witnessed a few issues ago, switching out an important detail. The scene doesn’t change much in terms of dialogue, and it’s excerpted almost in full. But the switched element lends a new gravity and horror to the situation, playing around with perspective and challenging our notions about the nature of Lilith’s revenge plot.
It’s certainly no mean feat, but Moore manages to play the scene out for this second time without seeming repetitive or heavy-handed. The switched detail on its own is enough to make the scene seem new again; the differences in framing, layout, and composition quietly underscore the raised stakes, leaving the reader to spin out the consequences of the revelation.
Back in the present day, Rachel and Dr. Siemen’s attempts to revive Johnny terrify in their own right, and feature a surprising bit of soul-switching. The plot of Rachel Rising as it stands is full of possessions, but they’re beginning to stack up in a way that feels appropriately dizzying.
One of the best and most disorienting moments of the issue in that respect is the first page, which shows Jet flicking a light switch on and off again. Only it’s very clear that while this is Jet’s body, it’s James we’re dealing with – James, the reincarnated soul from deep within Manson’s past. We don’t know James that well as a character, or his mannerisms, but the difference in Jet’s behavior is tangible and unsettling. It’s a weird little moment, and certainly not the first in what has been one subtle series, but it’s enough to bring you seamlessly back into the world of “Rachel” after a month’s break. And it hardly needs any words to get us there, which is pretty much all you need to know about Terry Moore’s aptitude for gesture and facial expression.
Meanwhile, one aspect of Moore’s art in “Rachel Rising” that’s growing increasingly difficult to ignore is the quality and the presence of the snow. One scene in this issue has a road entirely filling up with the stuff, and while it’s sure to strike a chord with those who have experienced something similar in the past week, the tangible weight and crunchiness of the stuff would likely terrifying the staunchest Southerner. The compositions have a suffocating effect, with the body language of the characters emphasizing the sheer difficulty of trudging through the stuff. We’re threatened by the prospect of the page being entirely snowed in and reverting to blank; and if you think about the point we’ve reached in the plot, this near-return to a fresh slate feels like just the right touch.
“Rachel Rising” #9 was the first comic I reviewed at Multiversity, and if you can stop laughing at my sentence structure, you’ll find that a lot of what I like about the series now, I remarked upon thirteen issues ago. Lauding this series for its consistency can sound like a backhanded compliment, as though it hasn’t been changing enough to stay fresh; but far from that, I think the decompressed pace of this series, combined with Terry Moore’s commitment to challenging his characters and the foundations of his narrative, has made it the most exciting and suspenseful series of the last two years. The only thing that has really stayed consistent is the quality, and you can’t complain about that.
Terry Moore has made it clear that the sales numbers on this series are dropping, and if you’ve spent any time in the comicky part of Twitter lately, you’ve likely seen #SaveRachelRising here and there. Of course, regardless of whether we “save” it or not, “Rachel Rising” is and has been an excellent series. But it certainly deserves a larger audience than it has; and while it’s a little late in the game to tell you to jump on “Rachel Rising”, this would certainly be the moment to tell your friends about the new arc coming up (at issue #25). This series clearly still has many avenues to explore, and it’s hard to turn down the prospect of spending a little more time in a town as terrifying as Manson.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – Buy
