For the last two arcs of “Tales from Harrow County,” the series has focused on Bernice Anderson as its protagonist. With ‘Lost Ones’ however, we return to Emmy Crawford, the protagonist from the original “Harrow County” series. While on paper this may appear to be setting up a familiar story in the vein of the original “Harrow County,” this new arc strikes out into new and exciting territory. ‘Lost Ones’ is a truly unique arc, one that looks like it will radically change the series going forward. Read on for our spoiler-free review.
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Emily Schnall
Lettered by Tyler CrookHarrow County is back! The award-winning, Eisner-nominated southern-gothic horror series returns with a brand-new story.
Ten years have passed since Emmy left Harrow County. Since then, a lot has happened in town. But what happened to Emmy herself, and what adventures has she gone on since she forfeited her magical powers and left town with the Abandoned? In this epic and essential tale, find out where life has taken Emmy and what dangers lurk in the shadows waiting for in this story that takes place outside of Harrow County for the first time.
In some ways, I’ve actually been a tiny bit apprehensive about this new arc of “Tales from Harrow County.” The original 32-issue run of “Harrow County” almost exclusively focused on Emmy Crawford, and the things it put her through were brutal, so much so that when the ending came, bittersweet as it was, I was happy to say goodbye to Emmy. She had earned that respite. It didn’t really matter where she went to, all that mattered was that she could find some peace. ‘Lost Ones’ disturbs that peace. When an ending lands as beautifully as “Harrow County’s” did, do you really want to mess with it?
So right away, Cullen Bunn and Emily Schnall have a tightrope to walk. They have to honor the developments of “Harrow County” that came before and continue Emmy’s story without undermining the original series’ ending—but they also have to tell a good “Tales from Harrow County” story too, a story that goes into new territory. If you look back at the previous two arcs, ‘Death’s Choir’ and ‘Fair Folk,’ they have been striking out into new territory right from page one. Going into both, there was always a sense of returning to “Harrow County,” but also seeing a side of it we’ve never seen before, and along the way painting what we’ve seen before in a new light. It’s this last point that Bunn has been particularly clever with. Whenever “Tales from Harrow County” returns to moments or plot points or characterization directly from “Harrow County,” he has always managed to augment them in ways that add complexity and richness.
In other words, I needn’t have worried about ‘Lost Ones’ in the slightest—Bunn’s track record is impeccable. If anything, Bunn seems to have made it his mission to upstage himself. ‘Lost Ones’ opens up the world of Harrow County massively.
Let’s start with the obvious. Right from Schnall’s opening spread, this comic feels different from everything before it. We’re not in Harrow County anymore, this is World War II-era New York City. Though occasionally we’ve left Harrow County before (we’ve even specifically seen New York in “Harrow County” #4 and the short story “Tales of Harrow County: The Butler”), those times outside were generally short. Also, this isn’t the New York we’re familiar with. New York is quite possibly the most seen city in the world, showing up in all kinds of media, and as such it’s very hard to show a side of it we haven’t seen before somewhere. Even in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a story set in a parallel universe’s New York City, it’s still mostly familiar. But in ‘Lost Ones’ we get to see the city in a way that feels genuinely unfamiliar. With the lights out, the city is transformed—but this isn’t a blackout or a scene in a disaster movie or a post-apocalyptic empty city; it’s the bustling New York City we know, except it’s trying to be as invisible in the night. It makes the city feel otherworldly, and through the darkness the supernatural seeps in. It’s dramatically different from anything we’re used to seeing in the world of “Harrow County,” yet similar enough in just the right ways to fit perfectly alongside everything that’s come before.
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As for returning to Emmy, there was a single moment in this issue that completely justified this choice for me—Emmy singing “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.” It’s a simple moment, but it immediately communicates that a part of Emmy is still tied to Harrow County, and while she may have left it behind, she still carries it with her. It makes returning to Emmy for this new story feel like something she needs on some level. The moment is so important, Bunn and Schnall give it a full page. It could have been just a single panel, but they really want us to think about what Emmy singing this song means. Coming off of ‘Fair Folk,’ where Bernice had opened up about her relationship with Emmy and what they meant to each other, this song speaks to all the things unspoken between the them. Emmy’s appearance in “Tales from Harrow County” isn’t a fan-service moment—it’s necessary and essential.
Since the beginning, “Tales from Harrow County” has always built on the established mythology of its universe. ‘Fair Folk’ in particular added to this substantially, but ‘Lost Ones’ already seems set to upstage it. It’s possible it may even attempt to push the mythology-building aspect further than even any of the “Harrow County” arcs. The direction Bunn and Schnall take the story in the latter half of the issue has the potential to be explosive in this regard, opening up avenues to explore in so many different directions. It has me not only excited for the rest of ‘Lost Ones,’ but the next couple of arcs to follow. If ‘Lost Ones’ makes one thing abundantly clear, it’s that Bunn has many more stories to tell in this world.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – It is consistently surprising how an arc that on the surface almost seems like a detour from the usual ends up tapping into the core of feeling a “Harrow County” story so perfectly. It strikes out into new territory while accentuating the aspects that make the world of “Harrow County” feel unique.
