Dark and twisted things continue to move between the worlds.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tim Seeley, Aaron Campbell
Art: Jim Terry
Colors: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Crank!
What They Say:
Dooley and Constance are lost in the New Mexico desert…except it definitely isn’t the New Mexico desert. Hunted by unearthly beings, and facing the sins of their past, they’ll have to team with their enemies to survive the darkness that’s West of Sundown.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The first two issues were definitely a lot of fun and it clicked well for me as it delivered in setting some of the basics. Tim Seeley’s still a name I definitely trust but I’m always wary because I know I’m going to get something good here but I’m also going to get something that will be disturbing. With this property, he’s partnered with Aaron Campbell for the story here and they got things underway with a familiar story but one with enough hooks and teases as to how it’ll separate itself from the pack as it moves on. The artwork from Jim Terry captures the period well to make it feel like a period piece but with a kind of earthiness that adds to that realism, especially with Triona Farrell’s color design. The character designs are great and the overall look and style of the book make it worth digging into for just that alone.
Having missed out on the third issue, it’s still easy enough to figure out events here as the team has made it accessible through the dialogue so that it doesn’t feel like a recap but rather a good bit of the characters just collecting thoughts. Things have gone bad for Constance and Dooley for a bit now and she’s really in a bit of a panic as the sun is setting and coming out of her box she realizes that they’re nowhere near the earth she needs. In fact, things have gone so far off the rails that they’ve crossed to the dreamworld together along with another pair of characters that have basically been hunting them with Griffin and Dirck. This turns into one of those situations where Constance realizes that she needs to get through this space quickly in case things get worse and they end up trapped.
While we do touch on events in the town with the Reverend and what he’s up to, most of this takes place in the other space as the four come to a general agreement to kind of work together. It’s an uneasy thing because there’s no real trust and Griffin is certainly creepy as he leers at Constance. Dirck is able to provide more of his backstory and it is the kind of thing that makes sense while walking and trying to keep your mind occupied. It’s interesting enough but I’m wary to get to know anyone too well in this book since there are plenty of deaths to be had and these two feels like dead men walking anyway. I reallly the way this journey unfolds and what we get from Constance as she realizes the ploy going on here to try and trap them in this place and what she needs to do back out in the real world.
In Summary:
Though I missed an issue and I know I’m missing parts of the story, I definitely like where this is going as it has the right kind of grim darkness about it. It does spend a good bit of time with characters that I figure are going to have a grisly end so it’s hard to invest in them and I wish we had more time with Constance and Dooley, or some of the events in the town. But watching this group navigate things, getting a better handle on the nature of how wide this story can go, really delivers an engaging experience. One that I suspect in collected form is really going to read well. The artwork continues to be fantastic and I really love the overall presentation of it with such striking color design to it.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Vault Comics
Release Date: July 13th, 2022
MSRP: $3.99
