A hard-fought ending.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tim Seeley, Aaron Campbell
Art: Jim Terry
Colors: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Crank!
What They Say:
The entire town of Sangre De Moro has been kidnapped by Reverend Herzog Jung’s cult. Now, a union of bitter enemies has to work together to save them. But Jung’s plans involve breaching the thin veil between the daylight world and the infinite night of the Umbra. Are our monsters and heroes ready to find out what lurks West of Sundown?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The series draws to a close with this installment and it’s one I’m definitely glad I took a chance on. I’ve read a lot of horror-style books in the last couple of years and it’s generally not my thing but a lot of good stuff has been coming out like this. 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.
With this being the end, the book is moving fast through things and delivers a solid epilogue for which I’m quite grateful. The main thrust of the action side of it focuses on dealing with what Jung’s cult is up to with Jung leading it and making it clear of how Rosa’s father is being drained and repurposed definitely puts a new impetus on things. She’s not interested in dealing with any of this after a brief recovery and is ready to rebuild her life in New York but we see Dooley doing the right thing and joining up with the others to try and stop Jung. It’s good to see a competent Dooley just doing what needs to be done as it gives him more agency and clarity. The others are still a bit paper thin overall but they don’t need to be more than that. And the result is a decent team trying to go in and do the right thing of ending Jung and saving as many people as they can at this point.
The action side of it unfolds well with this group but we get Rosa being drawn into it as well as her telepathic conversation with her father makes her realize the importance of Dooley. It’s nice to see this made clear to her since she tries to play above it and all but it doesn’t work out as her father had hoped in order to give him an edge in survival. Rosa’s joining the fight changes the nature of it well and gives the group a better chance against some tough opponents, though Anne isn’t revealed to be as tough as we thought she was. It delivers a solid and clean end to the storyline there but the epilogue makes it clear the damage done to the residents in town who no longer trust each other – for good reason – while highlighting how Rosa is looking to start anew and do some things in a different way. It’s an encouraging piece even as the final panels highlight what could come if there’s a sequel series to explore more, which could be fun.
In Summary:
I really enjoyed this series and it was the covers that got me to really give it a try as I had been burned out a bit on the supernatural and horror side of things with so many books lately. Once inside, there’s a lot to like here with a stylish and distinctive look to it and a good storyline and time period operating with interesting and complicated characters with distinct motivations. It does almost feel like it needed one more issue just to flesh some areas out but largely it handles things well and is well-paced and designed so that it accomplished a lot while still giving us characters we could connect with. I’m certainly down for more but this is a good run that if you pick it up in trade or complete you’ll have a great read.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Vault Comics
Release Date: August 31st, 2022
MSRP: $3.99
