Hello again, comic friends! I hope we’re all enjoying the Summer of Crossover Mania! Take a break from superheroes, mutants, and alternate universes and throw these titles from Dark Horse Comics in your pile when you pick up your new books this week.
Harrow County – Cullen Bunn, Tyler Crook
Somehow, Cullen Bunn read all of my laundry list of problems with AHS: Coven and decided to give me a present. This issue stands as a thorough introduction to this spooky universe that has a sordid history that involves witches. The present day story line is about a young girl, isolated from the world in the country with her father, who longs to leave her farm on her eighteenth birthday. The people in this community hold a dark secret, and the girl, Emmy, feels the dark past of the community all around her. She follows her paranormal instincts throughout the book and encounters a mysterious child who leads her to a gruesome cliffhanger that will leave you excited for the second issue. Bunn, as always, is at the top of his game and remains one of my favorite writers in comic books. The artwork feels like a children’s book but twists and turns in frightening ways. This book is perfect if you like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, witchcraft, Cullen Bunn, and creepy stories in general. (Also, you’ll like this if you were expecting something better from Coven; if you have some grievances to air about Coven, please let me know. We’ll have a minute.)
Age of Reptiles: Ancient Egyptians – Ricardo Delgado
Dinosaurs make me understand what the universe meant when it created metal guitar solos. Most days, the only things I care about are dinosaurs and Star Wars. Dinosaurs are the coolest thing that ever existed and ever will exist. Hollywood could make thirty Jurassic Park movies and that still would not be enough because I want to live in a house made entirely out of Jurassic Park movies without ever having to repeat a title. Basically, not enough things involve dinosaurs. Dark Horse Comics, however, continues with its Age of Reptiles series and helps make life better by adding more dinosaurs to it. Age of Reptiles: Ancient Egyptians is wonderful. Whether you’ve read the other Age of Reptiles titles or not, this book is unique and beautiful. The story revolves around a Spinosaurus in Cretaceous Era Africa. This isn’t like Land Before Time with anthropomorphic dinosaurs talking to each other and having adventures and learning emotional lessons. This is a story about a dinosaur in a world of dinosaurs having a dinosaur life. The beautifully-drawn story unfolds like a nature special with no narrator; the action in the comic book moves the narrative. This book is amazing, and I cannot recommend it enough. This book is perfect if you like dinosaurs, dinosaurs, comic books beyond the realm of superheros, dinosaurs, wordless narratives, and being hypnotized by stunning art. This book is also the perfect way to get ready for Jurassic World this weekend.
Dinosaurs and witchcraft dominate the indie comics spotlight this week, so I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did. If you’re enjoying an indie book I haven’t touched on yet, let me know in the comments below! Happy reading!
