Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland #4 Review


Evil Eels Everywhere!

Official Description from Dark Horse:

In a struggle with the local police, the witchfinder is taken down, but before they can drown him in the rising waters, a strange fish woman takes him in and reveals the mystery of Unland.

Witchfinder-The Mysteries of Unland 4_Preview CoverSome confusing dialogue and strange story telling choices slightly muddy Witchfinder: Mysteries of Unland #4. But otherwise the penultimate entry in this unsettling, Lovecraftian (except with eels instead of tentacles) remains compelling.

We pick up the story, written by Kim Newman and Maura McHugh, right where it left off at the conclusion of issue #3. Sir Edward Grey, the titular occult detective sent to the fictional town of Hallam, has been unwittingly kidnapped by Constable Lawless, who we now know to be part of the conspiracy (the eels bursting out of his chest kind of gave that away). Upon seeing the monstrous officer, Grey exclaims, “What do you think you look like, Lawless?” Such marks the script’s first misstep. He’s aware of his eel-y condition; after all, he’s the one dragging Grey out to Unland. Later on, his savior may or may not mistake Grey for her own son. Ambiguity is a welcome narrative tool, but it should be clear from the writing that ambiguity really is at play—not halfheartedly confusing the reader. However, Newman and McHugh create wonderfully imagined, distinct characters, and even work in a sort of country dialect that ground the townsfolk with a nice sense of place.

At a casual glance, Tyler Crook’s soft pencils may not seem like the best choice for a horror comic. His work, at first, seems more at home in the pages of children’s literature. But a closer look reveals spookily atmospheric art, infused with a fairy-tale sensibility that makes the proceedings all the more eerie. Dave Stewart’s muted colors deserve credit too for keeping everybody and everything wet and weary. Except for one colorful death scene, his pallet remains cold and moody, all blues, grays, and browns.

Finally, it’s worth saying that issue #4 of Witchfinder: Mysteries of Unland doesn’t really read like the second-to-last chapter to the arc that it is. It still feels like there’s a lot more, well, mystery to uncover before the finale in issue #5. While issue #4 is a good book, it hasn’t left much room for the conclusion to stick the landing.

OUR RATING
7
  • +Cool use of local dialect
  • +Eerie artwork
  • -Some awkward dialogue
  • -Are you my son?

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