Kerry Birmingham
Feb 15, 2008, 03:12 am
Reviewer: Kerry Birmingham, birmy@juno.com
“Heretic. Unborn. Twilight Walker. I can’t control the names that others give me.”
Created and Written By: Chris Morgan & Kevin Walsh
Art and Cover By: Wilfredo Torres
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
Editor: Mark Waid
Published by: Boom! Studios ( http://www.boom-studios.com/)
Suffice it to say that, for the people of the time, the infamous Salem witch trials (let the 100% verifiable Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials) refresh you on your American history) were a harrowing ordeal that tested the very limits of their social and religious convictions in the face of tremendous persecution and pervasive fear. But time, of course, marches on, and 300 years later those terrible atrocities that speak so poorly of our human weakness and culpability are now historical curiosities. There’s tour groups and everything. It’s the way we do things: history subverted for our entertainment.
All of which might be worth feeling bad about if it weren’t such fertile ground for our fictions. Religious zealots who fear that evil has infiltrated their pious lives and turned their friends, families, and neighbors to evil? Better yet, people whose guilt has manifested in fearful accusations and shameful lies? It’s dramatic, it’s violent, and perfect fodder for dark storytelling.
Salem: Queen of Thorns #0 (practically a #1; there’s little to justify why this is numbered as “zero”) imagines a (presumably) alternate version of the seventeenth century Salem witch trials, positing a truly malevolent version of the Puritan church, as opposed to one that earnestly thought it was eradicating evil, that mercilessly tortures the townsfolk while filling its own coffers in the name of righteousness. Into this conflict comes Hooke, a Puritan outcast with a hinted-at connection to the accusers who arrives just in time to liberate Hannah, the latest accused, and Deacon Wood, a local church figure who’s disquieted by the Inquisitors and their apparent leader, scarred Brother Hopkins. Hooke saves the day, but there’s darker things ahead: he knows what’s really behind Salem’s troubles, and it’s a witch all right: the monstrous and malevolent Queen of Thorns.
In short, it’s The Crucible meets Evil Dead, minus the Communism subtext of the former but with just as much murderous trees as the latter. Hooke is a half-Ash, half-Clint Eastwood supernatural ass-kicker with a little bit of magic and lots of sharp things. It’s an approach that works for the character: grim, glowering, supremely capable, not above a one-liner: the Batman of Plymouth Rock. The creators/writers, Chris Morgan and Kevin Walsh, and the artist, Wilfredo Torres, are unknown quantities, at least to me, so coming in to this series knowing little beyond the genre—Puritan supernatural horror—it was nice to see a new character and a new concept pulled off so capably. There’s not a whole lot surprising in here—Hooke’s new allies are “types” more than actual characters, and there are no shades of gray among the Inquisitors who, had they mustaches, would be twirling them—but the dialogue feels true to the setting and there’s liberal killing of spider-demon things sprinkled among the necessary exposition, done straight-faced with minimal sensationalism (a demerit for the John Woo-style double flintlock pistols near the end) and no winking at the audience. Morgan and Walsh turn in a solid script, which bodes well for the rest of the mini-series and future collaborations.
Torres portrays the time period effectively (though whether it’s actually accurate is beyond me), with distinctive character designs and a portrayal of oppressive, wintry New England that suits the prevailing mood of dread. The fight scenes, particularly the assault on the Puritan family and Hooke’s battle afterward, are hard to follow—just where did the Queen of Thorns pop up from in that house, anyway?—and there are moments where Hooke’s likeness is so clearly Eastwood’s that it distracts from the action, but as a whole Torres’s art is strong and would probably work well on one of the more historically-minded Vertigo books. (That said, it’s still sort of a limp cover).
Salem: Queen of Thorns #0 is a decent introduction to an interesting setting, one largely divested of its larger historical connections except where it services the story; accept the Inquisitors as ghoulish, corrupt villains and the real culprit behind Salem’s troubles as a walking tree and you should have no trouble going with Hooke as he decapitates demons and hoodwinks priests. There’s a lot set up that requires answers—again, why this isn’t just a #1 is perplexing—but it promises to be a fun, occasionally creepy romp through one of the darker episodes of American history. Tour starts here.
Since there’s no review icon for Boom! Studios, let’s dust off one of the long-outdated for our purposes? You’ll like this one: it’s a kitty.
RATING:
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FIND this comic at X-WORLD and SAVE! ( http://x-worldcomics.com/)
“Heretic. Unborn. Twilight Walker. I can’t control the names that others give me.”
Created and Written By: Chris Morgan & Kevin Walsh
Art and Cover By: Wilfredo Torres
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
Editor: Mark Waid
Published by: Boom! Studios ( http://www.boom-studios.com/)
Suffice it to say that, for the people of the time, the infamous Salem witch trials (let the 100% verifiable Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials) refresh you on your American history) were a harrowing ordeal that tested the very limits of their social and religious convictions in the face of tremendous persecution and pervasive fear. But time, of course, marches on, and 300 years later those terrible atrocities that speak so poorly of our human weakness and culpability are now historical curiosities. There’s tour groups and everything. It’s the way we do things: history subverted for our entertainment.
All of which might be worth feeling bad about if it weren’t such fertile ground for our fictions. Religious zealots who fear that evil has infiltrated their pious lives and turned their friends, families, and neighbors to evil? Better yet, people whose guilt has manifested in fearful accusations and shameful lies? It’s dramatic, it’s violent, and perfect fodder for dark storytelling.
Salem: Queen of Thorns #0 (practically a #1; there’s little to justify why this is numbered as “zero”) imagines a (presumably) alternate version of the seventeenth century Salem witch trials, positing a truly malevolent version of the Puritan church, as opposed to one that earnestly thought it was eradicating evil, that mercilessly tortures the townsfolk while filling its own coffers in the name of righteousness. Into this conflict comes Hooke, a Puritan outcast with a hinted-at connection to the accusers who arrives just in time to liberate Hannah, the latest accused, and Deacon Wood, a local church figure who’s disquieted by the Inquisitors and their apparent leader, scarred Brother Hopkins. Hooke saves the day, but there’s darker things ahead: he knows what’s really behind Salem’s troubles, and it’s a witch all right: the monstrous and malevolent Queen of Thorns.
In short, it’s The Crucible meets Evil Dead, minus the Communism subtext of the former but with just as much murderous trees as the latter. Hooke is a half-Ash, half-Clint Eastwood supernatural ass-kicker with a little bit of magic and lots of sharp things. It’s an approach that works for the character: grim, glowering, supremely capable, not above a one-liner: the Batman of Plymouth Rock. The creators/writers, Chris Morgan and Kevin Walsh, and the artist, Wilfredo Torres, are unknown quantities, at least to me, so coming in to this series knowing little beyond the genre—Puritan supernatural horror—it was nice to see a new character and a new concept pulled off so capably. There’s not a whole lot surprising in here—Hooke’s new allies are “types” more than actual characters, and there are no shades of gray among the Inquisitors who, had they mustaches, would be twirling them—but the dialogue feels true to the setting and there’s liberal killing of spider-demon things sprinkled among the necessary exposition, done straight-faced with minimal sensationalism (a demerit for the John Woo-style double flintlock pistols near the end) and no winking at the audience. Morgan and Walsh turn in a solid script, which bodes well for the rest of the mini-series and future collaborations.
Torres portrays the time period effectively (though whether it’s actually accurate is beyond me), with distinctive character designs and a portrayal of oppressive, wintry New England that suits the prevailing mood of dread. The fight scenes, particularly the assault on the Puritan family and Hooke’s battle afterward, are hard to follow—just where did the Queen of Thorns pop up from in that house, anyway?—and there are moments where Hooke’s likeness is so clearly Eastwood’s that it distracts from the action, but as a whole Torres’s art is strong and would probably work well on one of the more historically-minded Vertigo books. (That said, it’s still sort of a limp cover).
Salem: Queen of Thorns #0 is a decent introduction to an interesting setting, one largely divested of its larger historical connections except where it services the story; accept the Inquisitors as ghoulish, corrupt villains and the real culprit behind Salem’s troubles as a walking tree and you should have no trouble going with Hooke as he decapitates demons and hoodwinks priests. There’s a lot set up that requires answers—again, why this isn’t just a #1 is perplexing—but it promises to be a fun, occasionally creepy romp through one of the darker episodes of American history. Tour starts here.
Since there’s no review icon for Boom! Studios, let’s dust off one of the long-outdated for our purposes? You’ll like this one: it’s a kitty.
RATING:
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FIND this comic at X-WORLD and SAVE! ( http://x-worldcomics.com/)