| Title | : | Harrow County, Vol. 2: Twice Told |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1616559004 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781616559007 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 120 |
| Publication | : | First published April 26, 2016 |
Collecting: Harrow County 5-8
Harrow County, Vol. 2: Twice Told Reviews
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Evil twin!
Yeah, it's been done to death, but it's still a fun trope.
Ok, so this was one of the many times when irony kicked me in my tits. Just as soon as I gave up on the library ever finding their missing copy of this volume (it had been in book limbo for 3 or 4 months), and decided to go ahead and read
volume 3...they told me they had it ready and waiting for me.
Because of course they did.
However!
For whatever reason, vol 3 & vol 2 are actually pretty self-contained, and 3 didn't really seem to build much off of this. Which also means that the next volume didn't really give me any spoilers for this one.
So, while my shitty luck did try to fuck me over, it didn't actually succeed.
Ha! In your face, Murphy!
Anyway.
If you likeRedneckSouthern Gothic style stuff with spooky-ass witchy women (<--this is also how my husband 'lovingly' describes me, by the way) in a comic setting, then this will probably be right up your alley. Emmy and her freaky twin go head-to-head in an all out battle for control of Harrow County's haints, and it turns out pretty much exactly like you would expect it to.
Recommended for people who love creepy country bumpkins. -
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
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Emmy and the town have accepted her as the local witch, even if she does things a bit differently. I love how she goes about befriending the haints. It's one of the things that really make you root for her, that she's often misunderstood and has this great big heart. One day Emmy's twin, Kammi, shows up from the city. She's almost a mirror universe version of Emmy (I'm a bit surprised she didn't sport a goatee.) more than just an evil twin. At times it feels like you'll find out that at one point Emmy was split in two with Emmy being her good side and Kammi the bad. But it goes down the way you figured.
If you just looked at Tyler Crook's art out of context, you might think it's kind of fugly, but it almost feels like it was made just for this book, it fits that well in Harrow County. -
Second volume of a Southern Gothic horror series with a great team, Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crooks. I think the artwork--featuring the mysterious psychic "white witch" Emmy and her evil twin, and some really inventive haints--is the main event in this series. Really makes it worthwhile to check out, for the art alone.
The evil twin thing is not original and not handled in a particularly original way, and that's a bit of a problem. Oh, she's from the CITY! She approaches haints in exactly the opposite way that Emmy does! Too simple. That we even need a nemesis for Emmy at all is not clear, and Emmy sort of dispatches her without serious incident, finally. And okay, it's not particularly harrowing, as I found the first one was more.
But I like it anyway so far, daggonit! (That is northerner Dave patronizingly trying for southerner style. . . I know, how can I even like this series?!!) It's sort of atmospherically creepy, and you do come to care about Emmy, you like her. Something about the juxtaposition of the art and the tone of the Emmy story. She has depth and some complexity.
I like Emmy's supportive Dad, too, and I like how the town comes to respect Emmy's powers. This is a small rural Southern town dealing with lotsa monsters. The haints are just part of the scene, and the town just has to figure out what to do with them. Live with them, Emmy insists. That's the challenge, rather than to just--in super-hero fashion--obliterate them.
Or to get them all riled up and in opposition to the town, in evil twin fashion.
I especially loved the opening scenes, where we see Emmy figure out how to help the town with their various haint issues, by talking with the ghouls and creating sort of an understanding with them. The evil twin part of it is less interesting, but not UN-interesting to me. It's always visually interesting, at the very least. Maybe a 3.5 overall, this one, but I bump it up for that there (see what I'm doing here with the attempt at Southern dialect) (sorry) Crooks's art. -
Didja like the first Harrow County? Then you’ll probably like the second book too. It’s more of the same southern gothic “horror” that’s kinda corny/contrived (this one part of the world sure is riddled with magical creatures!) and not-at-all scary but it’s drawn nice. That’s one thing I took away from this second volume: a deeper appreciation for Tyler Crook’s art, though I liked Cullen Bunn’s writing less this time around.
The story’s predictable in that Emmy’s twin sister Kammi turns out to be evil purely because she’s always smiling an evil smile (also evil twin = originality!). It’s that lame. Kammi the evil twin tries to turn the various supernatural creatures of the county against Emmy when the whole time I was just waiting for the inevitable showdown between the two that, predictably, happens (guess who wins? Yup!). I suppose this was Bunn trying to set up an antagonist for Emmy but it doesn’t work as Kammi has no staying power.
The story has nothing else of note and even the “Tales of Harrow County” backups felt lacklustre this time around; Tyler Crook scripts these and illustrates a few too - so many artists can’t write well! But I have to hand it to Crook for some fine work in this book. It may not be terrifying but the story looks admirably pretty thanks to his painted art.
Though I wasn’t crazy about the first volume, I was hoping the second volume, usually the time when the creators have settled in a bit, would win me over but it’s just put me off the series entirely. Twice Told is a dull second arc in this increasingly uninteresting southern gothic series.
Kudos to Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook - Syfy is developing Harrow County into a TV show! However, given that it’s a horror set at a farm, expect it to be the second season of The Walking Dead all the damn time - barf! Hey, Emmy even kinda looks like Sophia… -
This is the second volume of Harrow County and I'm still deeply in love with this beautifully twisted book.
I'm not sure why, whether it's the combination of writer and artist coming together in perfect synergy or if it's that this tale feels like a Stephen King novel in pictorial form, but this book lives and breathes for me.
When Emmy is running through the midnight woods, a slavering, motley horde of nightmare creatures heavy on her heels, I can feel her heart beating like a jackhammer inside my chest; I can feel the whip-like, night-wet branches of the enclosing trees shocking the skin on my face; I can feel the gossamer, almost ethereal cobwebs her hand goes through adding to the chill.
When the long dead corpse of the twins' witch-mother bursts through the wet Earth at the foot of the pivotal hanging tree, I can feel the eruption... like a screaming, hot missile launching out of a roiling bed of lava. I can feel the dry un-breath of the mouldering witch burning my cheeks as the exposed bones of her claw-like hands grab onto Kammi to claim the girl as her eternal bed-mate.
NO! Get away! Get away! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!
As the ruptured earth reseals itself I have a lump in my throat that feels like a clod of the tainted soil is stuck there and won't be coughed out or swallowed...
Anyhoo... I guess what I'm trying to say is 'more please, Messrs Bunn and Crook... and do be quick about it, chaps'. -
After the events in the first volume, has peace returned to Harrow County, and Emmy is using her powers for good. But peace is shattered when a girl arrives from the city. A girl that looks just like Emmy...
I liked the first volume quite much, but this one was even better. Emmy's story was established in the first volume and here the story progress with Emmy getting more used to her powers and the neighbors seem to appreciate her help when they have a supernatural problem. But, this peaceful situation changes when a young girl arrives. And, with that, the story takes off. I like the difference between the girls, despite looking alike are the motives quite different and all this will lead to a big confrontation.
The art is wonderful. I know I was a bit doubtful about the art when I started to read the first volume, but it grew on me and now I really like it. I quite like how the story progress and I can't wait to read more about Emmy and what will happen next to her.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review.
Read this review and others on
A Bookaholic Swede -
The Second Volume of the creepy Harrow County continues Emmy's story.
Harrow County is a haunted place. The dark past of the Harrow County was discussed in the first volume. Emmy had come to terms, somewhat, with the situation in Harrow. But as events begin to go back to as normal as Harrow County ever gets-Emmy has a visitor! her twin sister Kammi from NYC.
That is all the plot I'm going to give away. This was a really entertaining story. I am pleasantly surprised. It is a mixture of a nice story about a little girl named Emmy with a strange and dark supernatural world of Harrow County. Even though the artstyle and the main character make you think of a kids story, this is not. There is always an air of something dark and much worse than what we have seen. The story of the witch in HC is a creepy one. The original witch not Emmy. But just who is the daughter of Emmy and Kammi? All these questions and more are answered in this excellent follow up volume.
As the story has intrigued me enough, I shall try to find more of this series to read. I don't know what I find so appealing. The Emmy character is very good. She has a good heart, but I can see she can be angered. The art style certainly has been growing on me. I rather like it by now. The story is also really good. A mixture of horror and a story about growing up in a small town. There are multiple layers in this story and I appreciate it. This comic has been a pleasant surprise. Look forwards to keeping with this story. I think if you are a fan of a good story, even if it has a horror background, you will like this one. I certainly did. -
This story is not as good volume 1 but still entertaining.
What’s it about?
Uh, I won’t bother with that this time because if you haven’t read volume 1 I’m spoiling stuff for you but if you have read volume 1 you probably know what this is about.
Pros:
The story is interesting.
The art is still fantastic. A little cartoony but I like that and it still fits the book’s tone.
The characters become more interesting (and my theory is more likely with some stuff in this volume).
The horror is still that good creepy horror that doesn’t try too hard to shock people.
Pretty intense story throughout.
The ending is pretty great, it could even work as a series ender (though it’s not and I’m not complaining because I enjoy this series).
Cons:
This book is so predictable. I had everything figured out when I put volume 1 down.
The whole thing with Emmy and her twin. There’s all kinds of stuff about how they look exactly like each other but they don’t, I see the difference between them, I wouldn’t look at the 2 and think they’re twins.
I don’t know why but there’s this kinda forced anti-gun scene. It’s not as forced as the political stuff in a lot of comics though even in context it sort of felt like the gun was in the scene just to say that guns are bad and the book honestly could have done without it.
Overall:
Despite a few flaws this is a good volume of a horror series that I definitely recommend. Is it the greatest horror story of all time? Not in my opinion. Is it still a must read for horror fans? Hell yeah.
4/5 -
And so comes the 2nd Harrow County arc, and is it as good as the first? Uhh....YES!
So Emmy is getting used to going around town helping people. She has powers some would only dream of but she's still pushing on the good fight with trying to do good in the world. She even visits other ghouls and demons to try to convince them she's there for them again. Then, out of nowhere, her twin sister arrives in town. Kammi right off the bat pretends to care for her sister a lot but you can see the evil motives right away.
Good: Still love the art. It's got this gothic flare that truly makes it unique and different than anything else. I also thought the creatures in this were really cool and got to see a lot more. I'm a huge fan of the way Emmy is written and her motives and story. The ending, while dark, seems fitting.
Bad: The whole twin evil sister thing has been done and it wasn't anything new or twist-like.
Overall, a very very solid followup. While I'm not a very big fan of Bunn's work on Marvel, his independent work so far is proving to be real solid. A 4 out of 5. -
**Note that this is a review of the single-issues, as the collected Volume 2 is not out yet.**
Harrow COunty is one of the best comics you're not reading, and it's near the top of my monthly pull list (and I read ALOT of titles!)
Everything about this book, from the evocative art, the lush Gothic setting, and the well-plotted storyline and scripting works together to create a memorable experience for the reader. As alluded to in a previous review, it's like watching a deeply twisted Stephen King book come to life, (with just a tiny dash of HP Lovecraft thrown in.) -
Harrow County Volume 2 continues its dark and creepy southern horror story by introducing a mysterious twin. The art is fantastic and large variety of horror creatures makes this an interesting read.
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Bullet Review:
I enjoyed this though now that I think back on it, there's nothing really amazingly new about the story. Artwork is pretty fantastic though - definitely a draw. Oh well, at least I can follow the plot unlike with some comics *cough*Casanova*cough*. -
The series continues to be pretty great, even though the story of Emmy's *evil* twin sister turned out to be a bit formulaic and predictable. Still, it is lots of fun and the artwork is still gorgeous. I also absolutely love the short tales from Harrow County at the end of each issue, but I am not sure if those are collected in trades, as I read this in singles.
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Una continuación a la altura de la primera parte (
Harrow County 1. Innumerables seres). Se mantiene el buen ritmo de la historia y sigue generando interés ver cómo Emmy afronta las complicaciones derivadas de su poder y de su origen. Lo único que no me convenció es lo desaprovechada que está la presencia de Kammi, su némesis.
A partir de aquí, inevitablemente, mencionaré detalles que pueden ser considerados spoilers del volumen anterior
Retomamos la historia donde la dejamos. Emmi ha aceptado lo que es e intenta demostrar que, a diferencia de Hester, ella no quiere hacerle daño a nadie. Además, ha decidido acercarse más a los seres sobrenaturales que rondan por Harrow County e intentar ganarse su confianza. Sin embargo, la llegada de Kammi, a quien solo habíamos visto de refilón en el primer volumen, lo alterará todo. Físicamente, Kammi y Emmy son prácticamente idénticas, pero los objetivos de ambas son muy diferentes... aunque Emmy no lo sepa...
Los acontecimientos se van dando con bastante rapidez y Emmy va evolucionando de forma acorde con las circunstancias. Es cierto que no se dan demasiadas sorpresas, pero eso no le resta interés a la lectura porque tampoco es que sea increíblemente obvio cómo acabará todo. Ver a Emmy y a Kammi conocerse es uno de los principales puntos fuertes de la trama. Kammi está rodeada de misterio y, aunque podamos intuir cuál es su verdadero deseo, dan ganas de saber hasta dónde es capaz de llegar para lograrlo. Lo que me faltó es que se mostrara la vida de Kammi antes de llegar a Harrow County, ya que ella apenas hace un par de comentarios sobre el tema y nos limitamos a centrarnos en su propósito actual. Otra que también podría dar más juego es Hester, quien continúa siendo una figura difusa que podría dar mucho más de sí a pesar de estar presuntamente muerta. Eso sí, su aportación aquí no tiene precio... y no digo más.
Lo mejor es descubrir más cosas sobre los seres de Harrow. Adoro al chico muerto que es amigo de Emmy y considero que en esta parte se percibe mejor su vínculo con ella. Es más, me enternece cómo intenta protegerla. Otro punto a destacar es la manera en la que los seres deben tomar partido... ahí hasta es interesante cómo eligen bando.
Las páginas vuelan porque el interés nunca decae. A esto hay que sumarle que el tramo final es totalmente adictivo gracias al aumento de tensión y a la vorágine de sucesos que tienen lugar. El cierre deja pequeños detalles en el aire, pero, aparentemente, lo principal queda resuelto. En todo caso, teniendo en cuenta que hay más entregas, era normal que nos quedáramos sin algunas respuestas.
A nivel artístico, es imposible tener una queja. No me suele entusiasmar en exceso leer sobre cómo es el proceso creativo de algo, pero aquí sí que me gustó el pequeño anexo con las notas de Tyler Crook, el ilustrador. En dichas notas, Tyler nos explica de forma sencilla y cercana cómo ideó a los personajes, los motivos para elegir determinadas portadas y la razón para colorear las viñetas de un modo u otro.
En mi opinión, las ilustraciones están muy bien pensadas y su estilo, sin necesidad de ser complejo, es elegante y perfecto para lo que se cuenta. Los tonos usados son mayormente oscuros, pero eso no impide que las imágenes estén bien definidas y que incluso resulten naturales.
Si queréis una historia intrigante y con un pequeño toque oscuro, no sé a qué estáis esperando para conocer Harrow County. -
More of the same: moody art, atmospheric writing, stale tropes.
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As much as I hate Cullen Bunn writing Deadpool lately... THAT much I like him writing horror comics.
This continues to be good. It's like reading your new favourite tv series. Which is not a horror series that will scare you or anything like that, but will have you turning pages and going from one issue to the next one just to see/read what happens next, and even though most of the stories are self-contained, you want to read the next one for sure.
I won't even talk about the artwork because it's simply my currently favourite artwork and it's SO good.
I'm trying to find something that's NOT good with this series and I honestly can't. -
I'm tearing through the series and the quality has remained consistently excellent --- so this review will be repeated till a stumble requires alteration.
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This series is phenomenal. I love that we're getting to meet more of the haints now and I love what a big variety there is (I'm especially fond of Priscilla!), and that big "fight" scene with all of them was wonderful, though I wish it'd been a hair longer. Another fantastic volume!
✨ Representation: Black side characters
✨ Content warnings for:
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I am loving this series. I don't know much about art but I know I like the visuals of Harrow County. The elements of water colors really give the story depth and emotion, it makes the darker sections of the story that much more creepy. The story-telling itself is terrific too. The first volume seemed like an intro into the world (in a good way) and the second volume seemed to be, at least for the moment, a stand-alone type story arch, but I could be wrong about that and maybe these things pop back up later on. Either way, I can't wait to get into volume three, which I purchased today from my local comic book store since I am a degenerate that has no self control. You gotta treat yourself once in a while, I suppose. If you are looking for a horror comic book series to get into, I still highly recommend this one!
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I liked first book a lot, but second, it's completely different story. Evil twin Kammi appears, with no real back story, they are friends with Emmy and happy at first, then clouds start to show up and she start to suspect some bad intentions from Kammi. Then there is parade of all different monsters from Harrow County, then, some kind of stand off and fight ...and there is the end. No story at all, no movement somewhere, no character development. It felt like wrongly cut movie, when you know there something behind, but they won't tell you more. And short stories...2 out of 4 are total sh*t, rest is more or less OK. Only thing, that keeps it from total disaster, is art and showroom of great monsters, that I hope, we will see in next volumes. Disappointment after pretty cool first book, hope next ones will be much better...
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I liked this arc more than the first one, but it does start to feel that four issues per arc means stories have to wrap up a bit too quickly.
Although seeing the nature of the series, any ending can be undone. -
Not quite as good as the first story ARC, and it raises questions that aren't really answered. But still a good read, nice and Southern Gothic.
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In volume 2 of Harrow County, Bunn and Crook continue Emmy’s investigation on what her heritage means for both herself and Harrow County. After finding out about her origins in the woods around her house, Emmy struggles to define what’s normal and the line between what the witch Hester Beck meant to Harrow County and what Emmy wants out of her own life. Finding out that she comes from such a dark legacy leaves Emmy with choice between following in Hester’s footsteps or creating a lighter path for herself. Amidst all of this confusion, a young woman who appears identical to Emmy shows up and reveals herself to be Emmy’s sister, Kammi, who was separated from Emmy at birth and grew up in the city. Will Kammi help Emmy choose the right path or lead her down an even darker one?
Volume 2 definitely ups the creep factor of Harrow County as Kammi is willing to do some seriously disturbing things in pursuit of power. The dichotomy between the two sisters is not quite black and white but pretty close. I liked the slow build to the inevitable confrontation between Emmy and Kammi and how the ties were made from Hester to these two sisters. That slow drawing out of tension and dread made this volume significantly more disturbing to read and even more to my taste than the previous one. So far I’ve been impressed with the characterization of Emmy and kudos to Crook for making two characters identical in looks stand out from each other so much.
This is quickly becoming a new favorite series for me. It has flavors of many different horror staples but the atmosphere is uniquely its own and very well done. I’m very curious to see where Emmy’s path will lead her next.
Full series review
here -
I liked this volume much better than the first one - the story's a lot more coherent, and Emmy is a lot more relatable as she takes on the role of the witch for Harrow County, inter-mediating between the haints and the humans. But this new role is challenged when an unknown sister comes form the city. Kammi's goals are not clear from the start, but quickly turn in expected directions, leading to a confrontation that escalates quickly.
I'm not sure I would call this scary - it is a dark world filled with gothically disturbing (but still relatable) creatures, and some terrible things happen, but the feel of danger is less present than the first volume. Instead, all the characters (and creatures) are more sympathetic. Still, it is definitely dark, and a fairly quick read with some haunting moments. The art style is distinctive and very suited to the story. So Harrow County isn't harrowing, but it's still worth a visit. -
¡Se está convirtiendo en una de mis historias de brujas favorita! El arte de este cómic es increíble. Leo algunas reseñas aquí que se quejan de que el autor utiliza el gastado recurso del gemelo malvado... la verdad a mí me parece que funciona bastante bien en esta historia.
Lo mejor de este volumen es ver la cantidad de trasgos, demonios y fantasmas que se esconden en la profundidad del bosque. Le pongo 4 estrellas porque creo que algunas cosas se trataron de forma muy superficial y podrían haber dado para más, pero la verdad es que no puedo esperar a leer el próximo volumen.
Pro tip: Si pueden leer los tomos sueltos está más padre porque al final incluyen historias de terror enviadas por los lectores (muy buenas) y también mini cómics sobre historias o eventos terroríficos. -
In volume two of Cullen Bunn's witch horror series we get an arc about Emmy and her newly appeared evil twin. It's nature vs nurture here as Emmy fights to use her powers only for good while her twin wants to corrupt her and use her powers to rule (presumably the world) with an iron fist. Emmy continues to shine through the darkness with a little help from the love of her father but she also continues to be curious about the sinister side of her nature. I'm sure she will be slowly slipping down this path throughout the series. We'll find out very soon as these surely are quick reads.
for more reviews and content please visit my new blog
amanjareads.com -
This is one of those rare cases in which I feel this art is just as necessary as the story to tell this tale. The two go hand-in-hand so well.
Anyway, Emmy has a sister! A twin, no less!
I'll bet you can figure out the storyline from there.
What you may not figure out is that Emmy's got allies she hadn't counted on and that's pretty spiffy. -
Received an advanced DRC from Edelweiss.
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Very slow start and I was afraid this would not be as good as the first volume, but damn this was good.
https://youtu.be/6QwPj2DC2Pw
