By: Robert Kirkman (writer), Greg Capullo & Mr. Sheldon (pencils), Jonathan Glapion, Todd McFarlane & LeBeau Underwood (inks), FCO Plascencia & Ivan Plascencia, Comicraft (letters) & Jen Cassidy (managing editor)
The Story: A final duel with the Apparition comes to an ending with help from an unlikely source.
The Review: As you can tell from the expanding list of credits, this is a bit of a transitional issue for Haunt. Greg Capullo is departing to work on Batman where many more eyeballs will fall on his glorious work. Robert Kirkman is also departing because he’s kinda busy writing comics, writing a Walking Dead novel and doubtless consulting heavily on Walking Dead TV shows, board games, video games, etc. Todd McFarlane is also a really busy dude. But, the new creative team of Joe Casey and Nathan Fox (who should be great) aren’t quite in place this issue as we wrap up this arc having this demonic Apparition trying to drag Kurt Kilgore (the dead half of the Haunt brothers) into the afterlife.
Things had looked very bleak for our heroes because this Apparition was like getting chased by the Terminator. It seemed like the Apparition would just keep chasing and chasing and chasing. It didn’t mind if it didn’t get you this time. It didn’t have to stop to use the bathroom. It just kept coming. Against that kind of foe, you can’t win. As a reader, you feel for the main characters because if Kurt gets dragged off to the netherworld, then there is no Haunt. However, help comes from an unexpected source. Here’s where I’ll give the SPOILER WARNING…
I forget the name of the lady who helps the Kilgores out, but she’s been around as this kinda quasi-mystical character since the beginning of the series, but she’s hardly been a major character. She was one of the folks that was rescued from the evil doctor’s lab in the early issues of Haunt and she was the one who recognized that the Kilgores are a “haunt” (as she called them). I love when a minor character pops back up like that and it raises all sorts of interesting things for future stories: As she sacrificed herself, she said she had done all she could in our world and needed to move on. Hmmmm… Something tells me this theme will be revisited and we haven’t seen the last of her.
Candidly, I was a little worried about the art for Haunt. I am very much an “art first” kind of comic reader and I LOVE Greg Capullo. So, there was the possibility that transitioning from Capullo to anyone would make me like the comic less. But, my angst on this issue went down when I saw the name Mr. Sheldon in the credits. That, of course, is Sheldon Vella who did this awesome short-story in a recent X-Men anthology featuring Dazzler and a roller-derby version of MODOK. It’s pretty amazing, but I learned something new: Vella can draw a LOT like Capullo because unless you’re really paying attention, you won’t be able to tell the difference. Vella is one to keep an eye on because he is super talented.
Conclusion: I was just reading the Wikipedia entry on Haunt and I really should update it. This series got off to kinda a herky-jerky start, but settled by issue #5 or so and has been top-notch since that time. This is another issue of great art and fun, action-filled story. Check it out.
Grade: A-
– Dean Stell
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