Harrow County #9 Review

You know that skinless kid who hangs out with Emma…and uh, his skin? This issue tells you a whole lot more about him.

Is it good?

Harrow County #9 (Dark Horse Comics)

The Plot

• Never trust a creepy looking dude who jumps from a train and eats a live bird.
• Say what you want about Skinless Boy’s appearance, but at least he has some halfway decent taste in food.​
• The creepy guy sure seems to know a lot about Skinless Boy’s past.
• Home at last.
• Yikes. This little visit is one big ball of sadness wrapped in layers of terrifying.
• Finn!

Is It Good?

I was a bit nervous about Harrow County being drawn by anyone other than Tyler Crook, but hats off to Carla Speed McNeil for a fantastic guest issue. The pages with Emmy aren’t quite as strong as the rest of the issue, but the Skinless Boy scenes are gorgeous.

(That may be one of the most disturbing sentences I’ve ever written, but I stand by it).

♫♫ It rubs the lotion on its skin, or it gets the hose again ♫♫

McNeil also maintains Harrow County’s wonderful tradition of opening each issue with a gorgeous two-page spread.

As far as the story is concerned, it was starting to feel a bit mundane/static until Skinless Boy decided to take a physical trip down memory lane. Writer Cullen Bunn has done a great job making the abominable-looking psychomp into a fun and likable character, but he can still be monstrous, terrifying, and horribly tragic. The final pages of the issue should not be read if you’ve had a bad day or feel like nobody loves you…or if you tried to Facebook message David Brooke and he doesn’t answer because he spends all his time with Lisa Allison now and never talks to you anymore.

I hope Bunn/Crook revisit this plot thread in the future. I would also love to see McNeil fill in again. She and Bunn crafted what could have easily been a mediocre filler issue into a gem of a story.