Haunt #17 – Review

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.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Wolverine #14 – Well, that was a sharp stick in the eye, huh?  This comic gets the award for giving me something I did not remotely see coming.  I actually thought this arc has just been “okay” as Wolverine has been fighting his way past a series of thugs to get to the Red Right Hand organization that sent him to hell.  These thugs just seemed like Jason Aaron needed some disposable cannon fodder for the comic and didn’t want to use generic ninjas, but we learn in this issue that something very different was going on.  I won’t spoil it.  Just go read it.  Runner-up: X-Men #16

Most Anticipated: Justice League #1 – Funny that I’m more interested to see this than Flashpoint #5, but I am more eager to see something “new”.  DC has a major opportunity with this new relaunch because a lot of people will be trying DC comics again.  Personally, I’ve never been able to get into any DC comics outside of the Bat-books, and I kinda suspect that within 4 months I’ll have dropped all these DC titles again, but Justice League will probably be on my list as long as Jim Lee is drawing it.

Other Picks: Flashpoint #5, Butcher Baker #6, Elephantmen #34, Haunt #17, Amazing Spider-Man #668, Incredible Hulks #635

Alex’s  Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: The Punisher #2 – We’re only two issues in, but I’m already pretty certain that Greg Rucka is writing one of the best Punisher comics of all time.  Really great stuff that lovers of crime comics and Rucka fans in general will get a real kick out of.

Most Anticipated: Justice League #1 – Could it really be anything else? While yes, the idea of a Johns/Lee Justice League with all the big names is incredibly awesome and a long time coming and while it’s also great to see DC perhaps finally able to put out a good Justice League comic, it’s not even really the comic itself that has me excited. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to read it, but I’m really looking at this issue like the first step in to the newly relaunched DCU and the new 52, which has me more excited about comics than I have been in years. So yeah, bring it on.

Other Picks: Amazing Spider-Man #668, Flashpoint #5, The Mighty Thor #5