Harrow County 18 Review — The Past, Revealed
Last month, I was thrilled beyond measure when Harrow County #17 took a moment to examine the Abandoned, a hulking haint of Harrow County. The issue made a promise, of both information and possible friendship, and Harrow County #18 delivers on that promise in every way that I could have hoped for. Not only is Emmy not as alone as she may have assumed, it’s possible she’s not the person she assumed.
The Abandoned continues his tale of Malachi, Amaryllis and the family, much to Emmy’s delight. It’s the first real and — seemingly, always “seemingly” in this series — honest look at the malevolent family she nearly befriended. The Abandoned has told his tale in a most cinematic fashion, establishing the background before his final reveal. To say his revelation left my jaw on the floor would be an understatement. But first, a note about the family.
Despite the Abandoned’s tale, it’s not entirely clear what the family’s endgame is. On one hand, they feel more akin to trickster guardians, attempting to maintain a balance of sorts, in the name of their own game. On the other, they feel a little malevolent, as though they exist to dole out misery and cast judgment without reproach. I’m not even entirely certain that I believe Levi truly likes or believes in the laws, as they are written, or if he merely likes interpreting them to his heart’s content. He’s definitely opposed to what he sees as Malachi’s hypocrisy, but nothing about Levi paints him as a true believer.
The dynamic of the family notwithstanding, the Abandoned seems to have experiencing true and terrible loss in his life. First of the abandoned creature who suffers at Levi’s hands, and then Amaryllis to Hester. When it is revealed who the Abandoned really is, it lends so much color and light to the interaction between him and Levi. I was, as I read that issue, very curious as to why Levi was so horrified to see the Abandoned, and it all makes sense now. The real question is whether or not he knows he was standing before Malachi, in new form.
Of course, the real reveal here, is who Emmy is. For the entire series, we’ve been told that Emmy is the witch Hester reborn, and that she has within her the potential for great darkness and malice. We’ve been shown that it is Emmy alone who is able to rise above that darkness and resist it, proving that she is able to be good. She was presented with the perfect foil in her twin sister, who was nothing by malice and darkness that Hester courted. It always seemed weird, though, that Hester was able to reincarnate as two daughters; my assumption had been that anything that was good went to Emmy and anything evil went to her sister. That is, that perhaps Hester just had too much power for one body.
This issue touches back on something we had previously learned: that after Hester killed Amaryllis, she ate her to absorb her power. I should have trusted Cullen Bunn to circle back to a previous story (the twin sister arc) and ensure that all the ends were tied up, but it was a shock nonetheless to learn that Emmy is Amaryllis reborn, and her sister — we have to assume — was Hester reborn. In round two of Hester vs. Amaryllis, Amaryllis triumphed. I was not prepared for this particular piece of information.
For every answer Harrow County #18 provides, though, it opens new questions. Malachi and Amaryllis have reunited, in new forms, and seemingly with a common goal. There is a great deal Emmy can learn from Malachi, but it is clear that years of bitterness have twisted him into something darker than he previously was. Whether or not Emmy/Amaryllis is able to restore some semblance of hope and optimism will be the truest test, going forward. In the meantime, I am content that these two lost souls have found each other again.
Author: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Carla Speed McNeill
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Publish date: 11/23/2016
Acquired via Publisher
Our Rating: YUS
