The second issue of the Amazon Studios published comic Blackburn Burrow is available for free to download to your eBook reading device of choice. This is a move by Amazon to figure out how popular this property could be as a movie. If you haven’t read the first issue, which is also free, you can probably still follow along with this handy dandy, spoiler-filled guide to issue one.
SPOILERS BELOW
During the Civil War, a former soldier named Mister is recruited to investigate a small mining town in Georgia. Surprising no one, the town’s name is Blackburn Burrow. Mister (I will never feel not dumb when I type that.) finds a ghost town. One of the only survivors is a female protagonist/love interest named Merrin Matthews. After about four seconds, Mister talks Merrin into showing him the spooky mine, whereupon the two are beset on all sides by hideous, bald, and grey-skinned monsters. Issue one is silly and derivative, and I liked it. Not great, but fun.
End Spoilers for a month-old comic that you can read for free.
So, how is the second issue? Well, it’s interesting. They add some neat mythology and some great mythology, but there isn’t any real character anything. No growth. No revelations. One funny character detail is all we get. Don’t get me wrong, the mythology stuff works in this issue, but the end result feels like a supernatural procedural. Think Buffy without the characters, or Charmed. I do like a good procedural and this one works, but it would be nice to see this interesting stuff happen to more interesting people. Honestly, his name is Mister.
I still like the art, and it still reminds me of the Saturday morning cartoon version of anything by Mike Mignola. The shadows and light are stark and evocative. I love the fact that it doesn’t feel like every other book, even though it feels like every other Hellboy book. Honestly, that is not a dig. I love the art of Hellboy, but something new for the mysterious, supernatural horror with some comedic notes might be nice.
My feelings about the art are the same as my feelings about the book as a whole. It is a comic that was made well, but not great. I don’t think that every piece of art has to be driven by passion, but this one seemed like it was created because someone at the top thought it needed to happen. I am glad the book I read is as good as it is, but I wonder why it was made. Ultimately, if you don’t expect too much out of the experience, this is a fine way to spend no money at all.
Three and a Half Completely Random Daddy Issues out of Five.
