Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Mike Mignola, Scott Allie
Artist: Sebastián Fiumara
Release Date: 11th June 2014

It’s a strange thing, to be able to both humanize a character while at the same time show a much more barbaric side of that same character. However, this is exactly what Mignolallie have managed to craft in this issue of Abe. We see a side of Abe that has always been present, in that he cares deeply for this girl, Grace, but then another, much more brutal aspect of his personality comes to light in the wake of his transformation.

The story itself is straight out of a horror B-Movie, with a family seeking help, a suspicious “healer” and a big bad that was thought to be sedated. Sadly, it’s a bit ‘by the numbers’ in the sense that there’s nothing particularly new to the writing, it could almost be lifted straight out of another story, with only the main characters changed. The last “act” of the book was the really interesting part however, featuring a newly rage-filled Abe showing absolutely no restraint. if this keeps up, the series really could be one to watch.

Sebastian Fiumara does a fantastic job on the artwork here, managing to emote with Abe in a way that words just can’t, and the way that the son is show is fantastic. Stylistically, his work is very rough, with ragged thick lines used, but it helps add to the tone of the book, especially in the later half. However, it’s the art by Guy Davis in the short at the back of the book that really shines though in a story about a younger Abe and the first appearance by Agent Vaughn. It’s this story that manages to save the issue for me as, for some reason, i just didn’t feel satisfied by the main book. The more simplistic style of Davis suits the younger nature of the book, and even though it’s over far too quick, it was nice to see Abe and Liz Sherman interacting again, with a more inexperienced Abe being a strange thing to see.

Overall, this was a good issue with a lot to get your teeth into.  However, I would have scored it much lower if not for the back-up story, which manages to elevate this book above simply providing the usual thrill of watching the writing team of Mignola and Allie continuing to shine.

Rating: 4/5.

---

The writer of this piece was: Chris Bennett
Article: And Now For Something Completely Different
You can also find Chris on Facebook