Review – The Hunt #2 (Image Comics)

Publisher: Image Comics
Story/Art: Colin Lorimer/Joana Lafuente
Release Date: 17 August 2016

The Hunt explores a magical otherworld in which the darker aspects of fairy tales exist alongside our world. The traditional folklore of Ireland, steeped in superstitions and with a particular focus on fairies, prompted creator Colin Lorimer to use the country as the setting for this horror / fantasy.

Lorimer’s creative control – as writer and illustrator – provides a distinct look and feel to the series. Taking inspiration from personal experience with night terrors and sleep paralysis, Lorimer developed this nightmarish concept further by delving into Irish mythology.

As a child, Orla witnessed an assault upon her sickly father in the middle of the night by a monstrous creature. Found wandering naked in the woods afterwards, no one believed Orla when she said her father’s soul had been taken by the Sluagh. Pumped with pills throughout her childhood, Orla was taunted for years due her claims of monsters and magic – especially as she would disappear for days in the woods. Orla has vowed to find her father while trying to ignore the taunting whispers of the creatures; her brush with the Otherworld has seemingly left its mark.

The Sluagh – roughly translated to ‘crowd’ or ‘horde’ in English – are Irish and Scottish spirits of the ‘restless’ dead. Often referred to as sinners or evil people, these ancient beings are supposedly excluded from Heaven and Hell. The creatures, regarded by many as dark fairies, haunt the Celtic Otherworld. Entering our world to steal the souls of the dying, they specifically seek the souls of the innocent to carry away with them.

In the second instalment in the story, Orla’s family is targeted by monsters with a dark agenda. This forces Orla to takes matters into her own hands by crossing over into the Otherworld to confront the creatures, only to find that things are not as they seem.

Joana Lafuente’s colouring shades the book in blues and browns, which harkens to the perpetual night and nature of the Otherworld that is constantly closing in on Orla and her family.

The rich mythology, tone and striking look of the series will appeal to fans of Wytches and Outcast. The Hunt has quickly established itself as a well-researched and culturally rich horror tale with a lot of potential for the development and expansion of its worlds of magic and monsters.

Rating: 4/5.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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