The Pull List – Blackwood #4
Trouble comes to Blackwood in a storm of bugs, the curse of Blackwood is unfolding on not just the surviving teens, but for the whole institution. Wren, Reiko, and Stephen are still shaken by the magical discoveries about their school and the death of one of their roommates. Having witnessed too many horrors, the curse of Blackwood looms over their heads while the faculty prepares to take on the bugs. As the threat of the bugs gets bigger, the teens decide to find the Book of Despair, the source of all these problems and put a stop to all the mayhem.
Issue four brings an epic conclusion to the Blackwood story, with plenty of suspenseful moments, gruesome deaths and skin crawling visuals. Comic readers with entomophobia should be warned, Veronica Fish brings to life insects of all sizes and she makes them unfriendly as possible. The ending of the Blackwood story comes to a nice bookend finish that keeps the dark and gloomy tones intact. There is no jolly ending here that has all the characters holding hands and staring into the new sunrise. (It could have, but it probably would have been holding bug legs). Evan Dorkin kept a tight focus on telling the story with just enough character development and escalation to get the story evenly paced to the end. There’s no surprise twist in this issue that derails the entire story. Dorkin had placed enough breadcrumbs of plot throughout the four issues that lead to a final reveal and one heck of a gothic ending.
Comic fans that enjoy dark humor and the gothic horrors of H.P Lovecraft shouldn’t miss out on this modern take on magic and teenage angst. The writing is centered on setting up a creepy college and the mystery that surrounds it, while the visuals are colorful and unsettling to look at. It’s a fun comic series to pick up and share, especially when the college season is about to begin.