Witchfinder: Mysteries of Unland #4

The eels are coming. 

Writers: Kim Newman, Maura McHugh
Artist: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Dark Horse

Things are coming to a terrifying close in Unland. Do I understand it? No, not really. Do I love it anyways? Yes. 

Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder. A character of Mike Mignola's creation and a man in service to the Queen, has been fighting a mysteriously wet, vile, and eel powered evil in the small backwater town of Hallam. Now, the eels and their servants seem to be fighting back. 

Newman and McHugh's story is coming to a close soon in this issue 4 of 5 and I can plainly say that I'm still very confused and all the same still totally enraptured by it. The complexity of the mythology, characters, town and world here is inspired. It feels like a real, damned and downtrodden, place. Sir Grey, for all of his prowess, seems no closer to defeating this evil which I'm enjoying greatly. This is a man who is fully capable but also completely out of his element. He's bested time and time again simply because he's fighting a dry land war in a place of murky swamps and "un"land. These monsters motivations have yet to be revealed but that's all very fitting for a Mignolaverse book. The fear of the unknown is very much at play here and it works. However, the family lineage and history is immensly confusing and I still don't know who is who, this may be a limitation of a 5 issue run or it may be an intentional device. Either way, it's confusing and leaves the reader feeling like they might be missing out on good dialouge or intrigue simply because it's hard to keep track.

Crook's art is stomach churning. His knack for creating dread and despair is uncanny. Unland is a place no sane person would ever want to visit and the people residing here certainly look less than sane. Eels, much like snakes, can be terrifying creatures and in this book they very much are. The slithery, wet, dark and quick kind of evil embodied in these pages is scary and you can't look away. Edward's pain and fear feel very genuine and when you see what he's faced with, they should be.

This book is doing tone right, this book is doing fear right, this book is a delightful read for fans of Grey's quips and rationality. This is a book that feels like it belongs in the Hell Boy universe. However, the story is still very confusing and I'm not entirely sure they can wrap it up in only one more issue.

I'm ready to be proven wrong.