Manor Black

Manor Black #1-4

by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Tyler Crook (Illustrations)

From the creators of Harrow County and The Sixth Gun comes this gothic horror fantasy about a family of sorcerers in crisis.

Roman Black is the moribund patriarch of a family of powerful sorcerers. As his wicked and corrupt children fight over who will take the reins of Manor Black and representative of the black arts, Roman adopts a young mage who he gifts his powers to with the hope that someone good will take his place against the evil forces out to bring down his family and legacy.

Collects Manor Black issues #1-4 and featuring a sketchbook section and pinup art by Jill Thompson, Dan Brereton, Eric Henderson, and Greg Smallwood.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Supernatural, Magic, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2020

About the author

Cullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.

All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.

And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.

Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's not much to this story. Yet.
A young woman has some sort of magical family connection to this fire totem? Anyway, she ends up getting help from a grumpy old magic-user who has a family totem of his own to protect.


Also, his children are shady. Which, hey that's probably his own fault for not doing the parent thing right, but I guess he's going to correct it now by mentoring someone who doesn't hate him yet.


I think fans of Harrow County will be excited to see Cullen Bunn & Tyler Crook team up again. Hopefully, they can spark another hit.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the patriarch of a family of magicians. He encounters the last survivor of the family of the fire totem. The premise is cool. It's southern gothic horror set during today. So far there's not a lot of clarity yet. Hopefully, that will come in the next volume. But I'll give the creators of Harrow County and The Sixth Gun a long rope.

Received a review copy from Dark Horse adn Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Artemy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected so much better from the creative team behind the brilliant Harrow County. I don’t know if it’s because Brian Hurtt was co-writing (I’m not familiar with his other writing if there is any, I only know him as an artist), but the story, the characters, the concepts here were so uninspired and boring, I could barely finish the volume even despite its brevity. Tyler Crook’s gorgeous painted artwork is the only good thing about Manor Black, and in all honesty his talents are absolutely wasted on it. A huge disappointment.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 3 out of 5]

It bears some similarities to Harrow County, but first four issues are little hasty, brings many question but only few answers, and way how everybody is calm about people dying around them is kind of strange. Hopefully, next arcs will bring some clarity and won't wander away like some in already mentioned Harrow County. If you like mystery, magic and liked Harrow County you'll probably also like this one

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

There's nothing more daunting than being given unanticipated responsibilities to deal with when you're already struggling to understand your place in a world where the odds are always against you. The weight of this burden forces one to juggle with far more emotions than they were already able to handle but to conquer these obstacles would open their eyes to their potential, their path towards discovering their purpose in a world rife with horrors. However, in a place where magic and black arts exist, the journey is bound to be challenging. This first volume by the creators of Harrow County and The Sixth Gun is the beginning of a potential new gothic horror fantasy series and collects the first four issues of Manor Black and adds in a sketchbook section and pinup art by Jill Thompson, Dan Brereton, Greg Smallwood, and Erica Henderson.

What is Manor Black about? Within Manor Black is a family of powerful sorcerers led by the moribund patriarch, Roman Black. While his children are ill-intentioned and desperately seek the blessing of their father to become the next representative of the black arts, he turns his attention to a young lady with magical powers who possess the potential to become a powerful mage that can fight evil and carry on the legacy of his family. Ari, however, has her problems as a mysterious stranger has set his eyes on her and friends, wishing them death and nothing more in this world. It all now comes down to how she will deal with her life when she will cross paths with Roman Black and the colossal responsibility he has for her.

It's safe to say that this was unimpressive from start to finish. I'd have a tough time even saying that it succeeded in achieving anything that resembles horror too. There's very little that was properly explored in this first story-arc and no news that they've even begun working on the next chapter either. While it suffers from poor character- and world-building, the story still contains some intriguing elements, notably a friendly yet perseverant cop, an unstable supernatural group of delinquents, and strange yet powerful totems. The predictable nature of the story also leads to very few to no surprises in the development of the narrative but the fantasy world remains somewhat enchanting and mesmerizing with its Gothic tone. Only a second volume could enlighten the reader in the direction of this series and their interest in these characters.

Artist Tyler Crook brings back his beloved style in this comic book series as he mixes watercolour, coloured inks, and colour pencils to achieve an enticingly dark and sinister world. His character designs are impeccable, giving them an authentic touch that allows the story to maintain an affinity towards originality without necessarily standing out. The facial expressions are also brilliantly executed, allowing the reader to easily understand the emotional atmosphere, tainted in fear and panic, of the story. The panel structure utilized in this series is also quite traditional, maintaining a classic format that works fine for this series. While there's very little fault that can be attributed to the artwork, it is mostly the story that keeps this one from properly capturing the reader.

Manor Black is a dull yet promising Gothic horror fantasy tale that never really finds its footing in this first story-arc.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Ashkin Ayub · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Manor Black mainly because of the gorgeous artworks, anything else didn't really impress me. There is a distinct objective recognized with extremely dramatic sceneries + visuals. Also, a few are nice conversations despite the lacking adequate storytelling. The artistry of Tyler Crook from the harrow county is even more stunning.

[Adam Šilhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dost to podle mě trpí tím, že se snaží nacpat úvodní arc do čtyř sešitů. Věřím, že na větším prostoru by nemuseli tolik uspěchat.

[Pavel Pravda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jsem mírně zklamaný… Při hodnocení Odkazu rodu Blacků se nemohu vyhnout srovnání s Pochmurným krajem od stejného tvůrčího týmu. Pochmurný kraj řadím k tomu nejlepšímu, co u nás vychází, a v podstatě hned první číslo mě vystřelilo na Měsíc svou výtvarnou stránkou a atmosférou. Navíc si Pochmurný kraj drží své kvality i v dalších dílech. A právě tohle byl důvod, proč jsem se na Odkaz rodu Blacků hodně těšil. A jak jsem už psal, nyní jsem zklamaný - možná více než mírně.
Pokud začnu kresbou a barvami, tak mám pocit (zdůrazňuji slovo pocit), že si na tomto komiksu dal Tyler Crook záležet o něco méně než na Pochmurném kraji - hlavně co se barev týče. V případě příběhu je to trošku složitější. Děj tohoto komiksu vypadá jako první díl dlouhého televizního seriálu, který nás měl nalákat na to hlavní, které teprve přijde. A to je problém. Odkazu rodu Blacků je totiž jen a pouze one-shot a jeho další pokračování je pouze teoretické. Takže tady máme knihu, která něco načne a skončí cliffhangerem. Uspokojení z odvyprávěného příběhu se nedostavilo...

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not content with taking horror by storm with Harrow County, Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook return (with Bunn's Sixth Gun co-creator Brian Hurtt in tow) for a new tale of magic and mystery featuring a dying patriarch, a girl on the run, and a hell of a lot of fires.

This isn't bad as a starting point. There's a lot of unspoken mythos circling in the background, which intrigues me. The two main two characters, Roman Black and Ari, have a lot of potential to bounce off each other, but they don't share very many scenes over these four issues. There's also a scheming family, a plotting mom that I don't trust one bit, and some police officers milling around as well. It feels like there's a lot more to be mined, and while I know there is another 4 issue follow-up, I worry that it's not really going to be enough. Harrow County worked because of the small cast and the extended issue count, but I'm not sure that's going be the case here.

The book does of course look wonderful, because Tyler Crook's great at what he does. The greens and browns of the colour palette make the world of Manor Black seem almost mundane until the fire and blood magic shine through the pages.

Not bad. Hopefully it has the time and page count to live up to its potential.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I sometimes feel that horror can be hard to accomplish in comics. Sure, you can have over the top gore or over the top monsters, but there is nuance that is lost, be it the music track or the “there they are behind the door; now they're gone!” type of effect. To remain so popular and so consistent as Cullen Bunn and to some extent Brian Hurtt, show the calibre of their work, this is no different. I will say Cullen Bunn can write horror fantasy so well, often it is surprising and scary, love the whole blood wizardry thing going on in Manor family. The artwork by Tyler Crook is strikingly good. Though the Manor Black miniseries leaves almost every single thread left dangling at the end it still manages to shows that the series is on the rise.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a "horror" book until I finished it and saw the back of the book saying it was a gothic urban horror whatever-you-call-it. It's... fine? Gets more interesting as it goes on and we actually get to see the magic but it's all "magic totems powers whatever", seen it all before. Magical powers, family drama, evil cultists, blah blah blah it's the first session of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign but without any cool elves or barbarians.

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeds are planted for a larger story. This seems to be an introduction. Possibly families of sorcerers with different power sources. I may give volume two a shot to see if I want to pursue a series.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume One collecting issues 1-4.

Thought this would grab me more but the characters felt a bit stale and played out in things I've already read. Still it was engaging enough to finish. The artwork by Crook is wonderful.

[Zezee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because this is a story about magicians, I went in thinking it was solely fantasy-based, despite the horror vibe the cover gives off what with the black and red colors and the style of the typography for the title, which makes me think of slasher films.

I’d call Manor Black supernatural horror. It’s about a family of powerful blood sorcerers whose moribund patriarch — Roman Black — seems indecisive about which of his three children to hand over the helm of Manor Black to. Reginald, who seems to be the eldest, believes it’s his right to hold the helm, but Roman does not have much confidence in his son. However, when a young Black woman named Ari stumbles upon his property when outrunning pursuers, Roman offers her blood protection. Realizing that she is the last of her house of fire sorcerers, Roman offers to help Ari locate her house’s totem, which is wreaking havoc on the town by causing people to spontaneously combust, and control her powers. Of course, Roman’s children (or maybe just Reginald) are not happy to see an outsider possibly steal their inheritance.

It’s not a strong start, but it has my attention and I hope the next volume will be stronger. It’s just that the characters didn’t stand out much and the plot wasn’t that appealing, but what held my interest and makes me willing to read more in this series are the bits of mystery: Who is the weird electrical mummy working with, and how conniving will Roman’s children become to gain the helm of Manor Black? I’d also like to know more about the magical systems and the need for a magician to belong to a “house” or group of magicians to control their powers.

So although this wasn’t an impressive beginning, I believe it has a lot of potential, so I’ll pick up the next volume whenever it comes out.

ART STYLE

It’s not a style I like, unfortunately, which turned me off at first. However, it grew on me as I read and then I began to appreciate how well it fits the eerie tone of the story. I love that the volume I read includes notes from the illustrator, Tyler Crook, in the back about his process and artistic decisions. It’s there that I learned he used a mix of watercolor, colored inks, and color pencils for this comic.

Although the result of this mix didn’t initially appeal to me, I find myself liking it the more I look at it, lol. I just like how the colors blend in and out of each other in certain scenes. I also like the effect of the colors bleeding out of and into other panels, although I think Crook mentions in his notes that doing so got confusing at times because it’s hard to tell how the page would read. Still, I think the effect was pretty cool because it made me think of paint bleeding off the page and being uncontained, which fits the events in the panels where this style is used because I think the actions in those panels were chaotic or featured a frantic character.

OVERALL: ★★★☆☆

An unimpressive beginning, but I’m curious about what might be going on and what will come next.

As posted on Zezee with Books.

[Alex Sarll]

Cullen Bunn puts out far too many horror books with far too little quality control, so it's always a roll of the dice to try a new one. I was particularly short on optimism here, given he has a co-writer and that's seldom a good sign – set against which, the art is from his Harrow County team-mate, the great Tyler Crook. Who once again gets to show off his gift for depicting America's small towns, its countryside and its ruins, albeit a little closer to the modern day this time. Also, of course, its spooks. We open on the patriarch of a magical dynasty taking council with his forebears, whom he must soon join, knowing full well what awaits him: they are cadavers, decaying ever more until they're only spectres, but still bound to wait there, seemingly forever. First, though, he must choose an heir – but as is so often the way with privileged families, the available specimens are a ghastly bunch, save for the one who seemingly wants nothing to do with the family trade. This looks like quite enough story to be going on with, and certainly more than plenty of Bunn horror launches have had. But no – there's another magical story underway in the same little patch of land, not one directly tied in to the first story, but one which will inevitably collide with it. Meaning we get some quality sorcerous confrontations, but also a comic that quietly makes itself about something while it's doing that, about the haves and the have-nots, and how the self-proclaimed champions of the latter often seem to do pretty well out of screwing them over in the course of becoming an even uglier version of the former. Plus, there's a real sense of character in the dialogue, making even the minor players feel solid:
"This isn't one of your frappa-latte, city coffees is it?"
"Black and straight from the station pot. Mine is, at least. Yours is the one with the three sugars, three creams."
"It's that kind of attention to detail that'll see you go far in this department."
"Shoot, it ain't nothing to remember, sir...you and my 13-year-old niece like your coffee the same way."

I think I may need to start keeping an eye out for that co-writer, Brian Hurtt, in his own right.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aug 2023 update: I'm surprised I originally gave this five stars. Manor Black is good, but it's certainly not great. The idea is derivative of a million other series (including Bunn and Crook's own Harrow County) and is barely fleshed out in this first volume. The real appeal lies in Crook's captivating artwork.

Original review: Just like Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook's previous collaboration, Harrow County, Manor Black starts off strong. The characters are crisply defined, the stakes are clear, the action is explosive, and the world-building is light, but just detailed enough to intrigue and not confuse.

Ari, the last wielder of flame magic, barrels into Roman Black's life at the worst possible time: Roman is about to pass on his blood magic to one of his children. As Ari and Roman battle wild magic users who desire Ari's flame totem, the sheriff in the nearby town investigates all these weird fires. The threads all tie together neatly in just four issues, a miracle of concision.

It's nearly a pitch perfect start to a series. Other writers take note: this is how you craft a quick, fascinating, and relatively self-contained series introduction, while simultaneously teasing a wider world with potentially endless stories. I'm absolutely on board - and Tyler Crook's beautiful watercolor artwork is simply a bonus.

[Ondřej Halíř · Rating 4 out of 5]

Není to tak špatný jak všichni líčí.

Holt se snaží Bunn rozjet kouzelnickou ságu o rodinně která má svých problémů dost a ve městečku zničeho nic vzplane pár obyvatel a šerif to vyšetřuje.

Je to super a atmosférický, jen kvůli tomu že je to minisérie tu konflikty v rodinně a tak nemají moc prostoru a soustředí se to na hlavní dějovou linku a i tak se příběh posouvá pomalu jakoby bylo na vše hodně času (je to čtyř dílna minisérie). Což mě to nevadí, je to zajímavý a atmosférický. Jen Bunn měl prostě trochu zrychlit když má málo prostoru 😂

Jinak by mi to nevadilo, plus konec otevřený, takže se asi bude pokračovat.

[Carol Tilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable opening chapter to what is obviously a much larger story, but is it memorable enough to survive the wait for the next part?

[Lacee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting Manor Black to be a miss but was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I really, really liked this! Harrow County was a bit of a disappointment for me and the reviews here made me a little hesitant but I'm glad I gave this trade a shot.

This is a story about warlocks and mages, some vying for a specific power and how this power disrupts a small town and it's population. The magic system is interesting and has lots of potential to be unique. The plot is very atmospheric, starts with some action and keeps you guessing on where the story line could go. The characters are solid, a little cliche but they have promise and I found myself invested in a few. The villains are cool but I'm going to need more time with this story before I decide if they have more depth or are bad guys just because.

I did enjoy this read but I have to be honest. Some of these reviews are accurate when it comes to the plot being a bit vague. I can see where this arc could be a bit disappointing. I would even say that the synopsis is a bit misleading as some of the plot threads haven't quite woven together yet. There are in fact more questions than real answers but I want to know more! I'm eager to continue this series.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the creators of Harrow County, Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crooks, co-written with Brian Hurtt I'm finally getting to this series and when I page through it I'm excited to see the exceptional talent of Crooks on every page. As with Harrow County, the southern gothic context gives an artist the opportunity to create all these creatures: Haints, demons, zombies, djinns and so on. Fire totems, those are my vote for best monster effects of the volume.

This is the first volume, which is how I expected it, a set-up for what is to come, world and character creation. But this is in some ways too similar t0 Harrow County. In both projects a young woman is featured, someone who has powers to fight the darkness and all the evil creatures. An old man, head of the household of Manor Black, a totem keeper, tries to rein in his magical family. And with the body count soaring, and the sheriff now burned to a crisp, what's a new young sheriff to do?

The story of this project feels a little generic/derivative, a battle for the soul of the place, as with Harrow County. But fans of Bunn and Crooks like me will have to get to the table for this feast of inventive gore.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very much a middle-of-the-road book. It takes place in both a rural and urban setting, deals with classic and modern magic, and has some fresh ideas mixed with a number of cliches. There's an amazing elemental creature and a cheesy blood hourglass. It has some great action moments and some confusing scenes. It has some unique individuals and stock caricatures.
Ultimately, it's a world-building exercise that suggests some interesting possibilities, but its focus is scattered between a magical world and a rural police department and while they do intertwine, they don't really seem to build each other up. The art has its moments but the water colors do wash out occasionally, and blur some too.
I don't know that I can recommend this currently - if more story comes out, it might be worth going through it to see the rest, but as it stands now, it's the epitome of average.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Magos y hechiceros...en el Estados unidos profundo, donde una joven escapa al acoso de unos hechiceros salvajes , se encontrara en una trama familiar cin secretos y mas magia...

LO BUENO: El arte de Tyler Crook es todo lo bueno que existe en el mundo, con sus diseños siempre increibles, colores excepcionales , se roban el show desde la portada inicial hasta los diseños y bocetos. Hay un misterio, del reloj de sangre y de la magia, de los espiritus, esa parte me llamo la atención.

LO MALO: Muy predecible y con un tufo a HARROW COUNTY ( anterior obra del equpo creativo) que llena todas las paginas, desde la magia, pueblo escondido, familias con secretos, todo, todo es muy parecido, y si uno siguio esa obra, se siente la sombra y apenas uno alcanza a sorprenderse.

[Y.S. Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHY I LOVE THE BOOK
As a fan of Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook's Harrow County, I was curious about their latest installation - Manor Black. Just like Harrow County, this is not a story that takes a while to unfold - we are introduced to our characters' motivations within a few pages. From then on, the backbone of the story starts to open up.
The art is very much what I have come to expect for the authors - lovely palette of water-colour style, unique and fair to the eyes.

DISLIKES
None.

WHO IS IT FOR
This is another gorgeous work for fans of fantasy and horror.

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5/5 *

Když jsem zjistila, že tvůrcům Pochmurného kraje vyšlo nedávno další dílo, musela jsem si ho hned přečíst. Stejně jako Pochmurný kraj, tak i Odkaz rodu Blacků nabízí čtenářům úžasnou kresbu a zajímavý příběh plný magie, temného prostředí, napětí a sympatických hlavních hrdinů. Myslela jsem si, že mou lásku k PK už žádný komiks nepřekoná, ale...tohle bylo fakt skvělé a děsně moc se těším na další díly! （*＾-＾*）

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot but no final resolution leaves you wanting more.

The art starts off rough but eventually becomes its own style. Used the wrong 'your' and messed up some speech bubbles in one panel.

Expanded to 12 issues, it could probably reach a great conclusion, rather than just this glimpse, and I would buy them.

[Vladimír · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odkaz rodu Blacků je vizuálne podmanivé dielo, ktorého príbeh vybudoval pevné základy, avšak neprináša nič navyše.

Viac v recenzii 👉 Mala by byť mágia slobodná?

[Renee McCall · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous, but that's to be expected with Tyler Crook. As for the story, I honestly don't really much know what's going on. I don't think I'll continue this series. I was excited to check this one out because I really enjoyed Harrow Country but this just didn't grab me.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first volume in a new horror series. As such, it's mostly world building. And since it's a short volume (only four issues) there isn't much that happens. This just didn't grab me the way Harrow County or The Sixth Gun had, so I'm not sure I'll keep going with this one.

[Václav Urbánek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bunn má zajímavý náměty a Crook naprosto fantastickou kresbu, jejich věci mě ale z nějakýho důvodu nechytaj. Nebavilo mě ani Harrow County a nebavilo mě ani tohle, i když oboje na první pohled vypadá, jako kdyby to bylo ušití přímo mně na míru. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯