Tales from Harrow County Volume 1: Death's Choir

Tales from Harrow County

by Cullen Bunn, Naomi Franquiz (Illustrator), Tyler Crook (Illustrator)

Harrow County is back! The award-winning, Eisner-nominated southern-gothic horror series returns with a brand-new story.

Ten years have passed since Emmy exited Harrow County, leaving her close friend Bernice as steward of the supernatural home.

But World War II is in full swing, taking Harrow's young men and leaving the community more vulnerable than ever--and when a ghostly choir heralds the resurrection of the dead, Bernice must find a solution before the town is overrun.

Collects Tales from Harrow County: Death's Choir #1-#4.

Genres: Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, LGBT, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 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

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's exciting to see more Harrow County on the shelf. It's 10 years later, Emmy's gone and Berenice is now taking center stage. She's grown up, still helping the folks of Harrow County. We're in the midst of World War II and people are finding out terrible news about their loved ones. That's where this all begins...

Naomi Franquiz's art is similar to Tyler Crooks, although her water colors aren't at the same level as Crook's. Franquiz looks like she painted then over her pencils, where Crook's looked ingrained in the page, but I'm sure she'll get there. I did really like her period costume designs and attention to detail. It really transports you to the era.

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

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

After concluding the highly successful rural horror comics series written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Tyler Crooks, we return to the town where Emmy is gone, her friend Berenice is the central character and Naomi Franquiz replaces Crooks as the artist. The tale is now set in WWII when a lot of men are dying and their spirits are returning home. What is Berenice going to do about it to make the spirits welcome and the town feel sfa?

So when you replace an artist who is so amazing on a series such as Crooks you take a risk of course, and usually it does not work out with readers, but Franquiz makes it clear she wants us to be back in a recognizable world and within the ballpark of Crook's impressionistic mood-making, and I'll say it is good enough not to be too jarring. She's not as good, but she is in there. After all, I am also rereading now Sandman where artists change every volume, and I usually love or at least like it, so I am pretty tolerant. I'll read on and see if I can live in the world fully again. I'd like that.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! Harrow County’s back! Set about a decade after the end of the original series, Tales from Harrow County is a worthy successor. It’s still written by Cullen Bunn, so the new book still feels like HC of old and Naomi Franquiz’s lovely, fully painted artwork isn’t that different from Tyler Crook’s so the change of artist isn’t at all jarring.

This first four-parter was a creepy variation on the old Monkey’s Paw ghost story and I really enjoyed it. I’m really looking forward to seeing where this book goes, particularly after that final page teaser! A great start!

[Sadie Hartmann]

I suppose I should have gotten started with the original series. Oops! But this is an excellent read. Janelle Monaé needs to play Bernice in the adaptation ;)

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would stand apart enough from the long running series for me to enjoy on its own. And, while it might not stand quite far enough apart for me to understand everything that has/is happening in Harrow County, this volume makes me want to read more tales about Bernice and the County.

I admit to just a little knowledge of African American folklore, and even American folklore as it seems Norse and Roman myths have taken up a lot of shelf space (or it felt that way growing up). So, I really enjoyed what felt like Bunn taking pieces of American folklore and weaving it into a moving tale of the supernatural in a very small rural county.

Plus, damn I like Bernice's grit (oh, wait am I going to get into trouble for using that phrase?).

[Artemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrow County is back, and it’s just as good even without Emmy as the protagonist. The book now follows Bernice about ten years after the events of the original series, as she keeps the town protected from evil magic and witchery. It’s a pretty simple story, but it’s a good one, very fitting with the rest of the series. Tyler Crook’s art is gone, but Naomi Franquiz does just as great a job as he did — in fact, it looks remarkably similar most of the time. I really enjoyed it. The only unfortunate thing is that there are no apparent signs of more issues to come, and one of the best things about the original series was its consistency in schedule. I’m really eager to red more, so I hope they come out sooner rather than later.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not as engrossing as the previous series the art is still top notch and the character work is great.

The central part of the dead returning actually had a more somber and sad experience to it verses scary. I enjoyed that part of it and watching some of our older characters grow up and see how they react to the world now. The ending leaves for some interesting future installments and while I didn't fall in love with this volume like most of the others in the original series, it was still worth reading. A 3 out of 5.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a welcome continuation of the spooky series with the action taking place during World War II.
The artwork was fine, and Bernice makes a compelling heroine. I liked how some pages said it all with no words in sight.





Harrow County . . . yet another place I like to visit, but I'm sure glad I don't live there.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

With Emmy gone, the protection of Harrow County falls to Bernice. Ten years after the events of the original series, a new mystical enemy rears their head when a mysterious song wakes the dead from their slumber. The ghosts are mostly harmless, but they're not the only ones that can hear the song...

I think going straight into this after finishing Harrow County proper is my mistake here. After all the big climactic battles in the last 8 issues or so of the original series, this all feels far too pedestrian in comparison. If I'd had a gap between finishing the main book and starting this, I'd probably feel a little differently.

And it's not even really the book's fault - the shift of protagonist to Bernice given that Emmy's out of the picture makes sense, and her powers have always been far less than Emmy's ever were. But it definitely feels like the plot drags her along rather than her having any effect on what actually happens. It does look like Bunn is setting these up to be a running collection of mini-series though, so I'm curious to see what happens next in the grand scheme of things.

Naomi Franquiz's artwork is very close to Tyler Crook's original vision for the series. It can get a little rushed when the fighting starts, lots of gloopy balls of colour rather than any distinct detail, but she does a great job of capturing the same ambience and style that made the original series so unique.

Tales From Harrow County is a fine return to everyone's favourite haunted locale, but it feels tame in comparison to what came before it.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting/lovely mix of history and Sci Fi. I'm intrigued enough to continue on!

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ak vám nestačilo prvých pár kníh Harrow County, dostali sme ďalšie. Tales from Harrow County je zasadené 10 rokov po tom, čo dostala Bernice na starosti chrániť to tam. Vtiahli ma to hneď prvým zošitom a ďalšie tri boli super tiež. Hlavná hrdinka ma priateľku, pokúša sa vyriešiť záhadu songu znejúceho nocou, ktorý budí a láka mŕtvych (a bohužiaľ nie len tých dobrých). Znova to z velkej časti stojí na nádhernej kresbe a neskutočných, nádherných farbách. Covery od Crooka sú božské tiež. Teším sa na čokolvek, čo príde po tomto ako pokračovanie.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales from Harrow County: Death’s Choir is a spin-off from the original rural fantasy-horror series, Harrow County. It’s ten years later. Emmy is gone and here friend Berenice has taken her role as protector of Harrow County.

The story is set during WWII. One night a song is heard through the county that turns out to be a song calling the dead home. Of course, all does not go well and Berenice has to deal with the mess.

This feels like Harrow County, but there is a different illustrator. It’s not quite the same caliber as the original series (but still good!).

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can't go home again. Dipping into a classic setting without anything new to say - just reskinning the lead character and telling a generic tale - tarnishes the fond memories of the series.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good follow up to the original series. It's ten years later, and in the midst of WWII Harrow County once again finds evil spirits acting up. Great art, and this story follows Bernice, who has stayed in Harrow County. This is just a wonderful series.

[Stephane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its just not the same without Crook's art. It bugged me earlier in the original series when he skipped an issue or two, and it bugs me now. It also bugs me when it happens in Sandman. My own weakness I guess; I am working on it. Franquiz does her best to emulate Crook's world / style. I almost would have prefer that she does her own thing. But then again, maybe it is her own thing?

Reminds me when Layne Staley tragically died, and Alice in Chains replaced him with a singer who sounded just the same. It should have been as good, but it was not, cause you knew...

So anyhow, I also miss Emmy and the Skinless boy for sure. There are some mild spoilers I guess so you should certainly finish Harrow County before this one. It is a fine tale, but it suffers from trying to follow up a very good story.

[Luke Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this structurally feels a bit lesser and monster-of-the-weeky compared to the original series: it's also NOT about magic bloodline business!! And focuses on a character who's a lot more complex and layered and has agency and responsibility instead of destiny and superhuman willpower. Smaller in some ways and bigger in others. I'd love to see this series continue and grow into something really special.

[Alex Sarll]

Harrow County started wonderfully, a backwoods, blue collar American horror story...and then gradually got lost in its own mythology, ending up as a sort of rustic Sandman knock-off, losing much of its initial appeal along the way. This spin-off feels like the concept getting back to its roots and recapturing that original promise. Time has moved on since the original series' Depression background – now the people of Harrow County dread the mailman bringing government letters about their sons overseas. The personnel have changed too, on and off the page. Tyler Crook, the original artist, is now only lettering, but replacement Naomi Franquiz has the same gift for unglamorous but winning faces, beautiful rural scenes, sunsets over forests and Eisner-style opening titles written in the landscape. The same knack, too, for making eerie happenings, haints and spectres work on the page – and with the original series' increasingly overpowered lead Emmy out of the picture, dealing with them now falls to her friend Bernice, who takes over as protagonist. Black, not to mention in an interracial queer relationship, she has extra obstacles to deal with, even aside from not having the same mythic power levels, but she knows a thing or two about a thing or two – and I did like that, the objectionable Reverend aside, the local folk in general seemed to have the sense to see that and remember how much she's helped them, rather than jumping straight to torches and pitchforks like a bunch of ninnies. Which is handy, really, when she's the only thing standing between Harrow County and the goblin song drifting across its streets and woods, singing back the dead, and worse things than the dead along with them. Now I just hope we get more like this, instead of a recapitulation of the first series' mistakes.

One incidental detail which surprised me – the rationing poster in the general store. Given the British wartime mythology always has the GIs dispensing sweets and nylons to a deprived populace, and also just given the sheer scale of the USA and the variety of things it can produce, I simply hadn't ever thought of rationing as something which applied Stateside.

[Jamie Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was an ok side story. The ending promises more to come. 3 stars.

[Rabbit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good but slightly mediocre start to this spinoff series. The story is more sad than horrifying and lacks the polish & charm of ambling southern gothic storytelling that Cullen Bunn gave to the original Harrow County series. Naomi Franquiz’s art doesn’t compare to Tyler Crook’s masterpieces. Solid but a bit disappointing in comparison to the original series.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always nice to return to Harrow County.

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I finished the initial run of Harrow County I felt it wrapped up nicely and didn’t leave much room for continuation. Tales from Harrow Country proves how wrong I was. This story sees Emmy’s best friend, and now protector of Harrow County, Bernice take centre stage. Whilst it is a case of ‘more of the same’ from Cullen Bunn it is no less engaging and well written. Using the back drop of gothic horror and Americana is nothing new but Bunn makes Bernice’s adventures feel fresh and exciting. The art from Tyler Crook and Naomi Franquiz is excellent and helps further establish the world of Harrow County. It ends on a cliff hanger so I am impatiently awaiting more adventures.
Side note- I loved having more Priscilla.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay so glad this series is back. From the title I thought this was going to be several short stories (like they used to have in the back of the original Harrow County issues) but it's all one continuous story. The art is as beautiful as ever. Loved the colors. Would've wanted more spook and creepiness but this is only the first volume. Interesting to see black lesbian representation in the WWII era.

I received a free e-arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Alex E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror as a genre has always been a difficult thing to pull of in comics in my opinion but one of my recent favorites was Harrow County. I think Cullen Bunn and Taylor Crook worked in synch to make a creepy and atmospheric comic that definitely hit the nail on the head as far as horror. So I was excited to pick up this follow-up after such a long time. Excited and nervous...

...because how many titles that decide to continue in one way or another years after the fact miss the mark? I would say most of them try to recapture whatever magic there was during the original run, only to find it quite not as good as. And that's not saying all of them at all, but most kind of miss the mark. I was glad to read this one was not one of those.

I was really delighted by how much I enjoyed this. Berenice is now the main protagonist and she is taking up the mantle of Ellie basically, by protecting the town from all manner of supernatural threats that may come their way. I think Bunn was smart to make the main character someone we are familiar with, just to give us a link of the over arching story. She also is a good character as she isn't perfect, she makes mistakes, has to learn and reflect, she's brave, and generally just has a good head on her shoulders.

This was a great way to get re-acquainted with Harrow County. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume.

[Nate]

Harrow County was a great series, and Bunn certainly left the door open for more stories. This is the first of those stories, set some years later during World War II when Bernice is the local witch. Ghosts, mainly dead soldiers, being showing up, and it’s up to Bernice to figure out why. I though this was a decent read. Bunn’s writing flows nicely (he’s one of the best writers of Southern dialect) and there’s nothing outwardly wrong about the plot or anything. It’s just a bit predictable, not as immediately gripping as the first four issues of the main series. I’ll probably pick up the next volume, though.

Naomi Franquiz handles the art here. While very good, it’s not as stunning or smooth as Crook’s. She has the misfortune of following him.

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a big fan of the original Harrow County series, so I had high hopes for this spinoff. I thought this book was good, but it didn't blow me away. The artwork is still top notch like it is with the original series. I thought this would be an anthology series, but it seems like it will be an ongoing narrative. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes. plot summary: the book takes place years after the other series during WWII when Bernice is older. It seems like the haints have quieted down and Bernice is still using natural medicine to help people. One woman, desperate to see her son who died in war, calls upon the goblins to bring back the dead. Many soldiers' spirits do come back, but it also leaves the door open for bad spirits.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrow County is one of my favorite quarantine discoveries and am glad it is back with this sequel limited series.

Like the main series, this book was fun, tightly plotted with creepy imagery. Naomi Franquiz replaces main artist Tyler Crook and does a phenomenal job, taking established characters and making them her own.

This is a standalone story but reading the prior series will definitely help especially as this hints at a sequel in the final page which is more closely tied in with the original series. Think of the Captain Marvel movie and the end credits scene where shows up at Avengers headquarters.

[Abigail Pankau · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been ten years since Emmy left Harrow County, but Bernice is still in Mason Hill looking after the county. Residents are sad, though, because they’ve lost so many young men to the War abroad. But then a strange song starts being sung at night, and it is calling the dead back to Harrow. This might mean closure for some, but it is calling other more dangerous things back as well. Bernice must find where the song is coming from and stop it.

This was a nice return to this Southern Gothic series, with some old familiar faces as well as new ones, in a short tale filled with magical creatures and hedge magic.

[Ashkin Ayub · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Harrow County in the past, you'll enjoy this new line of stories. Despite the fact that it was painted by a different artist, the artwork corresponds to the original issues. My only problem is that it is so short, with only four collected issues, and I'm not sure when the next issues will be released. Overall, if you enjoy Harrow County, you won't be disappointed with this new season.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harrow County is a satisfying place to visit as a reader, you wouldn't want to live there ... Most of the folks have been there forever and wish otherwise, but no one really escapes... They've got some practitioners of good ole hoodoo but that doesn't always stop the haints and ghosts from coming back... Also, a believable lesbian couple without being heavy handed. Glad Bunn still wants to visit here ...

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

This series starts a few years after the original series and stars Bernice, Emmy's friend. There is a weird music going around in the town and ghosts, good and bad, are appearing out of thin air and Bernice has to investigate the source. The art is much better in this newer series than the original one and the story was just as good as the original with Emmy. Looking forward to reading the next two in the series.