Writer: Tom King
Artist: Bilquis Evely
Colorist: Matheus Lopes
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Cover Artists: Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes; Fábio Moon
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 19, 2024
After Thomas Rogers dies, his partner hires an auctionhouse. The dealer admires the framed art adorning one of Christopher KriegerCole’s books. A recent movie heightened interest in the early 20thCentury author. The dealer believes the art will command a princely sum andasks for more items associated with C.K. Cole. The partner points to boxescontaining Thomas’ research for his biography, Fighting Monsters: The Life AndTragic Death Of Fantasy Master C.K. Cole. Among Thomas’ notes are cassettetapes of his interview with Lilith Appleton. What more can we learn about C. K.Cole, his father Barnabas, and his daughter Helen from the girl’s governess? Let’sgrab our pens and notepads, leap into Helen Of Wyndhorn #3, and see what we canlearn!
Story
Barnabas promised Lilith that he and Helen would return in afew days. But a month passed before Helen burst into Lilith's bedroom onenight. Helen was enthusiastic and yearned to tell her governess of heradventures. But Lilith chides Helen for her unladylike conduct. Still, Helen'sstory bursts out like a lock releasing water into a river. Helen explains thatshe and her grandfather walked for hours until they came to the boundary of theWyndhorn estate. They entered a cabin and emerged in a desert.
Helen Of Wyndhorn #3 transports readers to fantastic locals.Helen’s adventures with her grandfather bring her father's stories to life. Sherealizes that C.K. Cole based his tales of Othan on Barnabas' exploits. Helenalso discerns a crucial difference between herself and her father. Or perhapsit is too soon to say, as she only paid one visit to this fantasy land. But herfather spent his life running away from Wyndhorn and interpersonal conflicts.He didn't want Helen to read his stories. In the end, Christopher abandoned herwhen alcohol could no longer distract him from the future he envisaged or theknowledge too terrible to bear.
Tom King mixes folklore and epic fantasy withJudeo-Christian beliefs in Helen Of Wyndhorn #3. Helen learns about her familyand heritage as she ventures as a stranger into a strange land. Readers alsolearn why Thomas rejected Lilith’s Amazing Stories. Yet we are left to wonderwhy Thomas did nothing with them after listening to the cassette tapes againfollowing his book signing. But then, it is one thing to celebrate fantasy andanother to believe it.
Art
Helen’s journey fulfills Lilith's hopes. The young womanbeams as she regales her governess with her exploits. Yet how long until thatenthusiasm dims in the wood-paneled fortress, surrounded by inked walls?
The Wyndhorn Estate has never looked wilder as Helen tugsthe little horned animal up a hill and through the overgrown trees and shrubs.A crone sits outside a cottage, evoking the collected tales of The BrothersGrimm. But the varied landscapes that Helen, Barnabas, and the flyune traverseowe more to Peter Jackson than Terry Gilliam. Tom King's story suggests talesby Robert E. Howard and H P Lovecraft, but Bilquis Evely’s settings and peoplerecall fantasies by Michael Moorco*ck, Jack Vance, and Larry Niven.
Matheus Lopes applies limited palettes to fantasy landscapesin Helen Of Wyndhorn #3. The color sets change as the travelers brave deserts,swamps, and snow-capped mountains. Yet Lopez lavishes a loaded palette onsettings such as a tavern illuminated by glowing orbs, a twisted tree beside astream, and a woman who welcomes the flyune. This final scene proves so radiantthat readers will understand why Barnabas, the mighty warrior, departs soquickly. But then, they share a history that changes Helen's understanding ofherself.
Large uppercase black letters inhabit ivory dialogueballoons. Ivory letters in green balloons show the crone's utterances. Whiteletters in black balloons reveal the radiant, godlike woman's conversation. ThomasRogers never shared Lilith's Amazing Stories with his readers, so ClaytonCowles does the honors with cursive lowercase letters on yellowed parchment.Despite all the times crimson stains Barnabas' sword, no sound effects enhanceHelen's initiation to this fantastic world. But enlarged black letters threatento burst their balloon amid a fight to the death in Helen Of Wyndhorn #3.Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Lilith begged Barnabas to take an interest in hisgranddaughter. Barnabas may be a man of few words, but their fraught anddangerous journey banishes the distance between them and the despair that hungover Helen after her father's suicide in Helen Of Wyndhorn #3.
Rating 9.4/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
