In THE HORN ISLAND TRILOGY, available from Second Sight Publishing on October 20th, 2021, the Johnstone family of Mississippi carries a curse born of its past sins. Now, an immortal witch demands penance from the Johnstone heirs on the blood-soaked beaches of Horn Island.
The Details
- Written By: Marcus H. Roberts
- Art By: Dan Gorman, Shaun Barbour
- Letters By: Brian Dunphy, Hector Negrete
- Cover Art By: Dan Gorman (cover A)
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Release Date: October 20, 2021
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Was It Good?
This is what you call “a diamond in the rough”. THE HORN ISLAND TRILOGY is a three-part anthology spanning over a hundred years with the Johnstone family at its core. The connective tissue linking the stories together is there, the execution of each story as a complete chapter is (mostly) there, and the overall premise of using zombies as a tool for revenge is a cool concept. The pieces are all present, but the rough spots are very rough. If you can turn a blind eye to the lack of spit ‘n polish, this is a fun little zombie anthology in the same vein as Day of the Dead (1985).
There’s a double-layer of earnestness about this short anthology that’s heartwarming. On one level, the creators are committed to telling a fast-paced, organ-chomping zombie story. When you peel back the top layer, you can feel a sense of pride from the creators by the amount of local accuracy inserted into the story regarding the fine state of Mississippi. When a writer goes out of their way to get the geography and history of a location right, that care gives the story a patina of sincerity that elevates the story beyond a generic horror comic.
We’ll get to the details of each story in the next section, so read on if you want specifics.
What this anthology gets right is the story concepts and the infusion of local flavor. Where the anthology stumbles is in the art and the words.
The art’s not terrible but it’s definitely not polished. Character designs, costumes, backgrounds, and nearly everything has a loose, sketchbook style. From a certain point of view, the art gives off a shabby, grindhouse feel that matches the material. However, some of the panels are a little too sketchy and it was sometimes hard to tell what was going on. The tone and spirit of the story are there in the art, but it needs more spit and polish.
The words, to keep it simple, needed more editing. Grammatical mistakes and clunky dialog abound. You can follow along with what the characters are saying and you get the point of each scene, but the narration and dialog have a long way to go before approaching anything that feels organic or natural. The words are salvageable if the creators go for a sequel or decide to publish a revised edition, but you have to stumble a lot to get through this one.
To be clear, the rough spots are very rough but the diamond is there. If you like zombie anthologies that link together into a larger story, give this one a try.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
As with all our anthology reviews, we’ll cover each story briefly and rank them based on what worked or didn’t.
Zombie Attack of Horn Island
In the late 19th-Century, Confederate soldiers establish an encampment on Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi. As the encampment grows to become a settlement, a mysterious witch appears and demands everyone leave her island or die. When the witch’s demands are ignored, she sends a ravenous horde of zombies to enforce flesh-eating consequences.
Of the three stories, this one has the best (read: cleanest) art. The story is fairly solid for a period piece, but the ending doesn’t quite end so much as it just stops. It may feel mildly incomplete because it’s not clear who the protagonist is as the focus shifts from one character to another.
Return to Horn Island
In the present day, Mississippi is under attack by an outbreak of flesh-eating zombies. To protect the rest of the nation, the President erects a wall around Mississippi to contain the spread. Mississippi’s local military makes plans to safeguard the remaining population by evacuating survivors to Horn Island until the zombies can be cleared out. When the military and a civil engineer, Paul Johnstone, arrive on the island, the same witch and her own zombie army are waiting for them.
The second entry in this anthology is essentially the first of a two-parter. The loose sketchiness of the art takes a toll on the reading experience, and the inorganic dialog is tough to get through in spots. That said, the action is high-energy and there’s something oddly entertaining about the story despite its flaws.
The Battle for Horn Island
In the second story, the military was chased off the island with heavy casualties. In the third and final short of this anthology, the military is back to settle the score. The military noticed the witch was oddly fixated on Paul Johnstone and they demand to know why. Johnstone retells the long and sordid history of his family going back to Colonial times and what connection his ancestors have to Horn Island. When the tale is told, Johnstone and his military colleagues take up arms to free Horn Island once and for all.
Again, despite the flaws in art, dialog, and narration, there’s a fast-paced, action-packed zombie battle going on underneath it all. The third entry is the most story-rich of the anthology and the most complete.
Final Thoughts
THE HORN ISLAND TRILOGY is a sincere and earnest zombie anthology set in the fine state of Mississippi. You can see an above-average amount of attention went into making sure every story got the geography, history, and lore of Mississippi right, and despite the glaring flaws in art and dialog, the anthology manages to tell an entertaining story.
Score: 7/10
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