Cold Iron TPB Review (2023)
Summary: One for fans of folk horror stories that have seen a revival lately or just someone who wants an original setting of a horror fantasy themed story that has something different than the usual vampies and demons.
4
Interesting
On the Isle of Mann Kay Farragher dreams of something more than taking over her grandmother’s farm after she passes away, but dark forces from the underworld emerge that she has to use all of her skill at throwing drunkards out of the local bar after lock-in to deal with. This book collects issues 1 to 4 of this series.
With the recent resurgence in popularity of the Folk Horror genre it is interesting to see something in print dealing with local folk legends that are specific to one part of the UK. A lot of the usual horror tropes have been overdone these days but this one manages to inject something new into it by having very local legends and different characters involved.
Having one of the main bad guys being the local developer also fits in with the storyline well and does work with the “us vs them” sort of thing a lot of these sorts of stories deal in.
Having met a lot of backpackers the main character reminds me of some of them who worked in the local pub that I used to go to every day. She did seem like a real person who had her own hopes and dreams but also had to deal with the present.
It is a lot different having just regular people deal with the supernatural than stock characters or superheroes. There is only so much you can do with a giant wolf you think is chasing you or some creatures from the underworld.
The main character does write and sing songs in the story but I could not really work out how these would sound or what the tune would be. It is hard to know from just the lyrics and I go to see live music a lot.
If you are a fan of the folk horror genre or like stories with strong independent women I would recommend this one. It sure is different than most of the superhero stories or even horror comics I have read.
Comic details:
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Nick Brokenshire, Triona Farrell
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Dark Horse
Publication Date: July 26, 2023
Format: FC, 152 pages; TPB, 7″ x 10″
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