Published on February 12th, 2024 | by Howard Smith
Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter #2 Review
Summary: Count Crowley doesn't seem to disappoint at all.
4
Uniquely well-crafted
Incoming Threat!
Stricken with grief from her newfound friend, Jerri finds herself at the bottom of a bottle again. She’s supposed to be getting clean and going to her AA meetings, but who could blame her for this setback? Little does the mediocre monster hunter know that a ruthless monster is going to town to check on Hubert and his absence. While Jerri has much to process as a newly appointed one, which not a single man wants to admit, she seeks the help of Barnes. This help turns out to be a total waste of time since all she gets is the cold shoulder and a knife pulled at her. Left with no real companions besides her feline friend, she decides to do this monster business herself despite having to go to work on top of that. Meanwhile, the man with freebie masks roams for more victims to don his masks. Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter #2 builds up quite the cast and sets up a foreshadowing meeting of mayhem and monsters.
Series creator, David Dastmalchian (Headless Horseman: Halloween Annual) continues to unfold the story of monsters and hunters in a unique narrative progression. In Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter #2, Dastmalchian puts the main protagonist through obnoxious obstacles that further develop her character. When she started, she wasn’t so sure that she would be able to handle the strangeness of real monsters lurking in the shadows. Now that she’s a mediocre monster hunter her stumbling beginnings have turned into a powerfully built aptitude against the forces of darkness. As someone who has spent roughly three days catching up on the series to understand this pocket of entertainment and is a new fan of the series, Dastmalchian’s writing is grounded in the essence of occult storytelling. Jerri’s experience as a new monster hunter is full of unexpected twists and turns. Dastmalchian doesn’t fail to disappoint.
Maintaining a harmonious sense of balance with the writing, Lukas Ketner (Birthright, Creepy Comics) illustrates the interior artwork of Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter #2 with such elegance and grit. Ketner’s work complements the necessity of exploring the dark corners of deathly encounters. The specific art style Ketner displays works very well and allows readers to be invested in the pages of the comic book. Each panel felt like reading a horror novel, except with art to visualize the uncertainty. The aura that Kentner gives off within the book brings out the ideal vision Dastmalchian has for his story to be told. If anything, Ketner went above and beyond making this comic compellingly wonderful. Speaking of wonderful, Ketner’s cover for the comic is stunningly cool to admire. The mixture of tones and colors makes the cover enticing to pick up and read.
Comparably, Lauren Affe (Stranger Things, Descendent) provides the comic with amazing color work. Affe’s task as the colorist gives the story a special place to shine. Despite Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter #2 being a dark story, Affe manages to brighten up moments that would have otherwise made a difference in delivery and observation.
Frank Cvetkovic’s (Department 0) lettering on the other hand adds a proper indication of how the comic book should flow from panel to panel.
Overall, Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter #2 is a fun read. It has a monster movie flick with passion written all over it. Be sure to pick this comic up at your local comic bookstore or where copies are sold online.
Comic Details
Writer: David Dastmalchian
Artist: Lukas Ketner
Colors: Lauren Affe
Letters: Frank Cvetkovic
Editor: Megan Walker
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 7, 2024