Winnebago Graveyard #4
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Alison Sampson
Colorist: Stephane Paitreau
Cover Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Cover Artists: Brian Hurtt with Bill Crabtree
Review by Anelise Farris
This has been a fantastic summer for horror comics, and the conclusion of Winnebago Graveyard is the perfect way to say goodbye to summer vacation. Though, if you’re lucky, your summer RV trip did not go the way of Winnebago Graveyard. A stop at a roadside carnival in issue #1 was a huge mistake for an unsuspecting family. To sum it up: this town is made up of a group of Satanists whose motto is join or die. Not eager to join in on the demon worship, Christie and her family have spent three issues trying to make it out alive.
In what has been a relentless horror show from the start, the previous issue amped up the horror as the demon took center stage. The fate of some of the characters was not pleasant, to say the least. But, what has impressed me from the first issue is that this is not a horror comic that just wants to shock its readers with violence and gore. All of the blood-soaked panels and gruesome deaths are intentional. More than a gore-fest, Winnebago Graveyard is a comic about family, survival, and human nature—both good and bad. Winnebago Graveyard #4 emphasizes this as each member of the family is forced to make a sacrifice (no pun intended) to benefit the whole.
So, do they make it out alive? Well, you will just have to pick up Winnebago Graveyard #4 and see for yourself! I will say that, in my opinion, it could not have ended better. This series has continually been playing with traditional horror tropes, elevating them in surprising ways, and the ending is no exception. While I have raved about this in my previous reviews of the series, it is worth repeating: the art is gorgeous. Winnebago Graveyard presents a modern 70s horror aesthetic that blends neon purples and oranges with muted blues. Plus, there is plenty of grit and heavily-shadowed line work to enhance the horror and disturb the reader.
Verdict: Buy it! As with all the best horror, Winnebago Graveyard #4 does not present readers with a neat and tidy ending. Instead, it continues to unsettle, long after you close the book.
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