Salem’s Daughter: The Haunting #3
Publisher: Zenescope
Writers: Ralph Tedesco (Joe Brusha)
Artist: Allan Otero (cover by Keu Cha)
Something is wrong in this little town that Anna and Braden have entered. They are used to unusual circumstances, but have yet to figure out what they are exactly. Well, wait no further, because they, along with you and I, find out in this issue that a certain house, specifically its basement, holds a dark secret that is responsible for the strange goings-on that have an entire town trembling in fear. This issue has it all – a church fire, a gunfight, sorcery, and yes, the voluptuous Anna Williams to top it all off! By issue’s end, though, Anna, along with Braden, are in desperate need of help, and actually find it in the form of a local girl with knowledge of not only voodoo, but also the secret that lies within the dreaded house.
Tedesco and Brusha have a pretty cool story going on in this book. It’s like Jonah Hex meets Zatanna, and sprinkle in a little bit of The Exorcist. It really holds up that good. The two main characters play well off of each other and the flow of the book is nice and smooth. I enjoy the fact that the roles are somewhat reversed compared to typical books. Anna is definitely the muscle/leader, and Braden more the “Robin” of the team. It’s an interesting dynamic that I can’t quite remember reading before, so kudos to Tedesco and Brusha.
As far as the artwork, the interiors were solid, but they seemed slightly rushed or something. There was one page that impressed me, though; I believe it was page five (a full page shot of Anna using her powers to smash a door down). The first two issues just seemed more fluid and more precise. The cover was just OK, again, not bad but not even close to being as cool as the Artgerm cover from the previous issue(s). Honestly, I liked the “B” cover better (see above, by Alfredo Reyes). All in all, the series is doing a pretty good job at keeping my attention, and that’s what it’s all about. I’m looking forward to seeing who the mystery villain is in the next issue, so I’m definitely going to check it out, and so should you! Rating 3.5/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
