ADVANCE REVIEW! Green Wake #7 will come out on Wednesday, November 30, 2011.
Now I know Green Wake usually has some twists and turns, but this issue was actually more revealing than puzzling. There's still the problem of one question gets answered and a few more spring up to take its place, but it's not as overwhelming as usual.
Morley and Krieger are back as the detective duo. Though Morley would rather stay out of it, it seems that he's being sucked into the fray whether he wants to be or not. Esther seems to be helping out some more as well, and Micah's still a little creepy. There was definitely some character development on Micah's end and the children in Green Wake, while not exactly explained, bring a little enlightenment to the new murders in the town.
Despite the changes in scenery and some new faces, the town of Green Wake is still very much alive and very evil. This issue really hits home the fact that the town feeds off of the guilt of its inhabitants. It needs the people who live there on a basic level. Now the main question is how far the town is willing to go to keep the people living there. Because Morley left and came back, spreading the word of how he became free, I think the town might be holding a grudge. On the other hand, Morley left and came back, meaning he was so miserable that, by choice, he decided his place was in Green Wake.
Green Wake is getting creepier, which is definitely a good thing in my book. People being burned alive, altruistic zealots and… well, I'm not going to spoil the bit about the children, but yes, there was definite ominous tones in that area. Morley and Krieger have their work cut out for them this time around. Anyone remember the priest, Ishum? He gets on the bad side of a Bic lighter in this issue and I honestly think the thing that got me the most was the lack of eyeballs before he went up in flames. Rossmo gets points drawing that one. Sad thing is, that Ishum obviously knew more than he was telling everyone about Green Wake and I think the town got rid of him before he could fill anyone in. Well, not entirely. Morley gets a head full of images that give us a foreshadowing of later events and it looks like Green Wake's building up to quite an epic event. I'm hoping that we might get to see what started Green Wake before "Lost Children" is finished. Cross your fingers!
I'm very curious about what's going on with Micah. He's getting more disturbing with every issue and I can't exactly figure out why. He's obviously putting on a front of being the kind, caring priest leading the people to a bright, new world, but he's not altogether as altruistic as he seems… or is he? He believes he's right, and he has that zealot aura about him, but I'm not sure what he's leading up to. He has a purpose. He's striving for something, but it remains unseen if it's in the benefit of the people, Green Wake or even himself. All that aside, he's got a pretty good grip on the minds of the town's inhabitants, so whatever he's planning will end up catastrophic.
Rossmo's art is as good as ever. It could just be me, but it looks like he's using simpler backgrounds in this issue. There seems to be a lot of shadows or snow, so mostly the panels are very dark or blindingly bright and sometimes the switch can make them appear with heavier contrast. There's still quite a bit of detail in some of the panels, especially the ones without any narration, so Rossmo doesn't disappoint there. There's also a darker, smudged quality that fits the tone perfectly with what I'd expect to see in a horror comic like Green Wake.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this issue. Green Wake doesn't generally disappoint, so I'm starting to expect more from this series than I usually would. Wiebe gives just enough answers to tantalize into the next issue and, as usual, this installment ends with a small cliffhanger for exactly the same reason. One question gets answered and three more branch out until you're left with a massive weave of speculations that need confirmation. You just have to know. Well, we will know eventually, but until then, we just have to wait for the next issue.
Felicity Gustafson was born in Ohio and, after the astounding realization that there was more to do than look at trees and cows, she decided to become a nerd and got into comics, anime and video games. At Comics Bulletin, she sticks mostly to reviewing things out of the horror and comedy genres. She spends most of her time working in the manufacturing industry, finishing her computer degree and steadfastly avoiding ham fat at all costs.