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A review by quetzelish
Coffin Hill Vol. 3: Haunted Houses by Caitlin Kittredge, Inaki Miranda
4.0
This volume of Coffin Hill (the final volume at that) does some good and some bad, as all comics from novelists turned comic writers are wont to do. You can feel the novelist trends in the book with its pacing and at times confusing narrative. Details are left intentionally vague, as there must be some mystery, but then they never get clarified in any substantial way. By the end of the volume, I was left with just a feeling of "what just happened?" and "what are the rules here?" I know that it's best to leave things up to interpretation in horror but being consistent is also important, and that's lacking here. The rules constantly change and we, the audience, aren't privy to any of rules in the first place.
But at the same time, the story felt complete. I could follow the narrative and although the twist at the end really came out of nowhere (I wish we could've be given the option to figure it out along with the characters) I did enjoy this volume much more than the previous one. I think the author could certainly use some more practice with comic writing (as it does have a different flow) and making sure that the art and words work together effectively. One example is the two instances of the two page spread that I need to turn on it's side to read. That's not necessary for what was on the pages and just made it more difficult to read. And other times, the words overpowered the scenes, making panels distracting and requiring unnecessary jumps or close ups.
However, aside from the faces of people looking like fish at times (blank stares and closed, unmoving mouths) the artwork really enhances the horror. The best part of this series is the visual looks that are given to all the ghosts and Gothic scenery, I just wish the sort of bland characters (and Eve's constant pouting and snarking) would take a step back so that the horror could really shine through. But all in all, a great end to a series that was trying to juggle too many things at once.
But at the same time, the story felt complete. I could follow the narrative and although the twist at the end really came out of nowhere (I wish we could've be given the option to figure it out along with the characters) I did enjoy this volume much more than the previous one. I think the author could certainly use some more practice with comic writing (as it does have a different flow) and making sure that the art and words work together effectively. One example is the two instances of the two page spread that I need to turn on it's side to read. That's not necessary for what was on the pages and just made it more difficult to read. And other times, the words overpowered the scenes, making panels distracting and requiring unnecessary jumps or close ups.
However, aside from the faces of people looking like fish at times (blank stares and closed, unmoving mouths) the artwork really enhances the horror. The best part of this series is the visual looks that are given to all the ghosts and Gothic scenery, I just wish the sort of bland characters (and Eve's constant pouting and snarking) would take a step back so that the horror could really shine through. But all in all, a great end to a series that was trying to juggle too many things at once.