Writer: Tom King
Artist: Bilquis Evely
Colorist: Matheus Lopes
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Cover Artists: Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes; Greg Smallwood
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 17, 2024
After years of research, journalist Thomas Rogers has published his book on early 20th Century author Christopher Krieger Cole. Yet a guest at a book signing for Fighting Monsters: The Life And Tragic Death Of Fantasy Master C.K. Cole awakens forgotten memories. Lilith Appleton's nephew is enthused about C.K. Cole's Sword And Sorcery hero Othan and wishes his aunt had told him stories about the celebrated author. Why does learning of Lilith’s death make Thomas search his office for his cassette tapes? Let’s grab our pens and notepads, leap into Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, and see what we can learn!
Story
Thomas conducted several interviews with Lilith Appleton. But Barnabas Cole hired Lilith to be Helen’s governess after C.K. Cole’s death. So Lilith never met the author, only his daughter. Lilith never even read C.K. Cole’s stories. Thomas eventually stuck recordings of those interviews in a box and never listened to them again. Yet Thomas cares about getting things right. Even though he’s published his book, Thomas wonders if he missed any essential background on the author by not listening to those interviews.
After a thorough search, Thomas finds his recorded interviews with Lilith in Helen Of Wyndhorn #2. He listens to them late into the night. Lilith’s interviews enhance a tragic tale that propelled Cole to an early death. But Lilith is gone now. No one else will likely write about Helen's experiences at her grandfather's estate. Should he?
Lilith was rooted in convention. Given Helen’s itinerant life with her father, Lilith is pleased that the girl betrays an understanding of classic languages and literature. Yet Helen's attention flits to and fro, seemingly driven by fear. Lilith worries the girl’s fondness for alcohol could be a culprit. Like her father, it could drive her to an early death.
In Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, Tom King crafts a gothic tale about haunted souls. Helen didn’t want to come to Wyndhorn. Often, Helen sleeps with Lilith rather than spend nights alone in her grand bedroom. Barnabas Cole blames himself for his son’s death. Yet he sees nothing wrong in Helen’s fondness for alcohol. Unlike Lilith, Barnabas is a man of two worlds. He has wealth and a lavish estate, yet Barnabas seems out of place. As Lilith reminds him, his son couldn’t reconcile what he knew with the world he inhabited. Barnabas seems to hope that Lilith can educate Helen out of her infatuation. But when Helen shows signs that she cannot live as she has, Barnabas realizes he must act. Perhaps Helen can follow in his footsteps rather than in her father's.
Art
In Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, Thomas Rogers has put on weight. He dresses more conservatively, and his hair is no longer curly and untamed. Bookcases line his office. A radio with a metal handle and a tape cassette player rests on a fine wooden desk. An EGA monitor sits atop a computer with 3 ½" floppy disk drives. His blond, mustached partner clad in pajama pants stops brushing his teeth to shrug at Thomas’ temporary insanity.
Barnabas Cole's face is a roadmap of lines. He hunkers down at the head of the dinner table and grasps the meat with his hands. When Lilith rebukes Helen for scattering plates and bowls, Barnabas dashes the candelabra, glasses of wine, and all the plates, bowls, and platters filled with food into the air.
Matheus Lopes enhances Bilquis Evely’s exuberant penciling with a selection of color palettes. While Barnabas and Lilith wear gray and brown clothing, Helen often opts for pink. Lopes colors mansion interiors in brown, beige, and blue-gray, while night subdues these colors and adds black walls with white details. Helen often looks out the window during the day, where the sun shines on verdant greenery. A purple cast fills the bedroom as Thomas lies beside his partner and listens to Lilith's interviews. The purple lighting, the tank top Thomas wears to bed, and the shirt he wears at the book signing suggest a link with Helen's fondness for pink.
Large uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons relate dialogue and Lilith’s recorded voice. Clayton Cowles’ small, ornate lowercase black letters on pink scraps of paper provide a transcript of Lilith’s recollections. Helen might find satisfaction in the large BANG her outburst at dinner produces. But Barnabas' immense and transparent CKKRAKKK makes clear who rules the mansion in Helen Of Wyndhorn #2.
Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Even before they were written and collected, fairy tales tantalized readers with glimpses of realms beyond our own. Any Human who ventured into those realms saw great wonders but paid a price. Helen Of Wyndhorn #2 reminds us that early 20th-century fantasy authors like Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft suffered mental afflictions and died young. Yet their tales of magic and wonder, populated by heroes, monsters, and gods, left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness.
Rating 9.6/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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