Hornsby And Halo #6 Review

 

Storytellers: Peter J Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg

Colorist: John Kalisz

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Artists: Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz; Germán Peralta; Mark Chiarello

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 23, 2025

 

After returning the zombies to their graves, Zachary Halo and Rose Hornsby wanted to resume their lives. But even a Vulcan Nerve Pinch can’t awaken the teenagers from this nightmare. The creature Rose calls a Mutant Demon Lion can assume any shape. Zachary and Rose know him best as their bus driver, but the Adjudicator has taken many forms while watching over them during their adolescence.

 

With agents from Heaven and Hell trying to influence the thirteen-year-olds, the Adjudicator agrees to show them where they came from. Will discovering their origins bring Zachary and Rose peace? Or will it freak them out even more? Let’s grab some snacks from the Drive-In Theater concession stand, leap into Hornsby And Halo #6, and find out!

 

Story

Zachary damaged Rose's sketchbook, broke into her bedroom, hotwired the truck from Jim's Orchard, and pilfered candy bars from the concession stand. So, when the Adjudicator transports them to Hell, Rose struggles to accept she belongs there, while Zachary hails from Heaven. It doesn't help that a demon welcomes her by name. Nor does Rose appreciate Zachary's snarky comments as they watch people suffering eternal torment.

 

But then, Zachary is not enjoying their interdimensional sightseeing tour either. Zachary has spent his youth weighed down by guilt over his parents’ bad behavior. He blames himself for the zombie uprising. So when Zachary visits Heaven in Hornsby And Halo #6, he struggles to feel like he belongs. Worst, Heaven delivers good vibes but seems strangely lacking in substance.

 

The Adjudicator finds the teenager’s dissatisfaction troubling in Peter J Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg’s story. He has watched over them all their lives. Yet Rose and Zachary hesitate to trust him. The Adjudicator granted their wish to see where they belong. Yet the teens wonder if they want the privileged futures awaiting them. The Adjudicator tries to make Rose and Zachary understand that they must prevent a cosmic war. Still, Rose and Zachary struggle to accept that everything they thought they knew about themselves is a lie in Hornsby And Halo #6.

 

Art

Peter Snejbjerg conveys Rose and Zachary’s space odyssey amid cinematic widescreen imagery. Panels stretch across two pages or convey depth in vertical strips as the characters descend to Hell and ascend to Heaven. The interdimensional imagery seems lifted from illuminated manuscripts painted with quill pens in medieval monasteries. A moment of wonder in Hornsby And Halo #6 recalls Superzach’s “flights” on the school bus. Visions of her eternal destiny evoke drawings in Rose’s sketchbook.

 

After remaining by Zachary’s side during the zombie uprising, Pepper gazes at a tiny cosmos of pink, blue, and white circles. The green-eyed orange-and-white cat paws at the sparkling energy as if struggling to believe its master left it behind. Rose and Zachary fly through green clouds amid the starry cosmos. Orange, yellow, and red convey the horrors of Hell, while purple and green portray doomed souls. Greens and blues dominate the Adjudicator’s ascent, while beige, blue, mauve, and white fill Heaven with radiance and mystery. John Kalisz's colors capture the majesty and horrors of the eternal realm and the richness of Earth.

 

Rob Leigh places uppercase letters into white and colored dialogue balloons. Letter size, balloon shape, and arrow size vary as the teens ask the Adjudicator to hold their hands. Sound effects convey the anguish of Hell, a battle in Heaven, and the Adjudicator’s frustration when the future rulers turn on each other. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Rose and Zachary used to respect Mr Wenders. Now, they call their bus driver by his first name and question everything he tells them. Like many teens, Rose and Zachary struggle to embrace truths they don't want to accept. But then, people like the Adjudicator have been influencing them without their knowledge or consent. While their friends ponder how to spend their lives, Rose and Zachary's futures seem already written in Hornsby And Halo #6.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.