Helen Of Wyndhorn #5 Review

 

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Bilquis Evely

Colorist: Matheus Lopes

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes; Gabriel Hernández Walta

Publisher: Mike Richardson

Editors: Daniel Chabon, Chuck Howitt-Lease & Misha Gehr

Designer: Hannah Noble

Digital Art Technician: Adam Pruett

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 25, 2024

 

Barnabas refuses to take Helen back to the Other Land. Her grandfather declares her a failure as a soldier. Barnabas charges Lilith to redouble her efforts to prepare Helen for society. Why does Barnabas want Helen off his estate, married, and out of his life forever? Let’s grab our battle axes, leap into Helen Of Wyndhorn #5, and see!

 

Story

After her recovery, Helen drowns her horrors in alcohol and sleeps with Lilith each evening. Her thoughts return to before she began adventuring with her grandfather. Lilith shudders when Helen reveals her longing for her father. As Helen grew up, C.K. Cole was Helen’s world. Yet the author abandoned Helen when he hung himself.

 

In Helen Of Wyndhorn #5, Helen tries to return to the Other Land. Her grandfather refuses to take her, avoids her, and refuses access to his armory. Helen remembers that C.K. Cole drank so much because he was frightened. As Lilith holds her pupil in her arms, Helen admits that the same fears that assailed her father again trouble her.

 

When Tom King alludes to one of pulp-era author Robert E Howard's stories, a comparison between C.K. Cole's character of Othan becomes unavoidable. But while Helen's father based his fictional hero upon Barnabas, Conan The Barbarian eventually matured and never blamed others for his failures. The Cimmerian accepted responsibility for a family and a nation. Unlike Howard’s hero, Barnabas pushes everyone away. Every time Barnabas returns home, he cannot wait to return to the Other Land. There, Barnabas doesn't face the necessity of building or sustaining anything. Barnabas can go on quests, kill as many people, gods, and monsters as he pleases, and return home when he grows bored.

 

Helen Of Wyndhorn #5 provides intriguing commentary on a collector’s relationship with his collection. Perhaps he also hints at the meaning underlying the name of Helen's governess. But Lilith Appleton would shrug off such paltry concerns. All that matters to her is her charge. Helen is an unfinished jigsaw, and Lilith won't rest until she finds the missing piece and completes the puzzle. Not because Lilith wants to behold a pretty picture but because she wishes to make Helen whole.

 

 

Art

The indomitable Othan battles Sarra as lightning flashes through the sky. Bilquis Evely portrays a woman standing amid boxes and a collection rivaling that of Thomas Rogers. Helen beats her fists upon the armory doors and glares at an unperturbed Joseph. That evening, Lilith combs Helen's hair with her fingers, and her pupil falls asleep on her lap. The next day, Lilith runs through tall grasses to catch Helen at the edge of the woods. The shadows behind the tangled branches evoke Mirkwood, while the rays of sunlight streaking down suggest the boundary between our world and Faerie.

 

Matheus Lopes brightens the framing story in Helen Of Wyndhorn #5 with purple, magenta, and orange, while brown, tan, and beige surround subdued red and green clothing. Ivory frames daylight scenes inside the manor, while black borders invade night scenes featuring brown, beige, and green. Yellow, blue, and vibrant green reveal the beauty of the Wyndhorn estate, while black returns during an encounter with the toothy crone. Yet black fails to rule the night as Helen stands beneath a starry turquoise sky, gazing at traces of pink near the leafy green trees.

 

Large uppercase black letters inhabit white and ivory dialogue balloons, while the toothy crone casts ivory letters into green balloons. Lilith's narration is a lowercase black script on pink parchment. Words grow bold for emphasis, swell for volume, and shrink for lowered voices, while Clayton Cowles enhances a tragic battle and a scene of unthinking cruelty with sound effects. Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Joseph is Barnabas’ butler. Joseph also cleans the manor house, prepares meals, trains warriors, and administers Otherworldly remedies. But when Helen reverts to her self-destructive ways, Joseph fails to intervene. So, a new hero arises to protect Helen in Helen Of Wyndhorn #5. Or perhaps she has been the hero of Tom King’s story all along.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Helen Of Wyndhorn #4 Review

 

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Bilquis Evely

Colorist: Matheus Lopes

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes; Jill Thompson

Publisher: Mike Richardson

Editors: Daniel Chabon, Chuck Howitt-Lease & Misha Gehr

Designer: Hannah Noble

Digital Art Technician: Adam Pruett

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 4, 2024

 

Early 20^th-century author C.K. Cole has fallen afoul of the Political Correctness camp. Yet his stories live on, if only on the dusty shelves of a second-hand bookstore or in the long boxes of your local comic shop. A fan discovers a key issue of an Othan comic at a convention. The dealer mentions he purchased the research and collectibles Thomas Rogers accumulated while writing his biography, Fighting Monsters: The Life And Tragic Death Of Fantasy Master C.K. Cole. Should the fan purchase Thomas' research and learn more about C. K. Cole, his father Barnabas, and his daughter Helen? Let’s leap into Helen Of Wyndhorn #4 and see!

 

Story

Haunted by her father’s suicide, Helen found comfort in drunkenness. Barnabas saw little harm in her fondness for cigarettes and alcohol, but when Helen smashed up the armory and played with a sword, her grandfather took her to return the Flyune to Lady Hearth. Helen enjoyed their journey, so Barnabas made her his companion. But in Helen Of Wyndhorn #4, she decides that she wants more. Helen doesn't want to hide behind him as Barnabas battles people, monsters, and gods. Helen wants to fight at his side.

 

Joseph accepts the task of training Helen. While Lilith rails against the butler’s torments, Helen accepts his trials without complaint. The divine Lady Hearth, Helen's grandmother, asked Barnabas to give Joseph her love. Lilith can only see Joseph in his status at the Wyndhorn estate. But he is much more than a butler. Joseph cleans the house so impeccably that he gives Lilith little to do when she isn't teaching Helen. Joseph's rigorous demands leave Helen little time to conjugate French verbs or study English literature. But Joseph effects a transformation in Helen that Lilith’s lessons never could and reveals a deep understanding of the world Barnabas often visits in Helen Of Wyndhorn #4.

 

Lilith’s world revolves around propriety and convention. She strives to prepare Helen for it. Yet Lilith has no status in the world she inhabits. Nor does the governess have much in the way of career opportunities. Like Anne Brontë, Lilith took up her solitary profession to survive. Helen’s drinking and smoking, and her disrespect for Lilith’s authority, assail her as much as the children at Blake Hall traumatized Anne. But Lilith is a fighter. Barnabas and Joseph hold no more terror for Lilith than Callubaraux held for Helen. Yet Lilith becomes a more complete person in Helen Of Wyndhorn #4.

 

Barnabas doesn’t speak much, particularly about the past. The man Lady Hearth called Othan The Unrivaled lives a harsh but substantive life. He disregards Lilith’s concerns about deportment and etiquette and caters to his granddaughter’s desires. Yet pain weighs him down. The warrior who can take on an army blames Joseph for his failure. Helen’s determination to become a warrior brings Barnabas joy. But can she meet his exacting standards? 

 

 

 

Art

Bilquis Evely conveys Tom King’s meditation on family and the power of fantasy with elegance and style. Battle scenes convey otherworldly grandeur. Yet the pain Lilith suffers as she discovers an essential truth about herself is paired with a reminder of the fantastic. Matheus Lopes lavishes an ever-changing limited palette upon Evely’s classic illustrations. Joseph, Helen, and Lilith walk by the lake guarded by trees bearing sparse foliage amid blue and green. Lilith clasps her hands before a wall of the blacksmith’s tools as she watches Barnabus hammer his sword near the forge amid yellow and brown. Brown shows through winter white in a double exposure of Helen hanging from a tree branch and battling Joseph. Later, Helen awaits inspection between two ivy-adorned columns in Helen Of Wyndhorn #4. Her red, silver, and gold clothing, armor, and weapons evoke steampunk but suggest medieval splendor.

 

Large uppercase black letters inhabit white and ivory dialogue balloons. Lilith's narration is a lowercase black script on pink parchment. Words embolden for emphasis and swell for volume, while Clayton Cowles sprinkles sound effects sparingly across two or more years of Helen’s extraordinary life. Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Lilith undertook the role of Helen's governess, she never anticipated becoming the biographer of C.K. Cole’s daughter. She disregarded the pulp-era fantasies Helen’s father wrote. Lilith’s efforts to prepare Helen for a system she esteems receive an unexpected boost in Helen Of Wyndhorn #4. But is that what Lilith wants?

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Helen Of Wyndhorn #2 Review

 

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 20^th 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 20^th-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.

Helen Of Wyndhorn #1 Review

 

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Bilquis Evely

Colorist: Matheus Lopes

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes; Lula Lotay; Elsa Charretier; Massimo Carnevale; Clay Mann; Walt Simonson and Laura Martin; Greg Smallwood

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 13, 2024

 

Readers continue to discover Christopher Krieger Cole’s fantasy adventure stories and even undertake literary pilgrimages to his resting place in San Antonio, Texas. Scholars argue over the meaning behind the inscription on his grave marker and how it relates to his work. A journalist interviews the former governess of C.K. Cole's daughter, seeking new insights into the author's life and work. Can Lilith Appleton enhance his understanding of the man who wrote such memorable classics as "The Red Death of Othan the Vanquished”? Let’s grab our pens and notepads, leap into Helen Of Wyndhorn #1, and see what we can learn!

 

Story

In 1935, Lilith traveled to an inn near San Antonio to retrieve C. K. Cole's daughter Helen and bring her to her grandfather's estate. Upon arrival, Lilith discovered the staff had thrown her out. Lilith rescued her from a jail cell, procured the alcohol and cigarettes she desired, and funded a memorial to the author.

 

After a long train journey, Joseph greeted the women and drove them to Helen’s grandfather’s estate. Joseph and two cooks would attend to Helen and Lilith’s needs until Barnabas Cole’s return. While prim and proper, Lilith finds the butler cold and officious in Helen Of Wyndhorn #1. She seeks to tame Helen’s wild instincts, while Joseph is appalled by Helen's behavior and regards the young woman as little better than a beast. Lilith worries what Barnabas will say when he meets his granddaughter and discovers Lilith cannot control Helen.

 

 

 

Lilith may not like Joseph, but the butler’s disdain for his young charge is understandable. On their train journey, Helen enthused about being rich. But confined to the house and grounds, Helen steals wine from the cellar, finds a secluded nook, and spends the days drinking and napping. Night terrors often drive Helen from her lavish bedroom to Lilith’s small, plain chamber in the early morning hours.

 

Tom King shares insights into C.K. Cole's life through Helen's words and actions in Helen Of Wyndhorn #1. Christopher laughed off his brushes with death and likely spent any funds he earned on alcohol and cigarettes. Christopher let his daughter choose her amusements, even taking up smoking at age eleven. Once ensconced in the family mansion, Helen likens her father leaving home to a prison escape. Yet, if Christopher preferred life outside, why did he commit suicide? If he was unhappy, why didn’t he return home? Was it merely that Wyndhorn House lay three hundred miles from the nearest town? Or did Christopher suffer from the same night terrors as his daughter? 

 

 

 

Art

The curly-haired man writes on his notepad while recording Lilith’s recollections on his portable cassette player. Lilith stares at the hardcover volume of Astonishing Stories of Mystery! Strips of tape adorn the spine of the book's creased paper cover. The floral pattern on the tablecloth echoes the barren tree limbs glimpsed through the kitchen windows. Yet neither equals the intricate web of wrinkles etched into Lilith’s face.

 

Bilquis Evely sketches Lilith’s recollections as Old Time magazine illustrations in Helen Of Wyndhorn #1. Steam trains rumble through the desert and cross bridges. Children play near fields guarded by barbwire fences, while dirt roads link the scattered buildings in San Antonio. Helen gazes at the angel adorning her father's memorial, then rises to caress its head. A turbulent sky greets a palace rising above the trees. The 1200-acre estate's gnarled and twisted trees invite Hobbits to nap between their exposed roots. 

 

 

 

Matheus Lopes brings a vibrant color selection to Lilith's interview. While some colors of her recollections shine brightly, others have faded. Helen and Lilith gaze out of the train at a turquoise night sky, yet a gray-green cast falls upon darkened rooms in the family mansion. Brown woodwork merges with grey stone, gilded frames, and architectural features in Wyndhorn’s entry hall as yellow sunlight from the immense windows brightens the long, wide staircase, and the candelabra stands on the green-gray floor. Helen's red hair brightens chambers in the 173-room mansion, while brown woodwork and tan stone fill the labyrinthian hallways in Helen Of Wyndhorn #1. 

 

 

 

Clayton Cowles brings large uppercase black letters to white dialogue balloons during Lilith’s interview in her kitchen. Dialogue from her past haunts ivory balloons, and the lowercase italicized transcript of her recollections fills pink scraps of paper. Abrasive sound effects help us feel Joseph’s distress when Helen breaks the end of a bottle to chug the fine wine. Immense roars overtake the final pages, revealing the source of Helen's Fright Nights.

 

Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Scarred by her past, a former governess recalls caring for a pulp-era author's daughter, meeting her rich and powerful grandfather, and discovering the monster that terrorized the family estate in Helen Of Wyndhorn #1.

 

Rating 8.5/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.