Rachel Rising continues to be a series worth raving aboutÂ
Since issue one Terry Moore’s Rachel Rising has been rewriting the female role in horror stories; changing them from helpless victims to strong, but still vulnerable, leading protagonist. Issue eighteen experiments with the narrative style of Rachel Rising in a bold way.
For those that don’t know Rachel Rising is about a young female named Rachel who is mysteriously murdered then brought back from the dead. She now comes to find that she and her town have a horrific mystical history that threatens all of humanity. In issue 18, Lilith the demon is brought back to the world of the living, while young adolescent Zoe faces a decision that will explore a vengeful murdering nature within her.
While the issue isn’t friendly for new readers, it does how ever showcase Terry Moore’s sublime ability to craft a story. Moore has always been more than just a writer or an artist, he’s the embodiment of what a story teller should be, fearless and detailed in both sides of the medium. There’s so much life drawn in the eyes of the characters he wants you to focus on and so much gloom in the faces of figures intended to project oblivion. Issue eighteen strikes a night-and-day balance in the story with the beginning eight pages being light on the dialogue but heavy in character and emotion invoking images. Meanwhile the remaining pages make great use answering some of the overall narrative mystery though spot on character chatter.
The most amazing part of this issue and a true testament to Terry Moore’s comic mojo; we don’t see the series titular character Rachel until the very last page and it’s hardly noticeable. That shows this overall story isn’t just based on the strength of one character but instead the strength of an entire world created by Moore.
Ultimately, issue eighteen continues the fluid and dramatic nature of Rachel Rising perfectly. The only flaw of such a carefully crafted tale is that it doesn’t lend itself to welcoming readers looking to try something new. But you will find catching up on this series to be very rewarding if you are looking for something fresh and unique.
9 out of 10 Amazing!! A great new angle on Rachel Rising to close out one of comic’s best weeks’ of the year.
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