Salem’s Daughter #4 (Zenescope – Tedesco / Viacava)
Anna Williams and Braden Cole have escaped Essex County and Anna is on a journey to find answers about her newly discovered abilities as Braden contemplates where he will head now that he has avenged his family. But Anna’s still developing powers take hold again and her vision of a mysterious and evil creature terrorizing a New Jersey town will lead her to investigate further while leaving Braden with a difficult decision to make. The supernatural thriller that will redefine the myths and legends you grew up on has arrived!
If you are someone who enjoyed but misses Buffy, Angel, Charmed or possibly even Brisco County Jr. – you should be picking up Salem’s Daughter. One tough-as-nails gunslinger and one very sympathetic seer moving from town to town fighting evil as the devil personified is on their trail.
This issue opens up the Jersey Devil arc. Anna and Braden travel to Parkville to investigate a number of missing children and end up unearthing a murderous abusive husband who was keeping his wife’s corpse in his bedroom is a very Norman Bates-ish style. This ends up not being what what the two investigators need, because a “natural” villain often de-rails a supernatural investigation. The husband is blamed for all of the disappearances and it would seem like the true villain is found. But as Anna finds out by the end of the issue, there are plenty of villains to go around. While this would still be categorized as horror, due to the content (monsters, murder, etc.) the characters (both interactions and motivations) makes this book fall easily into a drama / action category. Tedesco writes a great book here, not simply a great horror book.
Salem’s Daughter has great stream-lined action and is a very enjoyable read. Roberto Viacava’s art is outstanding. His frames and pages balance a realistic look and being easily navigated, which allows the reader to move through the story unburdened.
Issue Grade: A and out this week!
