Count Crowley – The Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter #2: Encounters With The Unknown!

Jerri Bartman continues to dig into the past of Count Crowley, and the more she finds out, the more trouble she gets into. After completing her first show and a quick run-in with a werewolf, she is found on the side of the road, unconscious, by a friend from high school, who is now a cop. As her life continues to barely hang onto reality, her brother confronts her with the good news that their phones have been ringing off the hook with fans calling and wanting more of what they’ve seen from the “new” Count Crowley. Jerri being Jerri, could care less when it comes to her newfound fame, and she starts her own investigation into her predecessor, which leads to his old house, a cat who ends up saving her life, and an actual monster is now after her and is trying to kill her.

This issue continues with the brilliant job of building on the momentum of the first. Dastmalchian continues to move Jerri through not only her screwed-up life, but the story from panel to panel with a fun and addictive approach that leaves the reader wanting to engage with her and see her victorious. Dastmalchian has created an intriguing cast of characters along with a plot that is filled with twists and turns that make the reader want more. The section where we see Jerri go into Vincent Fright’s house is a prime example. We learn that Jerri hates cats, Vincent is into the occult, and as Jerri listens to vague but intriguing phone messages, and then a monster barges through the door! Now, this is where David and Lukas shine like the Great Northern Lights. Looking at the panel where we see Vincent’s “office” we see that he was tracking something along with nets, and various items of the occult. Not to mention that his doors have multiple latches and deadbolt locks and his house is booby-trapped. Now we are being driven crazy not only with Jerri and her personal life, but also with, why are monsters fighting and chasing Jerri, but why is Vince’s house rigged for war, and where is he? Now I would be doing this review a great injustice if I did not mention Lukas Ketner and his art and how it propels the story into another realm. Ketner provides the artful magic that brings not only to the pages to brilliant life, but every single detail gets just as much love and demands you to look at each panel as if you are playing a “find the item” puzzle. Ketner continues to call upon the seventies and it’s monster and ghoul aura and modernizes it while showing the ultimate respect for the genre and timeframe.