Visitations #5: The Snake Lady of the Fairby Wolfen MoonsgetReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 7 This issue opens with a bookseller named Lawrence getting more drawn into a book than he'd bargained for! He's guided to follow two tales. The first is of a young girl named Anne and her doll, Mooney; stylistically, it's like old-timey Sunday funnies mixed with a strong and appealing essence of Calvin and Hobbes. Before Lawrence can finish reading that tale, though, he's directed to another old newspaper comic, this one being more serious. It's about policeman Pendergast and one Tommy Sullivan, a young man helping Pendergast, in the aftermath of the disappearance of Clayton Blackwood. The two comics tell stories of the World's Fair -- and sinister workings there -- from two different angles. When those angles collide, we move into a third style, one that breaks the boundaries of the strip format, and is in colour (and Anne seems a bit older in these pages than in the others, more like a teen than a child). This approach is quite creative and fun -- I always appreciate the ways creator Larson thinks outside of the box to present this series! And we learn some fascinating new info about certain characters, as well as about a mysterious group within this series, and see some old friends again.Spoilers now, as I talk about the one thing that really bothered me about the issue. Still with me? Okay. On a personal level as a pagan, I'm pretty unhappy about how Wadjet, traditionally a benevolent Egyptian snake-goddess who was a protector of children, was used in the story. Having her be a power-hungry, manipulative villain who intended to murder a child -- not to mention, having a pagan goddess vanquished (even if only temporarily) at the hands of what looks to be St. Patrick, a Christian man who'd made it his life's work to convert pagans -- was a stomach-churning punch in the gut for me. But your mileage may vary on this point, and I appreciate that Anne gets a heroic and capable role overall (even if St. Patrick did save her). Written: June 20, 2020
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