Rachel Rising: Issues #19-24

Rachel Rising

Issues #19-24

Publisher: Robyn Moore with Abstract Studios

Writer: Terry Moore

Artist: Terry Moore

Genre: Horror

Price: $3.99/issue

All right! Time to resolve that major cliffhanger from the end of issue 18! What?! Colonial America?

We rejoin the story of Rachel Beck with an extreme flashback, to the time when all of the events we've witnessed so far were set into motion. We find out who Rachel really is, and the circumstances that are responsible for her plight in present day. After that the cliffhanger is resolved.

This cycle of books gives us the background that has been missing through the previous entries into the series. Malus, one of the big bads, pulls a classic villain move and reveals what his end-game is going to be. A previous acquaintance of Rachel's turns up and reveals that Rachel's previous life might not be exactly how she remembers it, although it's a little unclear if this is going to have an impact on the story going forward. Its significance will hopefully be revealed going forward. The dialogue between Rachel and her long, lost friend is great.

Aunt Johnny is in a unique situation, and Rachel plans to use her new memories of her past to try to set things right. There are some intrigue machinations in that part of the story, that I'm very interested in seeing how they play out. Whoa, Dr. Sieman ups the creepy quotient by an order of magnitude, leaving me to wonder exactly how far Rachel, and we as the readers can, can trust the guy. Zoe is being groomed for something awful, and it sounds like she won't get much of a choice in the matter, so she does what she's shown she does best

This section of the story ends on what appears to be a high note, it's not quite Return of the Jedi to the last six issues' Empire Strikes Back, but it is far more hopeful seeming than the last cliffhanger. With one foe apparently defeated Rachel can now turn her attention to the next tasks at hand; ending the plight of poor Priscilla the dog, and tracking down the other antagonist of the story.

Conclusion: The answers and action ramped up tremendously in these six issues. As I read through these later issues I'm struck with both excitement to see what happens next, and dread because I'm that much closer to not having any more Rachel Rising to read. Find out what I mean and purchase these issues, or the collection of them in the trade paperback titled “Winter Graves.”

Rating: 9.25/10