Hallows’ Eve #4 // Review
Janine has the witch mask on. She and her allies are caught. Men with guns are after them. So she puts the vampire mask on and shoots out the window with them. Doesn’t know how long she’s got with vampire powers. Never tried that mask on before. It’s okay. She’s still learning in Hallows’ Eve #4. Writer Erica Schultz reaches the penultimate chapter in her five-part mini-series with artist Michael Dowling. Color lights up the spectral night courtesy of colorist Brian Reber. By the fourth issue, Schultz has a solid understanding of Janine, her personality, and her bag of masks. This is where it gets really fun.
And just at that moment, the guy Janine accidentally turned into a werewolf happens by. In some worlds, werewolves are natural enemies of vampires. This could get kind of dangerous...particularly as Janine doesn’t want to hurt the guy. Then, she drops her bag full of masks, and things start to look kind of dangerous for her. She turned him into a werewolf while she was wearing the werewolf mask. Maybe she can reverse the effect if she places the mask on the werewolf? It’s worth a try anyway...
Schultz is clearly having a lot of fun with a woman who doesn't really know what power she has access to. This is what makes the adventure that much more fun. Because she's just learning to understand what it is that she's capable of while she's in the middle of danger. It's a fun dynamic. Mainstream heroes aren't often given this opportunity to make this many mistakes. The ending of this particular issue is a natural progression from what has come before it. Janine now has an opportunity to allow Schultz to explore the difference between power in the hands of someone good and similar power in the hands of those who would use it unscrupulously. That's always a provocative theme.
Dowling moves the action around the page in a way that fully embraces the horror nature of the comic book. The action taking place at night outside feels very much like an electric evening in Marvel Manhattan. The scenes inside feel suitably cold and antiseptic as they are lit by fluorescents that almost seem to flicker on the page thanks to some sharp coloring work by Reber. It all fits together really well. And above all, Janine comes across as looking like a powerful horror hero. The resilience seen in her face between masks feels suitably altruistic.
It might've had a bit of a challenging start, but Hallows’ Eve finally feels like it's going somewhere. There's little question that Schultz and company are going to wrap this up in a way that feels satisfying enough. The series has really found its momentum just one issue before it closes out. It's a clever idea. With any luck, Schultz will have a chance to explore Janine and her powers a little bit more in the future.
