Review- Proctor Valley road #3
Review – Proctor Valley Road #3
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Writer: Grant Morrison and Alex Child
Illustrator: Naomi Franquiz
Colourist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Release Date: May 2021
Intro
Well we’re back at again with supernatural horror in rural America with Grant Morrison’s and Alex Child’s ‘Proctor Valley Road #3′! Strap in and get ready for another great issue from the Breakout ‘Boom Studios’ series, that keeps the story of the mysterious proctor valley road going at full steam ahead.
Plot
In this issue the girls, delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding Proctor Valley Road and as the town and their families close in on them, August, Rylee, Cora and Jennie, make the choice to visit America’s most haunted road one more time…
Writing
Where to even begin with this issue it has it all, a stolen cop car, a giant explosion and several horrifying monsters. Morrison and Child ramp up the action this time with more bloody action set pieces, than ever before. Issue three’s pacing is pitch perfect this time, building gradually through expert storytelling by Morrsion and Child. The story also has a cyclical nature to it, with a page at the start of the issue with the principle mirroring an unfortunate event that takes place later with his character. These dual scenes also reveal more about the evil nature of the ‘Proctor Valley Road’ and its greater purpose. The perfectly paced story from Morrison and Child also allows the plot to have the breathing room it deserves. With the storying building to a satisfying conclusion that gives enough time for character and story development.
This is best shown through the continued development of each main character in the series. In this issue Morrison and Child allow for us to see August in a more humanised and empathetic light. This is done with the use of the ‘ghost’ of August’s father who haunts her life even while being absent. Rylee, Cora and Jennie also get their own character moments this issue, with more of their personalities shining through as well as their own asperations for the future.
The continued introduction of more terrifying creatures on the Proctor Valley Road only builds upon the eerie and gory tone of previous issues with the idea presented at the end of the issue that there are more ‘branches’ of monsters that exist out on the road. This final page reveal shows there is much more to come in the last two issues of the series.
Art
Naomi Franquiz again does a fantastic job of encapsulating the nostalgia of the 1970’s creating a unique style assocaited with the period. This issue is more brutal than most including several grievous injuries and a decapitation. The art is arguably grittier this with several of the characters getting battered and bruised by events on the road. The monster art this issue is horrifying, with more of the minotaur beast seen in issue two being revealed. We also get an up close panel of the ‘Land Lady’ who we get to see in all her maggot corpse infested glory.
As I’ve said in previous reviews, Tamra Bonvillain’s colouring work is always a joy to look at. This issue focuses on what I call the darker ‘monster’ pallet with dark blues, purples, and sickly green shades being used to intensify the otherworldly tone of this issue. This is intensified to great effect by the almost entirely night-time setting of this issue.
Our Review
This story only keeps getting better and better, with ‘Proctor Valley Road #3’ having a strong story and fast paced well timed plot. The art is fantastic, and the colouring is superb, with both of these combined presenting another stylistic and eye-catching issue. Morrison and Child are a dynamic writting duo who are on track to produce one of the best new books of 2021.
You can buy ‘Proctor Valley Road #3’ Here.
If you want to read more reviews on Grant Morrison books check out our reviews of ‘All Star Superman’, ‘Proctor Valley Road #1’ and ‘Proctor Valley Road #2‘. To look for more work by Tamra Bonvillain Check out ‘Once and Future’ Volume 1 and Volume 2.
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