Hornsby & Halo #12 // Review
Rose and Zachary are in a subway car in Manhattan. Certain things have pulled them in certain directions. They're not exactly happy about it. But they're not exactly upset either. The power has come to them. They are arriving in a place in a space that is occupied by a similar power. No telling what to expect. No telling what's going to happen. But they will almost certainly be hearing the sound of a piano in Hornsby & Halo #12. Writer Peter J. Tomasi continues an enjoyable, little supernatural urban fantasy with artist Peter Snejbjerg. Color comes to the page courtesy of John Kalisz.
They're hearing music. And they're working their way towards it. It's not going to be easy finding their way to it. But once they get there, there's going to be an even bigger mystery. That mystery has to do it why it was they decided to go there in the first place. And it has to do with the gentleman with wings who happens to be playing the piano. Not really an angel. Not really a devil. But something else entirely. Someone else entirely. And they're going to have to confront something about themselves before they can really understand who he is.
Tomasi play around with biblical fantasy with a bit of comedy. Angels. Devils. Conflict between heaven in hell. But at the center of it all really is this relationship between these two kids. These two kids have who happen to have the energy of heaven in hell behind them. And so they're going to have to make some decisions. It's not developed with as much as sophistication as it could have been. The supernatural coming-of-age drama has been done before in ways that are a little bit more interesting. That being said, the connection between the two title characters ends up being a lot of fun. This is important as their relationship really is the center of everything. All of the rest of it's just extra detail and setting that provides some context to what it is that they're doing.
Snejgjerg has a sharp and sensitive execution with respect to the overall energy of the series. There is a serious rendering of emotional reality on the faces of all the characters. There's a sense of magic about it as well. But there's a rubbers about it that feels cuddly. And it feels just cuddly enough to be able to embrace some of the more comic ends of Tomasi’s script.
The two heroes are heading off to face a kind of destiny. The series has been around a long enough for them to have reached a serious point in their character progression which could be a really enjoyable to explore. Given the right momentum, this series could be a really interesting exploration of a long-term relationship between these two people. It's so rarely done very well. The long-term relations between two comic book characters as they grow from being school kids together to being young adults could be a really interesting to explore. If they were able to do that. So far, it's been really fun watching them develop. It'll be interesting to see where the creative team takes them next.
