Harrow County
{{Short description|American comic book series}}
{{Infobox comic book title
|image=Harrow County.jpeg
|caption=Cover of Harrow County #1 (May 2015). Art by Tyler Crook.
|schedule=Monthly
|format=Ongoing
|genre=Horror
|publisher=Dark Horse Comics
|date=May 2015 – June 2018
|issues=32
|main_char_team=
|creators=Cullen Bunn
Tyler Crook
|writers=Cullen Bunn
Tyler Crook (Tales of Harrow County)
|artists=Tyler Crook
|colorists=Tyler Crook
|letterers=Tyler Crook
|creative_team_month=
|creative_team_year=
| TPB = 1. Countless Haints
| ISBN = 9781616557805
| TPB2 = 2. Twice Told
| ISBN2 = 9781616559007
| TPB3 = 3. Snake Doctor
| ISBN3 = 9781506700717
| TPB4 = 4. Family Tree
| ISBN4 = 9781506701417
| TPB5 = 5. Abandoned
| ISBN5 = 9781506701905
| TPB6 = 6. Hedge Magic
| ISBN6 = 9781506702087
| TPB7 = 7. Dark Times A’Coming
| ISBN7 = 9781506703978
| TPB8 = 8. Done Come Back
| ISBN8 = 9781506706634
}}
Harrow County is an American comic book series that ran from 2015 to 2018. It was created by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Tyler Crook, and published by Dark Horse Comics.
Characters
;Emmy Crawford: An eighteen-year-old young woman and witch, presumed to be the reincarnation of the witch Hester Beck. She has godlike abilities that allow her to reshape reality at will.
;Bernice Anderson: Emmy's best friend, granddaughter of Riah Anderson, and student of Lovey Belfont. She lives in the Black community of Mason's Hollow. She is the protagonist of the sequel series Tales from Harrow County.
;Kammi: Emmy's evil twin sister and one of the primary antagonists of the series. She grew up in New York City.
;Isaac Crawford: Emmy's adoptive father. He was created by Hester and was one of the townsfolk that murdered her.
;Lady Lovey Belfont: An old woman that has spent her life capturing the servants of Hester Beck. She lives alone in Mason's Hollow, where she is shunned by her community for being a witch. She teaches hedge magic to Bernice and tasks her with protecting Harrow County.
=Haints=
;The Skinless Boy / The Tattered Skin: Emmy's mute familiar. He was summoned from the nightmares of a child. Emmy carries his skin around in her satchel and he whispers secrets to her.
;Priscilla: A goblin that befriends Emmy.
=The Family=
;Malachi: The head of the Family in the old days, until he became the Abandoned and settled in Harrow County.
;Hester Beck: The primary antagonist of the series. She was a god-like witch who was killed by her own creations. Of all of Malachi's children, she was the youngest and his favorite.
;Amaryllis: A kindly old woman and the most powerful in the family. Like Hester, she was capable of bending all of reality to her will. Hester murdered and cannibalized her to gain her powers.
;Odessa: The head of the family after Malachi leaves. She has a connection to the woods and their animals.
;Levi: A psychopomp. He guides the dead to the afterlife. When Malachi was the head of the family, Levi would try to find ways to undermine him.
Other Family members include Mildred, Willa, Kaine, Corbin, and Old Buck.
Publication history
=''Harrow County''=
Harrow County began as a serialized prose story called Countless Haints, written by Cullen Bunn and released on his website.Carroll, Tobias (May 26, 2016), "[https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/05/death-follows-scribe-cullen-bunn-on-crafting-horro.html Death Follows Scribe Cullen Bunn on Crafting Horror Comics and ...] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205060725/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/05/death-follows-scribe-cullen-bunn-on-crafting-horro.html |date=2018-12-05 }}," Paste Magazine (accessed June 9, 2016) Countless Haints ran for ten chapters before it was retired. Later the story was repurposed as an ongoing comic with artist and co-creator Tyler Crook. The main character Madrigal was renamed Emmy, the time period was shifted from present day to the 1930s, and the location was changed from Ahmen's Landing to Harrow County.
When Bunn began working on the series, he wrote the first two arcs so that they told a fairly complete story, though he hoped Harrow County would be popular enough to become an ongoing series. Crook chose to do the book in watercolors to get away from the computer and to make the project more fun for himself. As part of the promotional material for the comic, he created a special ordering form and made process videos showcasing his watercolors.{{cite web |last1=Romeo |first1=Mike |title=Tyler Crook on the Process Behind "Harrow County" |url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/tyler-crook-on-the-process-behind-harrow-county-exclusive-video/ |website=Multiversity Comics |accessdate=August 29, 2019}} He even wrote music for the first two arcs.{{cite web |last1=Crook |first1=Tyler |title=Harrow County: The Soundtrack to the Comic Book |url=https://harrowcounty.bandcamp.com/ |website=Bandcamp |accessdate=August 29, 2019}}
During Harrow County’s run, Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook regularly shared their process in a column called The Harrow County Observer,{{cite web |last1=Romeo |first1=Mike |last2=Tweedale |first2=Mark |title=The Harrow County Observer |url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/tag/harrow-county-observer/ |website=Multiversity Comics |accessdate=August 29, 2019}} Tyler Crook's YouTube channel,{{cite web |last1=Crook |first1=Tyler |title=Mr. Tyler Crook |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/MisterCrook666 |website=YouTube |accessdate=August 29, 2019}} and in the extensive sketchbook sections of the trade paperback collections.
==''Tales of Harrow County''==
Most issues of Harrow County include Tales of Harrow County backup stories. This extra material is only collected in the hardcover library editions.{{cite web|last1=Tweedale|first1=Mark|title=Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook talk "Harrow County"|url=http://multiversitycomics.com/interviews/bunn-and-crook-talk-harrow-county|website=Multiversity Comics|accessdate=24 April 2015|archive-date=19 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419204323/http://multiversitycomics.com/interviews/bunn-and-crook-talk-harrow-county|url-status=dead}} The one-page story "Lovelorn" (story by Cullen Bunn, art by Tyler Crook) was accidentally left out of Harrow County #31, so Dark Horse Comics debuted it as a free online comic.{{cite web |last1=Bunn |first1=Cullen |last2=Crook |first2=Tyler |title=Read "Tales from Harrow County" for Free! |url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/2727/read-tales-harrow-county-free |website=Dark Horse Comics |accessdate=June 2, 2018}}
class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center"
!colspan=5|Tales of Harrow County short stories |
Title
!Story !Art !Colors !Appeared in |
---|
Baptism
|rowspan=3|Cullen Bunn |colspan=2 rowspan=3|Owen Gieni |Harrow County #1 |
What was Lost
|Harrow County #2 |
All Hallows' Eve
|Harrow County #3 |
The Bat House
|colspan=2 rowspan=2|Tyler Crook |rowspan=2|Ma'at Crook |Harrow County #5 |
The Hunter
|Harrow County #6 |
Daughters
|rowspan=7|Tyler Crook |colspan=2|Cat Farris |Harrow County #7 |
Mold
|colspan=2|Simon Roy |Harrow County #8 |
Friends
|colspan=2|Jessica Mahon |Harrow County #9 |
The Butcher
|colspan=2|David Rubín |Harrow County #10 |
Haint Train
|colspan=2|Kate Leth |Harrow County #11 |
The Holler
|colspan=2|Kel McDonald |Harrow County #12 |
The Butler
|Brian Hurtt |Harrow County #13–16 |
The Tithe
|Cullen Bunn |colspan=2|Owen Gieni |Harrow County #17 |
Priscilla
|Tyler Crook |colspan=2|Aud Koch |Harrow County #18–21 |
Worship Music
|colspan=3 rowspan=2|Chris Schweizer |Harrow County #22 |
The Possum Lady
|Harrow County #23 |
Exterminator
|rowspan=2|Tyler Crook |colspan=2 rowspan=2|Alise Gluškova |Harrow County #26 |
Combine
|Harrow County #27 |
The Radio
|Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein |colspan=2|Christianne Goudreau |Harrow County #28 |
Henry
|colspan=3|Tyler Crook |Harrow County #29 |
Scripture
|Tyler Crook |colspan=2|Cat Farris |Harrow County #30 |
Lovelorn
|Cullen Bunn |colspan=2|Tyler Crook |
=''Tales from Harrow County''=
On September 10, 2019, Dark Horse Comics announced the spinoff series Tales from Harrow County (not to be confused with the Tales of Harrow County short stories). The series was initially announced as a way to tell stories with different main characters from many different time periods of Harrow County. Misfit City artist Naomi Franquiz drew the first miniseries, Death's Choir, with Bernice as the protagonist.{{cite web|title=The Harrow County Observer: Tales from Harrow County|url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/harrow-county-observer-tales-from-harrow-county/|website=MultversityComics.com|date=10 September 2019 |accessdate=10 September 2019}} Emily Schnall later joined the Tales from Harrow County team for the second arc.{{cite web|title=First Look: Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook Return to 'Harrow County' in New Dark Horse Comics Miniseries|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/return-to-harrow-county-in-new-dark-horse-comics-miniseries|website=Syfy.com|date=20 April 2021 |accessdate=21 April 2021}}
=Trade paperbacks=
The trade paperback collections of Harrow County generally come out around four to five months after the final issue of the arc being collected.
class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center"
!colspan=7|Trade paperbacks |
Series
!Volume !Title !Release Date !Material collected !Extras !ISBN |
---|
rowspan=16|Harrow County
|colspan=6 style=background:#bc4026| |
1
|December 2, 2015 |Harrow County #1–4 |
|{{ISBNT|9781616557805}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#dda628| |
2
|April 13, 2016 |Harrow County #5–8 |
|{{ISBNT|9781616559007}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#b5b59d| |
3
|September 14, 2016 |Harrow County #9–12 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506700717}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#ad9859| |
4
|January 25, 2017 |Harrow County #13–16 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506701417}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#b5783b| |
5
|May 24, 2017 |Harrow County #17–20 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506701905}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#968e39| |
6
|October 11, 2017 |Harrow County #21–24 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506702087}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#e18592| |
7
|March 21, 2018 |Harrow County #25–28 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506703978}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#adbe62| |
8
|October 3, 2018 |Harrow County #29–32 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506706634}} |
rowspan=6|Tales from Harrow County |colspan=6 style=background:#7db29e| |
1
|July 8, 2020 |Tales from Harrow County: Death's Choir #1–4 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506716817}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#b65649| |
2
|March 23, 2022 |Tales from Harrow County: Fair Folk #1–4 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506722610}} |
colspan=6 style=background:#7b6671| |
3
|January 4, 2023 |Tales from Harrow County: Lost Ones #1–4 |
|{{ISBNT|9781506729954}} |
=Library editions=
After Harrow County finished, Dark Horse Comics announced that the series would be recollected in library editions. These hardcover volumes print the comics at a larger size and collect all the special features from both the original issues and the trade paperback collections.
class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
colspan=5|Hardcover library editions |
---|
Title
!Release Date !Material collected !Extras !ISBN |
colspan=5 style=background:#b94222| |
Harrow County Volume One{{cite web|title=Harrow County – Volume One (Library Edition)|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3003-924/Harrow-County-Library-Edition-Volume-1-HC|website=DarkHorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|accessdate=September 23, 2019}} |November 14, 2018 |
|
|{{ISBNT|9781506710648}} |
colspan=5 style=background:#768082| |
Harrow County Volume Two{{cite web|title=Harrow County – Volume Two (Library Edition)|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3003-925/Harrow-County-Library-Edition-Volume-2-HC|website=DarkHorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|accessdate=September 23, 2019}} |March 20, 2019 |
|
|{{ISBNT|9781506710655}} |
colspan=5 style=background:#d5751f| |
Harrow County Volume Three{{cite web|title=Harrow County – Volume Three (Library Edition)|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3003-926/Harrow-County-Library-Edition-Volume-3-HC|website=DarkHorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|accessdate=September 23, 2019}} |July 24, 2019 |
|
|{{ISBNT|9781506710662}} |
colspan=5 style=background:#55375b| |
Harrow County Volume Four{{cite web|title=Harrow County – Volume Four (Library Edition)|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3003-927/Harrow-County-Library-Edition-Volume-4-HC|website=DarkHorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|accessdate=September 23, 2019}} |October 23, 2019 |
|
|{{ISBNT|9781506710679}} |
colspan=5 style=background:#77984a| |
Tales from Harrow County Volume One{{cite web|title=Tales from Harrow County – Volume One (Library Edition)|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3007-948/Tales-from-Harrow-County-Library-Edition-Volume-1-HC|website=DarkHorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|accessdate=September 30, 2022}} |October 5, 2022 |
|
|{{ISBNT|9781506722764}} |
=Omnibus editions=
In 2020, Harrow County was recollected in paperback omnibus editions. These editions do not include any special material.
class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center"
!colspan=5|Paperback omnibus editions |
Title
!Release Date !Material collected !ISBN |
---|
colspan=5 style=background:#b94222| |
Harrow County Omnibus One{{cite web|title=Harrow County Omnibus One|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3007-142/Harrow-County-Omnibus-Volume-1-TPB|website=DarkHorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|accessdate=April 19, 2022}} |January 6, 2021 |Harrow County #1–16 |{{ISBNT|9781506719917}} |
colspan=5 style=background:#768082| |
Harrow County Omnibus Two{{cite web|title=Harrow County Omnibus Two|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3007-143/Harrow-County-Omnibus-Volume-2-TPB|website=DarkHorse.com|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|accessdate=April 19, 2022}} |June 30, 2021 |Harrow County #17–32 |{{ISBNT|9781506719917}} |
=Complete collection=
In 2024, the original run of Harrow County was collected in a single oversized hardcover volume along with all the special features from previous collections and a gallery of the library covers. Tyler Crook designed a new cover and slipcase for the collection, which was made to look like the drawer in which Emmy hides the tattered skin in Harrow County #2.{{cite web |title=The Complete Harrow County HC |url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3015-397/The-Complete-Harrow-County-HC |website=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=December 1, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Crook |first1=Tyler |title=Harrow County Complete Edition unboxing! In stores Nov 26 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kvNbxogDdk&t=45s |website=YouTube |access-date=December 1, 2024}}
Reception
=Critical reception=
At the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, Harrow County and Tales from Harrow County have received an average score of 8.4 out of 10 based on 205 reviews, with the final issue of the original series averaging at 9.5.{{Cite web |title=Harrow County Reviews |url=https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/dark-horse-comics/harrow-county |access-date=November 5, 2022 |website=Comic Book Roundup |language=en-US}} In the years since the original series ended, it has shown up on numerous recommended reads and best-of lists for horror comics.{{cite web |last1=Munday |first1=Justin |title=Why You Should Read: HARROW COUNTY |url=https://monkeysfightingrobots.co/why-you-should-read-harrow-county/ |website=Monkeys Fighting Robots}}{{cite web |last1=Liggera |first1=Katie |title=15 Best Horror Comics You Should Read |url=https://culturedvultures.com/best-horror-comics/ |website=Cultured Vultures|date=25 October 2021 }}{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Steve |last2=Edgar |first2=Sean |last3=the Paste Comics Crew |title=100 of the Best Horror Comics of All Time |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/books/horror-comics/best-horror-comics-of-all-time/ |website=Paste Magazine}}{{cite web |last1=Puc |first1=Samantha |title=The best horror comics of all time |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-horror-comics/ |website=Newsarama |date=30 August 2022 |publisher=Games Radar}}{{cite web |last1=Norman |first1=Dalton |title=The 10 Scariest Horror Comics Of All Time, According To Ranker |url=https://screenrant.com/scariest-horror-comics-of-all-time-according-to-ranker/ |website=Screen Rant|date=20 March 2022 }}{{cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Matthew |title=HERE ARE THE SCARIEST HORROR COMICS YOU SHOULD READ THIS HALLOWEEN |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/9-current-horror-comics-to-read-this-halloween |website=SyFy Wire|date=6 October 2021 }}{{cite web |last1=Nelson |first1=Dalton |title=17 Excellent Horror Comics to Read All Year Long |url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-horror-comics |website=Thrillist}}
=Awards=
class="wikitable sortable" |
Year
!Award !Category !Nominee !Result !Ref. |
---|
2015
|Graphic Novel |Harrow County – Volume 1: Countless Haints |{{nominated}} |
rowspan=4|2016
|Best New Series |Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook |{{nominated}} |
rowspan=3|Ghastly Awards
|Best Ongoing Title |Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook |{{won}} |rowspan=3|{{center|{{cite web |title=2016 Ghastly Award Winners |url=http://www.ghastlyawards.com/2017/03/2016-ghastly-award-winners.html |website=Ghastly Awards |accessdate=June 4, 2019}}}} |
Best Writer
|Cullen Bunn |{{won}} |
Best Artist
|Tyler Crook |{{won}} |
Soundtrack
{{Infobox album
| name = Harrow County
| type = soundtrack
| artist = Tyler Crook
| cover = HarrowCountyVol1soundtrack.jpg
| alt = Harrow County Volume 1 album cover
| released = April 13, 2015 (Volume 1){{cite web |title=Harrow County Vol. 1 |url=https://harrowcounty.bandcamp.com/album/harrow-county-vol-1 |website=Bandcamp}}
April 30, 2016 (Volume 2){{cite web |title=Harrow County Vol. 2 |url=https://harrowcounty.bandcamp.com/album/harrow-county-vol-2 |website=Bandcamp}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Book soundtrack
| length =
| label =
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
In 2015, Tyler Crook released a book soundtrack of Harrow County, a month before Harrow County #1 came out. The music was meant to accompany the series' first arc, Countless Haints, with track titles referencing specific moments.{{cite web |last1=Tweedale |first1=Mark |title=Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook talk "Harrow County" [Interview] |url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/bunn-and-crook-talk-harrow-county/ |website=Multiversity Comics|date=13 April 2015 }} A second volume for the Twice Told arc came out the following year.
The soundtrack was repurposed in 2022 for GraphicAudio's Harrow County audio dramas.{{cite web |last1=Tweedale |first1=Mark |title=The Harrow County Observer: Harrow County Coming to GraphicAudio |url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/harrow-county-graphicaudio/ |website=Multiversity Comics|date=31 August 2022 }}
=Track listing=
{{tracklist
| headline = Volume 1
| title1 = Countless Haints
| length1 = 3:22
| title2 = The Dying Calf
| length2 = 3:49
| title3 = Pa
| length3 = 4:19
| title4 = Out in the Woods
| length4 = 2:42
| title5 = The Skinless Boy
| length5 = 2:45
| title6 = Under the Trees
| length6 = 3:02
| title7 = Waking the Graveyard
| length7 = 1:30
| title8 = The Abandoned
| length8 = 3:12
| all_writing = Tyler Crook
| total_length= 24:41
}}
{{tracklist
| headline = Volume 2
| title1 = Harrow County Theme
| length1 = 5:00
| title2 = Summer on the Farm
| length2 = 2:49
| title3 = The Creatures of the Forest & The Farm
| length3 = 3:07
| title4 = What About Kammi
| length4 = 2:01
| title5 = Priscilla of the Mill
| length5 = 3:29
| title6 = A Picnic for the Abandoned
| length6 = 2:23
| title7 = Hester Beck
| length7 = 1:16
| total_length= 20:05
}}
Adaptations
=Audio drama=
In April 2021, Dark Horse Comics announced that they had entered into a multi-year agreement with GraphicAudio to create audio dramas of their comics.{{cite web |last1=Grunenwald |first1=Joe |title=Dark Horse teams with Graphic Audio, Recorded Books for audio book adaptations |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/dark-horse-graphic-audio-books |website=Comics Beat}} The announcement of Harrow County being adapted came the following year in August.{{cite web |last1=Tweedale |first1=Mark |title=The Harrow County Observer: Harrow County Coming to GraphicAudio |url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/harrow-county-graphicaudio |website=Multiversity Comics|date=31 August 2022 }} The audio drama was released across two volumes, the first on September 26, 2022{{cite web |title=Harrow County Omnibus Volume One |url=https://www.graphicaudiointernational.net/harrow-county-omnibus-volume-1.html |website=GraphicAudio}} and the second on Halloween a month later.{{cite web |title=Harrow County Omnibus Volume Two |url=https://www.graphicaudiointernational.net/harrow-county-omnibus-volume-2.html |website=GraphicAudio}}
Bunn had long wanted an audio drama of the series and had even been pushing for an audio drama adaption before the GraphicAudio deal happened. Director and adaption writer Scott McCormick selected Harrow County after Dark Horse sent him the first four issues and he became enamored with the narrator's voice. In adapting the story, McCormick kept Bunn's dialogue for the characters, but had to augment and write additional material for the narrator. Crook's book soundtrack was used for the music in the audio drama, though sound designer Abby Rose Raetz also wrote additional pieces inspired by Crook's music.
=Board Game=
On October 5, 2022, Off the Page Games launched a Kickstarter campaign for Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict. Designed by Jay Cormier and Shad Miller, the game also features original art by Tyler Crook and "flavor text" in the cards and instructions by Cullen Bunn. It is set to debut some time in late 2023.{{cite web |last1=Tweedale |first1=Mark |title=The Harrow County Observer: Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict |url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/harrow-county-observer-game-of-gothic-conflict/ |website=Multiversity Comics |date=4 October 2022 |access-date=January 28, 2023}}
=Television=
As part of a first look deal between Universal Cable Productions and Dark Horse, a Harrow County television series was in development as of 2015.Keveney, Bill (July 7, 2015) "[https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/07/07/universal-cable-dark-horse-entertainment-set-first-look-deal/29813237/ Deal puts 'Umbrella Academy' on TV track]," USA Today (accessed June 9, 2016)