I thoroughly enjoyed the previous issue of the series. Revisiting the book after almost a year opened my eyes to the humor and drama of the property. Unfortunately, this subsequent chapter in the life of Cassie Starkweather didn't prove to be quite as well compelling as the first. It lacks suspense and the level of humor that was to be found last month. And I think another problem stems from the script's penchant to direct the reader's attention to a character that's rather inconsequential, at least as far as this issue is concerned. Perhaps this will read better as a segment in a collected edition.
Cassie's in deep trouble, and she doesn't even know it. She's succumbed to a sleepwalking trance, and even in that dreamworld, she seems to have blocked out all memories of the tragic and bizarre circumstances of her life as of late. Her grandfather's ghost enters her dreams in order to help her and direct her out of peril, but Cassie's dream-self makes an interesting point about the ghost's behavior. Meanwhile, the demonic agents in the Starkweather household are instructed to hurl Cassie into Perdition, and the sheriff who's accompanied Cassie on some of her supernatural adventures rushes back to town in order to save her from danger.
Moline's designs of the weird circus-folk are impressive, and I hope they're not abandoned as Cisco leaves them behind. The grandfather/ghost visual is a striking one as well, especially when he takes on his more inhuman and menacing appearance. I'm also impressed with how Moline manages to maintain Cassie's mundance, everyday appearance. On the surface, there's really nothing striking about Cassie, and that reinforces the notion of how she's just a regular person who's become embroiled in a weird crisis of supernatural -- and even cosmic -- proportions.
I also enjoyed how Bedard maintains a balance in her character. Her dream-self comes off as clueless and ordinary for the most part, but there's a moment of clarity when she sees through a key lie, a moment that really gets the reader on her side. Still, her inexplicable and unconscious defence against a supernatural attack comes off as far too convenient.
The book opens with a clear focus on Sheriff Francisco Fernandez, and that's a bit of a mistake. While his psychic encounter with the circus's bizarre "twins" serves its expositionary purpose, Cisco's urgent return to Cassie's side proves to have little to do with the core action of this issue. Cisco's scenes serve to eclipse the real heart of this issue, and that's Cassie's confrontation with Grandfather Ghost.
