Hemlock Hallows Has Some Explaining To Do: ‘Misfortune’s Eyes’ #2 Reviewed

A satisfying conclusion doesn’t need to tie up every loose end – leave the audience wanting more – but by the penultimate issue (or, in this case, the second issue) there should be some sense of what the end goal of this arc will be. Instead, it felt like this issue was piling on more mystery without clearly laying a path for what the third/final issue will resolve.

Misfortune’s Eyes #2 begins with a flashback to what happened fifteen years ago that made Vivian’s parents decide to leave Hemlock Hallows. With that comes a lot of new information, including the identity of Vivian’s father. Turns out he was the other guy in the photo Briar’s dad was looking at the end of the first issue, which would suggest that they were friends at some point. Like Vivian’s antagonist, Briar, Vivian’s dad is clairvoyant and my favorite page of this issue is when Fernández depicts one of his visions. It’s such a sinister image that it’s no wonder he takes it seriously. A vision like that about a loved one would be impossible to shake.

We also figure out the crucial piece of information that the town is missing about why Vivian’s mom broke the rules of the spirit world. And we get a better idea of the timeline for what happened when and who lashed out first. Interestingly, the flashback suggests that Nana knew what her daughter was up do and gave her her unspoken blessing. That might be impossible to prove, but it does throw into questions why she and Vivian’s mom haven’t spoken this whole time, and why Nana didn’t leave Hemlock Hallows with her daughter. Sure, she’s a member of the town council, but then why has she allowed the town to blame her daughter for everything? Why is maintaining the image that Hemlock Hallows is a safe place to live so important when clearly the spirits aren’t that benevolent?

Fernández again proves adept at horror with her depiction of the spirits. From their sad clown expressions to their spider-like number of eyes, they’re not even trying to look friendly. On Buffy, Sunnydale happened to be built on a Hellmouth, but why would anyone deliberately build their town on an energy vortex? Hemlock Hallows has some explaining to do.

Of course, the unfortunate part about this flashback is that Vivian isn’t privy to it. Since readers now know more than she does,  that’s more information she still has to learn going into the finale.

What Vivian needs most is to have a conversation with her mom and Nana, but since her mom has opted to not return to Hemlock Hallows, that doesn’t seem likely. A talk with her Nana might be coming, though. That’s where the issue leaves off at least, but will Vivian get to ask Nana all of the questions she’s been wanting to ask her or will the conversation get derailed by the new information revealed at the end of the issue about Nana’s aura (it took me a moment to understand what Prince and Fernández were trying to get across, but the “ah ha” moment did come).

Speaking of auras, I don’t know if there’s going to be enough time in this arc for Vivian to really get a crash course on how her powers work, which is a shame. It’s not even 100% clear if there are any other aura readers in Hemlock Hallows. It does seem like Briar and Vivian might be the other storyline that comes to a head in the finale, either with them clearing the air or going to war. Their confrontation in this issue was one of the more surprising moments, as instead of responding with anger (as might be expected), Vivian’s sadness seemed to throw Briar for a loop. It made for a very well-written scene on Prince’s part.

In any case, the only thing not on Misfortune’s Eyes side at the moment is time, but hopefully a second arc will fix that.

Misfortune’s Eyes #2 is on sale now from Sumerian Comics.