Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Ah, Terry Moore’s ‘Rachel Rising’ finally comes to an end with this volume. And even though the journey was bumpy, the climactic pages were violent, tragic, almost emotional, before throwing in one last dark comical twist.
To be honest, after the extensive build up on how ancient and powerful Malus, the primary antagonist is, the way he is defeated was rather underwhelming. But Moore’s detailed artwork and the dark comedy makes the ending of ‘Rachel Rising’ quite satisfactory.
“How do you get rid of a demon who can’t die?”
Titled ‘Dust to Dust’, the volume is all about Lilith growing a new wild garden as she tries to figure out how to vanquish Malus. Yes, gardening and demon-slaying can go hand in hand. Zoey comes up with a ridiculous idea, which Lilith starts to consider seriously since she doesn’t have many other options.
Meanwhile, Rachel finally figures out who murdered her the first time she rose from the dead, with lacerations on her neck. Aunt Johnny stumbles upon new clues to find the killer, discovering there were other female victims that died in a similar manner: strangled to death with a rope and buried face down. Does Rachel get her vengeance after all the dying? Of course!
This volume of ‘Rachel Rising’ features several beautifully drawn, wordless pages where the art alone carries the story forward. One page, for instance, has just five panels showing Lilith walking through the forest, serious and determined to track down Malus’ latest human vessel. Another standout moment is a pair of back-to-back pages split into three horizontal panels each, quietly depicting Earl and Jet asleep together, smiling, images that perfectly convey the warmth of their growing relationship. Seriously, read this horror comic-book series simply for the art (although you need to be a fan of the genre too).
In the last issue of the volume, Lilith defeats Malus with relative ease, but the real impact comes in the closing pages as Rachel’s killer is finally revealed. The revelation is both disturbing and chilling, and Terry Moore crafts a darkly satisfying ending, despite leaving several subplots hanging.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. ‘Rachel Rising‘ is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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