After Blackwood’s execution, which triggered the catastrophic Iroquois Theater fire, the Visitations struggle to coordinate a way to protect Chicago, Graceland Cemetery, and themselves against Bajardo and his minions. As the world stands on the cusp of 1900, the mystical minions must find a way to prevent their beloved city from being destroyed beyond recovery.

Visitations #8 feels like a wind down to the series, as the odds of a confrontation between Bajardo and the Visitations escalates. A lot of the early pages help recap the key points from the earlier issues, including nice use of the COVID-19 pandemic as a framing device to detail what Chicago has gone through and survived throughout its history.

Because this volume reads as a setup for a grand finale, all I want to reveal is that Bajardo and the Visitations will clash in a future issue, but things are not exactly as they seem. I’d like to believe that our ghostly heroes will prevail (since Chicago still exists in our reality), but while Scott Larson has blended his story with the city’s documented history so far, he could change things up on us at any time!

Rather than commenting on the artwork this round, I’d like to encourage readers to check the tombstones in Graceland Cemetery when the action progresses into this significant location between the dead and the living. Everyone featured in this issue is a cosplayer for the series that met the creator during conventions in 2022 and 2023 – how fun!

While I’m excited to see magic and mayhem occur to determine Chicago’s fate, I’m also a little sad to think my time with these characters is probably drawing to a close. I’ve learned some interesting historical facts, enjoyed good storytelling, and overall enjoyed myself. I’ll be on pins and needles until next year when I get to see Issue 9!

5 Unexpected Possessions and Reveals out of 5

Creative Team: Scott Larson (Story and Art)
Publisher: Visitations Comic
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