In a vain attempt to use Maggie Dean’s spectral guns, Annabelle is infected by the spectral sickness. To cure her, Maggie, the Dead Man, and her ghost sidekick Jack travel to Calvin Calhoun’s Circus, the place where Maggie Dean learned how to shoot and called home after her father was killed.

Madame Lavia, infected with the spectral sickness as well, attempts to cure her, but only manages to hold off the inevitable for a time. They all hoped to be safe there, but the Spaniard and his men catch up to them, and to Maggie Dean’s surprise, he’s not there for Annabelle. It turns out that he needs Maggie Dean’s help to find a book that can destroy the Dead End Moon and sever all spectral connections. She knows she shouldn’t trust him, but the lure of learning about a father she barely knew is her weak point. This leads to a violent confrontation.

Alessandro Amoruso and Erike De Simone take up the art and coloring duties from Gwynn Taveres for this issue and most likely the rest of the series. They do a fine job segueing between the styles of the earlier books without giving the reader whiplash. Though rage and revenge are still strong within Maggie Dean, she’s trying hard to see things from another perspective. Annabelle’s character development has been slow in coming, but we are starting to see her take charge of herself.

This issue, more than the others, deals with the concept of “found family.” Having lost her father at a young age and never having known her mother, Maggie Dean finds the stability and home she needs at the circus. Everyone there appears to have had some influence on her, especially Josephine (Madame Lavin) and Cal. They are the very definition of “it takes a village” when raising a child. I enjoy seeing different types of families represented in stories, as it reminds us that though we are not all raised in a “traditional” family, we can still grow up to be healthy human beings.

Creative Team: Scott Wilke (writer), Alessandro Amoruso & Erika De Simone (artists), Dave Lentz (letterer), Alice & Mike Tener (creators)
Publisher: Bad Bug Media
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