The Visitations desperately bombard the Gracehill Cemetery water tower hoping to stop Bajardo from using the last moments of the 19th century to enact his evil plans. Meanwhile, teenager Nellie McCullough successfully finds a second route into the stronghold; however, what she learns in her encounter with the mysterious Bajardo challenges Nellie to make a choice: her life or the world she loves.

The Visitations series has always been a love letter to historic Chicago, but issue #9 also pays tribute to plucky Nellie, a living girl who has accepted and fought beside the paranormal Visitations to protect her city. The first several pages work as a highlight reel for the girl’s history and adventures until bringing readers up to the confrontation with Bajardo in the water tower!

The deep dive into Nellie’s previous adventures almost work as a possible entry point into the Visitations series, but the long setup for the showdown with Bajardo makes me caution new readers about starting this far into the plot. The first volume is available for free if you contact the creator, so why skip around when you can enjoy every moment?

The artwork plays a major role in the timelines for this volume, since the coloring and style vary slightly between the story’s present and flashbacks. Balancing full color pages with almost newsprint panels adds work to a project, and I’m impressed with how effective the technique was for me as a reader.

After my last review, Scott Larson reassured me that Visitations still has more stories left, and issue #9 proved him out. While a few major plot points moved forward, there is still a lot for the Visitations to do to protect Chicago and safely bring it into our present. I’m curious to see where the latest revelations will lead them, and having to wait another year will be tough!

5 Heartwarming Stories about Animal Companions out of 5

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