4 out of 5

…In which Witchfinder Edward Grey goes to Utah to have a haunted Western so that John Severin can art it.  Thankfully, Mike Mignola and John Arcudi give us a fittingly solid script, and we do love Severin, so it’s a fine and well executed indulgence, even if it does just boil down to a zombie story.

Grey has traveled to the US in search of a MacGuffin, asking his questions in the wrong bar and getting into an abrupt shootout, rescued by the chatty but vague world-weary Kaler, and his companion, Isaac.  Kaler tells Grey about troubles in town, possibly caused by a witchy woman named Eris, and Grey drops some of his background info; the men form a bumpy bond over their exposures to the other-worldly.

And then there are those zombies, and a mean ol’ dog, and more shootouts.  The back and forth between Kaler and Grey – the latter struggling with balancing his faith with the less-than-holy elements that surround Kaler – is very well effected, resulting in one of those great buddy-type camaraderies, and Severin, of course, nails the era’s tone, with Stewart’s muted colors and Clem Robins’ precise lettering perfectly complementing, so as not to overwhelm, the artist’s pencils.

The pacing is slightly odd in the first four books, as though Severin doesn’t exactly know how to hit page-end transitions.  The beats seem like they’re in the script, but something about the art feels like John is drawing everything like one long scene, which undermines the punch of some moments or lines of dialogue.  It’s not severe, but it’s noticeable, and is comparable to the last issue – which is fantastic – as, although that has scene transitions, exists as a more linear series of events and reads as such.

That aside, while Lost and Gone Forever isn’t game-changing by any means, it comes across as exactly what the creators intended: a Mignolaverse vehicle suited for a classic artist.  And besides showcasing Severin’s lovely talents, it’s a derned entertaining tale to boot.