The Burning Bride

Midnight Mystery Vol. 1

The Burning Bride

by Bernie Gonzalez, Wes Locher

Zeke’s latest customer, a man from India, is engaged to get married. He was married once before. His first wife, killed herself. Her father had gambled away the family fortune. She lit their home on fire while she was in it. Zeke’s customer is convinced that his wife’s ghost is haunting him. He wants Zeke to protect him.

The man’s fiancée thinks his story is ridiculous until The ghost of his first wife appears before them all. The first wife has come for revenge. She loved him even though he didn’t reciprocate the emotion. She understands now why he set their home on fire. She gets what she came for. 

Zeke gets a visit, in the midst of the visit from the burning bride, from his own past. Maggie, presumably his girlfriend or wife who also showed up briefly in the previous story, tells him that she’s only there because of him. 

Zeke meets with Gus, a friend who also knew Maggie and is helping him try to solve that mystery.

Conrad and and Roland from Reel Evil make a brief appearance at the end of the story. 

Thoughts

Maybe I should have known or at least suspected that Zeke’s customer was lying but I didn’t. I like the twists at end of this story even though they seem painfully obvious in retrospect given the nature of these stories. I’m glad to see that they are continuing the story of Conrad and Roland. I’m also intrigued by the glimpses into Zeke’s past. 

I’m not as crazy about the way that the panels are presented in this story, sideways. I understand and appreciate that it gives the author room to do things he otherwise cannot. It also made the book difficult to hold, which seems petty on my part.