In this review of The Moon Is Following Us #7, healing, hurting, and some beautiful artwork await you, dear reader!
The Moon Is Following Us #7
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artists: Daniel Warren Johnson, Riley Rossmo
Colors: Mike Spicer
Main Cover: Riley Rossmo
Variant Cover: Daniel Warren Johnson
Page Count: 28 pages
Release Date: March 12, 2025
The Moon Is Following Us #7 starts off with a flashback to a time when Penny was fully awake and playing with her dad. In their game of pretend, she’s got a magic cloak that gives her the ability to freeze people/things. The flashback ends with her promising to take care of her dad while he’s under the effects of the spell. Cut right over to the Dream World, where Sam and Duncan are giving Penny’s fallen toys a proper burial.
Duncan laments that they didn’t have the right resources to fight the Cascade before this carnage occurred, but Swano points out that they would have fallen sooner or later as Penny matured. Sam opens up to her husband about how she never really did deal with the trauma of her mother’s death, leading to them seeing her there. They meet more of the girl’s nightmares, and a plan for dealing with the Cascade comes to mind.
Meanwhile, Tash has Pignose bring Penny’s blanket for her. He also takes a small piece of it along with him when he and Pignose return to the Dream World to finish what they’d started with Sam and Duncan.
Back in the Dream World, Sam and Duncan wait for the Cascade to show up so the trap can be sprung, and they take a moment to appreciate the world around them and reaffirm their love for each other. During this time, a fox appears and merges itself with Sam’s arm. This whole time, they’re being watched by their enemy (apparently unaware of the trap).
We get an epic battle at the zoo, and one attack manages to take out GrannyCascade’s snake-mount. Sam rushes in to give her mother a hug, giving her (and herself) her blessing to be at peace. The army’s cut basically in half. Things are looking positive for our heroes…
And then BOOM! Creepy Uncle trauma on Duncan’s part. Yes, a part of the enemy force has come for some of Duncan’s unresolved trauma, and that’s where we end The Moon Is Following Us #7.
As usual, the artwork for The Moon Is Following Us #7 is an absolute treat to behold. Of particular note is the 2-page spread with Sam, Duncan, and the denizens of the zoo (featuring the sorts of crazy hybrid designs that would not be out of place in a kid’s imagination). The movement throughout the whole spread, the creature designs, the interplay of the colors…that just feels like it’d make for an awesome poster.
The color throughout the battle itself is immensely eye-catching, particularly the magenta and bright yellow combo that crops up.
Writing-wise, it’s been holding up the standard set throughout the rest of the series so far. The aspect of Sam’s unresolved trauma is addressed again after a few issues of it not coming up (though to be fair…lot of other stuff going on). Not only that, but she’s finally given the opportunity to come to terms with it, to officially let go of that pain.
Of course, given that there are still 3 issues left, it’s clear that something more has to go down. And that’s where we bring in Uncle Jeff. The flashback connected to him is portrayed well. Its pacing is slow. Deliberate. Chilling. It’s only one and a half pages. Not even broken into a lot of panels. But it’s more than enough to get the point across that it’s Duncan’s turn for some unresolved trauma to manifest in the Dream World. It’s enough to leave him catatonic at the end of The Moon Is Following Us #7.
Which makes me wonder if Penny suspected something (I mean, she had seen Sam reacting to the loss of her mother, and it’s been established that the Cascade works from what’s already in someone’s subconscious and amplifies it…). Not even knowing the finer details, and factoring in how perceptive some kids can be…I find myself wondering if Uncle Jeff had been mentioned in conversation at some point off-page, with Duncan looking noticeably uncomfortable at this. OR there’s the likelihood that because Sam and Duncan have been spending so much time in their kid’s Dream World, parts of these Cascade forces are taking on the forms of what traumatized them in the first place.
And then there’s the question of why Tash saw fit to take a piece of Penny’s blanket. Him asking for the blanket in the first place is remarked upon, and shows that he’s not cruel enough to both let a kid die and do so cold…but his taking a piece of it is emphasized, and it doesn’t look like Pigface really knows about that part (or at least doesn’t care). Which makes me wonder: impending plot device, or memento? Either way, got 3 issues in which to find out.
Overall, The Moon Is Following Us #7 is perfect, especially for that battle at the zoo and the awesome visuals connected to it. And the themes of dealing with grief and growing up are just as strong as ever.
