03-003 The Conjuring: The Lover

03-003
The Conjuring: The Lover

As a fan of the Warrens and The Conjuring Universe, I have recently read the DC comic The Conjuring: The Lover. The comic series is officially a part of the universe. Reading it is sort of my completion on the franchise. So, I am going to write something about this comic series before moving onto other topics of the Warrens.

Artwork of The Conjuring: The Lover

Is The Conjuring: The Lover any good? What is it about? How well does it connect to the other parts of the franchise? Where should it be placed in the Conjuring-verse timeline? Are the Warrens there? And most importantly, for non-comic fans, is this series worth reading? Is there anything to miss if I don’t read it? I will answer all these questions one by one.

Before moving on, I need to include a little spoiler warning as it is impossible not to discuss the content of the comics and also the movie The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. But I will only spoil a little bit of it.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Is “The Conjuring: The Lover” any good?

Being the first non-screen present of the universe, the comic series broaden its followers’ eyesight. I am not a great fan of Western comics. I grew up with Japanese comics, Doraemon, Dragon Ball Z, etc. Certainly, Western comics are in a totally different style from Japanese comics. But I quite like The Conjuring: The Lover. The artworks are good and the storyline is also good. It is easy to follow, not much of guessing around when reading. Yes, it is good.

Cover of Issue 1

What is it about?

The Conjuring: The Lover is a limited series published on 5 different issues. The first issue published 3 days before the screening of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The film was theatrically released in the United States on June 4, 2021 and the comics was published on the first of June. Remaining issues published on the first Tuesday of the following months and the story ended on Issue 5, which is published on October 5, 2021.

Story took place in 1981 in Danvers. It is a story about a colleague student called Jessica. At the beginning of the story, the girl was having a hard time. She had bad grades in the last semester and needed to catch up. Her mum expected her a lot. To make things even worse, her best friend and lover, Katie Lincoln, was taking a year off and not to be with her. 

That is all I want to spoil. If you want to know more, read the comics.

Cover of Issue 2

How well does it connect to the other parts of the franchise?

Now, it is time to spoil the movie. If you have watched The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, the name Katie Lincoln would sound familiar. Yes, she is murdered in the movie by being stabbed 22 times. And in her friend Jessica’s home, police found a totem. And movie said Jessica was missing. This is how the comics was connected to the movie. It gives the details of Katie’s murder.

If The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is “Conjuring 3”, then The Conjuring: The Lover is “Conjuring 2.9”. The comics is a prequel to the movie.

Cover of Issue 3

Where should it be placed in the Conjuring-verse timeline?

The story took place in year 1981, months before the story of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. So it should be placed like this in the Conjuring-verse timeline:

1. The Nun
2. Annabelle: Creation
3. The Nun 2
4. Annabelle
5. The Conjuring
6. Annabelle Comes Home
7. The Curse of La Llorona
8. The Conjuring 2
9. The Conjuring: The Lover
10. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

I also put the upcoming movie The Nun 2 in the timeline for reference.

Cover of Issue 4

Are the Warrens there?

Not exactly. The couple did not appear anywhere in the comics but their names were mentioned on one of the page in Issue 3.

The only place you can find the Warrens

Is this series worth reading?

Except you really hate comics, I would say yes. Just like other spin-off movies in the franchise, the comics enrich the story line. For sure, the stories are all Hollywood creation and are not related to any true case investigated by the Warrens.

Another thing I need to mention is, the story was spread across 5 issues of comics. And each issue is around 30 pages. But only half of the pages are about the story of Jessica. The other half are backup stories, which explore the cursed artifacts in the Warren's basement museum. Those backup stories serve as an important part to enrich The Conjuring Universe.

Cover of Issue 5

Is there anything to miss if I don’t read it?

The comics gives some extra information to the franchise. But you will still be able to understand the movie without reading it. The last issue of The Conjuring: The Lover was published months after the release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. And people have no problem understanding the movie.

This is all I want to say about The Conjuring: The Lover. I recommend it. The comics are available from Amazon. Please respect the writer and buy a real copy. Don’t download.

On the next post, I will talk about something else, something other than The Conjuring Universe but about the Warrens.

Where to buy?

Amazon.

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