Written by Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by Sean Phillips
Colored by Jacob Phillips
Published by Image Comics
Man, writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips are really knocking them out.
Twice a year it seems, a beautiful new book emerges from the duo and each book that they do is pure dynamite. I cannot believe the quality of each story that they produce.
They really are at the peak of their collective prowess…hell, they have been at the peak of their collective prowess for many, many years. But they are still up there! This book is yet another feather in their cap after having so many recent feathers in both of their caps. It is truly an excellent read.
So what is the creative team’s newest venture about?
Well, that’s the best part for me. It is about the Satanic Panic that went on in the 1980s.
Some of the older readers might remember that part of culture readily but it was a panic that actually happened.
In history, there were 12,000 cases of unsubstantiated Satanic ritual abuse in the United States. It was a mass anxiety for anyone who lived in the United States at the time as nobody wanted to be harmed by this movement that was happening in the country.
But then, as soon as it rose up, it went away.
But where did it go?
Graphic novels, apparently.
Satanic Panic is back in this story, lucky for us. We are immediately introduced to a woman named Natalie Burns and FBI agent West. They are both trying to track down instances of Satanism in America and to try to stop it. Are there devil worshippers still out there? How prevalent are they? Agent West wants to know and to find out, Natalie is needed. There is a pretty big reason why she is needed as well.
When she was younger, Natalie Burns had a childhood that intersected with Satanism regularly. As a result, she is Agent West’s best shot at finding out some of the mystery behind Satanism in America. The book alternates between past and present a lot. As such, we get a lot of flashbacks in tandem with present day events. The technique is hardly groundbreaking but it it put to great effect with this story. A lot of the past events that we are privy to are truly horrifying and shocking. It also gives a good background to the present day events.
It is very well executed and smartly done, in a very macabre way.
This book has some horrifying things that happen in it.
Right from the outset in the opening scene, we see Natalie give birth in the truck of a car. It really sets the mood for just how far that this book will go. We also see her getting arrested and meeting Agent West, setting the whole plot in motion. We get to see their relationship really develop as the book goes on. As case goes deeper as the book progresses, so does their relationship. Brubaker does a fine job making the characters unique and their challenges feel all too real.
The two of them are on the hunt for some missing children and they need each other. They have to trust only each other. But can they? Is Agent West trustworthy or, even crazier, is Natalie trustworthy?
Brubaker does keep you guessing. I do wish that this was a bit longer to let some of the elements grow and to allow the scenes to breathe a bit more. The world is just so rich, and I wanted to spend more time in it.
By the end of the book, the characters are left in a pretty horrifying place. Things aren’t left in a pat way, rather it all is very messy. The whole book has that feel. This is a very complete story too, and all the elements are there. Suffice to say, I don’t think there will be any sequels coming from this book. Not should there be.
Ed Brubaker writes another amazing script here. The characters are sharp, the dialogue is crisp, and the beats of the story are perfect. Artist Sean Phillips is at the top of his game as usual. His artwork really is a triumph as usual. It’s great. Jacob Phillips does a great job on colors as usual. I love this creative team. I hope they keep at this pace, making these books like this, for a long time to come.
RATING: A
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