Houses of the Unholy

Description

In this new tale, an FBI agent from the cult crime beat and a woman with a past linked to the Satanic Panic are drawn into a terrifying hunt for an insane killer hiding in the shadows of the underworld.

This pulse-pounding story asks: can you ever escape your past, or are all your bad decisions just more ghosts to haunt you, wherever you go?

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I received a free ARC from NetGalley, and this review is voluntary

In this detective tale of the occult, devil worship, and how the satanic panic influenced the minds of a generation, we find Natalie on her travels - herself with a past linked to this time period in culture, courtesy of her mother and the ideology believed in. As the story unfolds, we learn that Natalie is hired as a tracker, by the parents of a teenager whom was kidnapped, supposedly by a cult. Although she was initially successful in her mission, the kid was able to escape and alert the authorities, after which time she was arrested and jailed for a handful of different charges. Enter the FBI Agent, from the cult crime division on his own mission, but needs her help due to her past connection to his existing case.

This was a fun read for a number of different reasons. In relation to the pacing, I felt the tempo was just right. The plot is mostly focused on the present, but there was also a build up in the background for something more, or for something else. It presented questions, because much like how the effects of the satanic panic influenced the minds of certain individuals to believe what they did, the reader may also wonder if what they're reading on the page is the true reality of the situation for the characters involved, or if there is something a bit more nefarious going on in the background. As they say, you won't know until the very end, unless by that time... it's too late.

This was well written, and provided such an atmosphere of the eerie. Just nailed down the psychology of the real life events of the satanic panic. An absolute homerun by Brubaker and Phillips

The art is so well done, It was like I was reading an old comic book, it gave me the same cozy feelings, I love the coloring.
The story was wonderfully written, thought out and creepy! the plot twist was a shock to me but it made me feel deeper for that character, I can't believe it's over! I really hope there is more of this story to come!

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. A horror graphic novel about Satanic panic, sign me up! The story drew me in as soon as I started it and couldn't put it down. What a wild ride.

This was such a good horror graphic novel.

The story follows Natalie Burns, a private investigator with a dark and sinister past. In the 80s, during the Satanic Panic, she and several other kids, known as the Satanic Six, accused camp counselors of satanic torture, which destroyed their lives. Natalie now focuses on saving kids from cults/cult-like activities. When a job goes wrong she‘s picked up by a FBI agent and together they try to save the remaining members of the Satanic Six.

The artwork is chef’s kiss. I loved the eerie atmosphere, the story was very well written and the pacing felt just right.
I absolutely loved the flashbacks to Natalie‘s childhood.
I do think this book would’ve benefited from being a bit longer. And I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending.

All in all, a solid 4 star read that I‘d definitely recommend.

Brilliant! Anther incredible stand-alone graphic novel from Brubaker, Phillips, and Phillips. This volume leans more into the horror genre, and similar tones to their classic Fatale volumes. I actually found myself liking Jacob Phillips colours more in this volume then I have in the past few of their works. Great read!

Houses of the Unholy is another hit from the team of Brubaker and Philips. The story follows Natalie Burns as she gets dragged back into a past she's been trying for 35 years to escape, set against the backdrop of the satanic panic. The story moves at a relentless pace and is a thrill ride all the way through, taking Natalie and the reader through a tide of existential dread, with Brubaker's masterclass writing and Philips's beautiful pages with the colors by Jacob Phillips helping to complement the existential horror that permeates throughout the book making House of the Unholy another worthy addition to their bibliography.

Admittedly, when I requested this title I didn't realize it was a comic/graphic novel. It sounded interesting and I was sold. I really enjoyed it, as my first adult graphic novel. The story was interesting and bone-chilling. A wild ride! Thank you NetGalley for the early access read!

Dark, disturbing & intense..exactly what I expected. I found the illustrations to be spectacular and the storyline kept me intrigued. I don't normally read graphic novels, but glad I got to read this one. I will definitely look into more.

I LOVE A GOOD HORROR GRAPHIC NOVELLLLLLL! Full Stop.

I am so thankful to Image Comics, Netgalley, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips for granting me advanced digital access to this thrilling graphic novel before it hits shelves on August 27, 2024.

Natalie Burns has a dark and sinister past, one that includes the Satanic Panic of the late 80s where schoolkids blamed teachers and camp counselors of satanic torture, only for society to realize that they’d been bamboozled by a bunch of pre-teens, ruining the lives of countless adults in their town.

Years later, Natalie is a private investigator/bounty hunter, of sorts, who works to save kids from cult-like activities but when a job goes wrong, she’s picked up by a rogue FBI agent who is all-too-familiar with her case from decades ago. Agent West is attempting to save the remaining members of the Satanic Six, as they are being picked off ritualistically one by one, and it’s perceived that Natalie is next.

Told through Rated-R illustrations, the creators of the Houses of the Unholy will leave you wondering if these ritualistic cults are real or just a brain fog from some very mentally ill individuals.

For years now, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have been putting out amazing graphic novels that blur the line between different genres, and in Houses of the Unholy, they turn their gaze to the aftermath of false childhood Satanic Panic accusations and see our now grown-up heroine teaming up with an FBI agent to save the surviving members of her "Satanic Six". I wish it had been a little bit longer as the conclusion came really fast and hard and I would have liked a little more. Nevertheless, a four-star Brubaker/Phillips book is still better than most five-star graphic novels out there.

Special thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

There’s nothing like a good old fashioned cultist horror story, and this was that: GOOD. I could have happily spent another 150 (300, 500, 1000…) pages with Natalie Burns and her quest to figure out just what the hell is going on. The structure of present day and flashback sequences are timed perfectly and so much fun. The art is extraordinary, I’m in awe of the lettering, the inking makes for exciting shadow play, and the coloring lends perfection to the atmosphere. Every aspect of the book is fantastic. *Chef’s Kiss* I’ll be getting myself (and a few friends) a physical copy as soon as this terrific terror is released!

First I would like to thank Image Comics for allowing me early access to this book.

I've said it before, but I'm a huge fan of the Brubaker - Phillips tea, and this new standalone confirms it.

Here they operate in a new setting, 80's horror. The story is centered around the satanic panic and conspiracy theories in general.
I found the tone and the art style particularly adapted to this subject.
I also found here all I love about their previous work, the tragic characters, the gritty world, the twists and turns of the story, the almost open ending.

It was a short but great read and I definitely would recommend.

I love it that the veteran Deans, the veritable GOATS, of Crime Comics, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, wit colorist Jacob Phillips, having established their niche in comics history, have decided to try something different, eighties horror, in their stand-alone graphic novel, Houses of the Unholy. Okay, their Fatale can be characterized as horror, with its femme fatale and monsters and mystery, and one volume of the series, subtitled The Devil’s Business, actually dealsin part with Satanic Cults. And To Kill or Be Killed just may feature a demon, depending on your reading of the story. But this is a full frontal dark (to match our even darker times?) forway into the world of Satanic Cults, and a departure from their ongoing Criminal series.

The work is still recognizably Brubaker and Phillips x2: The writing is terrific, with twists and turns, the story proceeding out of text boxes throughout. And it does still involve crime. The art is obviously the father-son Phillips team, and yet they are trying a different tone, a different style, different colors, to fit the different genre, and the crazier story.

Natalie Burns was one of six kids in her community acusing adults of satanic rituals and abuse--there were actually something like 12,000 cases against adults, ruining many lives, so it really was a kind of panic--when she was little. Now she makes up for it by working as a PI rescuing kids from cults. But an ex-FBI agent comes to her to tell her that of the 6 original accusers, two are dead, and she is in now in danger. The plot involves her brother, too, and it all goes crazy, turning in on itself. Maybe a little too crazy for me, but hey, this is the genre, too!

This book looks to the past with reference to The Salem Witch Trials with its focus on the conspiracy theory of 1692-3 that led to the murder of many good people in a small community. All dismissed as lies afterwards. See, too, Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, for a story of the trials, written as an analogy to the early 1950’s commie “witch hunt” led in part by Senator Joseph McCarthy. It also makes reference to eighties and nineties cults and their insane leaders drawing victims into their hysterical muck and mire.

It also looks to the present, as all good horror does, in referencing the damaging effects of conspiracy theories in 2024 society.
Of course the Satanic Panic is not an original theme, with lots of folks writing about it, from Grady Hendrix to Stranger Things to you name it. But this is a fine addition to the bunch, so no big complaint here. It has a kind of hysterical over-the-top-ness to the conclusion that is both dark and a tribute to the horror genre, so it was both scary and fun. I get it that tastes will differ.
*The title, kids, is a reference to Led Zeppelin’s 1973 album, Houses of the Holy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics and the authors (who are not my personal friends but I nevertheless want to have a beer with them; sure, I’ll buy!) for an advanced copy of Houses of the Unholy in exchange for an honest review. It hits the shelves on August 27, 2024.

Dark subject matter abounds in Houses of the Unholy, a brisk graphic novel that tackles trauma surrounding the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. When a woman whose childhood was caught up in the collective psychosis is confronted violently with her past, she and a rogue FBI agent are forced to track down the sinister forces behind the plot.

This is a quick read, and many elements of the story (and ending) are left purposefully vague which may be offputting. However it is overall an intriguing and page turning mystery that offers plenty of dread.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for an advanced copy of Houses of the Unholy in exchange for an honest review.

Houses of the Unholy is a horror graphic novel set years following the Satanic Panic. Natalie, who was formally involved in being manipulated into accusing camp counselors of satanic torture, now saves other children from cults. She gets involved with an FBI agent, who also works on solving cult-related crimes. They team up to try to figure out who is killing the other children from Natalie's past, who were also involved in accusing the camp counselors of satanic torture.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I thought the characters and the plot were well-developed. Sometimes with graphic novels I find that those areas can be a bit lacking, as the authors will depend on the graphics to explain more of the story, so I appreciated that it wasn't the case for this one. I enjoyed the pacing, and how the flashbacks had different coloring/shading to offset it from the main storyline. The artwork was well done, and the grittiness fit the tone of the story. I do think it ended a bit abruptly, and would have liked a little more closure, but that's just a personal preference.

I rated this 4.5, rounded up to 5 stars.

I'm grateful to Image Comics for giving me access to an advance e-copy of Houses of the Unholy to consider for review.

I recently went to see Arthur Miller's play The Crucible at the Gielgud theatre in London. This story of mass delusion leading to a literal witch-hunt is a deep part of modern culture but it was the first time I saw it. The parallels with the McCarthy political purges are well known, but I didn't realise until I read this graphic novel that it also prefigured a more literal form of witch-hunt that actually took place in the USA in the 1980s, a couple of decades after Miller's play appeared. (My lack of knowledge of this perhaps reflects a deep gulf between the pre Internet age and now - something like this would, of course, be all over social media and impossible to miss. But in the 80s I, and most people, were not online).

The parallels are, as Houses of the Unholy describes them, close. Young kids, pushed by peer pressure and fundamentalist-minded parents and authority figures such as therapists and clergy, denounce teachers, youth workers and others. The whole things snowballs. Reason sleeps. Those falsely labelled are ostracised, lose their jobs and sometimes take their own lives. In the backwash, when a degree of common sense is reasserted, there is guilt and retribution. Lives are damaged of lost.

In Houses of the Unholy we first meet Natalie Burns checking in at a remote motel. She pays in cash and asks for a cabin isolated from the others. Is she up to something, or does she just want a bit of peace and quiet? Of course it's the former, and the story soon takes a dark turn, resulting in attention form the local police and a driven, lone gun FBI agent.

Learning more about Natalie's background, we gradually understand how she got caught caught up in the 80s panic, and what she feels she has to atone for. The stigma of those events wrecked Natalie's family and her brother spiralled off into online conspiracy fandom. She herself cannot forget what she did - but nor can she properly distinguish the false memories from the true ones. At first seeming a rather unpleasant character, Brubaker and Philips do build sympathy for Natalie as the story continues, showing how she, too was a victim in all this and what she has done to rebuild her life.

Agent Paul West, who begins by arresting Natalie but then offers her a deal if she'll cooperate, is a bit of a classic loner, apparently working an angle that he shouldn't be. We learn little about him until later in the book, partly because his attempts at bonding with her are pretty much rebuffed. Endlesss car journeys in frozen silence are more native to a graphic novel depiction than to prose. and Houses of the Unholy makes excellent use of panels without speech bubbles as well as using background colour to animate the mood - a cool blue for the frequent noir-ish, nighttime scenes, red when we scent evil, particularly for flashbacks to the 80s. It's a compelling and addictive story, weaving together both the aftermaths of the 80s panic and a modern strand of apocalyptic, End-Of-Times fear that's pointed up later in the story by a distant warning siren (we never learn what it's warning of) as well as our heroes encountering unnatural disasters such as floods and wildfires.

All in all and excellent horror-tinged tale that ends on a note of real uncertainty, blurring the boundary between human evil and the supernatural. Great fun.