Houses of the Unholy by Ed Brubaker, with haunting illustrations by Sean Phillips, is a relentless dive into darkness. Brubaker’s storytelling is sharp and intense, matched perfectly by Phillips' gritty, atmospheric artwork. Together, they create a world steeped in suspense and moral complexity, each twist more chilling than the last. This is Brubaker and Phillips at their finest—an utterly captivating, spine-tingling experience that leaves you breathless.

This isn't my favorite of these authors, but the themes and narrative certainly kept me invested.

I found the main character very interesting and real - but, like her, I still haven't managed to decipher all the themes and intentions of this story. Perhaps that's its intent.

Even so, I can't give this work less than 4 stars - I think I'll re-read it a few more times!

I don't know what to say except I Want More! I need to know what happens next!! Easy to read, gorgeous illustrations and a NEED for resolution!

I remember the McMartin preschool trial. First there was the horror, the very thought that caretakers had inflicted such abuse on their innocent charges. Then there were nagging suspicions that the whole thing had been fabricated, that it was all just stories told by suggestible children who had been coached. The case resulted in no convictions, though plenty of lives were ruined as a result. Years later, one of the children, now an adult admitted, "Never did anyone do anything to me, and I never saw them doing anything."

Brubaker takes this premise, and crafts an intriguing, compelling graphic novel that surmises what might have happened to those children. As we've seen over the last decade, there are many, many gullible people who are susceptible to misinformation, who are willing to act on what they "believe" whether or not their beliefs are based in fact. I would have said that Brubaker takes this to the extreme, but every minute spent scanning the news lately convinces me that clever conmen can convince their followers to believe ANYTHING.

This is a dark, disturbing book, but I also fear it's something of a cautionary tale.

Houses of the Unholy by Ed Brubaker is a captivating dive into the darker side of supernatural crime noir. Known for his expertise in the genre, Brubaker delivers a story steeped in mystery, intrigue, and an undercurrent of eerie horror. The novel intertwines elements of the occult with gritty urban crime, creating a unique blend that is both unsettling and deeply engrossing.

The plot centers around a down-and-out private investigator, tasked with solving a case that quickly spirals into something far more sinister. As he delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a network of secret societies, dark rituals, and cursed locations—the titular "houses of the unholy." These shadowy enclaves are full of eerie atmospheres and ancient, malevolent forces, making the story feel like a descent into madness as much as an investigation.

Brubaker’s writing excels at creating tension and atmosphere. The dialogue is sharp and realistic, and the pacing is taut, building a sense of impending doom as the protagonist uncovers more about the occult world lurking just beneath the surface. The character development is also solid, with a protagonist who is deeply flawed yet relatable, struggling with personal demons while facing the literal ones his case brings to light.

The horror elements are subtle but powerful, with Brubaker masterfully blending psychological dread with moments of genuine supernatural terror. The houses themselves are almost characters in their own right—creepy, dilapidated places that hold unspeakable horrors.

Overall, Houses of the Unholy is a well-crafted fusion of crime noir and supernatural horror, driven by strong characters, suspenseful writing, and a hauntingly immersive atmosphere. It’s a must-read for fans of both genres, offering a chilling, unforgettable journey into the heart of darkness.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are well known for their dark, gritty graphic novels, but "Houses of the Unholy", their latest, is dark.

The protagonist is an investigator who teams up with a rogue FBI agent looking for a serial killer who is killing off a group called "the Satanic Six", six children who, in the 80s, accused their daycare of torturing, molesting, and eating babies in a Satanic ritual held in a nearby cave. This was during the Satanic Panic, when parents and psychiatrists and police officers believed whatever these little kids were saying, despite a glaring lack of evidence.

Brubaker/Phillips dare to ask the question: What if the Satanic Panic never stopped? What if, thanks to the Internet and social media, it has morphed with all the nutjob Q-Anon conspiracy theories out there into something out-of-control?

It's the End of the World. So sayeth Facebook...

Ed Brubaker's Houses of the Unholy is a well-done, if imperfect, graphic novel. The art is fantastic and I liked some of the dialogue. The story just fell a little flat for me. It's possible that my expectations of Brubaker were just a little too high.

This was ok. I have no serious complaints about this other than to say it was just slightly underwhelming. I’ve come to expect a lot from Brubaker, but in this case I think there just wasn’t enough meat of the story, I didn’t feel that there was much for me to sink my teeth into, I wanted a little more depth etc. The art itself was pretty good, so visually this gets a 3.5 stars, but the story gets 2.5.

I think there are much better things out there to read, unless of course you’re a die hard Brubaker fan & you have the completionist gene 😂

I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting when going into this novel but I'm sure glad now that I requested it on Netgalley. I've always had a fascination with cults and the satanic panic of the 80s and 90s and I'm not sure if it's just because I grew up in the deep south during that time period so it was all everyone in my small town talked about and the fact that my childhood revolved around what my grandparent's believed would and would not push me towards satan or if it's just a curiosity of how people can be swindled into believing these things but whatever it is it's not going away.

I really loved the storyline of this novel and the fact that it jumped back and forth each chapter from present to past giving you the context that you needed to understand what was going on. I also really liked Natalie the main character. While I could see how some could dislike her disposition I feel like because of what she did as a child it shaped how she was as an adult and that she wanted to separate herself from the world and therefore people so she would not impact anyone else's life the way she did back then.

I had my suspicions that there was something up with one of the characters, I won't say which one to avoid spoilers, but I wasn't fully certain of it until it was revealed so koodoos to the authors for that. I also really loved the illustration style of this novel. I felt the color scheme used put you in the melancholy dark place that you need to be to fully imerse yourself in the story and connect with the characters and what's going on. The only thing that I felt was unnecessary in this was the sex scene and that's not because I have anything against sex scenes it just felt un-needed and I feel like the story would have played out just the same without it. All in all I will definitely be looking for more to read from these authors.

A woman with a past that links her to cult when she was a child. A detective that has his own troubles and agenda. A string of killings that ensure the past never dies. This comic is so damn fun to read. I read through it fast and in one sitting and it didn’t disappoint for one moment.

I love that this read like an animated film. The art style is stunning and dark and I’d stop every so often just to take the imagery in. I loved that you can distinguish past from present based on the coloring of the scene. The colors in this comic are beautifully chosen to set the mood and tone of the scene.

I love that it chose Satanic panic as a driving theme throughout. I feel like in this day and age people think that that mentality is long over, but I’ve seen and heard of people still thinking like that and it’s really sad. The events of this novel are something that we would hope not to be something that could be reality, but it is not completely far-fetched.

If you love horror or detective stories you will have a blast reading ‘Houses of the Unholy’. It will shock you until its twisted end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
-
The idea of reading a time set during the satanic panic was so interesting to me and this book filled that curiosity. It was so interesting to see Brubaker's takes on the satanic panic and did so with interesting characters all with different backstories. The "plot twist" was somewhat predictable for me at least, but did not alter my reading experience at all. This is definitely a great read for those into the satanic panic and all things horror.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this graphic novel! I got to the end and found myself wanting more.

This was, overall, a perfect read for October. Dealing with the aftermath of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s as a now-adult, the story shows how traumas that happen as children bleed into our adult lives whether we want them to or not.

This is perfect for fans of horror and true crime (who may want to veer a little into fiction.)

Beautiful illustrations and creative writing that is actually a comprehensive and engaging crime investigation involving old occult trials from the 1980s and children’s roles in satanic rituals as well as the lasting trauma response to those children as adults in a narrative and illuminating illustrated narrative analysis. I wouldn’t buy the book for myself but I definitely would read it again and recommend it to my audience.

I was sold at comics, cults and horror. Don’t let the cover fool you ( I really don’t like it, and compared to the actual art it does not match). I wasn’t alive in the 80’s (only by 14 days ahha) but I have heard of the satanic cults but only briefly. The his comic opened my eyes to them. I’m really hoping that there is another instalment because I need more answers. I did enjoy the then and now POVs and I still want to know what actually happened when they were kids. It was a wild ride and I would recommend it to lovers of cults and comics.

Thank you to Netgalley and Image comics for the copy.

A fascinating story with a suitable mystery involving children and devil worshipping. Ed Brubaker tells a great story, and I look forward to the next part.

Neat one shot about guilt and the illusions we fear as children becoming amazingly literal as wildfires burn the state and a neat riff on the final girl trope. Amazing color work with the fire and flashbacks especially.

I had trouble getting invested in this due to its uneven pacing, which started off strong but lost momentum mid-way, only to hastily wrap up the conclusion. I would have loved to see a deeper exploration of the cult itself and have more frightening scenes but the horror elements were lackluster. As for the artwork, while not my preferred style, it featured a dark and gritty atmosphere predominantly utilizing blacks and reds in its color scheme, which was fitting for the story but again, not my preferred style.

Houses of the Unholy is a moderately engaging read that I would suggest to anyone looking for a casual exploration of cults and the satanic panic era.

Another mind-trip from the inner workings of Ed Brubaker. Natalie is working at rescuing teens from brainwashing cults, and she's good at her job because she has experience. When she was a child her mother got involved in the Satanic Panic and convinced Natalie that; obviously she had been tortured and abused by these demons. Natalie later realized it was all false, but she couldn't outrun her past. She gets picked up by the police, but then an FBI agent shows up and claims he needs her assistance. See, some cult group is going around and killing the former kids involved in the Satanic Six. Natalie is their only chance to get the other two people before the cult gets them. Nothing goes to plan and there is blood and violence before the book comes to an unsatisfying ending.

The discussion of what is really of the world, are these conspiracies, conspiracies, or is there some truth to them, were those memories actually implanted or did something happen, was all very fascinating. I was hoping for a bigger ending, but really if we look at history and how these people's lives ended up, many just fizzle out too. But since Natalie's memory of the cabin is real, does that mean the rest of it was too?

If you like cults, the Satanic Panic, and modern-day conspiracies, read this book.

It was interesting and a great concept but it just seemed to end abruptly. I did not love the ending. I am cool with an unhappy ending it just did not settle with me.

I'm a huge fan of the Brubaker/Phillips collaborations, but this wasn't among their best. HOUSES OF THE UNHOLY is a noir-ish spin on Satanic-panic that doesn't really go anywhere, or should I say, doesn't go anywhere unexpected. The same can be said about ALL of Brubaker's work. The characters and plots are excellent, but he never takes you anywhere new and daring, and the stories always come out pretty much the way you expect they will. This one just fell flatter than most for me, because if you're doing Horror, I expect a horror ending. This was more like a modern-day spin on RACE WITH THE DEVIL, with a much less satisfying climax.