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.

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?

--------------------

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!