Gothic Tales of Haunted Love

Gothic Tales of Haunted Love is a great concept — inspired by the short-run early 70s comic genre of gothic romance, which featured spooky old houses, tragic young women in danger, and the potential of ghosts, a variety of creators have created new stories with today’s attitudes. There are 20 stories included plus some moody pinups.

The book starts with a must-read foreword by romance comic historian Jacque Nodell that covers the high points of the genre and its influences, which ran through eight issues of two titles from DC Comics and eleven Charlton issues. She points out that most of the stories are “ultimately revealed to be merely a diabolical plot by a person who either abhors change, or who uses the illusion of the supernatural to satisfy their own greed.” That’s one key difference between the previous take on the genre and the stories here: these stories don’t explain away the ghostly or macabre elements. Sometimes, they even relish in them. Another is that few women portrayed are helpless; even if the actions they take are unforgivable, they’re making their own decisions.

High points of the anthology for me, were:

* “Crush” by Janet Hetherington and Ronn Sutton — A classic premise, the new governess at a remote old house, is given a fresh approach by making the heroine dark-skinned and ending the story with a determined, grisly twist. This is perhaps the most in keeping with the genre roots of the collection.

* “Rose’s Heart” by Colleen Coover — A damsel in distress turns the table on her “protector” and exploiter.

* “L’Heure Verte” by Caroline Dougherty and Femi Sobowale — Named after “the green hour”, an absinthe happy hour, this romantic encounter has gorgeous art and design in keeping with the fancy costume party setting.

* “Goldblind” by Hope Nicholson and Scott Chantler — Given his historical work, Chantler is a great artistic choice for a story set during the gold rush in a remote snowbound cabin about the tragic futility of chasing riches.

* “Ladies of the Lake” by Sarah Winifred Searle — An abandoned wife, aided by her maid, stops a privileged serial killer. Searle’s deceptively simple style suits the underlying optimism of women winning out.

* “Mistress Fox” by Megan Kearney and Derek Spencer — Truly creepy manipulation and psychological battle among the wealthy, with wonderful use of language.

* “One More Cup” by Barbara Guttman — Distinctly modern but classic in its portrait of fascination and a slow falling in love with a supernatural creature. The final page, in all its gothic glory, is something to see.

Other stories are intriguing, but wander too far away from the premise for me. Nika’s “Secrets in the Silk”, for example, takes revenge on an anti-feminist fashion designer in 1974 Taiwan. Great concept, but not “gothic” to my mind. It’s more than just having a spirit involved, but requires a certain atmosphere and environment. Similarly, “The Return” by David A. Robertson and Scott B. Henderson is a zombie story among Native Americans with an obvious message. Again, not a bad story, but it didn’t seem suited for this collection (and I found myself wondering about the choice, as it comes close to equating “native” with “mysticism” in a clueless, overly reductive way).

In addition to the stories, there are several painted images by Lou Marchetti, paperback cover artist, that beautifully illustrate the “maiden and mansion” trope, as well as a reprint of a 1973 Charlton story featuring a Korean folk tale by Sanho Kim.

Gothic Tales of Haunted Love is a fascinating nod to an overlooked part of comic history and a collection of artists worth reading.

A mighty collection of haunting tales.

Every story stands solidly on a foundation of gothic brilliance. Each story is filled with sheer brilliance. The realism in some, the wildness of others, the authenticity in all really stood out to me. The artwork and writing is top notch. It's stories like these, artwork like this that'll keep me coming back to comics. It proves you don't always need a superhero to make a comic great.

This new look at gothic romance comic books from Bedside Press meets all the expectations of a modern horror fan and more! The 22 stories fill a full 200 color pages, meaning it allows for multiple reading sessions, unlike most graphic novels that the average reader completes in an hour. The wonderfully conceived cover spotlights a black woman running in her night shirt as though straight from a 1970s gothic paperback, (oddly lacking the mansion with a single light on in the upstairs window and the water crashing on the rocks below, but the inclusion of some exciting pin-ups is a delicious addition!)

This is an adult comic, no doubt. It portrays adult situations and shows its share of bloody revenge. What makes it special is its diverse representation of characters and sexuality that has been lacking in the graphic novel industry since forever. It is a multicultural take on illustrated horror stories that are as diverse in the sexuality of their romance as in the artistic styles represented on their pages.

The forward discusses the history of romance comics, the gothic genre specifically, and is well researched. The writing is original and gripping. I wish many of the stories were longer, but the format is a collection of many short tales by many different voices, (since there is so much missing history to cover.) Because the genre is taken in a slightly new direction, the twists are unexpected and quite successful. Some leave you warm and wanting a cup of tea while you read, others leave you with a chill deep in your spine.

My favorites were <em>L'Heure Verte,</em> (The Green Hour, in reference to the absinthe she is drinking...) because of the visual depiction of the characters and the simplicity of the story, and the Native American story <em>The Return</em> for its frightful imagery. <em>One More Cup</em> is a Gaiman-esque dark faerie tale, and <em>Mistress Fox</em> is a great typical Gothic with an ending that resounds through the night. Some tales, like <em>Minefield</em> and <em>Green, Gold, and Black</em> require multiple readings to truly appreciate what is going on.

The real eye-catcher for me was a piece re-printed from the pages of a Golden Age horror comic by Charlton, a story by Sanho Kim, the first Korean artist to make a name in Western comics. It is a classic ghost story in the Asian tradition, written in Korean (don’t worry it has English subtitles, though you don’t really need them to follow the action.) In it, a pair of talented swordswomen make a deal with a soldier on the run. It was originally published in <em>Ghostly Tales</em> #101 (1973).

This reboot of the traditional formulaic genre is long overdue. It’s impossible to find the old gothic paperbacks at the thrift store because the covers themselves are now being recognized as an art form. As the wave of Supernatural Romance spawned by <em>Twilight</em> has finally crumbled to a dry, welcome death, the market is ripe for grimly romantic ghostly tales with a more contemporary outlook. The governess may not be white, and he may not be heterosexual. The castle may not be on the New England coast, but the feeling of loneliness and heartache echoing through hollow hallways is timeless.