Terrible for society, but great for fiction as it not only acts as a window into the mindset of that particular society, but it can also be used as a framing device in which to tell stories where ordinary people are either caught up in the maelstrom of hysteria or trying to battle other issues that have arisen because of it.
The Satanic panic of the 1980's was particularly ludicrous for a variety of reasons but, when ritual child abuse and murders were thrown into the mix, an awful lot of people's lives were irrevocably damaged.
Genesis P-Orridge (Psychic TV/Throbbing Gristle) was forced to flee Britain to America after being embroiled in allegations thanks to Channel 4 who broadcast the 1982 film First Transmission and claimed that it was a Satanic snuff film (although, amusingly, it emerged that it had been partially funded by Channel 4 itself).
Of course, those who were.
Noted names in the comic book industry for a long time, American writer Ed Brubaker and English artist Sean Phillips have amassed a catalogue (Pulp 🕮 Bad Weekend 🕮 Cruel Summer 🕮 Scene of the Crime) that is hard to surpass in modern comics. With their recent focus on delivering graphic novels first as opposed to the traditional comic book ‘floppies’, the stories have expanded into bigger, more fertile terrain that can be read in one sitting as opposed to waiting each month for a new issue.
Of course, those who were.
Noted names in the comic book industry for a long time, American writer Ed Brubaker and English artist Sean Phillips have amassed a catalogue (Pulp 🕮 Bad Weekend 🕮 Cruel Summer 🕮 Scene of the Crime) that is hard to surpass in modern comics. With their recent focus on delivering graphic novels first as opposed to the traditional comic book ‘floppies’, the stories have expanded into bigger, more fertile terrain that can be read in one sitting as opposed to waiting each month for a new issue.
Natalie Burns is a woman who has been living off-grid for a long time, as she is keen to avoid her past where, as a member of the so-called ‘Satanic Six’, she claimed that Satanic rituals took place in her small town. The fact that the six were children and had been victims of heavy suggestion by adults did not seem to concern the locals. When an FBI agent shows up and tells her that some of the other children are now dead, it seems that someone out there is either taking vengeance on behalf of the Lord, or someone has read too many Reddit posts. Which is it?
Taking a simple premise (you can never escape your past) and framing it within memory that is still recent but distant enough to link into other, more modern, themes, Houses of the Unholy is a gripping read that allows a peak into a world where children are used by adults as pawns for their own games, discarded once their usefulness is at an end and then how those children learn to live with this trauma as an adult.
One criticism of the story is that certain elements feel underdeveloped and rushed. While there is truth to this claim, it’s important to remember that the story is told in first person and so there will be some elements that can’t be elaborated upon as the narrator doesn’t always know the full facts and are often playing catch up with the rest of the story. Perhaps if it had been in third person, these issues would be easier to resolve.
Regardless, it’s still some read and combined with the artwork, the world of Houses of the Unholy is an absorbing yet bleak world where everyone has lost faith in humanity and the mob rules.
What I love about Phillips’ artwork is just how mundane it is (and I mean that as a compliment). While others have criticised the artwork as not being suited to the material, I would argue that it suits it perfectly as it has a detached, clinical look that is needed for a tale about a world without God.
Take the first page as an example.
Notice how flat the surrounding area is, how unthreatening it is and how businesslike Natalie is? This sets the mood perfectly as it allows for a level of hard hitting realism and cynicism that is needed for a story about lies in the real world.
Similarly, have a look at this page.
Although the lurid image is at the centre of the page, oddly it isn’t the focus. Instead, the eye is drawn towards the young Natalie as she recounts what her counsellor wants her to and she ends up putting on a performance that justifies the fears of the adults. Grooming and child abuse, the reader cannot help but conclude.
Read this and remember the next time you hear about a so-called ‘moral panic’.
Ed Brubaker (Writer), Sean Phillips (Illustrator), Jacob Phillips (Colourist), 2024, Houses of the Unholy. Image Comics ISBN-13: 978-1534327429
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist and is the author of A Vortex of Securocrats and “dethrone god”.
Taking a simple premise (you can never escape your past) and framing it within memory that is still recent but distant enough to link into other, more modern, themes, Houses of the Unholy is a gripping read that allows a peak into a world where children are used by adults as pawns for their own games, discarded once their usefulness is at an end and then how those children learn to live with this trauma as an adult.
One criticism of the story is that certain elements feel underdeveloped and rushed. While there is truth to this claim, it’s important to remember that the story is told in first person and so there will be some elements that can’t be elaborated upon as the narrator doesn’t always know the full facts and are often playing catch up with the rest of the story. Perhaps if it had been in third person, these issues would be easier to resolve.
Regardless, it’s still some read and combined with the artwork, the world of Houses of the Unholy is an absorbing yet bleak world where everyone has lost faith in humanity and the mob rules.
What I love about Phillips’ artwork is just how mundane it is (and I mean that as a compliment). While others have criticised the artwork as not being suited to the material, I would argue that it suits it perfectly as it has a detached, clinical look that is needed for a tale about a world without God.
Take the first page as an example.
Notice how flat the surrounding area is, how unthreatening it is and how businesslike Natalie is? This sets the mood perfectly as it allows for a level of hard hitting realism and cynicism that is needed for a story about lies in the real world.
Similarly, have a look at this page.
Although the lurid image is at the centre of the page, oddly it isn’t the focus. Instead, the eye is drawn towards the young Natalie as she recounts what her counsellor wants her to and she ends up putting on a performance that justifies the fears of the adults. Grooming and child abuse, the reader cannot help but conclude.
Read this and remember the next time you hear about a so-called ‘moral panic’.
Ed Brubaker (Writer), Sean Phillips (Illustrator), Jacob Phillips (Colourist), 2024, Houses of the Unholy. Image Comics ISBN-13: 978-1534327429
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist and is the author of A Vortex of Securocrats and “dethrone god”.
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