Houses of the Unholy, the new crime/mystery story from creators Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, is about Natalie Burns, a private investigator who is arrested by the local police after a case she is working on gets botched. Natalie was raised in the 1980s, and religious parents like her mother were worried about the influence of Satan on their children. Natalie and five friends who attended the local day camp had accused counselors of taking them to a dark room and abusing them in the name of Satan. These children became officially known as the Satan Six. Enter FBI Agent West who tells Natalie that only three of the Satan Six remain, and they need to be put under protective order.
Houses of the Unholy’s main mystery is very well done, but that’s expected of Brubaker and Phillips. Brubaker keeps coming up with fantastic stories and different ways to present them. The use of the Satan Six is a nice nod to the West Memphis Three, but used in almost different contexts. Flashbacks are presented to give a clue to the next big reveal. Sean Phillips’ art is always on point.
One thing I’ve always appreciated is how Brubaker and Phillips move eras of when the story takes place. Whether it’s the Old Hollywood setting of The Fade Out or the 1930s of New York City, everything Phillips draws looks gorgeous. The detail in the art make each one of these books special in their own way. This book looks much more cinematic than their previous books. I love the inclusion of Sean Phillips’ son Jacob in the last few years. There’s this feeling of passing the torch to the next generation, and looking at Jacob’s output, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. My only disappointment with House of the Unholy is that most of the books have an essay written at the end, giving a little of what was going on in Brubaker’s mind while working his stories, but the essay is absent here.
It’s hard to not recommend anything this team puts out. Brubaker and Phillips have created a mystery that tackles religion, cults, and the fine line between the two. This is easily a book you could devour in one sitting, and you absolutely should.
Creative Team: Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (artist), Jacob Phillips (colorist)
Publisher: Image Comics
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