Dark Horse Comics brings us Clay McLeod Chapman’s Seance in the Asylum, a post-Civil War Gothic tale set in a mental health institution. Dr. John James Templeton has invited medium Alicia Wilkinson to Ashcroft Hospital in order to help veterans of the Civil War with their PTSD. Templeton feels that the voices the soldiers hear in their heads may be from beyond the veil. After being outed as a fraud, Alicia takes the job as a way to revitalize her gifts. The patients’ reaction to this unique therapy starts to emerge in unexpected ways.

In the last few years, Clay McLeod Chapman’s stories have been some of my favorite experiences. The social commentary that permeates them could only be written by someone who has a great handle on their craft. Whether his metaphor for addiction with Ghost Eaters or exploring the dangers of extreme patriotism with the podcast, Quiet Part Loud, using the PTSD of Civil War soldiers and war widows is an interesting hook. In addition, Alicia’s backstory may be tragic, traumatic, or well deserved; the ghosts of her flashbacks would like you to think the latter.

Leonardo Marcell Grassi’s thinly inked lines work well in a story where everyone is fragile. Mauro Gulman’s coloring follows the motif of many Dark Horse books set a few centuries ago, but always works. Frank Cvetkovic’s lettering uses multiple font styles for some of the characters – whether they are material beings or not. I look forward to seeing where the creative team takes us on this journey. I hope you do, too.

Creative Team: Clay McLeod Chapman (writer), Leonardo Marcello Grassi (artist), Mauro Gulman (colorist), Frank Cvetkovic (letterer), Andrea Mutti (cover artist)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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