At this point in their careers a reader usually knows what to expect from a Brubaker and Phillips. As a team they have carved out their own niche of 70’s/80’s influenced noir masterpieces and within that space they do not miss…ever. Still, having read all of their prior collaborations, Houses of the Unholy managed to surprise me quite a few times with its swervy plot and willingness to tread in ambiguity. It’s probably the closest thing to Fatale they’ve done since that breakthrough book, but they’ve learned a lot of new tricks in the intervening years making this one of their stronger efforts, which is really saying something.

A pretty alright horror graphic novel! I enjoyed the setting and the call backs to the Satanic panic of the 80s but I felt like the lack of true resolution at the end made it fall flat for me. The art style isn't bad but certainly not my favorite.

Houses of the Unholy has an interesting plot and cool art style! I really dig cult vibes/satanic panic stories.
The overall story felt a little rushed and could have used some additional detail.
Thanks to Image Comics & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Houses of the Unholy is the first work by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips that I have read and I was blown away by the content material. The story follows Natalie Burns and her involvement in the Satanic Six, in which her and five other children made claims of being forced to engage in satanic rituals by a counselor in the 80s. Now, Natalie has grown up and has tried to put the past behind her, but is found by Agent West and is brought back into the fold by investigating the deaths of other children involved in the Satanic Six However, nothing is what it seems anymore and Natalie is left to wonder if the actions of her childhood have influenced the world in more ways than initially thought.

The artwork was compelling, and the story was a quick and fast paced read. I found myself reading through the pages as if I was living through the Satanic Panic myself. Overall, an interesting and thought provoking read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this comic in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the art style and the story immediately drew me in. Cults and conspiracies that might actually be true? It's a perfect set up.

This story was emotional and heavy, and draws great attention to the vulnerability of children to indoctrination. I'm really fascinated by the past story line here, and wish I would have gotten more.

I'm a little disappointed in the ambiguous ending. I'd like to keep following Natalie.

First and foremost, thank you to Image Comics and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for an honest review!

This is an interesting book, in a number of ways. I love the duo of Brubaker and Phillips, and as a result was expecting a lot from this book. I was marginally disappointed by the end of it, however. I wanted more of this story, more of these characters, and more to chew on. On the plus side, I wanted more because there is so much about the book that I enjoyed and that I found interesting, but it feels the whole time like it is just scratching the surface of the concept.

Basing a story around the Satanic Panic was a good decision, because it is a time that I have seen revisited some, but never with much nuance or depth, and Brubaker and Phillips provide a fair amount of this throughout the book. It is a quick story that tugs on certain threads that indicate a deeper evil, but sometimes it feels as if that tugging is leading to an empty rope, with the philosophical pondering just out of reach of the pace of the story. Don't get me wrong, the pace works well, but it could use a few more moments of slowing down to allow itself to settle.

The art of this book is beautiful and provides a sense of the surreal throughout it, which lends itself well to the feeling of being lost in memory and lost in the past. It adds strong emotions to the already strong story, and heightens the feeling that something is never quite right throughout the duration of the story. I recommend this book if you are interested in a new stab (pun intended) at framing the Satanic Panic through the eyes of the graphic novel, and open to a quick read.

Brubaker/Phillips' new graphic novel follows an FBI agent and Natalie, a woman with a past linked to the Satanic Panic of the 80s. Together they are on the hunt for a killer that may or may not be involved with recent murders of the past children now adults of that same Santanic Six Panic.
It was a quick novel, but still a goodie from the duo. I was wrong almost every step of the way in this murder mystery. It has a old style feel to it. If you are used to Brubaker's work, it is similar. The art was great. It was dark and perfect for the scenes. I hope we get more issues in this series.

I'm going to have to wait for this one to come out in paper format, because the formatting is so bad on my computer and the Kindle. I like their other books, so I'm guessing it's great. Looking forward to this when it comes out and I can actually see/read it!

5 stars because I can't really give it an actual rating or review.

I’ve read everything the Brubaker-Phillips duo had written, and they never disappoint: this one was a fast-paced occult thriller with great atmosphere, I loved the ‘80s satanic panic vibes, and the art is top notch, Phillips always cooks. I’m not really sure about the ending, though: I was a bit disappointed when I finished the book, I found it lackluster, but it kinda grew on me.
Overall, it was great, highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!

2 stars!

This sadly just wasn't for me. I love the art style and how the comic is designed. But as for the story I couldn't be gripped by it. I'm not entirely sure why as the start was quite good and strong but my interest seemed to have grown weak the more I read.

Definitely recommend it for those who like reading about the occult/cults such as myself but not the comic for me.

This book was just ok. Maybe I was expecting more. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Receiving the book in this way had no bearing on my review.

I’m a bit bummed about the open ending, but the rest of it was super good. Nothing better than some satanic rituals on a Sunday

“But maybe is the sound of hope in your mind, and hope is for fools.”

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips new graphic novel is about an FBI agent from the cult crime division, he is on the search for a woman named Natalie, a woman with a past linked to the Satanic Panic. They are drawn into a crazy hunt for a killer that is hiding within the shadows of the underworld.

This is set around the era of the satanic panic during the 80s. A group of children who confess to being involved in satanic rituals, later in life come to find their past never truly goes away. A killer is on the loose connected to an infamous cult, Natalie who is trying to change the ramifications of her past is pulled back into this hunt for this killer.

This was a fast paced story. Told through the lens of the 80s, with the matching artwork the disturbing parts of the story were illustrated well in showing that unsettling dark side of this tale.

This was a short but darkly entertaining read.

Houses of the Unholy is a noir-style graphic novel. It follows the story of a woman who has a past that’s connected to the Satanic Panic. A rouge FBI agent finds her and they go on a hunt to find a killer.

I loved the artwork in Houses of the Unholy, it’s kind of got that old-school comic book style of artwork that just makes everything feel really gritty.

The storyline started off fairly strong, and I loved the flashbacks the main character, Natalie, has about her childhood and how she’s involved with the Satanic Panic. However during the middle of the book, the plot started to fall a little flat for me , and I think that’s due to the fact that the story was mostly telling me what is happening instead of showing it to me.

I’d recommend checking this one out if you’re looking for a short, fast-paced crime story that’s inspired by the Satanic Panic.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

Another cracking graphic novel thanks to Image Comics.

This one had the feel of Dennis Wheatley story with Silent Hill and good thriller horrors thrown in for good measure.

There were flashbacks that built tension into the current narrative and allowed some of the back story to be filled in as Natalie Burns journeyed with an FBI agent to investigate the killings of the Satanic Six.

These flashbacks took us to the time of the 80s Satanic panics, the hysteria that there were Satanic cults everywhere and that children were vulnerable to abuse from these cults.

It also touched on the idea of repressed and implanted memories that was huge at the time also, and according to Natalie this is what the Satanic Six were, six children who got caught up in this hysteria.

Much like the children in various witch trials, the children told what was expected of them and some adults had to face the consequences of these words.

The story is brilliantly supported by a great art style that has a predominantly red and black palette which is oppressive and really adds to the atmosphere as the story progresses.

Bleak, oppressive, and tense. Loved this from start to finish.

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this Satanic Panic mystery graphic novel. Good story though I did guess part of it. I subtracted one star because I hate open-ended endings but otherwise it was excellent. If you’ve enjoyed any of the author’s other detective/mystery graphic novels you’ll enjoy this one. I was thrilled to get it in NetGalley, thanks to the authors and publisher for that!

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of Houses of the Unholy! To be transparent, I just don't think this graphic novel was for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the art style and the overall content of the story. I will say I was engaged enough to want to know what happened at the end and it was a quick read. The sex scene was unnecessary to the plot. Overall I wouldn't recommend unless you have interest in the occult/learning about cults.

"Houses of the Unholy" is a riveting horror thrill-ride from bestselling creators Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. 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?

Honestly, I went in with too many expectations. I was let down by how the complete storyline was a big retelling with little to no change from the McMartin preschool story or something very similar. I was waiting for something to happen, something to pull me into the story. The ending was a big bust. Nonetheless, I would stay for the art. On the whole, I would rate it 2.5 stars rounded to 3 stars.

I’m a long time fan of Brubaker and Phillips. They have consistently done outstanding modern gritty crime stories. “Houses of the Unholy” starts out strong and keeps getting better as the story progresses. Anyone familiar with 1960s Chick tracts, the evangelical comics from cartoonist Jack Chick, will appreciate how Phillips made the chapter headings look like Chick tract titles.
My only disappointment was the ending. It felt like either this was supposed to be part one of the story or they decided to end in a depressing manner. A rule of most crime stories is that they end on a downer, but I had hoped for a slightly better ending for Natalie Burns.

The artwork in this graphic novel reminds me of vintage crime comic books. Comparing the art style with the storyline of this tale, they fit together nicely bringing you, the reader, an interesting reading experience.

Natalie Burns and five other children made claims of being forced to engage in satanic rituals by counselors. This was during the Satanic Panic of the 80's, so her name along with the rest became front page news. The problem was that the whole thing was fake, and it haunted her to the present day, where this story takes place.

Natalie is picked up by the FBI to participate in an investigation into the deaths some of the other children involved in the Satanic Six, leading into a micro-adventure that explores more of Natalie's past.

I can't tell if there will be a sequel to this, possibly not, but the quick pace of the story was good with moderate text throughout. The comic was easy to read, although the story progression was too predictable. Nonetheless, a great comic book for horror fans. I recommend this comic and the authors / artists involved who created it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Image Comics for providing this comic in exchange for an honest review.