GRAPHIC NOVELS

House of Penance

Ian Betram & Dave Stewart (illus.). Dark Horse. Jan. 2017. 176p. ISBN 9781506700335. pap. $19.99; ebk. ISBN 9781630084479. HORROR
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Having recently lost her husband and only child, Sarah Winchester inherits a vast fortune owing to her husband's holdings as heir to a rifle manufacturing empire. She's haunted by terrible spirits she believes to be the ghosts of those killed by the very machines that brought William Wirt Winchester so much wealth. Possessed by the notion that endless construction work on her mansion might keep the apparitions at bay, Sarah funds constant renovations on her home, transforming the estate into a maddening maze of twisted corridors and stairways to nowhere. Inspired by the legend of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA, Tomasi (Batman and Robin) introduces into the tale a wandering gunman troubled by his own past and explores themes of guilt, madness, and the possibility of redemption. Bertram's (Bowery Boys) illustrations, with the help of colorist Stewart (Heroes), seethe with menace as his exaggerated figures traverse panels packed with dangers both real and—conceivably—imagined.
VERDICT Fans of historical fiction and horror will find plenty to enjoy, although some might be turned off by the focus being more on character and a sense of dread than gore.
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