Summary
Warning: contains spoilers forDamaged People#1!
Damian Connelly’sDamaged People, from Alien Books, perfectly recalls the horror heyday of DC Comics’Vertigoline. Horror comics have undergone a renaissance in the past decade, anchored by titles such asSomething is Killing the ChildrenandHarrow County.Damaged People,with its emphasis on telling self-contained, character-driven,Vertigo-style horror stories,is a worthy addition to the horror comics canon.
Damaged People#1 is written and drawn by Damian Connelly. Each issue of the title is self-contained, allowing readers to pick the title up with no worries about cumbersome continuity. The solicitation for the first issue reads:
Damian Connelly, creator of the best-selling comics You Promised Me Darkness, Follow Me Into The Darkness and Blood, Love, Ghosts and a Deadly Spell; brings you a new collection of spooky comics. Self-contained stories of horror, suspense, romance and damaged people. Each issue, a new story.
We are damaged people living in a world full of horrors, who can fix us?
Episode one: A ghost girl. In the first episode we will learn the story of Abigail, a boring and lonely girl who spends her days scaring people. Until her life changes completely when she meets Mary, a ghost girl. A gothic romance in the 90’s, dark places, flowers and two damaged people.
Indeed,Damaged People’sfirst story, titled “A Ghost Girl,” makes good on this promise. Set in the 1990s, “A Ghost Girl” is far from being a conventional horror story. Instead of focusing on scares and gore, “A Ghost Girl” instead peels back the layers of its young protagonists.
This emphasis on characters and their relationships recalls the best of DC’s late Vertigo line.
Alien Books Has Stepped The Horror Game Up
Damian Connelly Has Revived the Spirit of Vertigo
In addition to being the parent company of Valiant Comics, Alien Books also publishes high-quality horror and science fiction comics, andDamaged Peopleis their latest triumph. The book is the brainchild of acclaimed writer and artist Damian Connelly. Connelly made a name for himself withYou Promised Me Darkness, published by Behemoth. Connelly also released a sequel:Follow Me Into the Darkness. These comics established Connelly as a horror comics superstar. Now, he is set forDamaged People, his biggest title yet.
Alien Books, in promotional materials forDamaged People, stated the book would appeal to fans of titles such asThe Sandman, as well as DC’s Vertigo line in general. This is an apt comparison. The Vertigo imprint, launched by DC in 1993, consisted of the publisher’s supernatural/horror-based offerings. The best of the Vertigo books mixed genuine, skin-crawling scares with compelling characterizations and thought-provoking stories. In titles such asHellblazerandSwamp Thing, Vertigo helped lay the foundation for the modern horror comics boom. While Vertigo is now defunct, its legacy can be found everywhere.
Damaged PeopleIs One of the Year’s Best Horror Titles
Another Triumph For Creator Damian Connelly
Damian Connelly’sDamaged Peopleis cut from the same cloth that made titles such asShade the Changing ManandAnimal Mansome of comics’ best.Connelly deftly mashes up romance, family dynamics and horror in “A Ghost Girl.” The story of a girl romancing a ghost might seem to stretch credibility, but Connelly sells it perfectly. Like DC’sVertigostories of old,Damaged Peoplemakes good use of the “Mature Readers” label, telling sophisticated stories exploring what it means to be alive, or in the case of “A Ghost Girl” being dead.
