"Heaven," by Katie Skelly is a Sexy and Scary Delight

"Heaven," is the latest comic by the extremely talented Katie Skelly. I've discussed in previous posts how much I enjoyed her horror story, "Maids," and the extremely raunchy adult comic collection, "The Agency." An interesting thing about, "Heaven," is that it is both quite sexy and has a lot of eerie elements as well. The setup of the story is that four high school seniors learn about a mysterious strip club on the edge of town called, "Heaven," that sometimes seems to exist and other times appears to have vanished without a trace. Dolores is the eldest at 18 and, due to a mix of disinterest in her Catholic school, a stressful home-life (she lives with her mother, who is going through a messy divorce), and general curiosity, gets a job at the club. Obviously, everything is not as it seems with Heaven.

Throughout the chapters/"Scenes," of the book, there is a palpable sense of dread. There is something eerie about Heaven, from its owner, "Lover," seeming a bit off to customers going missing, Dolores having nightmares every night after work, and so forth. Tensions increase with every turn of the page, and Skelly's superb art manages to both titillate and disturb. Brief moments of violence punctuate the slow unfurling of just how many secrets Heaven holds, and there are many! Skelly knows how to concoct a stellar tale, and "Heaven," is further proof of how she is a modern master of the comic art form. "Heaven," hits stores next week and is published by Fantagraphics, which was kind enough to supply me with an advance copy of the book upon my request for the purpose of review. If you enjoy stories that are as alluring as they are creepy, you definitely should seek a copy out for yourself!

5 out of 5 Stars.

"Maids," By Katie Skelly Tells a Real-Life Horror Story With Gruesome Skill

Katie Skelly is a damn fine artist and a skilled storyteller. Whether she's giving us the tale of a vampire causing a ruckus or regaling us with yarns about a sexy spy agency, Skelly's comics are a delight. Her latest release, "Maids," is interesting in that it is a mixture of non-fiction (with embellishments) and horror. Skelly takes the very real case of the Papin sisters--two French maids who murdered a mother and daughter they worked for--and morphs it into a tale of class warfare and psychosis.

Throughout the Fantagraphics-published, "Maids," tension slowly builds, with it clear Christine and Lea have a deep well of rage bubbling up in them. Is it warranted for their horrific long hours and abusive conditions? Are they insane? Could it be a mixture of both madness and legitimate anger led to the gruesome results? Skelly doesn't outright point to one reason, but does make it clear a darkness was always present in the sisters; a darkness not helped by terrible employers.

Skelly's artwork always has a colorful and flowing appearance, which makes it all the more shocking when things turn violent and grotesque. Skelly doesn't shy away from how nasty the murders were but also doesn't bathe the book in blood--instead giving a hint of the gore to come at the opening and then saving the closing pages for the gruesome murders. We are outright told they are coming on the back of the book, leaving the final result never in doubt, but watching the slow way the violent climax sneaks-up is wonderfully tense and with Skelly's amazing artwork it is always great to look at.

"Maids," is another phenomenal work by Katie Skelly and serves as yet another example of how she is among the most talented folks currently making comics. Both beautiful and grotesque, "Maids," is a must-read for those into true-crime, horror, or simply great comics.

5 out of 5 stars.