Athanasia by Daniel Kraus, art by DaNi, colors by Brad Simpson, letters by Jim Campbell

Vault Comics, 2025

ISBN-13: 9781638492818

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition1

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

In Venture City, the Molson family has tended the grounds at Athanasia Cemetery, the burial grounds for fallen superheroes of the Dynamic Guild, for generations. Forrest Molson dropped out of high school a year ago. She maintains her sobriety, works with her father as an assistant groundskeeper, and is expected to take over when he is ready to retire. The problem is that she does not see the hero worship of the Dynamic Guild to be more than that, and questions her father and grandfather’s logic in continuing to work for them. Struggling with relationships, the death of her little sister, and the future in general, Forrest finds herself spiraling.

After an argument with her father, she lets herself into the cemetery after hours, using the monogram that allows only the Guild and their employees to enter. A strange green substance emerges from the ground at night. When she accidentally comes into contact with it, she is temporarily granted superpowers.

What starts out as Forrest’s quest for justice for the people left out of the Dynamic Guild’s orbit quickly spirals into extreme vigilante horror as she becomes addicted to the supergoo and loses control over herself. The Molson elders need to make some difficult choices if they want to help Forrest and survive the coming fight.

The horror emerges subtly and builds in Athanasia. It is more than an addiction story. Forrest sees the victims of what the Dynamic Guild deem as lower importance. She is verbally sexually harassed by middle aged men on the street. She witnesses an elderly woman being swindled by her landlord for more rent money. A purse snatcher runs past her after a victorious haul off the arm of a young woman. Then she walks in on one of her closest friends being sexually assaulted in the high school gym. Something in her breaks further.

Between experiencing and seeing everything going on around her, knowing the Guild is ignoring those living on the outskirts, and succumbing to her new addiction, Forrest craves more power, no matter the cost. Pushing the limits of her body and psyche, and the supergoo, is all she can think about. Learning more about the superheroes is intense, both in terms of their rise and what happens when they die.

Athanasia is a great book for readers of Kingdom Come, Watchmen, and other series that dig into the dark side of superhero culture. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker