Steve Niles | Musings of the Monster Librarian

Graphic Novel Review: The God List by Steve Niles and Scott Hampton, art by Scott Lange, letters by Janice Chiang, edited by Sandy King

The God List by Steve Niles and Scott Hampton, art by Scott Lange, letters by Janice Chiang, edited by Sandy King

Storm King Comics, 2024

ISBN-13: 9798988728528

Available: paperback

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

William Clark owns a used bookstore called Olden Daze Books in Greenwich Village that pays more out than it takes in. He doesn’t mind, though, as he enjoys being surrounded by the dusty old tomes. One night after he has closed shop and is settling in for the night, a woman disturbs him when she pounds on the door of the store begging for help. She pushes a parcel into his hands, cries for him to protect it, and turns into ash when she hits the ground. Following her is a group of robed cultists, and a mysterious blonde woman named Lydia who saves him from them. As they make their getaway, she tells him he must discover the secrets of the book in his hands. As he unlocks the secrets of the God List, a legendary inventory of unknown creative works, he finds that his dreams show him the way. Lydia and William’s search takes them from Greenwich Village in New York, to the Vatican archives, and finally to an old cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Unfortunately, the cult leader has summoned the giant of a man named Ravyn to do whatever it takes to retrieve the God List.

Niles delivers a great story with The God List. The plot moves quickly and delivers a good bit of religious and artistic history. The characters feel real, despite the reader knowing them for a short time. I especially love the formidable librarian, Lucinda, who they have to make their way past in the Vatican archives. Hampton’s artwork is phenomenal, from character designs to intricate backgrounds.

This would be a solid addition to libraries looking to expand their horror graphic novels collection, as well as support an independent publisher specializing in such resources. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Graphic Novel Review: Lot 13 by Steve Niles, art by Glenn Fabry

Lot 13 - Niles, Steve

Lot 13 by Steve Niles, art by Glenn Fabry

Dark Horse, 2023

ISBN: 9781506734484

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

The story opens in 1670, in Fairfax, Virginia. The bodies of the Wyatt family are on trial. The father, Robert, stands accused of murdering his family before committing suicide. The court ultimately finds him guilty of mortal sin and cast their bodies into unhallowed ground for eternity.

Time switches abruptly to the modern day. A married couple are finally ready to move into their dream home. Their three children aren’t as ready as their parents to leave their friends and apartment, but they will get used to the idea in time. The family load up into the moving van, and head to their new home in Fairfax. Unfortunately, when they arrive, the house isn’t ready to be occupied, and the cozy family has to find other accommodations. After an accident on the road, they come across an apartment building, where they are welcomed by an elderly man. When they start seeing things, the secrets of the mysterious building emerge, and they find themselves fighting for their lives.

The story is okay, but not great. It is good if you just need some gore. Some things don’t line up or even get addressed. For instance, when the family hits what appears to be a child in the middle of the road with the moving van, gore is all over the front of it and the road in one panel, and in the next it is gone. There is no viscera on the hood, no body parts littering the road. There is also no discussion over what just happened, just the son pointing at a random building nearby advertising apartments to rent for a night to a year. The family just appears to forget what they just saw. The incident is never spoken of afterward. Weird things happen in the building, and some of it is treated in a similar manner. It makes me wonder if the family often has mass hallucinations to make them just gloss over such things.

It took me a minute to remember the name Glenn Fabry. I admit I am really bad with names. As soon as it hit me, I knew the art was going to be intense. His covers for Preacher are incredible, and his art in general is fantastic. Fabry goes above and beyond with the amount of gore in this one. Highly recommended, more for the art that the story

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker