The Possessed

by Steve Niles

In Nazi-occupied Budapest, a young woman sees her mother and father brutally murdered by an SS Officer. She escapes with her Grandfather and the help of a Rabbi. Filled with rage and hatred, the Grandfather asks the Rabbi for help and he shows them an ancient box that contains a demon filled with hate and violence. They can have the revenge they want but only by giving up their sense of right and wrong.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics

80 pages, Paperback

Published February 2, 2021

About the author

STEVE NILES is one of the writers responsible for bringing horror comics back to prominence, and was recently named by Fangoria magazine as one of it's "13 rising talents who promise to keep us terrified for the next 25 years."

Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. He got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison.

Steve resides in Los Angeles in his bachelor pad with one cat. While there's no crawlspace, there is a questionable closet in one corner and no one is quite sure what is hidden in there...but we have an idea.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Possessed, the story opens with a young Jewish girl being orphaned after her father accidentally bumps into one of the Nazis who are transporting their family - and hundred of others - off to the concentration camps. Fleeing the murder with her Grandfather, they make their way to the house of a Rabbit her Grandfather knows of, where he is offered a chance at seeking justice. But will the price be too high, as they call upon the powers of the demonic force known as a Dybbuk.

~~~~~~~~

The Possessed is a new two-part short story from Horror writer Steve Niles. It's an interesting story, and fairly well executed. It is quite short - don't let the page count fool you (half of the individual volumes are actually the script version of the story), so the story doesn't get as in-depth as it could. It fits well into the space it was given, though. I didn't find the script helped a lot with adding to the story - a lot of it follows the speech, and scenes, word-for-word. There are a few scenes, though, where the description of the scene helped add to the emotions behind it and helped with an understanding of what was going on, and going through the characters' minds.

The art style is definitely unique. Not something I'd buy for display, maybe, but I didn't mind it at all in the books. It suited the horror atmosphere quite well.

Read as individual issues:
#1 on Sept. 7, 2020 - 3.5 stars.
#2 on Oct. 28, 2020 - 3.5 stars.
How to Deal with a Dybbuk from The Jewish Chronicle.

[Scott E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and self contained - maybe a bit too short so it doesn’t warrant a rating above three stars. Reckon a lot more can be done with this story. Art is great and usual tidy work by Niles. Demons and Nazis: what isn’t there to like?

[Ondřej Halíř · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hodně zrychlenej dvou sešitovej příběh o pomstě, je to hezky kreslené se zajímavou okultní premisou za druhé světové. Jen je to priserne zrychlene a je to jen jakasi prijemna jednohubka ke ktere si kvuli zrychleni vypraveni moc nevybudujete vztah, ale nelituji precteni.

[Megan McMillen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
It honestly reminded me of my 12 year olds work, but she writes graphics, so I guess that's good, for her at least. Obviously the artwork was a little superior, lol.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

the art in this is gorgeous, and the narrative was an interesting start, but felt like that: the beginning of a potentially compelling story. I left wanting much more!

---

acquired from: Comix Experience