Category: Graphic Novel
Publisher: SLG Publishing
ISBN: 9781593620653
Series: Volume 3: 1140 Rue Royale
Pub. Date: April 2007
Date Read: July 2008
“The house smelled musty, like old wet wood, and everything seemed to have a layer of dust upon it. It seemed so uninviting, like the house didn’t want her there. Feeling rather alone and a little frightened, Victoria made her way up the stairs to see the bedrooms. She was relieved to see that it was much less gloomy in the upper rooms, almost as if someone had been keeping her room, in particular, ready for her use.”
Did that send up a chill down your spine? From the first moment Aunt Victoria and her niece Rebecca arrive at 1140 Rue Royale a sense of foreboding and doom takes a hold of them. The aging aunt feels weak and begins to see disturbing apparitions. Was that a bone thin woman shackled to the stove?
Aunt Victoria and Rebecca attribute their reactions to the old house to the wild tales they heard from the carriage driver, their neighbor and their overwhelming fatigue. A good night’s sleep should help restore their spirits.
However, where evil has once lived it is not easy to rid it of its ghosts. The house, which belonged to Madame Lalaurie, was a place of horror and the ghosts of the slaves Madame kept and tortured still walk the halls.
Rebecca and Aunt Victoria go to the Ursuline Convent to seek help but Rebecca finds it just as strange as the house. She doesn’t want to go back again and a voice warns her about the house and convent. As Rebecca tries to fight the evil she isn’t sure who she can trust. And, as she begins to uncover the truth about her aunt, the spirits are becoming more insistent as they seek their revenge.
Writer Serena Valentino takes the reader to a creepy Antebellum New Orleans inspired by historical events. There are a few instances where I was a bit confused as to what exactly was happening but this is definitely a worthwhile read. Not only is the story ghoulish in itself, but also the artwork perfectly sets the dark tone to this tale that is definitely more nightmare than fairy tale.