I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of a luscious little horror graphic novel from British independent publishers Shattered Frames. Angel Fire is the name of both the book and the new designer drug becoming popular with the rich; it promises the user a taste of Heaven itself, but Heaven, of course, comes with a dark reflection…
Meet John Dury – successful high-flyer, amoral and happy to asset-strip a family firm for profit, caring little that his actions lead to the suicide of the owner of the firm. It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the big city, isn’t it? In fact he even misses his own wedding anniversary because he’s busy celebrating his business deal with hookers and Angel Fire.
Things start to change for John when his wife leaves him to return to the country, then, on the cusp of a reconciliation, apparently commits suicide in the same manner as his business victim. Shattered by guilt John takes a massive overdose and flees to a remote Scottish village where he has inherited his late wife’s claim to the clan castle. A dark, isolated castle full of ghostly noises and something darker…
Okay, I won’t go on because I’d spoil it for you. This is one of those rarities in contemporary horror comics in that it trades heavily on atmosphere instead of splatter (not that I mind a little gore, but atmosphere takes skill by writer and artist to create and sustain); a sense of dread and apprehension pervades Angel Fire, like a tale by Edgar Allan Poe, while Steve Parkhouse’s artwork matches this sensibility perfectly, with sombre, dark colours (except for reds) used in a way that even Mike Mignola would admire (each chapter coming with a single-page prelude harking back to the mysteries of the castle, with a church wall scene again reminiscent of Poe).
Chris Blythe and Steve Parkhouse are to be commended for bringing us a wonderfully eerie, spooky tale of hauntings and guilt, shadows and light, redemption and damnation. Angel Fire combines elements of classic Hammer horror with touches of Strangehaven, Hellboy and Poe, with a little of Chris Faulkner’s character from Market Forces. We should be getting Angel Fire towards the end of May and in the meantime you should have a look at the excellent Shattered Frames website, which has some pages to view and a suitably atmospheric animated menu.
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