“Pandemonium” by Christophe Bec and Stefano Raffaele
A fun dark read that’s just long enough to be satisfying without overstaying its welcome.
In 1951, Doris and her little girl, Cora, entered one of America's most prestigious facilities for the treatment of Tuberculosis, The Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The events that befell them shortly thereafter, both of a supernatural and criminal nature, were some of the most sordid of the time.
I picked this collection up after enjoying Christophe Bec’s Carthago series. In my review of that series, I laid out how I really enjoyed the story but felt the eventual conclusion was unsatisfying. It hadn’t been bad but didn’t answer enough questions for how long the series had gone.
Pandemonium is shorter and, in my opinion, more satisfying for it. Horror stories never do well for being stretched out too long, and at three volumes, this series hit’s its sweet spot.
I won’t say there aren’t a few points where the character moments could have been a little more fleshed out. Still, I don’t think a graphic novel is the best medium for deep characterisation. I actually feel Pandemonium would be a perfect candidate for a TV mini-series or movie adaptation.
So, overall this is definitely worth a read if you get the chance. But I wouldn’t say it’s something you really need to hunt out or consider unmissable.
