The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #1: A King’s Addiction

The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #1 is a delightfully coy horror comic, one that takes its time needling into the tone and imagery of the genre many have come to love. Set in modern-day Britain, the team here has opened this series with more political intrigue and family drama than I expected, resulting in a long runway of character writing and a slow-burn descent into addiction-fueled madness that kept my attention for the entirety of its 40-page length. Before diving into the meat and potatoes of this first issue, I implore you to check this out if you’ve been looking for a horror comic that really takes its time in giving you a reason to care about it before bashing you over the head with some ingenious imagery.

This is a book haunted by the struggles of its two main protagonists, Prince Theo Belmont and his grandfather, who happens to be the current King of Britain. Beneath all the chaos and noise of a tragedy befalling the royal family, these two are wrestling with a shared demon of alcoholism. In Theo’s case, he has yet to truly maintain control over his vice, whereas the King utilizes it as a weapon against his own mortality. The dialogue, and general approach to the characters here, is deeply grounded in an unseen familial history that carries more weight as subtext between the panels than it would have if we got to see it play out. The plotting of this issue is rooted deeply in the moment, as members of British Parliament and the elite scurry to maintain their image in the public’s eyes. A boy who feels too much, and an elder who refuses to let himself be bogged down by his own emotions, is a trope that is so excellently utilized here that it never quite feels as though it’s driving the plot without cause.

There is so much time devoted to establishing these two characters in this issue that you might not even notice the lack of anything truly horrific or supernatural in the genre-defined sense. There is a growing societal pressure weighing down on everyone involved, as the elite argue back and forth about maintaining their British image, debating foreign dependency, and generally acting without thought for the humanity of Theo, his bride-to-be, or the family he lost at the top of this issue. It paints a startling picture of how dehumanizing the incestuous relationship between the political and celebrity class is, setting such a great tone that the eventual twist into something darker feels right. Even though it may wear its skin from the jump, this is no mere political thriller.

The art from Kelsey Ramsey ties it all together brilliantly. Its sketch-like style leaves so much room for shadows to creep into every panel, the impression of emotion on every character’s abstract mug inviting the reader in to try and decipher their struggles beyond the surface. The consistency of it keeps every fabric of this story grounded, their varied use of camera shots within their panels keeping what would otherwise be still imagery alive with atmosphere and tension. Heather Breckel does a great job coloring within the style, never defining shapes or forms that are left intentionally shadowed or messy. There are some clever lettering choices in here as well that work with the art and writing to continuously characterize everyone in this book where the medium, in its simplest form, wouldn’t have necessarily allowed for.