Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird by Caitlin R. Kiernan, art by Daniel Warren Johnson

Dark Horse, 2016

ISBN: 9781616557966

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, comiXology

The trade paperback opens with a woman in the fetal position, filled in with the night sky, against a stark white background, and narration about personal devils, the mind, and a pale horse. What unfolds is a story of death, resurrection, revenge, and the journey of Dancy Flammarion from death to life. Set in the American South, Dancy, an albino woman, is dragged out of death, despite her refusal to the Angel to return, by twin sisters with questionable reasons for bringing Dancy back. The sisters pray to an old goddess, partake in blood rituals, and control ancient beasts that take someone from Dancy, a woman she loves more than life itself. To fight the twins and powers of darkness, it will take Dancy, returned from the dead, the strength of the woman she loves, and a small snarky bird who speaks to those who understand with a Southern accent.

This is not the first story to feature Dancy Flammarion, but it is the first I have read. The story is compelling enough that I want to seek out the other works that Kiernan has written about her. Dancy is incredibly strong, physically and emotionally, and is a well-written character. She’s mysterious in this volume, and I have to know more about her. I recommend this book if you like a good supernatural tale. Recommended.

This volume collects Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird #1-5.

Contains: blood, gore, nudity

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker