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Daphne Byrne by Laura Marks, art by Kelley Jones

DC Comics, 2020

ISBN-13:

Available: Hardcover, Kindle, comixology

Set in 1886 New York, Daphne Byrne is still in mourning over the death of her father and has been affected greatly upon his passing. She’s tormented at school by the popular girls. She’s grappling with her mother who has been seeing a medium who she knows is a fraud. Her mother is spending the little money they have left on trying to contact her dead husband. Daphne tries her best to expose the medium, only to earn the ire of them both. While all of this is going on, Daphne meets a supernatural entity, simply called Brother, who offers friendship and support to the sad girl. He also encourages Daphne to stand up for herself, inviting her to use his powers as a tool. This power becomes particularly useful when she discovers the utter betrayal committed by certain parties close to the family.

Daphne Byrne would be of interest to anyone who enjoys stories from this period. Something I noticed in the less favourable reviews out there regarded the setting, which also influenced some of the plot points such as the fraudulent medium. I loved the story and found Daphne to be an interesting character. The artwork helped in this. Jones has been drawing comics for a long time, and I recognized his work immediately from his work on Sandman. He lends an otherworldly quality to creatures and characters. At times Brother reminded me of a sinister Dream. Recommended.

Contains: blood, body horror, nudity, sex

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker