Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, Maryland, the Crownsville Hospital was a notoriously segregated, all-Black psychiatric institute. After decades of overcrowding and neglect—alongside darker, more-persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments—it was finally closed. Today, it stands condemned—a crumbling testament to a legacy of all-too-real terror inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable community. But even as a ruin of its former self, Crownsville still casts a long shadow. . . . When an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide, Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare are compelled to dig deeper, only to discover the reality of the horrors that once took place there . . . and the powerful connection they share to the anguished spirits of the dead that are still locked within its walls. Crownsville #1 is a tense debut mixing history with horror to deliver a debut that mines the past to face the future.
I’m not one who normally goes straight to the horror comic but the premise of Crownsville #1 is one that piqued my interest and made it a debut comic I had to check out. Written by Rodney Barnes, to say the issue is good is an understatement. It’s good, really good, with a concept and deliver that sucks you in and leaves you unnerved. The series dives into the real history of the Crownsville Hospital, a segregated facility in a time when experimenting on individuals deemed “lesser” was a practice, a reprehensible one.
Where Barnes’ writing shines is to explore that past but weaving it into the story in a way that doesn’t feel like it’s preaching to the reader. Instead, the history is the core of the story and the concept explores that history. I’m not an expert on the subject and facility, but with it so close, Crownsville #1 makes me want to visit, explore, and learn more. It’s also haunting in so many ways.
Part of that unnerving experience is the art by Elia Bonetti and the lettering by Marshall Dillon. Bonetti’s art has a gritty, worn, almost dirty quality about it. The look screams ghost story, but there’s a sadness about it all. The art is haunting in multiple ways, with the emotion and weight depicted on the characters’ faces to the literal ghosts depicted. Barnes created a “mood” for the comic and Bonetti nails it in every way. Marshall Dillon’s lettering too stands out with a special touch to the ghosts and the echoes of the past which delivers a chill on the page.
Crownsville #1 is a hell of a debut. It nails the horror/ghost vibe it’s going for while using it to explore real history and horrors of the past. This is a stand out debut and sure to make “best of” lists when the time comes.
Story: Rodney Barnes Art: Elia Bonetti Letterer: Marshall Dillon
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy
Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
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