cover image Damnation for Beginners

Damnation for Beginners

Alan Campbell. Subterranean (www.subterraneanpress.com), $35 (128p) ISBN 978-1-59606-439-3

In a world where the Henry Sill Banking Corporation literally owns everything and everyone and even extends its tendrils into Hell, Jack Aviso, a complaint officer for the bank, is careful to stay within the bank’s rules and never, ever borrow funds or trouble. When Aviso’s wife is unjustly accused of owing money, forced into prostitution, and killed by the bank’s enforcers, the mild-mannered functionary completely snaps and sets out to avenge her death, even if it means traveling to Hell itself. Complemented by Bob Eggleton’s eerie pen-and-ink illustrations, Campbell’s vivid description of Hell is nothing short of brilliant: towering structures made of souls creeping across the infernal surface, a labyrinth of blood red canals and crumbling ziggurats. Longtime fans of Campbell’s Deepgate Codex (Scar Night, etc.) will cherish this dark little gem of a story; others will find it an excellent place to start. (June)