As an East Coast guy, I can admit that we pride ourselves on the grit and grouchiness we’re known for. In fact, we tend to view our West Coast counterparts as being a bit too laid back and unbothered for our tastes. We think of surf and sunshine, the Hollywood hillside and Silicon Valley tech bros cutting loose at pickleball. But that’s not the whole truth, is it? Whether it’s on the surface or buried in the cracks, grit and grime will always find a way in.
Sometimes a sunny veneer can mask an underlying darkness. When I think of the West Coast–when I’m not being a snarky, Philly grump–I think of California and how, in spite of all its glitz and pomp, some pretty dark things have happened there. The Tate-LaBianca Murders, the Zodiac Killer, the Night Stalker, the Black Dahlia Murder; California has as much of a dark side as anywhere else. I was reminded of this while reading DEAD FLOWERS, an upcoming and premiere horror graphic novel from Dark & Twisted, the new imprint of Storm King Comics which is owned and operated by Sandy King and her partner in business and in life, John Carpenter.
DEAD FLOWERS is written by Duane Swierczynski with pencils by Andrea Mutti, inks by Gigi Baldassini, and colored by Valerio Alloro. The story follows Laney, a woman new to the California town of Monrovia, looking to explore her new surroundings. She signs up for a true crime tour of the famed Aztek Hotel that was home to a series of grizzly, unsolved murders at the end of the 1940s by a killer known as The Flower Arranger. When the fun of the tour begins to converge too closely with its subject, Laney has to survive the night and not become a victim herself.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. It took a bit for me to suss out the vibe but once I did, I was locked in. Even though it is a graphic novel, it reminded me of ensemble murder mystery films like Knives Out or Murder on the Orient Express. The members of the tour were a mixed bag of personalities who, unlike the aforementioned films, were not over the top. These characters felt very grounded and even though the story takes place in modern times, the backdrop of the hotel combined with the flashbacks to the glory days (and not so glorious days) of the hotel, made the story feel like it could work in any time period. The pacing managed to nestle into a nice sweet spot that didn’t seem to drag or rush.
Andrea Mutti’s art creates and maintains an ominous tone that pairs perfectly with the writing. The “acting” and facial expressions of the characters convey an array of emotions and further allows the reader to extend trust that the creators have you covered, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. The action scenes had a frenetic energy but were still easy to follow.
There were a couple of things I felt the book could have done a bit better. My primary complaint is that I wished there was more of a back story for Laney and more purpose for her being there in the first place. I wanted the situation she found herself in to resonate for her on a deeper level than just survival. In addition, I wish there were more opportunities for her to make decisions that moved the story forward instead of the story happening to her.
Even though the story was decidedly dark, I think it could have gone further. There’s a depravity that the story touches on that I don’t feel gets fully explored. We’re already in “Mature Reader” territory, may as well go balls to the wall, right? But maybe that’s more of a “me” problem. Maybe I’m just broken and desensitized. I can accept that.
California is more than just a glitzy, movie and tech Mecca. There’s blood in the mortar and shadows in the corners and DEAD FLOWERS effectively conveys that and reminds us to try and not trip over the bodies when the sun goes down.
