Review: ‘Buried Long, Long Ago’ #1 Is A Chilling Tale, Based On A True Story

From acclaimed writer Anthony Cleveland (Charred Remains) and Bram Stoker Award-nominated artist Alex Cormack (Road of Bones), comes ‘Buried Long, Long Ago’ — a chilling, historical horror, based on true events. 

Before picking up Buried Long, Long Ago, I was unaware of the historical event upon which the comic is based. And I give this comic full credit for my sudden interest in the history; it’s spurred me to read up on Norwegian-American serial killer Belle Gunness.

If you’re like me and don’t know the history, allow me to give you a quick overview. Gunness was born in the mid-1800s, spending most of her life between Illinois and Indiana. Over her lifetime, she was responsible for murdering upwards of 40 people. She would lure lonely men to her farm, where she would savagely kill them and take their money. During her lifetime, Belle managed to avoid trial, and so much of the story has been left largely uncovered.

This brings us to Cleveland and Cormack’s latest 5-issue comic, Buried Long, Long Ago, which presents itself as a dark and twisted fairy tale version of the story. It also narrates the story from the perspective of Belle’s three children, which adds to the mystery but also presents a chilling and juvenile perspective on the events.

I adored the fairy tale direction of the comic. Despite covering such dark and disturbing real-world events, this aspect suits the story. The comic opens with a traditional fairy tale story about an ogress who lures men into her dark home beneath the roots of a tree, where she kills them; a story that echoes Belle’s malevolent intentions. It’s one of the best openings to a comic I’ve read in a long time. But I must admit, I’m a sucker for absolutely anything fairy-tale related.

As horror comics go, this is a super impressive start. It sets up a dark atmosphere, but doesn’t hold back in its brutality when it needs to. It’s deeply disturbing at times, especially given that this comic has its origins in true events.

But besides Belle, there’s a fascinating mystery buried in this series. It appears that it’s not just Belle, but there’s another cruel entity, far more evil than their mother, that lurks on the farm.

The art from Cormack is gorgeous throughout. I particularly loved his golden tones for the fairy tale opening. But also the facial expressions of the characters, such as the deep inescapable despair and fear in the faces of the children.

I’m very excited to dive back into this story for issue #2 to see how things develop!

Buried Long, Long Ago #1 debuts April 16th from Mad Cave Studios. You can pre-order the complete graphic novel on Amazon here. 

Rating 4/5